Computers
as a Second LanguageComputers
as a Second LanguageWhat Makes a Good Computer
A
LOOK UNDER THE HOOD Now
that we've looked at the evolution of computers and the fundamentals of
how they work, let's examine the components that make up today's
computer. There are two common designs for the case that houses all the
computer's parts - the desktop case and the tower
case. The color monitor (screen) is normally
placed on top of the desktop case. Tower models are larger and normally
stand on the floor, beside or under a desk.Inside
the case are the hardware components that let the computer perform its
magic. The ROM chip, RAM chips and
CPU are all plugged into small sockets on the
motherboard. In addition, there are auxiliary circuit
boards (or cards) that are plugged into larger
expansion sockets. These sockets can hold CD-ROM sound
cards, FAX modem cards, video display
boards, disk controller cards, networking
boards and SCSI cards. These devices will be explained
in more detail later.The
case also includes the power supply transformer which converts normal
household current to a much lower voltage that the motherboard can use.
There are several disk storage devices inside, including the hard
disk drive, the floppy disk drive and the
CD-ROM drive. Many computers users add a tape
storage drive as well. It's used to back up valuable data onto small
cassette tapes. |
