Hardware

Component
Function Source Image Questions to
consider?
Processor



The brain of the
computer. It
receives data
(input) and
interprets it, giving
the suitable output.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/processor

What is the difference
between a CPU & a
processor?
There is very little
difference between CPU
and a processor when
talking about
computers.

What is a clock cycle?
What is the speed of a
CPU measured in?
A clock cycle is the
speed of the CPU. This is
usually measured in
Hertz (Hz).

Is the number of cores
or clock speed more
important?
The more number of
cores that you have, the
faster the clock speed.
Therefore the numbers
of cores are more
important.

Motherboard



The motherboard is
the main circuit
board which
contains the
connectors to
attach additional
boards.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M
/motherboard.html

What is a bus?
A bus is a set of
conductors.
What is their purpose?
To carry data and
control the signals
within a computer.
What is BUS width?
16-bit BUS carries 16 bits
of data. A 32-bit BUS
carries 32 bits of data.
BIOS



The (Basic Input /
Output System)
BIOS makes sure
that the other
chips, hard drives,
ports and CPU
function together.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
bios.htm

What is a Bootstrap
Loader?
It is a programme that is
inside the ROM.

Why are the computers
instructions loaded
here?
Because it needs to read
the data inside the ROM
in order to turn on the
computers OS.

Why are they on a ROM
chip & not RAM?
Because it is frequently
used and is needed
when turning on the
computer therefore it is
better suited to be in the
ROM than the RAM.



Heat Sink



The Heat Sink cools
down your
computer's
processor after it
runs multiple
programs at once.
And without a
quality heat sink,
your computer
processor is at risk
of overheating,
which could
destroy your entire
system
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
heat-sink.htm


Fan



The fan cools the
system down when
there are too many
processors running.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
computer-chip-air-conditioning1.htm


IDE



Storages devices,
such as Floppy
disks, Hard drives
and CD-ROMs, are
all connected to an
Integrated Drive
Electronics (IDE),
which allows the
device to connect
to the computer.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/i
de.htm


SATA



The Serial
Advanced
Technology
Attachment (SATA)
is a computer bus
interface that
connects host bus
adapters to mass
storage devices
such as hard drives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_AT
A


Ports Parallel &
Serial



A parallel port was
used for older PCs
to connect devices
such as printers or
scanners.
A serial port is used
to connect
peripherals such as
mice, gaming
controllers and
modems.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/parallelport

http://www.techterms.com/definition
/serialport


Internal Memory
ROM



Read only memory
(ROM) is memory
containing
hardwired
instructions that
the computer used
when it loads up.
These files are
generally in the
BIOS.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/rom


What happens to ROM
when the computer is
turned off?
Nothing should happen.
Why cant ROM chips be
changed?
Because the ROM chip
contains specific data for
a specific computer. i.e.
the data required for the
computer to turn on.

Internal Memory
Cache



This is a small
amount of high
speed memory that
is stored close to or
on the CPU. This
type of memory is
used for frequently
used data and
instructions. This
type of memory
runs faster than
RAM because the
CPU doesnt need
to wait for data to
arrive.
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is
_cache_memory

Why is cache as
important as clock
speed?

Internal Memory
RAM



When you open a
programme, the
data is loaded from
the hard drive to
the RAM. Data read
from the RAM is
faster than the data
read from the hard
drive. The more
RAM a computer
has, the faster it
can perform
because more data
can be loaded from
the RAM.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/ram

What happens to RAM
when the computer is
turned off?
All data stored will be
lost.
What does VOLATILE
mean?
Volatile means whatever
you saved in your
computer it saves your
file, data as temporarily
not as permanently.
When you load a
program e.g Word or
Excel, where is it stored?
On the hard drive
RAM.
Where is the program
stored when you dont
load it up?
On the hard drive.
Hard drive



The hard drive is
where all your data
is stored. The
speed that the data
is read at means
that it can be
accessed quickly.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/harddrive

What is the difference
between Solid state and
Magnetic Hard drives?
A magnetic hard drive is
a hard drive that stays
on the computer even
when you turn off the
computer. This has a
magnetic coting which
stores the data. A Solid
state drive is similar
except that the data is
stored on
interconnected flash
memory chips that keep
data even when there is
no power.
Network Card



This card makes the
connection to the
internet from your
computer. They
typically use an
Ethernet
connection.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/nic


Graphics Card



Graphics cards help
to reduce the load,
graphically wise, on
the CPU. The
graphics card help
speed up 2D and
3D graphics
rendering. The
effects are most
noticeable when d
games are being
played.
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/videocard

Why do some graphics
cards have their own
CPU?

Why cant graphics cards
be updated in portable
devices or some
laptops?

Power Supply



A power supply is a
hardware
component that
gives electrical
power to a device.
Since most power
supplies are
connected to a wall
plug, it is the first
device to receive
electricity.
Therefore it is
vulnerable to
power spikes and
surges, thus most
power supplies are
designed to handle
fluctuations in
electrical current
and still provide a
regulated or
http://www.techterms.com/definition
/powersupply


consistent power
output. Some
include fuses that
will blow if the
surge is too great,
protecting the rest
of the equipment.