Parts of A Computer & Their Functions CSS Lesson1

PARTS OF A
COMPUTER & THEIR

FUNCTIONS
COMPUTER SYSTEM SERVICING-1
PARTS OF A COMPUTER
THE COMPUTER CASE
This is the part that holds all of the parts
of a computer to make up the computer
system.
It is usually designed in such a manner to

make fitting a motherboard, wiring, and
drives as easy as possible. Some are
designed so well that it is easy to make
everything look tidy and presentable too.
LIST OF COMPUTER CASE SIZES (KNOWN AS
FORM FACTOR
• Very small form factor: Supports Mini ITX motherboards

• Small form factor: Supports micro ATX motherboards.
• Standard form factor: Supports standard ATX
motherboards.
• Larger form factors: Supports ATX and XL-ATX
motherboards.
MOTHERBOARD
The motherboard is the main board that is

screwed directly inside the computer case. All
other cards and everything else plugs directly
into the motherboard.
Its function involves integrating all the

physical components to communicate and
operate together.
MOTHERBOARD SIZES
MOTHERBOARD SIZES
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
The CPU or central processing unit is
basically like the brain of computer systems.
It processes all the information on a
computational level.
It takes all the processes from the RAM and

processes it to perform the tasks required by
the computer system.
DIFFERENT WAYS ON HOW TO ATTACH THE
CPU IN THE MOTHERBOARD
• ZIF (Zero Insertion Force): Although this is a more desirable socket, they are mostly found on
older computer motherboards. A lever-operated mechanism to clamp the pins of the processor.
• PGA (Pin Grid Array): It is also a ZIF socket but has a different pin pitch and contains a different
pin count.
• LGA (Land Grid Array): More commonly found on motherboards today. A levered hinged plate
with a center cut-out clamps down on the processor.
• BGA (Ball Grid Array): The central processing unit is soldered directly onto the motherboard.
This makes it a non-user swappable part. It is susceptible to bad connectivity.
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM)
RAM or random access memory is a data
storage device that can provide fast read and
write access. RAM is volatile memory, meaning
it loses all the stored data when power is lost.
The RAM keeps data ready for the CPU to

process. The RAM speed is a big contributor to
the overall speed of a computer system.
DOUBLE DATA
RATE
SYNCHRONOUS DYNAMIC RAM
GRAPHICS CARD
A graphics card is an output device that processes the data from
the motherboard and sends the appropriate information to the
computer’s screen for display.
You can connect monitors to it using HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI,

or VGA connectors.
It can also be referred to as a video or display card.
A video card plugs into a PCI Express (Peripheral Component

Interconnect Express) slot on the motherboard. It is a serial
expansion bus slot capable of high bandwidth in two directions.
SOUND CARD
Most of the time, the sound chip built into the
motherboard is used for audio output.
But, if you are a sound enthusiast or prefer high-

quality audio output while playing a game, you
might be inclined to use a sound card.
Sound cards plug into a computer in multiple
ways. It can be through USB, PCI slot, or PCI
Express x 1 slot.
HARD DRIVE A hard drive is still found in most computers
to this day. It’s usually a mechanical drive that
stores all the data.
Apart from storing data, it can also be used as

a boot drive to run the operating system from
it. You can install operating systems of many
different kinds depending on your needs.
SOLID STATE DRIVE (SSD)
An SSD is also a type of hard drive, but it

doesn’t have any moving parts. It consists of a
bank of flash memory that can hold a
reasonable amount of data.
While SSDs are increasing in size all the time,

they aren’t cost-effective for storing large
amounts of data.
POWER SUPPLY UNIT
(PSU)
A power supply unit mounts inside the
computer case. This converts the AC mains
supply from the power cord from a wall
socket and supplies the correct DC voltages
to all the components inside the computer.
A COMPUTER PSU SUPPLIES THE FOLLOWING
VOLTAGE
• +3.3v: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard.

• +5V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard and other computer
hardware.
• +12V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard and other
components.
• -12V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard.
MONITOR OR VISUAL
DISPLAY UNIT (VDU)
A monitor is an output device used to visualize
the graphics data sent from the computer’s GPU.
There are various types of monitors on the

market. A LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlit
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor is the most
commonly used with modern computers.
KEYBOARD
KEYBOARD
A keyboard is an input device that is one of the ways to communicate with
a computer. Typing a key from the keyboard sends a small portion of data
to tell the computer which key was pressed.
Once the computer receives input from the keyboard, it can use the
keystrokes in digital form to produce a specific task in any software that’s
being used.
MOUSE
A mouse is an input device that allows the user to
move a pointer displayed on the monitor and
experience a more intuitive interaction with
computer systems.
These days mice have more buttons than the

common three.
However, the three main buttons allow the user to
select, grab, scroll and access extra menus and
options.
COMMON EXTERNAL PERIPHERALS

Parts of A Computer & Their Functions CSS Lesson1

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Parts of A Computer & Their Functions CSS Lesson1

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PARTS OF A

COMPUTER & THEIR

It is usually designed in such a manner to

• Very small form factor: Supports Mini ITX motherboards

The motherboard is the main board that is

Its function involves integrating all the

It takes all the processes from the RAM and

The RAM keeps data ready for the CPU to

You can connect monitors to it using HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI,

A video card plugs into a PCI Express (Peripheral Component

But, if you are a sound enthusiast or prefer high-

Apart from storing data, it can also be used as

An SSD is also a type of hard drive, but it

While SSDs are increasing in size all the time,

• +3.3v: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard.

There are various types of monitors on the

These days mice have more buttons than the

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