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Electronic and mechanical components of a computer
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How a Computer Works Introduction: A computer is a device which is used for several applications; business, gaming, or school. It’s important for people to know how computers work because in this day and age, operating a computer is an everyday task. This complex electrical device utilizes several parts inside of it to keep itself cool, conduct the proper tasks, and maintain stability. These devices can be found several places whether it be on the job, in one’s room, or on a school campus. Computers are essential for everyday use in order to complete what is required. What each component is and its function will be described. Components: A computer is a combination of several parts. These parts are Random Access Memory (RAM), a Central Processing …show more content…
RAM is used for memory caching, which means when the computer’s in operation, programs use this hardware for quick access and has memory saved temporarily for applications that’s deleted once the computer’s powered down. A CPU is what performs the large part of information processing in the computer, this tells what each part should be doing and it also proccesses requests; whether it be to turn on a cooling fan or to accept information to provide processing for words. It’s very important that the CPU is cooled well as it generates a lot of thermal energy. This heat is dissipated using a CPU cooler which often consists of a heatsink and fan. Newer technology is using liquid cooling and a radiator, which is a quiet solution to keep the CPU cool. The GPU is what processes graphics to create a display. Some graphics cards are powerful enough to provide viewing in multiple displays. A higher performance graphics card requires direct connection to the power supply as the motherboard can’t keep up with the power consumption of the card. Graphics cards can be combined to work together to process graphics. A cable linking
1. A device is a computer if it has an input device, central processing unit (CPU), internal memory, storage, and an output device.
This memory is assists in allowing the computer to simultaneously read and write data at the same time. Simply put, RAM is the most common form of memory that is utilized by computers as well as other devices. There are specific types of RAM that include dynamic random access memory and static random access memory, or DRAM and SRAM respectively. These two RAM are very different in terms of how they allow data to be read and written. Dynamic random access memory is often considered the most frequent type found in computers. Static random access memory is also found in computer, and is usually referred to as the faster of the two types due to the fact that refreshing of this form of memory is not needed whereas with dynamic random access memory it is. The term RAM is often used to describe what the computer uses to function. It is the main memory or primary memory whereby all processes and software run. Since it is random access memory, it is only available at the time a certain process is needed and is not stored anywhere on the computer specifically (2007). This is what makes random access memory often confusing to understand particular since computers also have what is known as read only
Motherboard- is the part of a computer that contains the computer’s basic circuitry and components. It allows the CPU, RAM and other components to communicate.
The invention of computers has made a huge change in human civilization and society, by changing the way people think. Computers replaced jobs and tedious repetitive thoughts that were done by human originally. People became more and more reliant on computers, and thus, computers became essential to our lives. Computers can manufacture products quickly, and eliminate possible human errors. As technology progresses, new ideas have been brought into computer to make them perform more efficiently. Also, scientists and engineers tend to make things “smaller”, so we can enjoy the benefits from electronic devices anywhere and anytime. Therefore, size and efficiency are two main points for consumers. Desktop computer and laptop computer are representatives for each of these concepts. Although desktops and laptops come from the same origin, they are different in many ways.
PC’s are multi-tasking but not dedicated with control of the resources usually handled by the computer rather than the user having control over the amount of resources used by any given application. For example, if you were to run 3D Studio Max, it would use 100% of your processor and about 75% of your Random Access Memory (RAM) to render a scene but if you were working with a similar mainframe program you would be able to use the assigned "chunk" of the processing power for rendering and that would still leave the dedicated amount for other applications or users to use (L. Mitzner, personal communication, January 12, 2002).
Whenever you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you're sending instructions to the CPU. The CPU is generally a two-inch square with a silicon chip located inside. The CPU fits into the motherboard's CPU socket, which is covered by the heat sink, an object that absorbs heat from the CPU. A processor's speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), or millions of instructions per second; and gigahertz (GHz), or billions of instructions per second. A faster processor can execute instructions more quickly. However, the actual speed of the computer depends on the speed of many different components—not just the processor.
The most common type of computer is the personal computer, which is otherwise known as P.C., or the desktop computer. Computers contain countless electronic parts. These parts all contribute to processing, sorting, and receiving data. Usually, computers are linked to thousands of other computers and handheld devices via the World Wide Web or also known as the internet. It is estimated that about half of the jobs today use computers. Computers have changed the way we communicate and learn forever. You can communicate to other people using phones, laptops, tablets and PCs. You can do all of this through the internet or also known as the World Wide Web. Before modern communication we didn't know about things happening on the other side of the world for weeks or even months. But today we know what is happening all over the world in an
Computers are one of the most popular kinds of electronic devices in the world today. Whether kid or adult, male or female, everyone wants to learn how to operate the computer. People use computers for different purposes such as typing papers, creating websites, making presentations, browsing on the internet, playing games, etc. In fact, many people are still confused about choosing what kind of computer they want to buy. In the world today, there are two types of computers: notebook/laptop and desktop. They both are actually very different in several ways. In this paper, I will compare the size, connectivity, power, and price of notebook and desktop computers. I can make these comparisons because I have both a notebook and a desktop computer in my apartment.
A CPU has various discrete units to help it in these tasks for example there is an arithmetic and logic unit(ALU) that takes care of all the math and logical data comparisons that need to performed. A control register makes sure everything happens in the right sequence. The motherboard is the main circuit board inside the PC. All other components are either slotted into or soldered to this board.
Computers are very complex and have many different uses. This makes for a very complex system of parts that work together to do what the user wants from the computer. The purpose of this paper is to explain a few main components of the computer. The components covered are going to be system units, Motherboards, Central Processing Units, and Memory. Many people are not familiar with these terms and their meaning. These components are commonly mistaken for one and other.
There are four types of memory. These are the RAM, ROM, EEPROM and the Bootstrap loader. The RAM, also known as Random Access Memory, is the temporary space where the processor places the data while it is being used. This allows the computer to find the information that is being requested quickly without having to search the hard drive space. Once the information has been processed, and stored onto a permanent storage device, it is cleared out of the RAM. The RAM also houses the operating system while in
The major aspects of notebook computers are the same as desktops. They contain processors, operating systems, memory, disk drives, input/output ports, sound cards and speakers. The “brain” of the notebook is called a “microprocessor.” It coordinates all of the computer's functions according to programmed instructions. The operating system, such as Windows 98/2000/NT/XP, Linux and Mac OS, is the set of pre-programmed instructions that tell the processor what to do. Notebooks contain both RAM and ROM memory. ROM stands for Read Only Memory. It can be read from, but not written to. ROM is where the basic input/output is stored. RAM is the memory that stores application software and data files while the computer is operating. In order for notebooks to be more portable and durable than a desktop, the memory modules have to be different.
In designing a computer system, architects consider five major elements that make up the system's hardware: the arithmetic/logic unit, control unit, memory, input, and output. The arithmetic/logic unit performs arithmetic and compares numerical values. The control unit directs the operation of the computer by taking the user instructions and transforming them into electrical signals that the computer's circuitry can understand. The combination of the arithmetic/logic unit and the control unit is called the central processing unit (CPU). The memory stores instructions and data.
Thousands of years ago calculations were done using people’s fingers and pebbles that were found just lying around. Technology has transformed so much that today the most complicated computations are done within seconds. Human dependency on computers is increasing everyday. Just think how hard it would be to live a week without a computer. We owe the advancements of computers and other such electronic devices to the intelligence of men of the past.
So in order to give the CPU a break and help it run more efficiently, a Graphic card can be used to process the graphics portion of the processing load. Because most of today's programs are graphically oriented, the video card can help almost any program run more efficiently.