Transcript Technology Unit

Components of a Personal
Computer (PC)
Adapted from Region IV TIFF Training
External Parts
Processing, memory & storage
output
output
output
input
input
input
Internal Parts
CPU Motherboard that includes:
 RAM
 Processor
 Sound Card
 Video Graphics card
 Hard Drives (system boot drive
and storage- C: V: E:)
Hard Drive Types

SSD- Solid State
 No moving parts
 Expensive
 Fastest
RAM – Computer Memory
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Random access memory
Types:
 Dynamic (DRAM)
 Static (SRAM)
Both types lose their contents when
the power is turned off.
ROM - Memory

Read Only Memory
 Computer memory on which data
has been prerecorded
 Once written, it cannot be removed,
only read
 It retains itself after the computer is
turned off
 Example- BIOS
New Connections
®
Universal Serial
Bus (USB)
® Supports “plug
and play”
installations
® Version 3.0
fastest- not
fully
implemented
•IEEE 1394
(Firewire)
•Fastest on the
market but more
expensive
Both are
“hot swappable”
Video Adaptors
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Board/card that plugs into a PC to give it display
capabilities
Three Main Types:
 VGA / SVGA (Video Graphics Array) 800x600
 XGA / UXGA (eXtended graphics array)
1600x1200
 Digital DVI (digital visual interface) HDTV quality
Monitor and video card must be compatible
Other Computer Additions
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CD-RW or ROM
DVD player/burner (ROM)/ RW
Speakers
Zip drives / External Drives
Capture cards/ game cards
Conversion Rates for
Hardware
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8 bits = 1 byte
1024 bytes = 1 Kilobyte
1000 KB = 1 Megabyte
1000 MB = 1 Gigabyte
1000 GB = 1 Terabyte
 This is system size/ capacity for the
computer hardware
 Important for compatibility issues
when upgrading computers.
Local Area Networks (LANs)
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Group of computers, servers, and
printers connected by wiring and other
hardware
Allows users to share information and
communicate.
Uses CAT 5 or Cat6 cable, sometimes
fiber
TCP/IP protocol
Wide Area Network (WANs)
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Use of CAT 5/CAT6 cable or fiber
optics to connect several LAN’s
together to share and communicate
information
World Wide Web (www)
PISD has LANS and WANS
Troubleshooting Basic
Computer Issues

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Understand how to
use it properly
Don’t panic if
something goes
wrong
What EXACTLY were
you doing when the
error occurred?
WRITE IT DOWN
What EXACTLY was
the error message?
WRITE IT DOWN
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What does work?
What doesn’t
work?
What did you try?
Check the
physical cable
connections
Get someone to
help.
Components of a Mac
iMacs, Mac Notebooks, storage tower, Apple tv, etc.
External Parts
Monitor
(output)
Mouse
(input)
Cables
FireWire
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High Speed Data
cable
Used to connect
video cameras to
computers
Also used to connect
other peripherals like
external drives
Hot – swappable
DV Cable
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New connector
used to connect
video cameras
to computers
Usually paired
with FireWire
USB
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High speed data cable
Used to connect keyboards and mice
Connects other peripherals including
printers and scanners and Cameras
Hot – swappable
CAT 6 and CAT 5
• Data cable used
to connect
computers together
• Called a phone
line on steroids
RCA
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Used to connect
legacy appliances
such as DVD and
CD players, to
TV’s.
Used in some
audio systems
S-Video
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Used to connect video devices such as
cameras, VCR’s, and DVD players
Does NOT transmit audio
Phono
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Older type of connector
that has either mono or
stereo capabilities
Used to connect
microphones,
headphones, and other
audio products
¼ and 1/8
XLR
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Industry standard
connection for audio
products including
microphones and some
electronic equipment
Provides more balance
to alternating currentcleaner sound
Coaxial
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Industry standard for
connecting cable tv
signals to a TV or a cable
modem
Used to connect VCR’s to
TV’s
Cable Gender and other
Issues

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Cables can be male or female.
You cannot connect male to male or
female to female. Need adapters
When connecting cables ALWAYS
go OUT-to-IN or IN-to-OUT.
NEVER THE SAME- damage may
occur!
Vocabulary

antivirus (AV) software —Programs
that prevent infection or scan a system
to find and remove viruses.

brownouts — Temporary drop in
voltage, which can sometimes cause
data loss.
Vocabulary

CD-R (CD-recordable) — A CD drive that
can record or write data to a CD. The data
cannot be erased once it is written.
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CD-RW (CD-rewritable) — A CD drive that
can record or write data to a CD. The data
can be erased and overwritten.
Vocabulary

firewall — Hardware or software that protects a
computer or network from unauthorized access.
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Green Standards — A computer or device that
conforms to these standards can go into sleep
mode when not in use, saving energy and helping
the environment. Devices that carry the Green Star
or Energy Star comply with these standards.
Vocabulary

hot-swappable — A device that can
be plugged into a computer while it is
turned on and the computer will sense
the device and configure it without
rebooting, or the device can be
removed without an error message.
Vocabulary

LAN (local area network) — A
computer network that covers only a
small area, usually within one building.
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WAN (wide area network) — A
network or group of networks that span
a large geographical area.
Mac Vocabulary

Lightning: This is the connector found on
today’s most recent iPod touch, iPhone, iPad,
and iPad mini models. It replaces the 30-pin
dock connector found on earlier devices and
iPods. The Lightning connector works
regardless of which side is facing up. Like the
30-pin connector before it, the non-Lightning
end of the cable sports a USB connector and
lets you transfer data as well as power to an
attached device.
Mac Vocabulary

Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is today’s faster transfer
scheme. Unlike FireWire or USB, it can handle both
data and video connections simultaneously. You
can string a single Thunderbolt cable between your
Mac and use that connection to view the Mac’s
video on the display while using the USB, FireWire,
Thunderbolt, and ethernet connectors on the back
of the display to attach other devices to your Mac.
Thunderbolt is up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0
and up to 12 times faster than FireWire 800.
Mac Vocabulary

AirPort: This is Apple’s name for its Wi-Fi
technology. When people talk about “turning AirPort
off,” they mean that they’re turning off their Mac's
Wi-Fi.
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Bluetooth: Another wireless data transfer standard,
Bluetooth has a shorter range (about 30 feet) than
Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is commonly used to connect
keyboards, mice, trackpads, headphones,
speakers, other nearby computers, and some
portable devices to a Mac.
Mac Vocabulary
Windows Terms versus Mac Terms
Windows
Mac OS X
Control Panel
System Preferences
Ctrl+Alt+Delete
Option+Command+Esc
Exit (Alt+FX)
Quit (Command+Q)
Internet Explorer
Safari
My Computer
Finder
My Documents
Documents folder
My Music
Music folder
My Pictures
Pictures folder
Notepad
TextEdit
Outlook Express
Mail
Recycle Bin
Trash Can
Settings
Preferences
Shortcut icon
Alias
Taskbar
Dock
Hourglass cursor (busy signal)
Spinning beach ball (busy signal)
Windows Explorer
Finder window
Windows Update
Software Update
Mac Desktop
Mac programs on the Launchpad
Dock is the Apple version of the Taskbar
Cables
Cable name:
How is it used in this class:
Cables
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How is it used in this class:
Cables
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Cable name:
How is it used in this class:
Cables
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Cables
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Cable name:
How is it used in this class: