The Different Types Computer Cables

VGA (Video Graphics Array)

Created way back in the 1980’s, the VGA connection

cable was the standard cable used to connect a computer
to a monitor. More recently, it has faded out of popularity
due to the gradual shift towards digital connections over
analog. Still, if you look on any video card or display
apparatus, there is a good chance you’ll see a VGA port.

VGA connections can be identified by 15 pins arranged in

3 rows with 5 on each row. Each row corresponds to the 3
different color channels used in display: red, green, and
blue.
 DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

The DVI connection became the successor to VGA as

technology moved away from analog towards digital.
Digital displays, like LCD, proved to be higher quality,
which soon became the market standard for home
pictures. DVI connectors come in 3 varieties.

 DVI-A can transmit analog signals, allowing it to be

backwards compatible with VGA (useful for CRT monitors
and LCDs of lower quality).
 DVI-D can transmit the newer digital signals.
 DVI-I is capable of both analog and digital.
 In certain cases, you may need a VGA-to-DVI or DVI-
to-VGA converter cable
 HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)

In the past decade, high-definition broadcasts became the

new standard of what it means to be high quality. Unlike
VGA and DVI, HDMI sends both video and audio signals
together. The signals are digital only; thus, HDMI is only
compatible with newer devices.
HDMI connectors come in 4 types:

 Type A is the most popular. This connector can be

identified by its 19 pins on the male head. Type A is
compatible with single-link DVI-D connections.
 Type B is larger than Type A, coming in at 29 pins on
the male head. Type B is compatible with dual-link DVI-D
connections.
 Type C is a 19-pin connector that’s most often used
with portable devices, like camcorders and digital
cameras.
 Type D looks similar to a micro-USB cord. It also has
19 pins

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

The USB connection is quite possibly the most pervasive
connection type in today’s world. Nearly every form of
computer peripheral device — keyboards, mice, headsets,
flash drives, wireless adapters, etc. — can be connected
to your computer through a USB port. The design has
evolved over the years, which means there are multiple
versions of USB available:

 USB 1.0/1.1 can transmit data at speeds up to 12

Mbps.
 USB 2.0 can transmit data at speeds up to 480 Mbps
and is compatible with older versions of USB. At the time
 of this article, USB 2.0 is the most common type found in
the market.
 USB 3.0 can transmit data at speeds up to 4.8 Gbps.
It is compatible with previous versions of USB.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) (PATA)

IDE cables were used to connect storage devices to a

motherboard. If you’ve ever opened up a an old hard drive
then you likely know what an IDE connector looks like. It’s
the wide cable that looks like a ribbon with more than 2
plugs.
The connectors on an IDE cable have 40 pins; the smaller
2.5” drive variety uses a form-factor version of the IDE that
has 44 pins.
. SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)

Newer hard drives will likely use SATA ports over IDE
ports. In fact, SATA was designed to succeed IDE, and it
has. Compared to IDE, SATA provides higher data
transfer speeds. Your motherboard needs to be
compatible with SATA, and nowadays most of them are.

A standard SATA cable can be identified by two

connectors, each having 7 pins and an empty notch. It
looks like a subtle L-shape.
eSATA (External Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment)

eSATA technology is an extension of, or improvement on,

the SATA cable — it makes SATA technology available in
an external form. In reality, eSATA is not much different
from SATA, but it allows connections to devices like
external hard drives and optical drives. This is useful
because eSATA offers speeds much faster than most
FireWire and USB alternatives.
Power Cord

A power cord, line cord, or mains cable is a cable that

temporarily connects an appliance to the mains
electricity supply via a wall socket or extension cord. The
terms are generally used for cables using a power plug to
connect to a single-phase alternating current power
source at the local line voltage—(generally 100 to 240
volts, depending on the location.
 Ethernet Cables

Ethernet cables are used to set up local area networks. In

most cases, they’re used to connect routers to modems
and computers. If you’ve ever tried to install or fix a home
router, you’ve likely dealt with an Ethernet computer cable.
Nowadays, they come in three varieties:

 Cat 5 cables are the most basic type and provide

speeds of either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps.
 Cat 5e, which means Cat 5 Enhanced, allows for
faster data transmission than its predecessor. It caps at
1,000 Mbps.
 Cat 6 is the latest and offers the best performance of
the three. It’s capable of supporting 10 Gbps speeds.
 Internal Computer Parts

Motherboard

The motherboard is the computer's main circuit

board. It's a thin plate that holds the CPU,
memory, connectors for the hard drive and
optical drives, expansion cards to control the
video and audio, and connections to your
computer's ports (such as USB ports). The
motherboard connects directly or indirectly to
every part of the computer.
 CPU/processor

The central processing unit (CPU), also called

a processor, is located inside thecomputer
case on the motherboard. It is sometimes called
the brain of the computer, and its job is to carry
out commands. Whenever you press a key, click
the mouse, or start an application, you're
sending instructions to the CPU.

The CPU is usually a two-inch ceramic

square with a silicon chip located inside. The
chip is usually about the size of a thumbnail. The
CPU fits into the motherboard's CPU socket,
which is covered by the heat sink, an object that
absorbs heat from the CPU.

A processor's speed is measured in megahertz

(MHz), or millions of instructions per second;
and gigahertz (GHz), or billions of instructions
per second. A faster processor can execute
instructions more quickly. However, the actual
 speed of the computer depends on the speed of
many different components—not just the
processor.

Types

There are two primary manufacturers of computer microprocessors. Intel and Advanced
Micro Devices (AMD) lead the market in terms of speed and quality. Intel's desktop
CPUs include Celeron, Pentium and Core. AMD's desktop processors include Sempron,
Athlon and Phenom. Intel makes Celeron M, Pentium M and Core mobile processors for
notebooks. AMD makes mobile versions of its Sempron and Athlon, as well as the
Turion mobile processor which comes in Ultra and Dual-Core versions. Both companies
make both single-core and multi-core processors.

Features

Each processor has a clock speed which is measured in gigahertz (GHz). Also, a
processor has a front side bus which connects it with the system's random access
memory (RAM.) CPUs also typically have two or three levels of cache. Cache is a type
of fast memory which serves as a buffer between RAM and the processor. The
processor's socket type determines the motherboard type where it can be installed.

Function

A microprocessor is a silicon chip containing millions of microscopic transistors. This

chip functions as the computer's brain. It processes the instructions or operations
contained within executable computer programs. Instead of taking instructions directly
off of the hard drive, the processor takes its instructions from memory. This greatly
increases the computer's speed.

Considerations

If you're thinking about upgrading your processor yourself, you must check your motherboard
specs first. The CPU you install must have the same socket size as the slot on the motherboard.
Also, when you install a new processor, you may need to install a heat sink and fan. This is
because faster processors produce more heat than slower ones. If you fail to protect your new
CPU from this heat, you may end up replacing the processor.

Size

When it comes to processors, size matters. Whether you're buying a new computer or upgrading
your old one, you must get the fastest processor you can afford. This is because the processor
will become obsolete very quickly. Choosing a 3.6 GHz processor over a 2 GHz today can buy
you several years of cheap computing time. Also check the speed of the front side bus (FSB)
when purchasing your new computer or CPU. A front side bus of 800 MHz or greater is essential
for fast processing speeds. The processor's cache is also important. Make sure it has at least 1
MB of last level cache if your computing needs are average. If you're an extreme gamer or if you
run intensive graphics programs, get the processor with the largest cache that fits your budget.
There can be hundreds of dollars' difference between the cheapest processors and the most
expensive ones. However, investing just a little extra cash can get you a much better processor.
Benefits

Getting a processor with a dual, triple or quad core can make a significant
difference in the processing power of your computer. It's like having two, three
or four separate processors installed on your computer at one time. These
processors work together to make your computer multitask faster and with
greater efficiency. Getting a CPU with a larger front side bus can enhance the
processor's ability to communicate with RAM, which will increase your
computer's

Pin less Type Pin Type

 Heat Sink and Fan

A heat sink is an electronic device that incorporates either

a fan or a peltier device to keep a hot component such as
a processor cool. There are two heat sink
types: active and passive.
Active heat sinks utilize power and are usually a fan type
or some other peltier cooling device. If you are looking to
purchase an active heat sink, it is recommended that you
purchase fans with ball-bearing motors that often last
much longer than sleeve bearings. Sometimes these types
of heat sinks are referred to as a HSF, which is short
for heat sink and fan.
RAM (random access memory)

RAM is your system's short-term memory. Whenever your

computer performs calculations, it temporarily stores the
data in the RAM until it is needed.

This short-term memory disappears when the computer is

turned off. If you're working on a document, spreadsheet,
or other type of file, you'll need to save it to avoid losing it.
When you save a file, the data is written to the hard drive,
which acts as long-term storage.

RAM is measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).

The more RAM you have, the more things your computer
can do at the same time. If you don't have enough RAM,
you may notice that your computer is sluggish when you
have several programs open. Because of this, many
people add extra RAM to their computers to improve
performance.

Type of Ram

SIMM, SD, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 are all different types of RAM (Random Access

Memory). RAM is a kind of computer memory that temporarily stores information,

improving your systems performance. Or in other words RAM simply holds data for the

processor. The processor also has its own memory known as the L2 cache, the cache

lies between the processor and the RAM. The processor sends and retrieves data from

this cache, when this cache overflows data is sent to the RAM.
There are mainly four types of RAM; SD, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3. They differ in the way

they operate and mainly in their operation speeds. All RAM's used in computers today

have a synchronous interface meaning they wait for a clock signal before it can respond

to clock signals.

SIMM

A SIMM (single in-line memory module) is a module containing one or several random

access memory (RAM) chips on a small circuit board with pins that connect to the

computer motherboard. Since the more RAM your computer has, the less frequently it

will need to access your secondary storage (for example, hard disk or CD-ROM), PC

owners sometimes expand RAM by installing additional SIMMs. SIMMs typically come

with a 32 data bit (36 bits counting parity bits) path to the computer that requires a 72-

pin connector. SIMMs usually come in memory chip multiples of four megabytes.

SD RAM:

SDRAM stands for synchronous dynamic random access memory. SDRAM is Single

Data Rate meaning that SDRAM can accept one command and transfer one word of

data per clock cycle. As mentioned above SDRAM's have synchronous interface

therefore they depend on the computer clock signals to perform operations. Typical

speeds of SDRAM are 100 and 133 MHz.

DDR SDRAM:

DDR SDRAM stands for double data rate synchronous dynamic random access

memory. DDR RAM transfers data twice per clock cycle, hence the name double data

rate. DDR clock speeds range between 200 MHz (DDR-200) and 400 MHz (DDR-400).

DDR-200 transfers 1600 MB/s, while DDR-400 transfers 3200 MB/s.

DDR2 SDRAM:

DDR2 SDRAM stands for double data rate 2 synchronous dynamic random access

memory.DDR2 is twice as fast as DDR which means twice as much data is carried to

the module for each clock cycle. Also due to the design improvements DDR2 consumes

less power as compared to the DDR memory. DDR2 speeds range between 400 MHz

(DDR2-400) and 800 MHz (DDR2-800). DDR2-400 transfers 3200 MB/s. DDR2-800

transfers 6400 MB/s.

DDR3 SDRAM:

So by now after reading the above it is quite obvious what DDR3 SDRAM stands for,

double data rate 3 synchronous dynamic random access memory. In theory DDR3 is

supposed to act twice as fast as DDR2 memories. Thus DDR3 speeds range between

800 MHz (DDR3-800) and 1600 MHz (DDR3-1600). DDR3-800 transfers 6400 MB/s;

DDR3-1600 transfers 12800 MB/s.

DDR4 SDRAM

In computing, DDR4 SDRAM, an abbreviation for double data rate fourth-generation

synchronous dynamic random-access memory, is a type of synchronous dynamic

random-access memory (SDRAM) with a high bandwidth ("double data rate") interface.

Released to the market in 2014,[2][3][4] it is one of the latest variants of dynamic

random-access memory (DRAM), of which some have been in use since the early

1970s,[5] and a higher-speed successor to the DDR2 and DDR3 technologies.

 Hard drive

The hard drive is where your software,

documents, and other files are stored. The hard
drive is long-term storage, which means the data
is still saved even if you turn the computer off or
unplug it.

When you run a program or open a file, the

computer copies some of the data from the hard
drive onto the RAM. When you save a file, the
data is copied back to the hard drive. The faster
the hard drive, the faster your computer can start
up and load programs.
Different types of Hard disk drive (HDD)
 
 
Parallel Advance Technology

Attachment (PATA) drives are also known as Integrated

Drive Electronics (IDE) developed by Western Digital
under the name Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)
 
 
 

Small Computer System Interface or

SCSI for short and can be pronounce as "skuzzy" are high

performance storage drives. SCSI drives are commonly
found in servers were real time performance or 24/7
operation is required. SCSI drive are much faster than the
standard drive Parallel ATA (PATA) with 5400RPM -
7200RPM access time compared to 10000RPM -
15000RPM for SCSI. Revolution Per Minute "RPM" of
hard drives is a measurement of how many complete
revolutions a computer's hard drive makes in a single
minute. Fast rotation speed of the spindle means high
data transfer , the higher the RPM, the faster the data will
be accessed
 
Parallel Advance Technology

Attachment (PATA) drives are also known as Integrated

Drive Electronics (IDE) with 2.5 inch form factor. Due to its
smaller size it is commonly used in notebook PCs,
external storage, gaming consoles, and portable video
players.
 
 
 
Serial ATA was designed to replace the

older parallel ATA (PATA). SATA offers several

advantages over the older IDE drive such as reduced
cable size reducing from 40 pins in IDE to 7 pins in SATA,
native hot swapping and has faster data transfer through
higher signaling rates.
 
 
 
 The Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is a

new generation serial communication protocol for devices

designed to allow for much higher speed data transfers
and is compatible with SATA. The serial transmission of
data requires fewer connections and eliminates the SCSI
bus and still uses the very capable SCSI protocol. SAS
uses a mechanically identical data and power connector
to standard 3.5-inch SATA1/SATA2 HDDs and many
server-oriented SAS RAID controllers are also capable of
addressing SATA hard drives. SATA drives can be
attached to a SAS drive controller and they will work
perfectly because they are compatible but not SAS drive
connected to a SATA controller this configuration will not
work.

SSD
A solid-state drive (SSD is a solid-state) storage device
that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store
data persistently. SSD technology primarily uses
electronic interfaces compatible with
traditional block input/output (I/O) hard disk
drives (HDDs), which permit simple replacements in
common applications.[4] New I/O interfaces like SATA
Express and M.2 have been designed to address specific
requirements of the SSD technology.

Power supply unit

The power supply unit in a computer converts the

power from the wall outlet to the type of power needed by
the computer. It sends power through cables to the
motherboard and other components.
A power supply unit (or PSU) converts mains AC to low-
voltage regulated DC power for the internal components of
a computer. Modern personal computers universally
use switched-mode power supplies. Some power
supplies have a manual switch for selecting input voltage,
while others automatically adapt to the mains voltage.

The power supply unit (PSU) in a PC regulates and delivers the power to the

components in the case. 

Standard power supplies turn the incoming 110V or 220V AC (Alternating

Current) into various DC (Direct Current) voltages suitable for powering the
computer's components. 

Power supplies are quoted as having a certain power output specified in Watts,
a standard power supply would typically be able to deliver around 350 Watts.
The more components (hard drives, CD/DVD drives, tape drives, ventilation
fans, etc) you have in your PC the greater the power required from the power
supply. 

By using a PSU that delivers more power than required means it won't be
running at full capacity, which can prolong life by reducing heat damage to the
PSU's internal components during long periods of use. 
4 Pin Berg Connector
Used to connect the PSU to small form factor devices, such as 3.5" floppy drives. 
available in: AT, ATX & ATX-2

4 Pin Molex Connector

This is used to power various components, including hard drives and optical drives. 
available in: AT, ATX & ATX-2

20 Pin Molex ATX Power Connector

This is used to power the motherboard in ATX systems. 
available in: ATX( ATX-2 have four extra pins)

4 Pin Molex P4 12V Power Connector

Used specifically for Pentium 4 Processor Motherboards. 
available in: ATX (integrated into the power connector in ATX-2)

15 pin Sata Power Connector

Used in hdd and optical drives that has sata power connectors

Available in:ATX and ATX-2

24 Pin Monlex ATX Power Connector

This is used to power the motherboard in 24 pin ATX systems. 

Available in:ATX and ATX-2

 Computer Casing/Case

A computer case, also known as a computer chassis,

tower, system unit, cabinet, base unit or simply case, is
the enclosure that contains most of the components of
acomputer (usually excluding the display, keyboard and
mouse).
 Optical Drive

An optical drive is a type of computer disk drive that reads

and writes data from optical disks through laser beaming
technology.

This type of drive allows a user to retrieve, edit and delete

the content from optical disks such as CDs, DVDs and
Blu-ray disks. Optical drives are among the most common
computer components.

FDD
Floppy Disk Drive, also called FDD or FD for short, is a
computer disk drive that enables a user to save data to
removable diskettes. Although 8" disk drives were first
made available in 1971, the first real disk drives used were
the 5 1/4" floppy disk drives, which were later replaced
with the 3 1/2" floppy disk drives.
A 5 1/4"floppy disk was capable of storing between 360KB
and 1.2MB of data, and the 3 1/2" floppy disk was capable
of storing between 360KB and 1.44MB of data. For both
sizes of floppy disk, the amount of data that could be
stored was dependent on whether the disk was single or
double sided and whether the disk was regular or high
density.
Expansion cards

Most computers have expansion slots on the

motherboard that allow you to add various types
of expansion cards. These are sometimes
called PCI (peripheral component interconnect)
cards. You may never need to add any PCI
cards because most motherboards have built-in
video, sound, network, and other capabilities.

However, if you want to boost the performance

of your computer or update the capabilities of an
older computer, you can always add one or more
cards. Below are some of the most common
types of expansion cards.

Video card

The video card is responsible for what you

see on the monitor. Most computers have a GPU
 (graphics processing unit) built into the
motherboard instead of having a separate video
card. If you like playing graphics-intensive
games, you can add a faster video card to one of
the expansion slots to get better performance.

Sound card

The sound card—also called an audio card—is

responsible for what you hear in the speakers or
headphones. Most motherboards have integrated sound,
but you can upgrade to a dedicated sound card for higher-
quality sound.
 Network card

The network card allows your computer to communicate

over a network and access the Internet. It can either
connect with an Ethernet cable or through
a wirelessconnection (often called Wi-Fi). Many
motherboards have built-in network connections, and a
network card can also be added to an expansion slot.