Key Computer Components
It is essential to understand what the computer we use daily is made of, at a very high level, to understand the essence of Distributed Computing, Cloud Computing, GPUs, TPUs, and other technologies.
I. Computer components
Motherboard
The motherboard is the main circuit board of your computer and is also known as the mainboard or logic board. If you ever open your computer, the biggest piece of silicon you see is the motherboard. Attached to the motherboard, you’ll find the CPU, ROM, memory RAM expansion slots, PCI slots, and USB ports. It also includes controllers for devices like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse. The motherboard is what makes everything on your computer work together.
Each motherboard has a collection of chips and controllers known as the chipset. When new motherboards are developed, they often use new chipsets. The good news is that these boards are typically more efficient and faster than their predecessors. The bad news is that older components often do not work with new chipsets.
Central Processing Unit
The CPU is the primary component of a computer that processes instructions. It runs the operating system and applications, constantly receiving input from the user or active software programs. It processes the data and produces output, which may be stored by an application or displayed on the screen.
The CPU contains at least one processor, which is the actual chip inside the CPU that performs calculations. For many years, most CPUs only had one processor, but now it is common for a single CPU to have at least two processors or “processing cores.” A CPU with two processing cores is called a dual-core CPU and models with four cores are called quad-core CPUs. High-end CPUs may have six (Hexa-core) or even eight (octo-core) processors. A computer may also have more than one CPU, which each have multiple cores. For example, a server with two Hexa-core CPUs has a total of 12 processors.
Graphical Processing Unit
A GPU is a processor designed to handle graphics operations. This includes both 2D and 3D calculations, though GPUs primarily excel at rendering 3D graphics.
History Early PCs did not include GPUs, which meant the CPU had to handle all standard calculations and graphics operations. As software demands increased and graphics became more important (especially in video games), a need arose for a separate processor to render graphics. On August 31, 1999, NVIDIA introduced the first commercially available GPU for a desktop computer, called the GeForce 256. It could process 10 million polygons per second, allowing it to offload a significant amount of graphics processing from the CPU.
The success of the first graphics processing unit caused both hardware and software developers alike to quickly adopt GPU support. Motherboards were manufactured with faster PCI slots and AGP slots, designed exclusively for graphics cards, became a common option as well. Software APIs like OpenGL and Direct3D were created to help developers make use of GPUs in their programs. Today, dedicated graphics processing is standard – not just in desktop PCs – but also in laptops, smartphones, and video game consoles.
Function The primary purpose of a GPU is to render 3D graphics, which are comprised of polygons. Since most polygonal transformations involve decimal numbers, GPUs are designed to perform floating-point operations (as opposed to integer calculations). This specialized design enables GPUs to render graphics more efficiently than even the fastest CPUs. Offloading graphics processing to high-powered GPUs is what makes modern gaming possible.
While GPUs excel at rendering graphics, the raw power of a GPU can also be used for other purposes. Many operating systems and software programs now support GPU or general-purpose computation on graphics processing units. Technologies like OpenCL and CUDA allow developers to utilize the GPU to assist the CPU in non-graphics computations. This can improve the overall performance of a computer or other electronic device.
Cache Memory
Cache memory, or CPU cache, is a type of memory that services the CPU. It is faster than main memory, physically located closer to the processor, and allows the CPU to execute instructions and read and write data at a higher speed. Instructions and data are transferred from the main memory to the cache in blocks to enhance performance. Cache memory is typically static RAM (SRAM) and is identified by level. Level 1 (L1) cache is built directly into the CPU chip. Level 2 cache (L2) feeds the L1 cache. L2 can be built into the CPU chip, reside on a separate chip, or be a separate bank of chips on the system board. If L2 is built into the CPU, then a level 3 cache (L3) may also be present on the system board.
Stands for “Random Access Memory». RAM is made up of small memory chips that form a memory module. These modules are installed in the RAM slots on the motherboard of your computer.
Every time you open a program, it gets loaded from the hard drive into the RAM. This is because reading data from the RAM is much faster than reading data from the hard drive. Running programs from the RAM of the computer allows them to function without any lag time. The more RAM your computer has, the more data can be loaded from the hard drive into the RAM, which can effectively speed up your computer. Adding RAM can be more beneficial to your computer’s performance than upgrading the CPU.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
The data is stored on a stack of disks that are mounted inside a solid encasement. These disks spin extremely fast (typically at either 5400 or 7200 RPM) so that data can be accessed immediately from anywhere on the drive. The data is stored on the hard drive magnetically, so it stays on the drive even after the power supply is turned off.
The term “hard drive” is short for “hard disk drive.” The term “hard disk” refers to the actual disks inside the drive. However, all three of these terms are usually seen as referring to the same thing – the place where your data is stored.
Solid State Drive (SSD)
Stands for “Solid State Drive.” An SSD is a type of mass storage device similar to a hard disk drive (HDD). It supports reading and writing data and maintains stored data in a permanent state even without power. Internal SSDs connect to a computer like a hard drive, using standard IDE or SATA connections.
While SSDs serve the same function as hard drives, their internal components are much different. Unlike hard drives, SSDs do not have any moving parts (which is why they are called solid-state drives). Instead of storing data on magnetic platters, SSDs store data using flash memory. Since SSDs have no moving parts, they don’t have to “spin up” while in a sleep state and they don’t need to move a drive head to different parts of the drive to access data. Therefore, SSDs can access data faster than HDDs.
SSDs have several other advantages over hard drives as well. For example, the read performance of a hard drive declines when data gets fragmented or split up into multiple locations on the disk. The read performance of an SSD does not diminish based on where data is stored on the drive. Therefore defragmenting an SSD is not necessary. Since SSDs do not store data magnetically, they are not susceptible to data loss due to strong magnetic fields close to the drive. Additionally, since SSDs have no moving parts, there is far less chance of a mechanical breakdown. SSDs are also lighter, quieter, and use less power than hard drives. This is why SSDs have become a popular choice for laptop computers.
Conclusion: I hope this high-level overview was clear and helpful. I’d be happy to answer any question you might have in the comments section.
System Hardware Component: Motherboard
System Hardware refers to the physical components from which a system is made. Most computer components are modular. This means that they can be removed and replaced by another piece of hardware that does the same thing. If a component is modular and can be replaced, then it can be also called a field replaceable unit (FRU).
There are three main basic components in the computer system which runs the whole system and they are Motherboard, Processor and the Memory.
I will explain the motherboard and all its subparts in detail in this blog and the Processors and the Memory in the coming blogs. So now have a look on Motherboard in the figure below.
Motherboards
The Motherboard is one of the basic and fundamental component of any computer system. It connects all the other components through different pathways or connections and it acts as a nervous system of the computer. It can be also called system board or main board.
Motherboard is basically a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) on which all other components are attached integratedly or physically through the wires and cables. Nowadays fully integrated motherboards are available in the market.
The motherboard itself is a combinations of different components and some of the basic components of the motherboard are following
- Form factors
- Chipsets
- Processor sockets
- Memory slots
- Expansion slots
- Disk Connectors
- Power connectors
- BIOS/firmware
- CMOS and CMOS battery
- Back-panel connectors
- Front-panel connectors
The following figure shows the motherboard with its parts highlighted.
Form Factor
The design classifications of the motherboard is called a form factor. The design classifications are basically the sizes and shapes (aka Dimensions) of the motherboard. There are huge number of form factors available today and only a motherboard having a specific form factor can be mounted on the respective system’s case/body. The common form factors used nowadays are following
- ATX (Advanced Technology Extended)
- Micro ATX
- ITX (Information Technology Extended
ITX is a collection of SFF (Small form factor) boards. Baby AT was designed and made by the IBM and ATX is made by Intel.
Chipsets
The chipset of the motherboard is a collection of chips and circuits that perform interface and peripheral functions for the processor. This collection of chips provides interfaces for memory, expansion cards, and on-board peripherals and generally prescribes how a motherboard will communicate with the installed peripherals.
Chipsets are usually given a name and model number by the original manufacturer like Intel’s X79.
There are further two kinds of functional groups in chipsets, the first is Northbridge and the second is Southbridge .
The Northbridge provides communication between the high speed components like Processor and memory or integrated video while the Southbridge provides the communication between the slower peripherals like PS/2, parallel ports and serial ports etc.
Processor Sockets
CPU sockets or slots are used to handle or fix the processor in motherboard. There are different sizes of the processor sockets depending upon the processor. Sockets are basically flat and have several columns and rows of holes or pins arranged in a square. There are further two types of sockets, one is pin grid array (PGA) and the other is land grid array (LGA). PGA sockets have holes, and the processors have pins that fit into the holes. LGA sockets have contacts or pins which connect with contacts on the CPU. Mainly LGA sockets are mainly used today because there is a less chance of damaging of the processor because the pins are built in the sockets not in the processor.
Memory Slots
Memory slots are used for holding memory chips that make up primary memory that is used to store currently used data and instructions for the CPU and that primary memory is also called RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory for desktops comes on circuit boards called dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) and for laptops on small outline DIMMs (SODIMMs).
Memory slots are long and slender type and generally close to the CPU socket. They are available in different colors and mostly in white color.
Expansion Slots
Expansion slots are used to install various devices in the computer to expand its capabilities and performance. Some expansion devices that can be installed in these slots include video card, network card, sound card, and disk interface cards.
The expansion slots have further three types which are using today and that slots are:
- PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slots are usually 32 bits slots, 3 inches long that are mostly in white color.
- AGP (Accelerated Graphic Port) slots are used for handling the video graphics card and they are mostly in brown color and they are slightly shorter than the PCI slots.
- PCIe ( Peripheral Component Interconnect Expense) slots are the modern and usually faster than PCI and AGP and are mostly used today. These are found in different sizes.
The following figure shows the different expansion slots and notice their color and sizes.
Disk Connectors
Motherboards have Disk Connectors that are used for connecting the hard drive which is permanent storing device. There are a few different kinds of hard drive connectors available today. One is Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) connector or Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) which is older one. The other one is Serial ATA (SATA) which is newer and much faster than PATA.
PATA has large number of pins while SATA doesn’t have any pin.
Power Connectors
Motherboard require electricity for functioning and it has a special 24-pin block connector that allows the motherboard to be connected to the power supply to receive power. This connector is where the ATX power adapter plugs in.
BIOS/Firmware
Firmware is a kind of software that is encoded in hardware like ROM (Read only memory), and can be run without extra instructions from the operating system. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the one of the best example of firmware in a computer which is burned into a flash memory chip located on the motherboard. The BIOS chip is the second most important chip in the computer after the CPU and this chip contains the BIOS system software that boots the system and initiates the memory and hard drive to allow the operating system to start. BIOS chip can be recognized as it have on it the name of the manufacturer and usually the word BIOS as shown in the figure below with the manufacturer name AMI.
CMOS and CMOS Battery
The CMOS stands for complementary metal oxide semiconductor and it is a special kind of chip technology used to store the basic information like date and time, hard drive configuration, memory and CPU settings, boot sequence, and power management features when the system is on or turned off. We can say that the chip is made through the CMOS technology and it has the BIOS settings saved on it.
The CMOS chip have a battery which is integrated near the chip on the motherboard and it is used to supply power continuously to the CMOS chip so that the BIOS settings are permanently stored.
Normally, the CMOS battery is included next to the BIOS chip as shown in the figure below.
Back-Panel Connectors
There are different types of connectors attached on the back of the motherboard which include power connector, video connector, audio connector, a keyboard and mouse connectors, networking like Ethernet connector, and sometimes USB connectors.
Front-Panel Connectors
There can also be different types of connectors attached on the front of the motherboard which include Power Button, Restart button, Audio ports for Microphone, headphones and speakers, and USB ports etc.