The cpu is one of the main components of a pc. It does everything mainly carrying out an instruction that a program asks. Cpu stands for central processing unit since all processes go through the cpu. The processor plugs directly into the motherboard using pins. On one of the sides the processor has loads of pins which drop into the motherboard and locked in place. There is no specific amount of pins which are on a processor but usually the more the better the processor.
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| Cpu interface for medium scale integrated circuits |
In 1964 IMB introduced their System/360 computers which followed a specific architecture which set a template for cpu's etc so they can all be compatible together. This was after transistors were invented which compacted a lot of computers.
In 1970 Federico Faggin invented the microprocessor which set the trend for processors and are very similar to what we use today. The first widly used microprocessor was the Intel 8080 which was used in a lot of computer around that time.
The main function of a cpu no matter what they are like is to do a sequence of instructions called a program.There are 4 steps involved which are bascially;
- Get the instructions from the program which are a sequence of numbers
- The instruction tells the cpu what to do so it decodes it into an order of importance
- After decoding each step is excecuted where the cpu connects up with itself to do certain operations
- Finally the cpu writes back the infomation gathered to memory
The way that the cpu is measured in performance is by cores and clock rate. Clock rate is measured in GHz or MHz if its a very low clock rate. Cores can vary from 1 to up to 8 depending how expensive the cpu is. Most people buy quad core cpu's since they are cheap now and affordable to use in a low end pc. The clock rate is per core so lower core cpu's might have a higher clock rate but is overall lower depending on the amount of cores.
Ram
Ram which stands for random access memory is a part which temporarily sotres data which is then accessed by other parts. There are 3 types of ram which are SRAM, DRAM and PRAM. This is Static, Dynamic and Phase. Dynamic and static ram are the same as they both lose their state when powered off or reset whereas phase ram doesnt. You need ram because its a temporary storage for the computer to access. If you have programs open the ram will store that data since you are using them real time and the cpu doesnt have to access the hard drive everytime you perform an option
Another type of ram is DDR which is double data rate. It started off as DDR then DDR2 and DDR3 which is what is used today.The difference is where the break is between the pins. In a modern pc you would usually have 4gb of DDR3 ram as a basic but you can go all the way up to 32gb which is overkill for what is out there at the moment. It is possible to go higher but motherboards have a problem registering that amount.For windows 7 it is recommended to have atleast 4gb which is why companies have decided to use that amount in pre-build systems.
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| Comparison of DDR memorys |
There are 4 types of sound api which are MME/Wave , Directsound , ASIO and GSIF. These are different ways he sound is registered and each do their own thing. Motherboards now have built in soundcards which are basic but do the job. On windows pc the default is Realtek High Definition Audio which manages sound on the windows pc which you would get the drivers for that to work with the motherboard. You can get sound cards separatly to plug into the motherboard for more advanced set-ups but is not needed. With the outputs sound cards and the motherboard have you can create a surround sound setup which makes it so multiple speakers can be used and sound will come from where the sound should be coming from in a movie or game for example. This can range from 2.1 to 5.1 to 7.1 which are the default but can go higher than this.
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| 10.2 surround sound setup |
Display
There are 3 types of display inputs used by computers. These are hdmi, vga and dvi. Dvi is the best one to use since it has a fast response time but is not that common.Some motherboards dont come with these outputs but graphics cards do. There are many types of display monitors to use, the main ones are LCD and LED. These are liquid crystal display and Light emitting diode.
Storage
In a computer there is a hard drive included. This is where things are saved and stored permantly such as the OS (Operating system). The way most modern HDD works are using a disk spinning and a sensor picking up the files. The speed it spins is super fast and you cant see the speed with the naked eye. Commonly now the 2 speeds hard drives spin at are 5,400 and 7,200 rpm (revfolutions per minute). The capasity on hard drives vary depending how much you want. The most common sizes are 500-1000gb (gigabyte) which with todays video games sizes doesnt go far.
GPU
GPU is otherwise known as Graphics Processing Unit. The job of this part is to process any graphical intense thing on a computer. Mostly its used in video games to process the visuals. There are two main graphic card companies on the market and they are Nvidia and AMD and can be the priceiest part of a computer. Aswell as two companies there are two types of gpu's. There are dedicated and integrated graphic cards which basically separate the performance and quality. Dedicated are usually their own part and plug in a pci-e slot for example on the motherboard. Really high end gpu's need a separate power supply from the psu and not just the power for the motherboard. Integrated are gpu's which aqre built into the motherbaord and just use the power from that. Intergrated are alot less powerful and not used for video games atall.
Storage
In a computer there is a hard drive included. This is where things are saved and stored permantly such as the OS (Operating system). The way most modern HDD works are using a disk spinning and a sensor picking up the files. The speed it spins is super fast and you cant see the speed with the naked eye. Commonly now the 2 speeds hard drives spin at are 5,400 and 7,200 rpm (revfolutions per minute). The capasity on hard drives vary depending how much you want. The most common sizes are 500-1000gb (gigabyte) which with todays video games sizes doesnt go far.
GPU
GPU is otherwise known as Graphics Processing Unit. The job of this part is to process any graphical intense thing on a computer. Mostly its used in video games to process the visuals. There are two main graphic card companies on the market and they are Nvidia and AMD and can be the priceiest part of a computer. Aswell as two companies there are two types of gpu's. There are dedicated and integrated graphic cards which basically separate the performance and quality. Dedicated are usually their own part and plug in a pci-e slot for example on the motherboard. Really high end gpu's need a separate power supply from the psu and not just the power for the motherboard. Integrated are gpu's which aqre built into the motherbaord and just use the power from that. Intergrated are alot less powerful and not used for video games atall.
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