A computer system is a programmable electronic/mechanical machine that receives inputted data, stores it and manipulates it, then outputs it in a useful format which is then sent visually to an external monitor and shown to the user via a GUI, this is interactive. These useful formats are provided by the built in Operating System, which is basically the main converter of data. Further on I will be outlining the Operating Systems main functions.
All Computer Systems house many components. Below I will explain each component, one by one, outlining their specific roles and relationships within on a standard PC.
The main "body" components of a PC are:
The Chassis/Computer Case , this is a plastic or metallic styled enclosure that houses all the interior fundamental computer components such as the Power Supply, Motherboard, CPU and its heat sink/fan, hard drives, Graphics card, RAM and Optical disk drives such as CD/DVD/Blue ray. It protects the fragile computer components from outside harmful stimuli, such as electric/static irregularities which if come in contact with the inner computer parts could damage the PC. It also provides a stylish overall look fashioned to a user's specific taste, such as the Gaming PC above, which is tailored to a hard-core Gamers tastes. The chassis also provides maximum air flow and spacing allowing for a cool and stable PC. This is why most Computer Cases come with included fans which connect to the power supply, to distribute the extra heat to the outside surroundings, to improve airflow and to ultimately stabilise the PC.
The Motherboard is said to be the "mother" of the main computer components, it is the foundation circuit board which all the other fundamental components connect to, via ports and buses. Motherboards also typically incorporate a built in Graphics Chip that is a processing unit that handles 2D/3D video and interactive representations, such as high definition movies and games. However these graphic chips are only designed to be used for movies, and low processing intensive games and activities, a separate Graphics card is added for more strenuous computing activities.
Most fundamentally in my opinion is the Power Supply, this provides sufficient power to each computer component; it regulates the power to optimum levels so the flow of electricity between components is controlled, preventing over and underpowered components. Without this the computer would most likely not act at its highest efficiency and potential, leading to burnt out components and in turn the computers death. The Power Supply also houses an efficient fan to lower its heat intake and outtake. Metaphorically I'd compare the Power Supply to a human's heart, the power flow being compared to the blood route. Major Components that are connected to the Motherboard are:
The CPU is the central processing unit, which is technically the "Brain" of the computer. It is a microprocessor which performs most of the calculations, instructions and facilitates simultaneous operations which enables the computer to function. Without it, the computer would not function. Everything that the computer does is overseen and to an extent controlled by this core component. Common modern CPU's incorporate increasing speeds and cores (The Core is what does the interpretation and implementation of commands), originally Central Processing Units only had one core, but newer technologies have allowed for more, such as Dual Core (2 Cores) and Quad Core (4 Cores), this, in layman terms doubles (two versus 1) and quadruples (4 versus 1) the overall speed of calculation, resulting in better information gathering and reading efficiency. Ideal for demanding users such as Gamers.
Because this is the "Brain" (CPU) of the computer, the sheer amount of calculations and information it has to instruct creates a big amount of heat, this is where its Heat sink and Fan come into play. The heat sink transfers the CPU's generated heat to the fan which then rotates and gets turned into escapable air. This core part sufficiently cools down the CPU so it can continue calculating at its optimum effectiveness.
RAM - Random Access Memory, this is mounted onto the motherboard. It is a form of internal data storage that is directly connected and used by the CPU, it is a lot faster than data storage devices such as hard disks and is used to store open programs and writes as well as reads important data more efficiently and rapidly. It allows for a faster retrieval of information which increases program load speed and increases the systems efficiency. Larger amounts of RAM and faster DDR2, DDR3 and DDR5 models with numerous speeds are ideal when using memory intensive programs such as gaming, encoding/decoding and using CAD and other intensive applications. Without sufficient RAM, (such as 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB+) the system would be sluggish and information would not be as quickly accessed resulting in loss of user experience. This is not an archival data storage device; because unlike hard drives, RAM does not retain its information when the PC is powered off. It's a device that enhances data flow at the exact moment the data is needed. RAM in increasing capacity is expensive.
Hard drives, these are large capacity data storage devices that retains its stored information, this is where all the systems programs, files, operating system and user documents, music, videos are stored. It is a required constituent of a PC. Additional hard drives are ideal for backing up your PC and documents. The cost per GB is cheap, when compared to RAM. Although in comparison common hard drives incorporate moving parts to operate and store data, the drive has "platters "which is where it stores data. The drive spins the platters to write and read data; these can be more prone to failures. However newer, "solid state drives", acronym SDD are overcoming this disadvantage, they are flash based devices which have no moving parts. Instead of its electromechanical counterparts, SSD's use microchips to hold data, which decreases access time and decreases the risk of damage from physical shock. This however increases its price, meaning only the financially adept are more inclined to choose this option. Typical hard drive capacities range from 40GB to a massive 2TB+ (1 Terabyte being 1000GB), these larger capacities are ideal for servers and users that require larger disk space such as movie rendering producers. SSDs, due to their flash components are at the moment lacking enormous capacities compared to its traditional counterparts, nevertheless larger capacities are being developed but at prices too high for the everyday user. Current hard drive speeds range from 5400RPM (Revolutions per minute) to 10,000 RPMs, with 7200RPM being the current norm. A decent amount of Cache (a kind of built in RAM) also plays a large part and combined with a good mean RPM, produces speedy saving and recovery of data. This however, when compared with Solid State drives, seems feeble when a traditional SSD is on average 50%+ Percent faster, which provides a massive speed improvement in everyday computing situations. Other advantages of Solid State drives are that they require less power, because it doesn't contain any continuously spinning parts, it is quieter and is more shock resistant. The argument whether the speed improvement warrants the significant price increase is obviously a very debated topic, and in my opinion to the average public the pricing is too significant to be a viable rival, this however will change with time. On the other hand I would whole heartedly recommend the switch to SSD to individuals and companies who are financially adept and are in need of the increased performance, such as CAD, Graphic and modelling users.
Internal Storage drives like the ones above communicate with the computer system via IDE (Old), SATA (Newer) and SCSI (Newest) buses housed on the motherboard. These differ between hard drives, some are IDE based, others SATA and SCSI based. External ones via USB.
SCSI hard drives tend to be faster and are the newest type of bus (10-15000 RPM vs. 7200RPM for SATA and IDE) however is the most expensive option.
SATA drives on the other hand have a tendency to be bigger; they are also slower and less reliable than SCSI. IDE is the cheapest and oldest communicator and performs below both SATA and SCSI; SATA is also a lot more reliable than IDE.
In the end it is down to computer use, SCSI is best when used with servers, its cables are larger and the performance increase won't be that beneficial compared to SATA on everyday desktops and CAD stations.
The Operating System, this is not physical but one of the most necessary parts of a computer, without it the PC is useless; it is the software that manages the user interface. It provides the right input language when certain commands and external devices are connected and imprinted onto the PC then manages and controls the needed resources and hardware. The OS is stored on the internal hard drive, meaning a fast hard drive, equals a faster user experience. Windows and Mac OS are the most common Operating systems, (XP, Vista) but there are also many other open source variations based upon different programming foundations such as Linux.
Graphic Cards, these are graphical processors, they are an expansion component connected to the PCIE bus on the motherboard used to generate more complex images to a monitor that built in motherboard video hardware cannot perfectly produce without significant loss of performance and quality. They offer accelerated rendering of 3D and 2D graphics, video decoding and the ability to connect multiple monitors without loss of performance. Modern high performance graphic cars are used and beneficial for more graphically demanding applications, such as PC games, Graphic and movie rendering as well as producing strenuous 3D CAD drawings and models. This separate component allow for a better graphic experience, as they have improved speed and memory.
