Computer Hardware Tutorial

Hardware is the physical part of the computer (the part you can touch), as opposed to software which are instructions. Read through the following tutorial to learn about various computer hardware. Remember that there are many different types and version of computers and hardware will vary. (Download worksheet if needed)

Computers:

There are basically two types of computers; PC's and Macs. PC stands for "personal computer." Even though Macs are also personal computers, PC has come to refer to non-MacIntosh computers such as Dell, IBM, Gateway, HP, etc. PC's generally run Windows operating system while Mac's run Mac operating system. There are various versions of each. When you buy software, you must buy it for the operating system you have. Windows software runs on Windows and Mac software runs on Macs. You can generally buy a computer for under $1000 and can spend 3 or 4 times as much.

PC

iMacs

 

Peripherals:

Peripherals are things that you connect to the computer. They are usually classified as either input devices or output devices.

Input devices:

Input devices are pieces of equipment that are used to get information INTO a computer. Such as;

  • keyboard
  • mouse
  • microphone
  • joystick
  • scanner
  • digital camera (still or video)
  • thumb drive

Output devices:

Output devices are pieces of equipment that are used to get information OUT of a computer. Such as;

  • monitor
  • printer
  • speakers
  • projector

 

 

 

Cables and Connections:

Most peripherals are connected to the computer by a cable. There are different kinds of cables and connectors. Most cables can simply be plugged in to the computer using the correct port.

USB - Most cables today are USB. USB cables can have a couple of different connectors. The one on the left is the most common type. You will find USB ports in the back or side of your computer, also sometimes on the monitor and keyboard.

Firewire (IEEE) - Firewire is a high speed cable used primarily to transfer video from a digital video camera to a computer and visa versa.

Power Cord - In order for a computer to work, it obviously must have power which it gets by plugging in the power cord. The power cord plugs into the back of the computer, and then into a power outlet in the wall.

Ethernet Cable - Computers are connected to the network with Ethernet Cables. The connectors look like large phone cable connectors. They plug into the back or side of the computer and the other end into a wall or router jack. This is what allows the computer to get on the internet and communicate with other computers.

Inside the computer:

CPU:

The CPU, or Centeral Processing Unit is the actual computer or brains of the computer. This is where the "computing" takes place.

Hard Drive:

All computers have a hard drive. The hard drive (HD)is where everything is saved. Every program, every file or document is saved on the hard drive. Think of it as your file cabinet. Eventually, a hard drive may get full and nothing else can be saved unless some of the stuff on it is thrown away. One way to upgrade a computer is to buy a second or bigger hard drive. Hard drives are classified by the size or amount they can store. A typical hard drive may be 80 to 160 gigabytes. When you purchase a computer, you need to decide how big of a hard drive you want. If you are going to store a lot of video, music, or pictures, you will need a larger hard drive than if you are just going to use primarily word processing and email.

RAM (memory):

When we talk about the memory of a computer, we are talking about RAM , or Ramdon Access Memory. RAM is your temporary working space. This is where you do your work. but it is temporary. If you don't save your work back to your hard drive, you will lose your work. (this is why when your computer freezes and have to restart, you lose your work).

The more RAM your computer has, the better it will run and the more programs you can have open at the same time. It also assures you can open the programs that take up more memory.

The is another way to upgrade your computer; buying and installing additional memory. The minimum amount of memory a new computer should have is at least 512 megabytes to 1 gigabyte.

Bytes:

We us Bytes as unit of measurement used to indicate how much memory information will take up. Bytes is the root word, prefixes are added to it to change it's value;

(K) kilo = 1000

(M) mega = million

(G) giga = billion

1KB = 1,000 bytes

1MB = 1,000,000 (1 million) bytes = 1000kb

1GB = 1,000,000,000(1billion) bytes =1,000MB

Every letter or number you type takes up 1 byte of space.

 

Removable Media:

It is very important to make a Backup Copy of important files on your computer incase something happens to the orginials. There are various ways to do this, besides on-line backups and external hard drives, there are numerous removable media listed below that can be used;

CD Burner:

Most computers these days have CD Burners or writers which allow you to buy blank CD's and copy or "burn" the files, documents, programs, etc onto the CD. There are a few more steps involved than just copying files, but it is very simple. Unless you have a rewriteable CD, once you burn it, you can not change it or add to it.Blank CD's will hold about 700 megabytes of information. CD's are great for backing up files, which is a very important thing to do incase something happens to your computer. Documents, pictures, music, etc should all be backed up to some other location.

CD ROM - stands for Compact Disk- Read Only Memory, which means you can only read what is on the CD, you can't change or delete it. When something is burned on a disk, it's more or less permanent.

DVD Burner:

Many newer computers now come with a DVD Burner which is very similar to the CD Burner above, but it will also burn blank DVD's the same way. The advantage of burning DVD's is that they can hold a lot more information. DVD's can hold about 5 gigabytes (6-7 CD's). If you are going to burn videos, you will need a DVD burner.

USB Flash Drives:

Flash Drives, also known as thumb drives, jump drives, etc are a very convenient way to copy, back up, or move files. They come in different sizes. All you have to do is plug the drive into any USB port and drag files on to the flash drive icon.

Floppy Disks:

Floppy disk have pretty much become obsolete or out dated. Most people do not use them anymore because they do not hold very much information (1 megabyte) and are not very reliable. There are much better options for such as these other type of media listed here. In order to use floppy disk, your computer must have a floppy disk drive. (many do not).

Zip Disks:

Similar to floppy disk, but holding more and more reliable are Zip disks. However, computers must have a zip disk drive to be able to use zip disk.

Software Piracy:

It is important to remember that when you buy a computer program, a game, music, etc you are buying the right to use it on your computer. It is illegal to make copies and give or sell them to friends. It is ok to make a backup copy for yourself. It is important to respect the copyright laws, because they protect the commercial developers who make their living designing software.

Christensen - rev 2/08