Description Of PC

*Description Of PC

Seen here are a few components of a PC System. These include monitor, keyboard, mouse, and chassis (CPU inside). CD-ROM and Floppy drive slots are visible on the front of the mini-tower. Of course, today computers ship with internal DVD drives, ZIP drives, and other options that you choose when you purchase your system. While it may seem almost obsolete, you will find that there is still a use for the "old" floppy disk and I recommend you always have a floppy disk drive, either as an internal drive or an external USB removable drive.

External Components - The parts you can see without removing the covering of your computer. Most of the "magical" components are hidden from sight. The external components of your PC will include:

• Monitor
• Keyboard
• Chassis
• Mouse
• USB (Universal Serial Bus),

Additional external devices that are becoming standard are a printer, scanner, a zip drive, USB Hub with devices, DVD and CD-ROM read/write drives. A modem is frequently included with your system. Some of these devices may be purchased as either external or internal models. The choice is yours.

Internal Components - Comprise the majority of components that you never see but which are the heart of your system. They include:

File Storage Media - Storage media used to include 5¼" floppy disk (no longer used today), 3½" floppy disk (almost extinct), Iomega Zip disks, CD ROM's, DVD's, and a variety of other external USB storage devices.

Motherboard - Includes the Processor Chip (such as Intel Pentium III, IV), RAM chips (memory), and contains the majority of electronics components that are responsible for your system functioning.

Drive bays - slots to add additional drives (may include CD ROM, Floppy drive, Zip drive.

Expansion slots - to add cards for various devices, including memory chips

Power Supply - connection to electrical power for system.

Clock - battery powered, keeps track of date and time

Cables - to connect floppy drives, hard drives, and other devices. All hardware devices are connected to the central unit either through the use of cables, or through the use of internal cards which are installed into various slots in your computer. Additional cards that you might add:

• Ethernet (network)
• graphics
• video card
• scanner, flatbed (photos and text)
• fax/ modem
• RAM chips
• SoundBlaster

Cooling fan - Modern Pentium processors generate a great deal of heat. Failure to cool may result in the destruction of your hard drive.