Need to Know: Computer Hardware Basics

Modern personal computers all share a rich history of heavy company competition, several merging companies, and massive third party support. Throughout their history, personal computers have developed standards to follow when making their components. These standards have allowed individuals to buy many separate computer parts and combine them all to form a completely custom machine to fit their needs. This makes PCs the number one choice for computer hardware enthusiasts over Macintosh due to Mac's lack of hardware compatibility and their limited options. The two computer components I will discuss in this article are the computer's motherboard and its processor.

The most essential part of a personal computer is its motherboard. Sometimes called a main board, it is a silicon based circuit board that is designed to connect inside the computer's case, then to connect to all of the other components that make up the machine. Therefore motherboards are a system of female circuit ports and slots that connect to various internal and external components. Modern motherboards have serial I/O ports that go out the back of the PC to connect to peripherals such as mice, monitors, and keyboards. There is also a lot of space on the inside of the computer to allow for additional components to be installed as well. The hard drive, processor, optical disc drive, memory, and power supply are just a few devices that all connect to the motherboard from inside the case. All modern motherboards have a regulated form factor size. This means that depending on the size of the motherboard, it might be too big or too small to fit in different cases. If you are building a computer for the first time, it is always very important to make sure that the form factor matches in both your motherboard and case. There are sizes that range from the motherboard being a few centimeters wide to being more than a meter wide.

The next vital element that makes up a personal computer is the processor. Also known as the central processing unit(CPU) or the microprocessor, to differentiate from more powerful workstation units, it controls the flow of information going through the computer and tells all the other components what to do and when to do it. The speed of processors is measured in clock speeds. These speeds represent how many million or billions of cycles are processed in a second. Most new processors today are in between the 2-3 Gigahertz range. That translates into 2,000,000,000 to 3,000,000,000 cycles per second. There are two main manufactures of microprocessors, AMD and Intel. AMD has become a favorite among more serious computer users due to its lower costs, high performance, and lower energy use. Intel processors are sold to enthusiasts as well thanks to their overclocking potential. Processors also generate a lot of heat; it is important to have a proper CPU cooler installed whenever the processor is in use. CPU coolers generally keep the processor cool by transferring heat though metal plates that is dispersed via a small electric fan.

That covers the basics of two very vital components to the modern personal computer system. I hope you have learned from this and can apply what you learned to your own projects.