Introduction to Computers

Nothing has changed the modern world so much as the coming of computers in the past fourty years. With a growing habitancy and the creation of more wealth in the world, transactions have become so numerous that habitancy cannot do it manually anymore.

In modern enterprise data is very leading - data about the business, its history, its performance, forecasts and budgets, its employees, its customers/clients, its creditors and suppliers, its investments etc.

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Too many habitancy would be required to description and process data manually into beneficial information. That is why the computer is so leading today.

A computer is an electronic engine that market and processes data. Processed data is called information. The first computer was built in America in 1945. It weighed 30 tons and busy 138 square meters of floor space, which is about the size of an midpoint house.

Today a large mainframe computer occupies only about 2-3 square meters and can process far more data far more quickly. The most leading improvement came with the invention of the personal computer (Pc) in 1980. In the computer industry hardware changes the fastest of all, newer and faster components are invented almost daily.

The first large computer could perform 5000 instructions per second; a small modern Pc can process millions of instructions per second. A large computer like the Cray can process more than 1000 000 000 (billion) instructions per second...

Pc Components and Technologies.

The following sections provide a quick summary of the components and technologies used in modern Pcs.

Hardware Components.

One of the great strengths of the Pc architecture is that it is extensible, allowing a great range of components to be added, and thereby permitting the Pc to perform functions its designers may never have envisioned. However, most Pcs include a more-or-less thorough set of components, along with the following. (Remember when we discussed the Minimum components to Power On a Computer)

Motherboard.

The motherboard, is the heart of a Pc. It serves as "Command Central" to coordinate the activities of the system. Its type largely determines system capabilities.

Voltage Regulator Module (Vrm).

Vrms provide clean, tightly regulated voltage to the Cpu. Faster Cpus draw more current. Good Vrms are expensive, so some motherboard makers use the lowest-rated Vrm convenient for the fastest Cpu the motherboard is designed to support.

Memory Slots.

The type and number of memory slots (along with chipset limitations) determine the type and number of memory you can install in a Pc. Memory differs from 168-pin Sdram Dimms or 168-pin or 184-pin Rambus Rimms, 184-pin Ddr-Sdram Dimms, Ddr400, Ddr2, Ddr3. Older motherboards accept 30-pin and/or 72-pin Simms.

Expansion Bus Slots.

The type and number of expansion bus slots determine the type and number of expansion cards you can add to the system. Coarse slots that are ready are Isa (older and obsolete), Pci, Agp, Pci-Express.

Integrated Functions.

Modern motherboards often include embedded features, such as video and sound, Lan. The upsides to embedded components are reduced costs, better integration, and higher reliability. The downsides are that it may be difficult or impossible to upgrade embedded components, and that you have to pay for those embedded components either you use them or not.

Integrated motherboards are often ideally excellent for casual use, but most readers of this book will avoid them for high-performance systems and build a pc from assorted components.

Processor.

The processor or Cpu is the engine that drives the Pc. The Cpu you use determines how fast the system runs and what operating systems and other software can run on it. Most Pcs use processors from Intel or Amd. Processors vary in speed, efficiency at performing assorted functions, and in other respects.

Memory.

A Pc uses random passage memory (Ram), also called simply memory, to store the programs and data with which it is currently working. Ram is ready in many different types, speeds, and corporeal packages. The number and type of Ram a system can use depends on its chipset, the type and number of Ram slots available, and other factors.

The optimum number of Ram depends on the operating system you run, how many and which programs you run simultaneously, and other considerations. Adding Ram is often a cost-effective upgrade for older systems.

Floppy Disk Drive.

The floppy disk drive (Fdd) was at one time used for all from booting the Pc to storing data to running programs to manufacture backups, but has now been largely relegated to such infrequent uses as manufacture emergency boot disks, loading updated expedient drivers, running diagnostics programs, or "copying" documents to other systems. The Fdd has been officially declared a "legacy" device, and many Pcs manufactured after mid-2000 do not have one.

Cd-Rom drive.

Cd-Rom drives began to appear on mainstream Pcs in the early '90s. Cd-Rom discs store 700+ Mb of data in read-only form and, because they are both capacious and cheap to produce, are ordinarily used to distribute software and data. Cd-Rom drives can also play Cd-Da (audio) discs and multimedia discs, which makes them popular for listening to music and playing games.

Hard Disk Drive.

The hard disk drive (Hdd) is the former storehouse expedient on any Pc. Unlike Ram, which retains data only while power remains applied, data written to an Hdd remains stored there until you delete it. Hdd space was at one time a scarce resource that users went to great lengths to conserve.

Modern Hdds are so capacious (100+ Gb-1.5 Terabite (1500+Gb) and so reasonable that most habitancy now regard disk space as essentially free. On the downside, modern Hdds can be difficult to install and configure, particularly in older systems.

Video Adapter.

A video adapter, also called a graphics adapter (3D Acceleration), accepts video data from the computer and converts it into a form the monitor can display. In expanding to image quality, the video adapter you use determines the sharpness, number of colors, and stability of the image your monitor displays.

Most modern video adapters display text and straightforward graphics adequately, but video adapters vary greatly in their suitability for use with graphics-intense software, along with games.

Monitor.

The monitor you use finally determines the quality of the video you see. Monitors are ready in a wide range of sizes, capabilities, features, and prices, and selecting the right one is not a trivial decision.

Sound Adapter and Speakers.

All Pcs can furnish basic warning sounds and audible prompts using their built-in speakers, but for listening to audio Cds, playing games, watching Dvds with full surround sound, using the Internet to make free long-distance telephone calls, using voice-recognition software, and other Pc audio functions, you'll need a sound card (or embedded motherboard sound adapter) and speakers or headphones.

Keyboard and Mouse.

Pcs use any types of devices to accept user input-keyboards for entering text; mice, trackballs, and other pointing devices for working in the Windows graphical environment; and game controllers for playing modern graphical computer games and simulations.

Communications Ports.

Communications ports allow a Pc to connect to external peripherals such as printers, modems, and similar devices.

Case and Power Supply.

The case (or chassis) is the outer shell that contains the Pc and all internal peripheral devices. The power provide provides regulated power to all system components and cooling air flow to keep components from overheating.

Introduction to Computers