COMPUTER SYSTEM SERVICING 3

NAME: GRADE AND STRAND:

ADDRESS: CONTACT NUMBER:

Topic: UNDERSTANDING COMPUTER COMPONENTS (Module 3 – Quarter 1)/ First Semester

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

This module is specifically crafted to focus on Process and Delivery enriched with modular and online activities that will
assess your level in terms of skills and knowledge. Learning procedures are divided into different sections such as: What you
are supposed to learn, What I know, what’s in, what’s more, What I can do, Assessment, What I can show. You will be
introduced to different learning activities preparing you to be skillful before you take the plunge into the world of work as a
hardware service provider and to feel more confident while providing support where needed. Indeed, as learners of hardware
servicing, you are a crucial link in the emergency response process. Ideally, everyone should know what to do in an
emergency situation, but proper training can help an individual provide basic care.
By the end of the lesson, you are expected to;
1. Identify the important components of a PC and their functions; and
2. Familiarize occupational health and safety procedures.

WHAT I KNOW

DIRECTION: Before digging in the core of this module, try to answer this part to assess yourself about how much you already
know about the topic. Put an (❌) on the item before each number if it can’t be found inside the system unit and put a heart (❤)
if it does.

_________ 1. Motherboard _________ 6. Flash drive __________ 11. Floppy Disk Drives
_________ 2. Monitor _________ 7. Ethernet Cable __________ 12. Video Card
_________ 3. Sata Cable _________ 8. AVR __________ 13. Circuit
Board
_________ 4. Keyboard _________ 9. Mouse __________ 14. USB ports
_________ 5. Printer _________ 10. Fan __________
WHAT’S
15. Old Printer Ports IN
REVIEW:
The Internal System Unit is made up of many components such as the
Processor, Motherboard, BIOS, Power supply, fan and heat sink, hard
drive configuration and controllers e.g. RAM, ROM, Cache and
specialized cards e.g. Network and graphic cards.
Ports e.g. USB, Parallel, Serial
The functions of ports are to allow peripheral devices to connect to the
computer. There are a variety of ports that are found on the back of the
system unit in order to connect a range of peripherals to connect to the
processor. Two types of Ports can be found on the system unit: Serial
Port and a Parallel Port.

Serial Port: is an interface that can be used for serial communication. A

Serial port only transmits 1 bit at a time and the cable is usually
circular.

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Parallel Port: Parallel Port allows the user to use devices side by side. Printers, USBs are all examples of peripherals that use
Parallel Ports.

These ports are used to transfer data from a peripheral device to the computer. Serial communication is done through a transmitter
which then sends data to a receiver using a single communication. These types of methods are really suitable for transferring or
sending and receiving data over a long distance.
How do the ports on the System Unit look?
COMPUTER COMPONENTS

Internal Memory e.g. RAM, ROM, cache

Internal Memory serves two main purposes: One is to store programs that are
being run and other is to store the data that the program works on. Within the PC
there are two types of memory: RAM and ROM.

RAM is also known as the Random Access Memory which is volatile and
everything/applications that you have opened on your computer are what are
stored in the RAM. RAM allows information to be stored and accessed quickly
from random locations. All the programs and data will be transferred to the RAM
from the Hard disk drive before it displayed on the screen for us to read.

As all the processing has to go through the CPU, it also requires the RAM to
communicate with the CPU. The CPU will retrieve data from the RAM then it
will send the information along to the data bus in order to reach the final
destination such as the computer monitors which in an Output.

ROM is also known as Read-Only Memory which is non-volatile which is used

to store small programs that cannot be altered or changed so basically it is
permanently stored. ROM is mainly used to store the programs that are required
to boot the computer. RAM is volatile memory so when the power is turned off
everything is lost but ROM is non-volatile meaning that whatever is stored in it
will remain even if the power is turned off.

How the ROM communicates is by sending instructions to the CPU in order to

make sure that the hardware is correctly functioning in the way that they are
supposed. Then the ROM will send instructions to the CPU to find the operating
system of the computer. If the operating system is found then it will be loaded
into the RAM in order for the RAM to take over the boot up process .

Specialized cards e.g. Network and Graphic Cards

The main function of a Network card is to provide a physical link to a computer

network which allows the computers to communicate with the servers. Each and
every Network Interface Card has a unique serial number, which is called a MAC
address. Every computer that is connected to a network has to have a unique
MAC Address. How a Network card works is by sending an electrical or radio
signals to each other using an agreed upon MAC protocol and network cards can
either be wired or wireless.

The main function of a Graphics card is to allow computers to produce graphics

and images quickly with better detail. The Graphics card has its own Processor
called the GPU which accelerates the speed of the process. Usually, graphics
cards will have its own cooling system as it heats up due to the amount of power
it uses. The way Graphics card communicates is by sending data to the CPU on
the motherboard. Then the data is sent to the graphics card where it gets
converted into images and ready to be displayed on the monitor.

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Backing Storage
Backing storage are backup devices which we use to save data and files on
and these devices are external devices so which means that these are not inside
of the system unit. These backup devices come in small sizes which means
that they are portable. Examples of Backing Storage Devices are External
Hard Drives, USB Pen Drives and Flash memory cards. These backup
devices can be connected via USB ports on the system unit which makes it
easier for files to be moved from one computer to another.
External Hard Drives are used as external storage space if your computer does
not have enough memory to save your data or files. These External Hard
Drives have a large storage space meaning that you can store as much data and
files as you want. You do not need to worry about graphics files taking up
much space as these hard drives have a large capacity.

USB Pen drives are usually used to move data and files from one computer to
another due to its small size and also as they have a low storage capacity.
USB’s can also be used to save work that you have started on one computer
then carry on with it on another computer. For example, if you start a
Document at work and then want to continue with the document at home, you
simply save it onto the USB. Then plug it into your home computer and you
have access to the document at home.

Peripherals e.g. Input and Output Devices

Peripherals are Input and Output Devices which are external devices for your
computer. Input Devices are external devices that can input data into your
computer, whereas, Output devices output the data. Input Devices include
Scanner and Keyboards. Output Devices include Printer and Monitor.

Keyboards: Keyboards are mostly used input devices as its required to type
commands, letter or any software that requires you to type on. Keyboards have
many keys with characters printed, each key represents a letter, number or
symbol. Each and one of these keys have different functions of its own such as
the A key types in the letter a.

Scanner: A scanner can be used to input data into the computer by scanning a
document which can be edited using a OCR software. A scanner can also be used
to scan pictures that you may want to add in emails, handouts or in a
documentation.

Printer: A printer is an output device which is used to get a hard copy of data
from the computer, you can do so by printing out a documentation or images.
Printers are mostly used to print text, images and photos. People use a printer to
print letters or invoices that they have already typed up on the computer, so that
they can hand it to the end user.

Speaker: Speakers are an output device which are used to produce data such as
sound mostly when connected to a computer. Speakers output sound that is
generated by the computer. Speakers can also be used to listen to music which
plays on your computer. The sound quality of speakers will depend on the watts
for the speakers as computer speakers range widely in quality and price.

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Every component in the system unit is essential. Every component has its own unique role that it has to perform in order to make
the computer function. You will need all of the components in the system unit to be working correctly in order to communicate
with each other. Understanding each and every component can help to further understand how the computer system works. This
can also lead to enhancing the components in the system unit to perform efficiently to meet your needs. For example, for gaming
you may require a HD Graphics card.

Computers are used to accomplish many tasks. A basic desktop computer desktop includes the computing unit plus a monitor,
keyboard, and mouse. Add even more peripherals to the computer, and the computer will be able to do that many more tasks. But,
what are computer peripherals? A computer peripheral, technically speaking, is any device that connects to the computing unit but
is not part of the core architecture of the computing unit. The core computing unit consists of the central processing unit (CPU),
motherboard, and power supply. The case that surrounds these elements are also considered part of the core computing unit. So
anything that is connected to these elements is considered a peripheral.

Various standards for connecting peripherals to computers exist. For example, serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) is
the most common interface, or bus, for magnetic disk drives. A bus (also known as a port) can be either serial or parallel,
depending on whether the data path carries one bit at a time (serial) or many at once (parallel). Serial connections, which use
relatively few wires, are generally simpler than parallel connections. Universal serial bus (USB) is a common serial bus.

WHAT’S MORE
DIRECTION: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION.

1. Do you agree that knowing all the variations of components in the system unit will help you understand the functions,
processes, and limitations of a system unit? Justify your answer.

2. How can you figure out if the system unit is unstable? Justify your answer.

WHAT I CAN DO

DIRECTION: DIRECTION: Give at least 3 examples in each component. (Avoid Repetition)

INPUT DEVICES OUTPUT DEVICES STORAGE DEVICES HARDWARE SOFTWARE

ASSESSMENT

DIRECTION: PHOTO GUESS. Identify the names of the following images of computer peripherals.

1. _________________________________ 2. _________________________________

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3. _________________________________ 4. _________________________________

5. _________________________________ 6. _________________________________

7. _________________________________ 8. _________________________________

9. _________________________________ 10. ________________________________

WHAT I CAN SHOW

Which category in 21st Century skills do you think the core of our topic falls in? (Communication, collaboration, creativity,
critical thinking, productivity, leadership and technology literacy). Explain why.

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