UNIT 1

ESD
Definition - ESD: Occurs when there is a buildup of electric charge that exists on a surface
which comes into contact with another differently charged surface.
Safety Precautions - can be discharged by touching a grounded object prior the
equipment…
● Keep all components in an anti-static bag
● Use grounded mats on tables
● Us grounded floor mats
● Use antistatic wriststraps

Types of Cases
- A device form factor refers to its physical design and look
- Form Factors (Types of Cases):
● Horizontal Case + was popular with early systems, HTPC focused
● Full-Size Tower (vertical) + provides room for expansion
● Compact Tower (Mini-Tower/SFF) + smaller version of full-size, used in
corporate environent
● All-in-one + all computer components are integrated into the display, include
touchscreen input and built in microphone and speakers

Power Supply Types

- Convert AC power into low-voltage DC
- Types of Power Supplies:
● Adavanced Technology (AT) + Used for legacy Systems, Obsolete
● ATX + Upgraded version of AT, still obsolete
● ATX12V + Current version, includes second motherboard connector
● EPS12V + Originally used for network servers but now also in powerful PC

Power Supply Connectors

- Connectors power various internal components
- Connectors CAN’T be insierted into all orientations
- Common Connectors:
● 20/24 pin slotted = CPU
● SATA = Disk Drives
● Molex = Hard Drives, CD Drives, others
● Berg = Legacy Floppy Drives
● 4/8 pin auxiliary power = Diff. Areas of Motherboard
● 6/8 pin PCIe = Supplies power to internal components
Northbridge V.S. Southbridge
Northbridge - Controls RAM, Graphics Card, and communication speed of the CPU.
SouthBridge - Communicates with slower devices (Hard Drives, USB, expansion slots).

Motherboard From Factors

- The Form Factor of motherboards pertains to the size and shape of the board
- Form Factors:
● Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX) + Mostly commonly used form factor,
accommodates ATX case
● Micro-ATX + Backwards compatible with ATX, use same chipset and power
connecters as ATX
○ Can fit in ATX case but fewer expansion slots
● ITX + Fans not needed,only 1 PCI slot for expansion cards

PGA V.S. LGA

For PGA (Pin Grid Array) Pins are arranged under the Processor Package and is
insierted into the Motherboard CPU Socket using ZIF. In Contrast, with a (LGA Land
Grid Array) the pins are arranged in the socket instead of the package.

Types of Cooling systems

- Active + Requires power to cool ( fan )
- Passive + Does note require power to cool ( Heat sink )

ROM V.S. RAM

ROM:
- Contains instruction that can be directly accessed by the CPU.
- Ontop of the motherboard or other circuitboard
- Boots PC and loads OS
- Non-volatile
RAM:
- Temporary working storage for data and programs accessed by the CPU.
- The maximum amount of ram installable is limited by the motherboard.

DRAM V.S. SRAM

DRAM was used for main memory before but now it is being used less. DRAM
gradually discharges energy so it must be “shocked” to maintain the stored data.
SRAM requires constant energy to function uses less power and is more fast and
expensive.

Cache - levels
- L1 and L2 Cache are integrated into the CPU while L3 is not
- The higher the level the less likely it is to be used
Types of Adaptors
- Increase the functionality of the computer by adding controllers for specific devices
or replacing old ones
- Types of Adapter Cards:
● Sound Adapter + provides audio capability
● Video Adapter + provide video capability
● Network Interface Card (NIC) + connects a computer to a network using a
network cable

Expansion slot types

- PCIe can provide 16 slots
- Riser card can be added to create more slots
- Mini=PCI can be found in some laptops, have 3 form factors