A computer system consists of hardware and software components. Hardware is the physical
software includes the operating system and programs. The operating system
instructs the computer how to operate. Programs or applications perform different functions.
Provides protection and support for the internal components of the comput
Should be durable, easy to service, and have enough room for expansion
The size and shape of the computer case is usually determined by the motherboard and
other internal components.
current (AC) power from the wall
socket into direct
current (DC) power
The power supply must provide enough power for the components that are currently
installed and allow for additional components that may be added at a later time.
A computer case contains the framework to support the i
nternal components of a computer while
providing an enclosure for added protection. Computer cases are typically made
of plastic, steel, and
The size and layout of a case is called a form factor
Computer cases are referred to in a number of ways
In addition to providing protection and support, cases also provide an environment designed to keep
the internal components cool. Case fans are used to move air through the computer case. As the air
warm components, it absorbs heat and then exits the case. This process keeps the
components of the computer from overheating.
There are many factors that must be considered when choosing a case:
The size of the motherboard
The number of external or inte
rnal drive locations called bays
In addition to providing protection from the environment, cases help to prevent damage from static
electricity. Internal components of the computer are grounded by attachment to the case.
The power supply
current (AC) power coming from a wall outlet into direct
current (DC) power, which is a lower voltage. DC power is required for all of the components inside
Most connectors today are keyed connectors. Keyed connectors
are designed to be inserted in only
one direction. Each part of the connector has a colored wire with a different voltage running through
it. Different connectors are used to connect specific components and various locations on the
ctor is a keyed connector used to connect to an optical drive or a hard
Berg connector is a keyed connector used to connect to a floppy drive. A Berg
connector is smaller than a Molex connector.
pin or 24
pin slotted connector is used to conn
ect to the motherboard. The 24
pin slotted connector has two rows of 12
pins each, and the 20
connector has two rows of 10
pin to 8
pin auxiliary power connector has two rows of two to four pins and
supplies power to all areas o
f the motherboard. The 4
pin to 8
pin auxiliary power
connector is the same shape as the main power connector, but smaller.
Older standard power supplies used two connectors called P8 and P9 to connect to
the motherboard. P8 and P9 were unkeyed connectors
. They could be installed
backwards, potentially damaging the motherboard or power supply. The installation
required that the connectors were lined up with the black wires together in the
These are the
basic units of electricity:
Voltages, current and power are
electronic terms that a computer technician must know:
is a measure of the force required to push electrons through a circuit.
Voltage is measured in
. A computer power supply usua
lly produces several
is a measure of the amount of electrons going through a circuit.
Current is measured in amperes, or
. Computer power supplies deliver different
amperages for each output voltage.
Power is a
measure of the force required to push electrons through a circuit, called voltage,
multiplied by the number of electrons going through that circuit, called current. The
measurement is called watts (W). Computer power supplies are rated in watts.
a basic equation that expresses how three of the terms relate to each other.
In an electrical system, power (P) is equal to the voltage multiplied by the current.
P = VI
In an electrical circuit, increasing the current or the voltage will result in highe
Some computer manufacturers use a proprietary power supply. For these types of computers, the
computer case is only compatible with a power supply from the same manufacturer.
The motherboard is the main printed circuit board and contains the buse
s, or electrical pathways,
found in a computer. These buses allow data to travel between the various components that
comprise a computer. A motherboard is also known as the system board, the backplane, or the main
The motherboard accommodates the ce
ntral processing unit (CPU), RAM, expansion slots, heat
sink/fan assembly, BIOS chip, chip set, and the embedded wires that interconnect the motherboard
components. Sockets, internal and external connectors, and various ports are also placed on the
The form factor of motherboards pertains to the size and shape of the board. It also describes the
physical layout of the different components and devices on the motherboard. Various form factors
exist for motherboards.
An important set of componen
ts on the motherboard is the chip set. The chip set is composed of
various integrated circuits attached to the motherboard that control how system hardware interacts
with the CPU and motherboard. The CPU is installed into a slot or socket on the motherboar
socket on the motherboard determines the type of CPU that can be installed.
The chip set of a motherboard allows the CPU to communicate and interact with the other
components of the computer, and to exchange data with system memory, or RAM, hard
video cards, and other output devices. The chip set establishes how much memory can be added to a
motherboard. The chip set also determines the type of connectors on the motherboard.
The central processing unit (CPU) is considered the brain of
the computer. It is sometimes referred
to as the processor. Most calculations take place in the CPU. In terms of computing power, the CPU
is the most important element of a computer system. CPUs come in different form factors, each
style requiring a parti
cular slot or socket on the motherboard. Common CPU manufacturers include
Intel and AMD.
There are two major CPU architectures related to instruction sets:
Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)
Architectures use a relatively small set
and RISC chips are designed to execute these instructions very
Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC)
Architectures use a broad set of
instructions, resulting in fewer steps per operation.
Some CPUs incorporate
to enhance the p
erformance of the CPU. With
hyperthreading, the CPU has multiple pieces of code being executed simultaneously on each
pipeline. To an operating system, a single CPU with hyperthreading appears to be two CPUs.
Electronic components generate heat. Heat is
caused by the flow of current within the
components. Computer components perform better when kept cool. If the heat is not removed,
the computer may run slower. If too much heat builds up, computer components can be
Increasing the air flow in the
computer case allows more heat to be removed. A case fan is
installed in the computer case to make the cooling process more efficient.
In addition to case fans, a heat sink draws heat away from the core of the CPU. A fan on top of
the heat sink
moves the h
eat away from the CPU.
Other components are also susceptible to heat damage and are sometimes equipped with fans.
Video adapter cards also produce a great deal of heat. Fans are dedicated to cool the
processing unit (GPU).
(ROM) chips are located on the motherboard. ROM chips contain instructions that
can be directly accessed by the CPU. Basic instructions for booting the computer and loading the
operating system are stored in ROM. ROM chips retain their contents even when t
he computer is
powered down. The contents cannot be erased or changed by normal means. The different types of
ROM are described in Figure 1.
only memory chips
Information is written to a ROM chip
when it is manufac
tured. A ROM chip
cannot be erased or re
written and can
Information is written to a PROM chip
after it is manufactured. A PROM chip
cannot be erased or re
Erasable programmable read
Information is written to an EPROM chip
after it is manufactured. An EPROM chip
can be erased with exposure to UV light.
Special equipment is required.
Information is written to an EEPROM
chip after it is manufactured. EEPROM
chips are also called Flash ROMs. An
EEPROM chip can be erased and re
written without having to remove the chip
from the computer.
Random access memory (RAM) is the temporary storage for data and programs that ar
accessed by the CPU. RAM is volatile memory, which means that the contents are erased when the
computer is powered off. The more RAM in a computer, the more capacity the computer has to hold
and process large programs and files, as well as enhance
system performance. The different types of
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)
is a memory chip that is used as main memory.
DRAM must be constantly refreshed with pulses of electricity in order to maintain the data
stored within a chip.
Random Access Memory (SRAM)
is a memory chip that is used as cache memory.
SRAM is much faster than DRAM and does not have to be refreshed as often.
Fast Page Mode DRAM (FPM Memory)
is memory that supports paging. Paging enables
faster access to the data t
han regular DRAM. Most 486 and Pentium systems from 1995 and
earlier use FPM memory.
Extended Data Out RAM (EDO Memory)
is memory that overlaps consecutive data
accesses. This speeds up the access time to retrieve data from memory, because the CPU
have to wait fro one data access cycle to end before another data access cycle
Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)
is DRAM that operates in synchronization with the memory
bus. The memory bus is the data path between the CPU and the main memory.
Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM)
is memory that transfers data twice as fast a
SDRAM. DDR SDRAM increases performance by transferring data twice per cycle.
Double Data Rate 2 SDRAM (DDR2 SDRAM)
is faster than DDR SDRAM memory. DDR2
SDRAM improves performance over DD
R SDRAM by decreasing noise and crosstalk
between the signal wires.
RAMBus DRAM (RDRAM)
is a memory chip that was developed to communicate at very
high rates of speed. RDRAM chips are not commonly used.
Early computers had RAM installed on
the motherboard as individual chips. The individual memory
chips, called dual inline package (DIP) chips, were difficult to install and often became loose on the
motherboard. To solve this problem, designers soldered the memory chips on a special circuit b
called a memory module. The different types of memory modules are:
Dual Inline Package (
) is an individual memory chip. A DIP had dual rows of pins used to
attach it to the motherboard.
Single Inline Memory Module (
) is a small circuit board that holds several memory chips.
SIMMs have 30
pin and 72
Dual Inline Memory Module (
) is a circuit board that holds SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and
DDR2 SDRAM chips. There are 168
pin SDRAM DIMMs, 184
pin DDR DIMMs
, and 240
RAM Bus Inline Memory Module (
) is a circuit board that holds RDRAM chips. A typical
RIMM has a 184
SRAM is used as cache memory to store the most frequently used data. SRAM provides the
faster access to the data than retrieving it from the slower DRAM, or main memory.
The three types of cache memory are described in Figure 5.
Memory errors occur when the data is not stored correctly in the RAM chips. The computer uses
erent methods to detect and correct data errors in memory. Figure 6 describes three different
methods of memory error checking.
Adapter cards increase the functionality of a computer by adding controllers for specific devices or by
ports. Figure 1 shows several types of adapter cards. Adapter cards are
used to expand and customize the capability of the computer:
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Connects a computer to a network using a network cable
Connects a computer
to a network using radio frequencies
Provides audio capability
Provides graphic capability
Sends a video signal to a computer so that the signal can be recorded to the
computer hard drive with Video Capture
Provides the ability to watch and record TV signals on a PC by connecting a TV
source, such as cable TV, satellite, or an antenna, to the installed tuner card
Connects a computer to the Internet using a phone line
Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter
Connects SCSI devices, such as hard
drives or tape drives, to a computer
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) adapter
Connects multiple hard drives to
a computer to provide redundancy and to improve perfo
Universal Serial Bus (USB) port
Connects a computer to peripheral devices
Connects a computer to peripheral devices
Connects a computer to peripheral devices
Computers have expansion slots on the motherboard to instal
l adapter cards. The type of adapter
card connector must match the expansion slot. A riser card was used in computer systems with the
LPX form factor to allow adapter cards to be installed horizontally. The riser card was mainly used in
line desktop c
read or write information to magnetic or optical storage media. The drive can be used
to store data permanently or to retrieve information from a media disk. Storage drives can be installed
inside the computer case, such as a hard
drive. For portability, some storage drives can connect to
the computer using a USB port, a FireWire port, or an SCSI port. These portable storage drives are
sometimes referred to as removable drives and can be used on multiple computers. Here are some
mon types of storage drives:
floppy drive, or floppy disk drive, is a storage device that uses removable 3.5
inch floppy disks.
These magnetic floppy disks can store 720 KB or 1.44 MB of data. In a computer, the floppy drive is
usually configured as the A: drive. The floppy drive can
be used to boot the computer if it contains a
bootable floppy disk. A 5.25
inch floppy drive is older technology and is seldom used.
A hard drive, or hard disk drive, is a magnetic storage device that is installed inside the computer. The
drive is used as permanent storage for data. In a Windows computer, the hard drive is usually
configured as the C: drive and contains the operating system and applications. The hard drive is often
configured as the first drive in the boot sequence. The sto
rage capacity of a hard drive is measured in
billions of bytes, or gigabytes (GB). The speed of a hard drive is measured in revolutions per minute
(RPM). Multiple hard drives can be added to increase storage capacity.
Traditional hard drives are magnetic.
Magnetic hard drives have drive motors designed to spin
magnetic platters and the drive heads. In contrast, the newer solid state drives (SSDs) do not have
moving parts. Because there are no drive motors and moving parts, the SSD uses far less energy
the magnetic hard drive. Non
volatile flash memory chips manage all storage on an SSD, which
results in faster access to data, higher reliability, and reduced power usage. SSDs have the same
form factor as magnetic hard drives and use ATA or SATA interface
s. SSDs can be installed as a
replacement for magnetic drives.
An optical drive is a storage device that uses lasers to read data on the optical media. There are three
types of optical drives:
Compact Disc (CD)
Digital versatile Disc (DVD)
ray Disc (BD)
CD, DVD, and BD media can be pre
only), recordable (write once), or re
(read and write multiple times). CDs have a data storage capacity of approximately 700 MB. DVDs
have a data storage capacity of approximately
4.3 GB on a single
layer disc, and approximately 8.5
GB on a dual
layer disc. BDs have a storage capacity of 25 GB on a single
layer disc, and 50 GB on a
There are several types of optical media:
only memory media that is
CD recordable media that can be recorded one time.
CD rewritable media that can be recorded, erased, and re
only memory media that is pre
DVD random access memory media that can
be recorded, erased, and re
DVD recordable media that can be recorded one time.
DVD rewritable media that can be recorded, erased, and re
only media that is pre
recorded with movies, games, or soft
BD recordable media that can record HD video and PC data storage one time.
BD rewritable format for HD video recording and PC data storage.
External Flash Drive
An external flash drive, also known as a thumb drive, is a removable stora
ge device that connects to a
USB port. An external flash drive uses the same type of non
volatile memory chips as solid state
drives and does not require power to maintain the data. These drives can be accessed by the
operating system in the same way that
other types of drives are accessed.
Types of Drive Interfaces
Hard drives and optical drives are manufactured with different interfaces that are used to connect the
drive to the computer. To install a storage drive in a computer, the connection interface o
n the drive
must be the same as the controller on the motherboard. Here are some common drive interfaces:
Integrated Drive Electronics, also called Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) is an
early drive controller interface that connects computers an
d hard disk drives. An IDE interface
uses a 40
Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics, also called ATA
2, is an updated version of
the IDE drive controller interface. EIDE supports hard drives larger than 512 MB, enables
Access (DMA) for speed, and uses the AT Attachment Packet Interface
(ATAPI) to accommodate optical drives and tape drives on the EIDE bus. An EIDE interface
uses a 40
Parallel ATA refers to the parallel version of the ATA drive contro
Serial ATA refers to the serial version of the ATA drive controller interface. A SATA
interface uses a 7
pin data connector.
External Serial ATA provides a hot
swappable, external interface for SATA drives.
interface connects an external SATA drive using a 7
pin connector. The cable
can be up to two meters (6.56 ft.) in length.
Small Computer System Interface is a drive controller interface that can connect up to
15 drives. SCSI can connect both inter
nal and external drives. An SCSI interface uses a 50
pin, or 80
RAID provides a way to store data across multiple hard disks for redundancy. To the operating
system, RAID appears as one logical disk. See Figure 2 for a comparison of
the different RAID levels.
The following terms describe how RAID stores data on the various disks:
A method used to detect data errors.
A method used to write data across multiple drives.
A method of storing duplicate data
to a second drive.
Drives require both a power cable and a data cable. A power supply will have a SATA power
connector for SATA drives, a Molex power connector for PATA drives, and a Berg 4
pin connector for
floppy drives. The buttons and the LED lights on
the front of the case connect to the motherboard with
the front panel cables.
Data cables connect drives to the drive controller, which is located on an adapter card or on the
motherboard. Here are some common types of data cables:
Floppy disk drive (FDD)
Data cable has up to two 34
pin drive connectors and
pin connector for the drive controller.
PATA (IDE/EIDE) 40
conductor data cable
Originally, the IDE interface supported two
devices on a single controller. With the introduction of
Extended IDE, two controllers capable
of supporting two devices each were introduced. The 40
conductor ribbon cable uses 40
connectors. The cable has two connectors for the drives and one connector for the controller.
PATA (EIDE) 80
conductor data cab
As the data rates available over the EIDE interface
increased, the chance of data corruption during transmission increased. An 80
cable was introduced for devices transmitting at 33.3 MB/s and over, allowing for a more
reliable balanced data
transmission. The 80
conductor cable uses 40
SATA data cable
This cable has seven conductors, one keyed connector for the drive, and
one keyed connector the drive controller.
eSATA data cable
The eSATA external disk connects to the eSA
TA interface using a 7
data cable. This cable does not supply any power to the eSATA external disk. A separate
power cable provides power to the disk.
SCSI data cable
There are three types of SCSI data cables. A narrow SCSI data cable has
rs, up to seven 50
pin connectors for drives, and one 50
pin connector for the
drive controller, also called the host adapter. A wide SCSI data cable has 68 conductors, up
to 15 68
pin connectors for drives, and one 68
pin connector for the host adapter. A
SCSI data cable has 80 conductors, up to 15 80
pin connectors for drives, and one 80
connector for the host adapter.
Input/output (I/O) ports on a computer connect peripheral devices, such as printers,
scanners, and portable drives. The
following ports and cables are commonly used:
Serial Ports and Cables
A serial port can be either a DB
9, as shown in Figure 1, or a DB
25 male connector. Serial
ports transmit one bit of data at a
time. To connect a serial device, such as a modem or
printer, a serial cable must be used. A serial cable has a maximum length of 50 feet (15.2
Modem Ports and Cables
In addition to the serial cable used to connect an external modem to a computer, a
telephone cable is used to connect a modem to a telephone outlet. This cable uses an RJ
11 connector, as shown in Figure 2. A traditional setup of an external modem using a serial
cable and a telephone cable is shown in Figure 3.
USB Ports and Cables
niversal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard interface that connects peripheral devices to a
computer. It was originally designed to replace serial and parallel connections. USB devices
swappable, which means that users can connect and disconnect the de
the computer is powered on. USB connections can be found on computers, cameras,
printers, scanners, storage devices, and many other electronic devices. A USB hub is used
to connect multiple USB devices. A single USB port in a computer can suppo
rt up to 127
separate devices with the use of multiple USB hubs. Some devices can also be powered
through the USB port, eliminating the need for an external power source. Figure 4 shows
USB cables with connectors.
USB 1.1 allowed transmission rates of up t
o 12 Mbps in full
speed mode and 1.5 Mbps in
speed mode. USB 2.0 allows transmission speeds up to 480 Mbps. USB devices can
only transfer data up to the maximum speed allowed by the specific port.
FireWire Ports and Cables
FireWire is a high
swappable interface that connects peripheral devices to a
computer. A single FireWire port in a computer can support up to 63 devices. Some devices
can also be powered through the FireWire port, eliminating the need for an external power
uses the IEEE 1394 standard and is also known as i.Link.
The IEEE 1394a standard supports data rates up to 400 Mbps and cable lengths up to 15
feet (4.5 m). This standard uses a 6
pin connector or a 4
pin connector. The IEEE 1394b
standard allows for a gre
ater range of connections, including CAT5 UTP and optical fiber.
Depending on the media used, data rates are supported up to 3.2 Gbps over a 100m
distance. Figure 5 shows FireWire cables with connectors.
Parallel Ports and Cables
A parallel port on a comp
uter is a standard Type A DB
25 female connector. The parallel
connector on a printer is a standard Type B 36
pin Centronics connector. Some newer
printers may use a Type C high
pin connector. Parallel ports can transmit 8 bits
of data at one ti
me and use the IEEE 1284 standard. To connect a parallel device, such as
a printer, a parallel cable must be used. A parallel cable, as shown in Figure 6, has a
maximum length of 15 feet (4.5 m).
SCSI Ports and Cables
A SCSI port can transmit parallel data
at rates in excess of 320 MBps and can support up to
15 devices. If a single SCSI device is connected to an SCSI port, the cable can be up to 80
feet (24.4 m) in length. If multiple SCSI devices are connected to an SCSI port, the cable
can be up to 40 (12
.2 m) feet in length. An SCSI port on a computer can be one of three
different types, as shown in Figure 7:
Network Ports and Cables
A network port, also known as an RJ
45 port, connects a computer to a ne
connection speed depends on the type of network port. Standard Ethernet can transmit up
to 10 Mbps, Fast Ethernet can transmit up to 100 Mbps, and Gigabit Ethernet can transmit
up to 1000 Mbps. The maximum length of network cable is 328 feet (10
0 m). A network
connector is shown in Figure 8.
A PS/2 port connects a keyboard or a mouse to a computer. The PS/2 port is a 6
DIN female connector. The connectors for the keyboard and mouse are often colored
differently, as shown in Fi
gure 9. If the ports are not color
coded, look for a small figure of a
mouse or keyboard next to each port.
An audio port connects audio devices to the computer. Some of the following audio ports
are commonly used, as shown in Figure 10:
Connects to an external source, such as a stereo system
Connects to a microphone
Connects to speakers or headphones
Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format (S/PDIF)
Connects to fiber optic cable to
support digital audio
Connects to coaxial cable to support digital audio
Connects to a joystick or MIDI
Video Ports and Connectors
A video port connects a monitor cable to a computer. Figure 11 shows three common video
ports. There are sever
al video port and connector types:
Video Graphics Array (VGA)
VGA has a 3
pin female connector and
provides analog output to a monitor.
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
DVI has a 24
pin female connector or a 29
female connector and provides a
n uncompressed digital output to a monitor. DVI
provides both analog and digital signals. DVI
D provides digital signals only.
Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMi)
HDMi has a 19
pin connector and
provides digital video and digital audio signals.
Video has a 4
pin connector and provides analog video signals.
RGB has three shielded cables (red, green, blue) with RCA
jacks and provides analog video signals.
An input device is used to enter data or instructions into a
computer. Here are some examples of input
Mouse and keyboard
Digital camera and digital video camera
Biometric authentication device
The mouse and keyboard are the two most commonly used input devices. The mouse is used to
vigate the graphical user interface (GUI). The keyboard is used to enter text commands that control
A keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch is a hardware device that can be used to control more than
one computer using a single keyboard, monitor
, and mouse. KVM switches provide cost
access to multiple servers using a single keyboard, monitor, and mouse for businesses. Home users
can save space using a KVM switch to connect multiple computers to one keyboard, monitor, and
mouse. See Figu
Newer KVM switches have added the capability to share USB devices and speakers with multiple
computers. Typically, by pressing a button on the KVM switch, the user can change the control from
one connected computer to another connected computer. Some
models of the switch transfer control
from one computer to another computer using a specific key sequence on a keyboard, such as CNTL
> CNTL > A > ENTER to control the first computer connected to the switch, then CNTL > CNTL > B >
ENTER to transfer contro
l to the next computer.
Digital cameras and digital video cameras, shown in Figure 2, create images that can be stored on
magnetic media. The image is stored as a file that can be displayed, printed, or altered.
Biometric identification makes use of featur
es that are unique to an individual user, such as
fingerprints, voice recognition, or a retinal scan. When combined with ordinary usernames, biometrics
guarantees that the authorized person is accessing the data. Figure 3 shows a laptop that has a built
fingerprint scanner. By measuring the physical characteristics of the fingerprint of the user, the user
is granted access if the fingerprint characteristics match the database and the correct login
information is supplied.
A touch screen has a pressure
nsitive transparent panel. The computer receives instructions
specific to the place on the screen that the user touches.
A scanner digitizes an image or document. The digitization of the image is stored as a file that can be
displayed, printed, or altered.
A bar code reader is a type of scanner that reads universal product
code (UPC) bar codes. It is widely used for pricing and inventory information.
An output device is used to present information to the user from a computer. Here are some examples
Monitors and projectors
Printers, scanners, and fax machines
Speakers and headphones
Monitors and Projectors
Monitors and projectors are primary output devices for a computer. There are different types of
monitors, as shown in Figure 1. The
most important difference between these monitor types is the
technology used to create an image:
ray tube (CRT) has three electron beams. Each beam directs colored
phosphor on the screen that glows either red, blue, or green. Areas not st
ruck by an electron
beam do not glow. The combination of glowing and non
glowing areas creates the image on
the screen. This technology is also used by most televisions. CRTs usually have a degauss
button on the front that the user can press to remove disc
oloration caused by magnetic
Liquid crystal display is commonly used in flat panel monitors, laptops, and some
projectors. It consists of two polarizing filters with a liquid crystal solution between them. An
electronic current aligns t
he crystals so that light can either pass through or not pass through.
The effect of light passing through in certain areas and not in others is what creates the
image. LCD comes in two forms, active matrix and passive matrix. Active matrix is sometimes
lled thin film transistor (TFT). TFT allows each pixel to be controlled, which creates very
sharp color images. Passive matrix is less expensive than active matrix but does not provide
the same level of image control. Passive matrix is not commonly used in
Digital light processing is another technology used in projectors. DLP projectors use a
spinning color wheel with a microprocessor
controlled array of mirrors called a digital
micromirror device (DMD). Each mirror corresponds to a specific
pixel. Each mirror reflects
light toward or away from the projector optics. This creates a monochromatic image of up to
1024 shades of gray in between white and black. The color wheel then adds the color data to
complete the projected color image.
resolution refers to the level of image detail that can be reproduced. Figure 2 is a chart of
common monitor resolutions. Higher resolution settings produce better image quality. Several factors
are involved in monitor resolution:
The term pixel is
an abbreviation for picture element. Pixels are the tiny dots that
comprise a screen. Each pixel consists of red, green, and blue.
Dot pitch is the distance between pixels on the screen. A lower dot pitch number
produces a better image.
The contrast ratio is a measurement of the difference in intensity of light
between the brightest point (white) and the darkest point (black). A 10,000:1 contrast ratio
shows dimmer whites and lighter blacks than a monitor with a contrast ratio
The refresh rate is how often per second the image is rebuilt. A higher refresh
rate produces a better image and reduces the level of flicker.
Interlaced monitors create the image by scanning the scr
times. The first scan covers the odd lines, top to bottom, and the second scan covers the
even lines. Non
interlaced monitors create the image by scanning the screen, one line at a
time from top to bottom. Most CRT monitors today are non
Horizontal Vertical Colors (HVC)
The number of pixels in a line is the horizontal
resolution. The number of lines in a screen is the vertical resolution. The number of colors
that can be reproduced is the color resolution.
Aspect ratio is the horizontal to vertical measurement of the viewing area of a
monitor. For example, a 4:3 aspect ratio would apply to a viewing area that is 16 inches wide
by 12 inches high. A 4:3 aspect radio would also apply to a viewing area that is
wide by 18 inches high. A viewing area that is 22 inches wide by 12 inches high has an
aspect ratio of 11:6.
Native resolution is the number of pixels that a monitor has. A monitor
with a resolution of 1280x1024 has 1280 hori
zontal pixels and 1024 vertical pixels. Native
mode is when the image sent to the monitor matches the native resolution of the monitor.
Monitors have controls for adjusting the quality of the image. Here are some common monitor
sity of the image
Ratio of light to dark
Vertical and horizontal location of image on the screen
Returns the monitor settings to factory settings
Adding additional monitors increases the number of windows that are visible on
the desktop. Many
computers have built
in support for multiple monitors. See Figure 3 for more information about
configuring multiple monitors.
Printers are output devices that create hard copies of computer files. Some printers special
particular applications, such as printing color photographs. Other all
one type printers, like the one
shown in Figure 4, are designed to provide multiple services such as printing, scanning, faxing, and
Speakers and Headphones
and headphones are output devices for audio signals. Most computers have audio support
either integrated into the motherboard or on an adapter card. Audio support includes ports that allow
input and output of audio signals.
This chapter introduc
ed the IT industry, options for training and employment, and some of the
standard certifications. This chapter also covered the components that comprise a personal
computer system. Much of the content in this chapter will help you throughout this
Information Technology encompasses the use of computers, network hardware, and software
to process, store, transmit, and retrieve information.
A personal computer system consists of hardware components and software applications.
The computer case a
nd power supply must be chosen carefully to support the hardware
inside the case and allow for the addition of components.
The internal components of a computer are selected for specific features and functions. All
internal components must be compatible wi
th the motherboard.
You should use the correct type of ports and cables when connecting devices.
Typical input devices include the keyboard, mouse, touch screen, and digital cameras.
Typical output devices include monitors, printers, and speakers.
esources must be assigned to computer components. System resources include
IRQs, I/O port addresses, and DMAs.