Experiment No - 1
HardwareComponentsofaComputer
Hardware Components of a computer refers to the collection of physical parts of a computer
system that we can touch or feel. This includes the computer case, monitor, keyboard, and
mouse. It also includes all the parts inside the computer case, such as the hard disk drive,
motherboard, video card, and many others.
Thehardwarecomponentsofacomputerorpersonalcomputeriscategorizedinto4primary
categories: -
a. SystemUnit
b. DisplayDevice
c. InputDevices
d. External Devices
a. System Unit
ASystem Unit is themain component ofapersonal computer,which houses theotherdevices
necessaryforthecomputertofunction.Itiscomprisedofachassisandtheinternalcomponents
ofapersonal computersuch as the system board (motherboard), themicroprocessor, memory
modules, disk drives, adapter cards, the power supply, a fan or other cooling device and ports
for connecting external components such as monitors, keyboards, mice, and other devices.
SystemUnitComponents
b. Display Devices
Adisplaydeviceisapersonalcomputercomponentandisanoutputdevicethatenablesuserto view the
text and graphical data associated with a computer program. Display devices
commonlyconnect to the system unit via a cable, and theyhave controls to adjust the settings
for the device. They vary in size and shape, as well as the technology used.
DisplayDevice
c. Input Devices
An input device is a personal computer component that enables users to enter data or
instructions into a computer. The most common input devices are keyboards and computer
mice. Input devices can connect to the system via a cable or a wireless connection.
Keyboard
Mouse
d. External Devices
Any peripherals devices that are not housed inside the system unit are inherently external
devices.Apersonalcomputer’sfunctionalitycanbeenhancedbyconnectingdifferenttypesof
external devices to the system unit, often called peripherals devices. These devices typically
provide alternative input or output methods or additional data storage. External devices are
connected to the system unit via a cable or wireless connection. Some of them have their own
power source and some draw power from the system.
Thereareseveralcategoriesofexternaldevices.
External Devices Functionality
Microphone Providesaudioinput
Digitalcamera Providesgraphicalinput
Scanner Providesgraphicalinput
Speaker Providesaudiooutput
Printer Providesprintedoutput
Provides communication with other
Networkdevice
computers, such as access to the Internet.
External device Providesadditionaldata storage
SystemUnitComponents
I. TheSystemBoard
II. CentralProcessing Unit
III. Memory
IV. Power Supplies
V. CoolingSystems etc.
I. TheSystemBoard
The system board is the personal computer component that acts as the backbone for the
entirecomputersystemasitservesasasingleplatformtoconnectallofthepartsofacomputer
together.ItconnectstheCPU,memory,harddrives,opticaldrives,videocard,soundcard,and other
ports and expansion cards directly or via cables. System Board is also known as
motherboard.Itconsistsofalarge,flatcircuitboardwithchipsandotherelectricalcomponents on it.
Somepopularmanufacturersofthemotherboardare: -
Intel
Asus
Gigabyte
Biostar
Msi
SystemBoardor Motherboard
II. CentralProcessingUnit(CPU)
The Central Processing Unit (CPU), sometimes called microprocessor or just processor, is
the real brain of the computer and is where most of the calculations take place.
Somepopularmanufacturers/designersoftheCPUare: -
Intel
AMD
Qualcomm
MediaTek
NVIDIA
CentralProcessingUnit(CPU)consistsof thefollowingfeatures:-
CPUisconsideredasthe brainofthe computer.
CPUperformsalltypesofdataprocessingoperations.
Itstoresdata,intermediateresults,andinstructions(program).
Itcontrolsthe operationofall partsofthecomputer.
CentralProcessingUnit (CPU)
Now,the CPUitself has followingthreecomponents:-
Memoryor StorageUnit
Control Unit
ArithmeticLogicUnit (ALU)
CPU
MemoryUnit
InputUnit ControlUnit OutputUnit
Arithmetic& Logic
Unit
MemoryorStorageUnit:Thisunitstoresdata,instructions&resultsforprocessingand
storesthefinalresultsofprocessingbeforetheseresultsarereleasedtoanoutputdevice. It is
also responsible for the transmission of all inputs and outputs.
Control Unit (CU) : This unit controls the operations of all parts of the computer but
does not carry out any actual data processing operations.
Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU): All calculations are performed in the Arithmetic
Logic Unit (ALU) of the computer. It also does comparison and takes decision. The
ALU can perform basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, etc and does logic operations viz, >, <, =, ‘etc. Whenever calculations are
required, the control unit transfers the data from storage unit to ALU once the
computationsaredone,theresultsaretransferredtothememoryunitbythecontrolunit and
then it is send to the output unit for displaying results.
III. Memory
“Discussedinthe Input, OutputandStorageDevicesTopic”.
Gothrough thePageNo.8 &9 inthelink provided below.
http://www.dspmuranchi.ac.in/pdf/Blog/Input,%20Output%20and%20Memory%20Devices.pdf
IV. Power Supply
PowerSupplyknownas switch-modepowersupply(SMPS)isanelectroniccircuitthat converts
power using switching devices that are turned on and off at high frequencies, and storage
components such as inductors or capacitors to supply power when the switching device is in
its non-conduction state.
Switchingpowersupplieshavehighefficiencyandarewidelyusedinavarietyofelectronic
equipment,includingcomputersandothersensitiveequipmentrequiringstableandefficient
power supply.
SMPS
V. CoolingSystem
Cooling may be required for CPU, Video Card, Mother Board, Hard Drive, etc. Without
propercooling,thecomputerhardwaremaysuffersfromoverheating.Thisoverheatingcauses slow
downs, system error messages, and crashing. Also, the life expectancy of the PC's
componentsislikelytodiminish.Thefollowingarecommonlyusedtechniquesforcoolingthe PC or
Server components:
HeatSinks
CPU/CaseFans
ThermalCompound
LiquidCoolingSystems
Heat Sinks: The purpose of a heatsink is to conduct the heat away from the processor or any
other component (such as chipset) to which it is attached. Thermal transfer takes place at the
surfaceofaheatsink.Therefore,heatsinksshouldhavealargesurfacearea.Acommonlyused
technique to increase the surface area is by using fins. A typical processor heat sink is shown
in the figure below:
IntelDualCoreXeonLGA771heatsink
Fan:TheFan isprimarilyusedto forcecoolerairintothesystem orremovehotairoutofthe
system.Afankeepsthesurroundingcoolerbydisplacingairaroundtheheatsinkandotherparts of the
computer. A typical CPU fan is shown below.
CPU Fan HeatsinkwithFan
Thermal Compound: A thermal compound is used for maximum transfer of heat from CPU
totheheatsink.Thesurfaceof aCPUoraheatsinkisnotperfectlyflat. If youplace aheatsink
directlyonaCPU,therewillbesomeairgapsbetweenthetwo.Airisapoorconductorofheat.
Therefore, aninterfacematerialwith ahighthermalconductivityisused tofillthesegaps,and thus
improve heat conductivity between CPU and heatsink.
Liquid Cooling Systems: Like a radiator for a car, a liquid cooling system circulates a liquid
throughaheatsinkattachedtotheprocessor.First,thecoolerliquidpassesthroughtheheatsink,
andthengetshotduetotransferofheatfromtheprocessortotheheatsink.Thenthehotliquid passes
through the radiator at the back of the case, and transfers the heat to the secondary
coolant(air).Now,theliquidiscoolenoughtopassthroughthehotprocessorheatsink,andthe cycle
repeats. The chief advantage of LCS (Liquid Cooling System) is that the cooling takes place
very efficiently (since liquids transfer heat more efficiently than air/solids). The dis-
advantagesincludebulkiercoolingsystem,cost,andadditionalreliabilityissuesassociatedwith
LCS.
