Section 3 - System Components

12" x 9.6"

11.2" x 8.2"

9.6" x 9.6" or smaller

6.7" x 6.7" or smaller

all boards are compatible with cases (as long as they will physically fit)

mini-ITX

CPU is at back top below power supply; power supply blows air into case or pulls air from case to cool CPU; power cable runs from system case power switch to system board; power supply can use soft switch or soft power (can be controlled by OS)

less than 100 watts

used for older slimline desktops; uses riser card in middle of board; rise doesn't have audio, joystick, USB, network, or modem ports; uses AGP video cards; can mount to motherboard to slide in & out of case easily

better mgmt of performance & temp; processor at front and turned 45°; thermal module or shroud fits over processor to move heat out of system; many BTX cases are ATX compatible; BTX is not very widespread, mostly Dell

• desktop - sits horizontally and usually low-end systems; not meant for upgrading;
•  tower - extensive expansion room; can have 1-10 or more drive bays
•  small form factor - mini-ITX or mini-tower with expansion bays
•  notebook - proprietary and vary greatly

power supply, case fan, feet for bottom of case, screws for motherboard, additional external connectors that connect to motherboard headers

• converts AC to DC
• verifies enough power to run system
• draws air & blows air across components to cool
• provides soft power to system

AC is good for things that need a lot of power; DC is predictable, reliable, and good for things that don't need a lot of power

+3.3v, ±5v, ±12v

+3.3v & ±12v

a single voltage output circuit (each separate one is a "rail"); each rail can provide power to multiple devices; newer power supplies have multiple rails of the same voltage

12v for hard drive, fan, etc.; 5v for older motherboards; 3.3v for newer motherboards

watts

how much power can be supplied from the power supply

find watt requirements of each circuit by multiplying volts * amp (V*A = W); add to find system total; 350w should be good for a basic user; 450-500w will probably be required for servers, etc.

20 pin, 20+4 pin, 20+8 pin, or 24 pin

older ATX power supplies blow air into case; newer ATX power supplies pull cooler air from front of case and blow out back of case

motherboard always has power and OS can turn computer off

system does not start, system shuts off, system reboots, fan does not run or is noisy; power supplies slowly degrade over time, usually don't just "die"

have power supply plugged in; remove anti-static wrist strap; unplug from motherboard; turn power supply on; insert shunt on pin 16 and ground pin (15 or 17) to see if computer will boot up; can also test with multimeter through Molex connector (put ground into black center and positive lead in yellow or red)

if <10.8v for 12v or <4.5v for 5v

+3.3v, ±5v, ±12v to motherboard; on older motherboards, CPU uses ±5v

+3.3v, ±5v, ±12v; additional 4 pins are 12v; some are 20+4 so that you can use it on 20 pin or 24 pin board

power for the CPU; 12v instead of 5v, starting with Pentium 4; has 2 additional wires of 12v

4 lines of 12v; used in older dual processor systems or newer quad-core processors; some may be 4 + 4 pin to use together or separately

used for PCIe graphics (PEG); plugs into video card; provides up to 75 watts; some are 8 or 6 + 2 pin & up to 150 watts

PATA, IDE hard drives, optical drives, etc.; provides 5v & 12v

5v

12v

black is the ground wire

3.3v

floppy drives; has 5v & 12v

15 pins with 3.3v, 5v, & 12v

4 pin Molex connector (accessory power)

4 pin CPU (main) power connector

20 + 4 pin main motherboard power connector

6 pin PCIe (PCI Express) power connector

15 pin SATA power connector

4 pin mini-Molex (aka floppy drive) power connector

power_good wire (#8)

power_on wire (#16)

5volt_standby wire (#9)

they perform the same function, but have different connectors so that you can match them to your components

Off.

Case and power supply

Static precautions. Install connector faceplate. Install standoffs, matching holes in motherboard to holes in case. Place motherboard in case. Gently push ports through holes in faceplate. Screw fine-thread screws with non-conductive washers through motherboard into standoffs. Connect power supply to motherboard, CPU, ports, and lights. Install expansion cards and drives.

Comes with motherboard to restrict airflow by blocking openings between ports in case.

Standoffs - little metal "feet" that hold motherboard off bottom of case to allow airflow and prevent electrical contacts from touching case and short circuiting

Up to 4 GB

Up to 16 TB

A 64 bit CPU needs a 64 bit OS and apps to work at its full potential. Most 32 bit apps can run on a 64 bit system.

Dictates what operations a CPU can perform

x86

x64

Allows a single processor to run 2 sets of instructions at the same time (parallel)

manufacturing process used to etch transistors onto silicon wafer that becomes the CPU; smaller transistors means smaller CPU with more transistors and less power consumption; is expressed in microns or nanometers (100 nm = 0.1 microns)

• Fast, static memory on the CPU, accessed directly by processor without using system RAM
• Level 1 - smallest cache; stores instructions for processor; in multi-core systems, each processor will have its own L1 cache; some processors may have two L1 caches, one for instructions and one for data
• Level 2 - additional cache for instructions and data; may be shared between 2 or more cores or not
• Level 3 - in multi-core systems, shared between all cores

Dynamic slowing down or speeding up CPU as needed based on current operating conditions

Manually adjusting CPU clock speed and voltage over what is set by manufacturer to increase performance; can also overclock PCIe bus and memory

Allows single machine (host) to perform as multiple virtual machines (guests); performed by adding layer between physical system and operating system, which acts as hardware to guest systems; special instructions supported by processor; processor must have VT (Virtualization Technology by Intel) or AMD-V (AMD Virtualization)

PCI Express & AGP

Disable the onboard video card, install drivers, and configure video display.

Crossfire & Scalable Link Interface (SLI)

If you have a video connector on the faceplate.

• 1. Make sure your motherboard supports Crossfire or SLI and has multiple PCIe 16x slots.
• 2. Make sure the video cards support Crossfire or SLI.  You need two or more identical video cards.
• 3. Make sure your motherboard supports the video cards.
• 3. Check motherboard documentation to see what steps need to be taken to enable Crossfire or SLI.
• 4. Install video cards.
• 5. Follow instructions to link video cards (may be automatically done by BIOS or may need Crossfire bridge clip).
• 6. Connect video cards to power supply (if necessary) (usually 6-pin or 8-pin and maybe auxiliary power cable for Crossfire).
• 7. Hook up monitor(s). (Although you now have tons of monitor ports, the output will only be sent through the first card.)
• 8. Configure BIOS (if necessary) to disable onboard video card and/or enable new video cards.
• 9. Install video card drivers.
• 10. Configure video cards and direct them how to draw single screen (top/bottom, left/right, one line each).

• PCIe = 16x
• AGP = 4x or 8x

Usually on Northbridge chip; part of system bus (PCI, PCIe, or AGP)

• Digital = ATSC
• Analog = NTSC, PAL, and SECAM

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection

6-pin or 8-pin

yes

more RAM, better cooling, faster disk speed

whether your motherboard will support that speed of processor

Two processors on a single chip.

you must have software to take advantage of a dual-core processor; and dual core is better but not 2xs better.

can cause instability, component damage, void the warranty; may require more voltage and increase heat output (may need to upgrade cooling); mobo bus, processor, and memory settings should also be adjusted

Pin Grid Array - pins are on the processor

Land Grid Array - pins are on socket, not processor

• 1. anti-static wrist strap & mat
• 2. newer CPUs get very hot; make sure to use thermal paste and heat sink
• 3. gold triangle = pin 1
• 4. power connection from fan to mobo
• 5. go into CMOS set up to set up CPU speed (multiplier)

Random Access Memory: nonlinear, fast, not persistent

DRAM (Dynamic) - most common type; uses capacitors and transistors; capacitor either charged or uncharged; stored in bits (binary); has to be refreshed every few miliseconds; used for main computer memory; series of DRAM chips on stick of RAM; made up of cells, each with an address; higher storage capacity, simpler, and cheaper than SRAM

SRAM (Static) - does not have to be refreshed less than DRAM (unless nonvolatile (nvSRAM)); uses switches (either on or off); stored in bits (binary); used for cache memory; lower storage capacity and higher cost than DRAM but uses less power and faster

Memory Controller Chip - tracks addresses on DRAM (where is cell & what's on it); communicates with CPU through Address Bus; may be on Northbridge chip or on processor

synchronized with system clock; 1 instruction per cycle (max 64 bits = 1 "word"); usually computer has 8 memory modules, each storing 8 bits/cycle; 3.3v; 33-166MHz, matching mobo; aka SDR (single data rate) SDRAM; no longer used in new computers

Double Data Rate SDRAM; 1 command/cycle & 2 data sets; twice as fast as SDR; 2.5v; bus frequency of 100-200 MHz; no longer used in new computers

2xs DDR SDRAM; 4 data sets (words)/cycle; 1.8 v; bus frequency of 200-533 MHz; buffer between bus & memory; memory frequency is half of bus frequency (100-266 MHz)

2xs DDR2 SDRAM; 8 data sets/cycle; 1.5 v; us frequency of 400-1000 MHz; memory frequency is 1/4 of bus frequency (100-250 MHz)

Rambus RAM; 32 or 16 bits/cycle; 2 sets of instructions (words)/cycle; 2.4 v; bus frequency 400-800 MHz; must have heat spreaders; memory controller on each chip; data must pass through each in line; must have continuity modules in empty slots; no longer used in new computers

data goes to single MCC to multiple memory modules

data goes to multiple MCCs to one or more memory modules; memory modules are assigned to specific MCC

this is a mobo configuration (the memory controller), not specific type of memory; dual channel can be DDR, DDR2, etc., however must use DDR3 for triple channel

single inline memory module - 32-bit; pins on both sides, but are redundant; in older computers, before SDRAM & DDR

dual inline memory module - pins on both sides, each unique; SDRAM; usually 8 memory chips; RDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3

small outline DIMM - usually 4 memory chips; smaller to fit in smaller cases; RDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3

Rambus inline memory module - single channel is 16-bit and must be installed in pairs; dual is 32-bit and can be installed as single units; all slots must be filled with RIMM or continuity module

check mobo documentation; memory must be compatible with mobo in form and voltage; also need to know how many memory slots, what type and speeds are allowed, and max memory that can be installed

Physical Address Extension - increasing a 32 bit system to allow it to access 36 bit addresses, effectively increasing the theoretical max memory size of the system from 4 GB to 64 GB

type of error correction where 1 or 0 is appended to each byte so that total number of 1's is always either even or odd; detects errors in only one bit, but does not correct them because it does not know the specific bit containing the error; not found in newer computers

Error Correcting Code - found in high-end systems; usually has 9 memory chips instead of 8 (if number of chips is divisible by 3 or 5, probably has ECC); extra chip compares number of 1's in byte when written to number of 1's in byte when read (same = intact; different = corrupt); detects errors in multiple bits and also corrects errors

registered memory (aka buffered memory) is found in high-end servers; there is a register between the memory controller and the DRAM, which acts a buffer placing less electrical load on the memory controller and allows for more stability in the system; holds memory addresses or data before it is transferred to memory controller; ECC is typically also buffered

Column Address Strobe Latency - delay between memory controller telling memory module to access memory location and time data is available; measured in clock cycles; lower number = faster memory; stated as ratio based on clock frequency

• CL - CAS Latency
• tRAC - Row Address to Column Address Delay
• tRP - Row Precharge Time
• tRAS - Row Active Time

Serial Presence Detect - BIOS queries SPD during POST to allow mobo to know what memory is there and at which frequency it runs (also about latencies, which are related to frequency); can be overridden, but may cause instability

size (capacity), frequency (speed), and timings

the frequency at which the CPU runs

speed of memory; amount of data that can be sent in MB/sec; increased bandwidth comes from increased bus speed to send more sets of data

in older RAM, rating number was frequency (SDRAM PC-33 = 33 MHz)

DDR (2xs as fast as SDRAM) = PC-200 = (bus speed * 2) = 100 MHz

in DDR2 and DDR3, PC numbers are bandwidth (MB/sec) and DDR numbers are frequency 

• PC-1600 = 1600 MB/sec
• DDR-200 = 200 MHz

to find frequency of PC-1600, divide by 16 (PC-1600 / 16 = 100 MHz) 

to find bandwidth of DDR-200, multiply by 8 (DDR-200 * 8 = 1600 MB/sec.)

memory frequency (aka speed) needs to match frequency of front side bus/memory controller; speed is equal to or multiple of front side bus frequency; memory modules usually contain SPD (serial presence detect) chip that tells BIOS the frequency, but you can alter this if needed; mixed frequencies will operate at lowest frequency

memory modules are organized into either one bank (single-sided) or two banks (double-sided); this may not be "literally" divided (you can have double-sided memory with modules on only one side); computer can only access one bank at a time, so double-sided RAM requires the computer to switch between banks; single-sided memory uses half the memory modules as double-sided (modules are denser with higher individual capacity)

DDR - one notch slightly off center, 184 pins

DDR2 - one notch slightly closer to middle than DDR, 240 pins

DDR3 - one notch slightly off center more to left than DDR2, 240 pins

Rambus (RDRAM)

SIMM

144-pin SODIMM - notch slightly off center; SDRAM, DDR, DDR2

200-pin SODIMM - notch more toward left than 144-pin SODIMM; DDR2, DDR3

SDRAM - 2 notches, one in the middle and one far left (168 pins)

• 1. check mobo docs to make sure compatible (ECC, double-sided, etc.) 
• 2. take ESD precautions
• 3. locate memory slots (first slot (slot 1 or 0) is usually closest to CPU
• 4. if you're installing a second module, make sure you've check mobo docs to see if need to install in pairs or, if installing RDRAM, that you have continuity modules
• 5. if installing dual or triple channel, need matching sets
• 6. make sure to alight notches; most memory also has tabs on ends to hold memory in place
• 7. go to CMOS and make sure memory is recognized in BIOS; most will automatically configure frequency, voltage, timing, etc. from SPD chip
• 8. if not recognized, make sure memory is properly seated in slot

CMOS battery has failed; the RTC (real time clock) in BIOS has reverted back to old date and time

• BIOS is the software program (firmware) that runs startup program.  It uses CMOS data to configure & access devices. 
• You would use the BIOS to:
• install & configure peripherals
• configure & apply BIOS settings

CMOS is the memory that stores system info related to starting computer; it is accessed by BIOS when starting computer

Real time clock - always running, even if computer is unplugged; queries Microsoft server when running to stay updated; if falling behind, need new CMOS battery

integrated drive electronics - in BIOS, this is where you would configure RAID array and other drive specifications

self monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology - will warn if drive is about to fail

chipset settings (including speed, voltage)

Info about power & heat of system, fan speed & voltage, info about monitor and other hardware, etc.

Boot order, setting passwords (user & supervisor), and virtualization technology

Jumpers

• PCI slots -- 32 bit (white) or 64 bit (brown)
• key is about 1/4 of the way toward one edge
• if orange, means wired to accept AMR or CNR in first set of pins

• AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) - usually brown
• no keys

• PCIe -- PCI Express x16 (16 lanes) and x1 (1 lane)
• usually white or orange
• keys close to one edge and PCIe x16 is bigger than PCI

• CNR (Communications and Networking Riser) or AMR (Audio/Modem Riser)
• usually brown, small, key in middle
• for sound or modem daughter cards

Processor independent; "plug & play"; for sound cards, modems, network cards, storage devices; 133 MB/sec. 33 MHz

• PCI Express does not use a shared bus; switch prioritizes and routes data through a dedicated connection; can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 lanes (x1, x2, etc.)
• usually for video cards but can be designed for any device
• v1 250 MBs per lane
• v2 500 MBs per lane
• v3 1 GB per lane
• v4 2 GBs per lane

100 or 124

• Designed for video but has mostly been replaced by PCIe
• 66 MHz
• v1 1x 266 MBs
• v1 2x 533 MBs
• v2 4x 1066 MBs
• v3 8x 2133 MBs

High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection - protects content from DVD to TV; requires compatible DVD player, video card, and monitor

AGP (4x or 8x) and PCIe (16x); older cards use PCI or VESA; integrated video cards are on Northbridge chip and part of one of the buses (PCI, AGP, or PCIe)

VGA (DB-15) connector -- for analog monitors

• DVI connectors (Digital Video Interface) -- used for LCD monitors
• 1. DVI-D (Digital)
• 2. DVI-A (Analog)
• 3. DVI-I (Integrated Digital/Analog)

HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface - used to connect TV or HD monitors

when you have an upgraded video card, which uses its own GPU processor instead of using the CPU, resulting in increased performance; percentage of video hardware acceleration is set in OS and can be modified, especially in older systems where increased video processing requirements may cause system instability

Allows multiple GPUs to draw a single screen.

SLI (Scalable Link Interface) & CrossFire

Number of pixels on screen (usually 1024 x 756 to 2048 x 1536)

• Number of different colors, expressed in bits; higher is better
• 8-bit = 256 colors
• 16-bit (aka high color) = 66,536 colors
• 24-bit (aka true color) = 16.7M colors
• 32-bit (aka true color) = 16.7M colors + alpha channel

Number of times entire screen repaints per second; expressed in Hz; lower than 70 Hz may cause eye fatigue; best is 75-85Hz

S-video

HDMI (or DVI to connect to computer)

NTSC (National Television Systems Committee), PAL (Phase Alternating Line), and SECAM (French version of "Sequential Color with Memory")

ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee)

• DirectX - Microsoft Application Program Interface for graphics, animation, multimedia
• Direct 3D - 3D version of DirectX
• OpenGL - alternative to DirectX

• S/PDIF connection
• Top: RCA - coaxial audio digital input or output
• Bottom:  Toslink - optical digital input or output

USB A usually goes on the device supplying power and UBS B usually goes on the device receiving power

40-pin PATA connector

LPT (line print terminal)

COM

1024

Joystick

Parallel printers & SCSI

In CMOS, you can change parallel port settings to Standard Parallel Port (SPP), Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP), or Extended Capabilities Port (ECP)

Serial ports can send data over long distances, but parallel ports are faster

Edit BIOS settings

Interrupt Request - a signal from hardware to the processor telling it to interrupt a running program and run a different program instead (e.g. when you click your mouse)

One for the hub

• USB 1.0 = 1.5 or 12 Mbps
• USB 2.0 = 480 Mbps
• USB 3.0 = 5 Gbps

• IEEE 1394a (FireWire 400) is 4.5 m
• IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) is 100 m

127

7

63

LED monitors are a type of LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor. They use liquid crystals and LED backlight technology instead of CCFL backlight.

LCD (liquid crystal display) uses liquid crystals and CCFL (cold cathode florescent tubes) for backlight.

Plasma displays use small cells containing electrically charged, ionized gases, which create the image.  They don't use backlighting.

CRT (cathode ray tube) uses electron "guns" in a vacuum tube to beam images onto a florescent screen (aka old school TVs and monitors). Images contain several hundred horizontal lines. Interlaced means the screen is scanned out of order (odd-numbered lines, then even-numbered lines); this is sometimes used on higher resolution monitors, but can cause more flicker. Non-interlaced monitors and monitors with higher refresh rates create less flicker.

DisplayPort (VESA) - a digital audio & video connector

Check connections and brightness/contrast

data cable or connector

decrease video adapter's hardware acceleration

LCD monitors have native resolutions; adjust back to default settings.

• SXGA 1280 x 1024, 5:4 aspect ratio
• VGA 1024 x 768
• UXGA 1600 x 1200
• WUXGA (Widescreen) 1920 x 1200, 16:10 aspect ratio

Windows 7 has animation, shading, and fading effects.  Adjust the visual effects to reduce the load on older computer systems.

It has been tested by Microsoft and not altered.

Verify it is compatible with your version of Windows.  Download the latest driver from the manufacturer's website.

You do not need to manually assign system resources/configure device; that will be done automatically by BIOS and OS.

You can replace that system component without shutting the computer down; Windows automatically detects device, configures driver, and enables device; USB, SATA, and eSATA support hot-swappable devices; IDE does not

through Device Manager

PCMCIA is now known as PC card.  Yes, they are hot-swappable

• Yes:
• MMC (MultiMedia Card)
• SD (Secure Digital aka SDSC Secure Digital Standard Capacity)
• SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity
• XD (xD Picture Card)

• No:
• DLT (Digital Linear Tape)

No moving parts, lower power consumption, faster, less susceptible to physical damage, smaller and lighter, uses SATA disk interfaces.

BUT storage capacity is smaller and they are more expensive

SATA

After = A; before = B

the floppy drive ribbon cable may be installed backwards

each channel can support 2 devices

You will have 2 IDE channels and each can support 2 devices, so a max of 4.

Set the new/fast one to master; the controller will control the old/slow device too.

1

A SATA drive operating in IDE mode emulates a PATA device; no special drivers are needed.

SATA cables have 2 connectors with 15 pins (3.3v, 5v, 12v)

PATA cables have 3 connectors

• External devices have switches that you can set with a pin, increasing or decreasing the number as desired. 
• Internal devices may have 3 or 4 jumpers or switches, usually representing the numbers 1, 2, 4, 8.  Add numbers together to get SCSI ID.

Each device must have a unique number.  ID No. 0 is device number 1 and the controller is ID No. 7.  Higher numbers have higher priority.

8, including the controller

Each end of the cable; doesn't matter if internal or external device; some devices have built-in termination

Set SCSI ID.

Active uses voltage regulators and resistors; passive uses resistors only.  Passive terminators can only be used for slower devices less than 3 ft. from controller.  Passive is usually single-ended and active can be high-voltage differential (HVD) or low-voltage differential (LVD).

Media compatibility.

The first number is record and the last is read.  The middle is rewrite.  If it only has 2 numbers, there's no rewrite.

• RAID 0 = striping, no fault tolerance = 2 or more disks
• RAID 1 = mirroring w/fault tolerance = 2 disks
• RAID 5 = striping w/fault tolerance and improved performance = 3 or more disks

Load RAID drivers during OS installation

Windows 7 supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 only.  If you want RAID 5, you must install RAID controller in expansion slot or on motherboard.

Uses 2.4 GHz radio waves, same as 802.11 wireless, but can go through walls.  Max 50 m. (55 yd.) range.  Good for PANs, ad hoc connections between devices.

software or hardware that creates and runs virtual machines

mimicking an OS platform or an entire computer with software and/or hardware

A user password will require entry before OS will load; an admin password will require entry before allowing access to CMOS

TPM is a hardware cryptoprocessor on the mobo that stores and generates a cryptographic key. It generates hash values of system components at startup to verify components have not been modified. Each system has unique key, which can be used to identify system. Keys are used for encryption and authentication, but do not actually perform encryption.