Introduction to

Hardware
Mr. McBrien
TEJ2O
Ontario Curriculum

 A1.2 use precise terminology to identify various types and

features of computer hardware and interfaces (e.g.,
device name, capacity, speed, bandwidth, connector
types);
Introduction
 A major part of TEJ is centered around the computer:
 Design
 Configuration
 Repair
 Programming
 We need to look at the way computers are put together
 We’ll focus on Windows PCs
 Most of the underlying structure is consistent regardless of
the type of machine.
Computer Cabinets

 A computer cabinet is the case in which all internal

components are stored and organized
 Make sure the layout of the motherboard will fit into the
cabinet.
 The two main types are AT and ATX
 Be careful. Metal edges inside the case can be very
sharp.
Power Supplies
 The power supply converts 120V AC from the wall outlet
to 12VDC and 5VDC for the components inside the
computer.

 You need to make sure the power supply can provide

enough total wattage for the components inside.

 Usually a 500W power supply will suffice. Unless you have

a good video card then probably around 700W.

 If you’re price-conscious, or building a monster, you can

calculate the PSU requirements by summing indiv. reqs.
Motherboards

 If the PSU is the heart, the MoBo is both the

skeleton and the circulatory system.
 The main circuit board inside the computer.
 All components are attached to the
motherboard, including CPU and RAM
 Motherboards include a BIOS stored in an
EEPROM chip on the board.
 The BIOS (Basic Input/Output system) initialises
and tests the hardware and bootstraps the
operating system.
Motherboard (cont’d)

 The BIOS (Basic Input/Output system) initializes and tests

the hardware and bootstraps the operating system.

 The BIOS has settings for all the components connected to

the Motherboard.
CPU – Central Processing Unit

 (One) “brain” of the computer

 >1 billion transistors densely packed on an integrated circuit
 Most of the processing operations occur here
 Billions of operations per second
 LOTS of heat – heatsink and fan are critical.
System Clock

 A quartz crystal on the motherboard.

 For every tick or pulse of the clock the CPU does one
function or step.
 For a 3GHz clock there are 3 Billion ticks or functions a
second.
Buses

 Buses move information around the motherboard.

 Usually, they broadcast (all components see the signal).
Bus Interconnection Scheme
Data Bus

 Moves data (or instructions)

 The width of the bus determines the speed at which data
moves (in combination with the system clock)
 Width is measured in bits (32-bit means 32 bits per cycle).
 May be 8, 16, 32, 64-bit
Address Bus

 Identify the source or destination of data

 e.g. CPU needs to read an instruction (data) from a given location in memory
 Bus width determines maximum memory capacity of system
 e.g. 8080 has 16 bit address bus giving 64k address space
Control Bus

 Control and timing information

 Memory read/write signal
 Interrupt request
 Clock signals
Anatomy of Data Retrieval

CPU Sends a Location for Needed Data

Anatomy of Data Retrieval

Information travels to the CPU

Tying it Together

 The address bus carries the location of the

data
 The data bus carries the data
 The control bus coordinates the transfer.
System Bus

 Can be a Parallel Bus or a Serial Bus.

 Combines the functions of the three buses.
 Shares wires to transfer information.
 Reduces costs and saves space on the motherboard.
Expansion Slots

 A connector where you can add improved

functionality to your computer.
 Add better Video cards, Sound Cards,
Network Cards.
 Some external hardware components have
their own circuit boards to be inserted into
expansion slots.
Video Card

 An expansion card that provides improved graphics to the

monitor.
 Has a GPU: Graphics Processor Unit.
 Has its own memory.
 Can have VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort outputs.
 Can output to multiple monitors.
 Can render 2D and 3D graphics.
 Sometimes has TV outputs.
Key Points

 Internal computer hardware is fairly consistent

across formats
 Power supply: AC into DC
 MoBo: distributes power, information
 CPU: decision-making system – the “brain”
 Buses: move information across the MoBo
 Expansion slots: allow for upgrades, repairs
 Video cards: 2D and 3D graphics, on-board
processing and memory
Homework

 Internal Hardware Questions Page 2, 3.