Section Objectives
After you complete this section you will:
Understand the different types of computers.
Understand what a PDA is.
Understand the different types of PCs.
Understand basic safety procedures when working with electronic components.
Understand the basic parts of PCs.
Type of Computers
There are four basic types of computers: PC (Personal Computer), Workstations, Laptops, Servers.
The PC, or Personal Computer, is the most common category of computers. This category would include your home PCs and most of your business class PCs.
A workstation is a breed of computer which is a high performance version of the PC. Workstation manufacturers took many of the high speed and high availability components normally found in servers and created a workstation PC which is a high performance version of the original. Throughout the rest of this tutorial, you will find the word PC and the word workstation used interchangeably, while technically there is a difference, we will begin using “workstation” now as a word to describe a PC since the two are in the same basic category.
Laptops are portable computers. Originally, laptops were large, heavy, short battery life beasts. Nowadays, laptops (also referred to as notebooks) are light, powerful, have good battery life, and serve as a desktop replacement for many individuals (including myself).
A server is a machine developed to allow for file or print serving, application hosting, or some other task usually involving many simultaneous connections. Common features of servers include redundancy, multiple drives, large amounts of memory, multiple processors.
PDAs
A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a commonplace item in many businesses and homes. Spurred by the success of Palm Pilots, the PDA industry has had tremendous growth in the past few years.
A PDA is a device which allows an individual to keep their notes, email, schedule, small documents, and other information with them at all times. It is a useful device for record keeping and usually syncs with your computer to allow your contact list and emails to be “in sync” with each other in your handheld and normal computers.
Palm Pilots are the most prevalent PDAs on the market, with a market share of about 30%.
Most PDAs are based on either the Palm operating system or the Microsoft PocketPC operating system.
Palm Pilots present an interesting challenge to IT staff who are trying to support it. At one firm I worked at, we went through several different policies in regards to supporting PDAs. Originally, we would not support any PDA, though if a member of management were to purchase one, we would support them individually. Eventually, we decided on a standard and if anyone were to buy the standard PDA we would support it. This allowed us to designate an expert (which coincidentally happened to be me) on PDAs and be able to develop support procedures for the specific PDA we would support.
Types of PCs
There are several types of Personal Computers you should be aware of: small form factor, minitower, midtower, full tower, desktop.
A small form factor is the smallest of the non-portable PCs. Typically lacking in many expansion options, SFF computers are useful for situations which require the smallest desktop style PC possible.
A minitower PC is a common household and business PC. It usually has some expansion slots available (1-3) and one hard drive slot available. A typical minitower PC has all of the ports built in to allow for more expansion cards.
A midtower PC is al
so a common business class machine. A midtower has more expansion room than a typical minitower machine.
A full tower has the most expansion room and usually several hard drive bays open for additional storage drives.
A desktop has probably been the most popular type of machine over the years. A typical desktop machine is designed to lay flat on a desk or stand and contains 1-3 additional drive bays and 2-7 additional expansion slots available.
Small Form Factor Computer |
Minitower Computer |
Midtower Computer |
Full Size Tower |
Desktop Computer |
Safety and Care
Before we launch into a lengthy tutorial on the insides of a computer we should discuss care and safety when working inside a computer. I know you’re itching to jump right in and start taking apart a computer at your desk but without the right precautions, you can easily break your computer or worse, hurt yourself.
Luckily for you – not only do you get to learn about safety and the precautions to take when dealing with electronic equipment – but you also get to learn something useful as these items are a portion of the CompTIA hardware service technician exam.
Electro-Static Discharge
Electro-static discharge can cause damage to electronic components as you work on them. Note: ESD may be in several questions on the exam. ESD can be caused by static electricity your body picks up as you move, rub against your clothing, or can be picked up by things you touch.
While working on a computer or any components, you should always wear an ESD wrist strap which grounds you. Also, it is recommended that you do not wear synthetic clothing. Synthetic clothing can cause a buildup of static electricity as your body rubs against it.
You should also always touch the case of the computer prior to touching components inside, this will help to ground you.
The ESD wrist strap should not be used when working on monitors though, the stored voltage can kill you.
When shipping or storing electronic components, you should send them in antistatic bags. Antistatic bags do not conduct electricity and can be reused.
Generally speaking, if you are disassembling computers, the environment you are in should be relatively dust free. It is also not recommended you work on electronic devices in a room which is carpeted.
Parts of a PC
There are basic parts common to all PCs. Though they may look different, most of these components function similarly among different brands, shapes, and sizes of computers. This is a broad overview of the elements that makeup a PC, the System Architecture course goes into much greater detail.
The Case
Typically, there are 5 types of cases for computers (from smallest to largest): small form factor, minitower, midtower, desktop, full tower.
Depending on your use for the computer, different sizes serve different needs. A full tower has the advantage of a large amount of expansion space. A small form factor, on the other hand, does not have much expansion room, but does fit quite nicely in a small office or area.
The case is built to hold all of the components of a computer and protect from the normal elements inside an office. If you pour coffee into your computer, the case will not be able to protect it all that much, though from the normal every day occurrences, a case does provide some protection. A case also is developed to allow for easy cooling of the devices inside. Many elements of a computer become extremely hot when operating and a case must be designed to handle airflow effectively to reduce the temperature of its components.
The Power Supply
The power supply has the responsibility of converting power and providing it to the components in the computer. The power supply converts 110 volt AC into four voltages: +5 volts DC, -5 volts DC, +12 volts DC, -12 volts DC (ground).
The Motherboard
The Motherboard, sometimes referred to as the system board or main board, is the central piece of all computers. The motherboard contains the processor, the RAM, and the expansion devices.
Storage Devices
A computer is not an effective tool if it doesn’t have a method to run software or store data. Storage devices come in all shapes, sizes, and types. The purpose for a storage device is to store and retrieve data.
Expansion Cards
Expansion cards allow you to expand the computer to add peripherals, communication devices, or other functionality.
Monitor/Display
The monitor or display device is used to view the software which is running on the computer.
CRT – Cathode Ray Tube. Most monitors built over the years are CRT monitors. CRT is the standard in most televisions as well.
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display. LCD monitors have been widely used in laptops and notebooks. Due to their high cost, they have mostly stayed off the desktop until recently. With dropping LCD costs, more people are moving to LCD monitors with the advantages of smaller occupied space, lower power requirements, and what many believe is a higher quality picture (or possibly just easier on the eyes).
After studying this section, you should:
Understand the different types of computers.
The difference between a laptop, desktop, and server.
Understand what a PDA is.
Define the purpose of a PDA and define what PDA represents (Personal Digital Assistant).
Understand the different types of PCs.
Understand the general differences between a small form factor, a minitower, midtower, full tower, and desktop computer.
Understand basic safety procedures when working with electronic components.
Understand what ESD is and what device you should use to protect yourself.
= Understand the basic parts of PCs.
A general understanding of the components which are in a PC.
