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Computer disk drives. What does computer consist of

How does a computer work?

Computers have long and firmly entered our lives. It’s hard to imagine what would happen if they suddenly disappeared!

We often automatically press the power button and wait a minute or two until the computer boots.

And then we start doing some work on it, tapping on the keyboard.

And we don’t think about what happens in its depths.

Hundreds of articles can be written (and have already been written) about how computer devices work.

In this article we will try to look from a practical angle at how this miracle of technology works.

There are a large number of types of computers - desktop, portable (laptops, netbooks and others like them), mainframes (supercomputers in cabinets, like those used to predict the weather) and others. We will look at the inside of a desktop computer, also called a personal computer (PC).

How does a desktop computer work?

The main part of a desktop computer is the system unit.

This is the “chest” into which many wires are inserted, including a 220 V power cable.

The results of our work are displayed on the monitor.

Information is entered into the computer using a keyboard and mouse.

Both the monitor, the keyboard, and the mouse are connected to the corresponding connectors of the system unit.

Let's remove the side cover of the system unit and look inside.

At the top we see

power unit

High-performance computers with powerful processors, graphics cards and additional devices on board use high-power power supplies. Servers (even more powerful computers that have several processors and manage local area networks) can use power supplies with a power of 1 kW or more.

First, the mains voltage is rectified and converted into constant voltage using a filter. The inverter then turns it into alternating power with a frequency of several tens of kilohertz. This alternating voltage is stepped down by a multi-winding pulse transformer. Then it is straightened and filtered, turning into several constants we need.

Due to the fact that the conversion is performed at a relatively high frequency (and not at the network frequency of 50 Hz), the dimensions of the transformer (and the entire power supply) with sufficiently high power are small. The power supply unit contains one or two fans that cool its components and at the same time the space of the system unit.

In this case, air is drawn in through the cracks, pulled through the system unit and thrown out by a fan outside. There is always dust in the air, which gradually accumulates inside the computer, especially in the processor heatsink and the power supply itself. It impairs heat transfer, so it must be removed periodically (at least once a year).

Note that the power supply can use fans of different diameters - from 80 to 130 mm. A fan with a larger diameter at the same performance has lower speeds and therefore makes less noise.

Power supply connectors

The output voltages of the power supply are output to the connectors with multi-colored conductors:

  • +5 V - red conductors,
  • +12 V - yellow conductors,
  • +3.3 V - orange conductors,
  • general - black conductors.

The power supply has several connectors, the main one is 24-pin, which is inserted into the motherboard. Older power supplies used a 20-pin connector. Other connectors, with fewer pins, are used to supply voltage to the hard drive, DVD drive and video card (if required). Concluding the brief story about the power supply, we note that it is equipped with overload and short circuit protection circuits.

Motherboard

If we look lower, we see the main part of the computer.

The motherboard is a piece of insulating material with conductive tracks and soldered parts and connectors. The following can be inserted into these connectors:

  • CPU,
  • memory modules,
  • expansion boards,
  • power supply connector,
  • wires for additional connectors, indications and buttons,
  • 3V lithium battery.

CPU socket

The most pins are in the processor socket. Modern processors have more than a thousand pins. Processors may have leads (or pins) or contact pads ("spots"). The socket for processors is designed in such a way that a tight and reliable contact is ensured between them and the mating part - the “socket” installed on the board.

Sometimes (fortunately, quite rarely) the contact weakens. In this case, the computer may not start. And you may get the false impression that the motherboard or processor is faulty. Reinstalling the processor in the socket solves this problem. Several types of processors, but only from one company, can be installed in one socket.

Household and office computers almost always use AMD and INTEL processors. AMD processors cannot be installed in the INTEL processor socket and vice versa. The socket and processor contain keys, so the processor can only be inserted in one specific way - the correct way.

CPU cooling

Modern processors can consume 100 W or more power from the power supply. This is a large value, so a Cooler is installed on the processor, consisting of a metal radiator and a fan. Radiators can be made of aluminum alloy only or of aluminum alloy with a copper insert.

Copper conducts heat better than aluminum, so the insert is pressed into the center of the radiator, at the point of contact with the metal cover of the processor. A thin layer of thermally conductive lubricant is applied between the processor and the heatsink to improve thermal contact. Sometimes a liquid cooling system may be used.

It is installed if it is impossible to install a fairly bulky cooler directly on the processor due to lack of space. In this case, heat is transferred by the liquid through tubes to a cooler installed in a convenient location.

The fan is controlled by a control circuit located on the motherboard. If the processor temperature increases during operation, the control circuit monitors this and increases the fan speed. Note that to cool the processors, higher quality fans are used, with a longer service life than in the power supply.

Memory modules

The next group of connectors is used to install modules. The connectors contain latches, and the modules have a tab on the short sides, which allows you to securely fix the module in the connector. In addition, on the bottom side of the module (where the contacts are) there is another key in the form of a cutout. This eliminates the installation of modules of types that are not suitable for this board.

One or more modules can be installed on the board. Currently, the capacity of memory modules is measured in gigabytes (Gb). A modern DDR3 module has 240 pins.

The contacts are located on both sides of the module, so such modules are called DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module, double-sided memory module). The contact in the connector is quite reliable, but sometimes it can weaken, and when turned on, the computer does not show “signs of life” or makes long beeps.

Reinstalling the modules solves this problem. It is easier to replace a memory module than a processor, because you do not need to apply heat-conducting paste to do this.

It is necessary to rearrange the memory module and processor only when computer is turned off, and power cord unplugged.

In this article we will continue a brief introduction to the structure of a computer.

In this article I would like to tell you about the design of a desktop computer in terms of hardware. About what's inside: how to distinguish a processor from a video card, and a hard drive from RAM.

The best way to learn is to do it in practice! Be bold, disconnect all the wires from your system unit, unscrew a couple of screws holding the side cover on the back of the case, and slide it, pulling it to the side.

What do you see? Covered in dust, multi-colored boards, wires, fans... No need to close the lid in fear and push your PC back! Now I will explain to you what, why, and why. I will explain to you the structure of your home computer in simple and understandable language!

First, I will list the components that are in your computer anyway; without them, it simply will not work. So, let's begin.

The largest computer board, which plays a key role in the design of the computer. Unlike other boards that face us sideways, the computer motherboard is perpendicular and faces us. This is what motherboards look like:

Other components are connected to the motherboard through special connectors. I’ll please you right away, the connectors are different in size and have special “keys”. Those. You won’t be able to insert a video card into the RAM slot even if you try. So, in principle, you can now assemble a disassembled computer without my help, just plugging it in “where it plugs in.” The main thing when working with iron is not to use excessive force! If the board does not fit, check whether you are inserting it correctly.

Connectors located on the motherboard:

  1. Connector processor. For example, modern LGA-1151. Or an old LGA-775. By the way, the number indicates the number of “legs” of the processor.
    Next to it is a connector for connecting a processor cooling fan (labeled as CPU FAN)
  2. Connectors for random access memory. Most often you will find DDR2 and DDR3, less often ddr depending on how old the PC is. At the beginning of 2016, DDR4 is also becoming increasingly widespread.
  3. PCI-Express x16 to connect a video card. There may be several (for connecting 2 or more video cards in SLI mode)
  4. PCI, PCI-e connectors for connecting additional expansion cards.
  5. SATA- connectors for connecting hard drives (L-shaped). For old disks - long IDE. Also, a DVD cable is connected to the motherboard via SATA
  6. Socket for connecting front computer outputs (LEDs, buttons) power And reset).
  7. Pins for connecting USB, AUDIO ports on the front panel.
  8. Connectors for connecting case fans(CHA FAN). Often such fans can also be connected to the power supply terminals.
  9. Connector for “incoming” processor power.
  10. Connector for connecting power to the motherboard.

CPU

The central processing unit, or "stone" in slang, is the "brain" of the computer, processing all data input and output from it. The processor is quite complex. What we need to know about it for now is what it looks like (a square with sides of 4-6 cm and many pins on the “belly”). It will probably have the inscription “INTEL” or “AMD” on it - these are the two main processor manufacturers.

The processor socket (connector) must match the motherboard socket, i.e. The motherboard needs to be matched to the processor. An unsuitable processor simply won’t fit.

Contest ! Whoever is the first to guess what kind of processor is in the photo above and write it in the comments will receive 100 rubles from me for a web wallet! 😉

Almost all modern processors (formerly motherboards) have a built-in video core, and often a fairly good one. This may allow you to stop spending money on buying a separate video card.

Trying to find the processor inside your system unit? I’ll disappoint you, you won’t see it, since it’s hidden under the radiator and cooler (fan), which we’ll get to in the next paragraph of this article about the design of a personal computer.

CPU cooling system

During operation, the processor inevitably heats up. Moreover, it heats up strongly and quickly - if left without cooling, it will reach a temperature of 110 degrees and go “into defense” in less than a minute.

In order to remove heat somewhere from above, a radiator is placed on top of the processor (a large piece of copper or aluminum, a material that conducts heat well). The radiator has a large area of ​​​​contact with the air, therefore, it dissipates heat better. (Remember school physics). For ventilation, a fan is attached to the radiator.

Here's what it looks like:

Since it is impossible to make the contact surfaces of the processor and the radiator perfectly smooth, to eliminate the air gap between them, apply thermal paste.

The more powerful the processor, and the greater the load on it, the more it will heat up, and the more massive, powerful and expensive a cooling system needs to be installed on it.

RAM

“Fast” PC memory into which the operating system and other programs (Word, browser, video player, etc.) are loaded. RAM is, so to speak, a “gateway” between a relatively slow hard drive and the processor itself.

The larger this “gateway”, the more information (to which you need quick access) you can load into it. In other words, the more RAM you have- the more programs you can run at the same time. Together with a couple of browsers (with a bunch of open tabs), you can open Word, Photoshop and a bunch of other programs, and your computer won’t slow down.

More modern memory sticks have a correspondingly higher data exchange rate with the motherboard.

Based on the year you bought your PC, you can already estimate what kind of RAM it costs: DDR (2001), DDR-2 (2004), DDR-3 (2010), DDR-4 (2015).

This is what RAM looks like. You can’t confuse it with anything :) Pay attention to the “keys” and the number of contacts that distinguish one memory from another.

Installed and secured using special latches, they themselves should, when you press the bar on top, snap into place when the memory “enters”. I repeat - it doesn’t fit, check again if it’s there key.

The motherboard in the picture above is a “transition” one. Those. You can “insert” both DDR2 and DDR3 into it.

By the way, you can check your RAM for errors right now! How to do this - read the article.

HDD

The hard drive is the place where all the information on your computer is stored: the operating system, all programs, all the contents of the desktop :), photos, music, videos, in general All. One of its main characteristics is volume. The larger it is, the more data you can write to your hard drive. For 2016, the most popular ones are hard drives from 500 Gb to 2000 Gb, although there are both more and less.

Hard drives fail quite often. Here's what I've accumulated over a couple of months. Most likely a coincidence, but 4 out of 5 - Seagate :):

Until recently, a hard drive with a motor was the “bottleneck” place in a PC in terms of speed. Until solid-state devices became widespread in 2012 SSD hard drives that have less capacity for the same price, but several times greater speed.

On my PC I use a 120Gb SSD drive “for the system”, and a slower 2 TB SATA drive for storing all other data. As I advise you, the computer in this configuration simply “flies”!

power unit

The power supply distributes electricity to all components of the computer. For more powerful video cards and processors, a more powerful unit is needed.

The many wires coming out of the power supply are power connectors all PC devices:

  1. Molex - for old HDDs and CD-roms, as well as for coolers
  2. SATA - for hard drives and DVD drives
  3. 20/24-pin for motherboard
  4. 4/8-pin for processor power
  5. 6/8-pin for additional video card power supply.

I will tell you more about the design of the power supply, as well as about repairing power supplies in the following articles on the site.

Frame

The computer case is directly what all the other components fit into. The cases differ in size, steel thickness, types of mounting hard drives and other spare parts.

I do not recommend keeping the case open all the time - more dust will fly in, and it will need to be cleaned more often, and the necessary air circulation will be disrupted.

Components that may not be present in your system unit.

I listed above required computer components, which are in every PC anyway. The components described below may not be included in your PC. Nowadays, many motherboards have a built-in video card (more often, the video card is “built-in” into the motherboard). Also, the computer can work quite well without a CD drive and other “extras”.

So let's continue to study device personal computer.

On almost all new computers, the video card is most often built into the motherboard or processor. But in terms of power, the built-in video core naturally pales in comparison to modern gaming video cards.

The video card is inserted into a special PCI-E x16 slot, of which there can be two on the motherboard (for using two video cards simultaneously in SLI mode). In computers from 10 years ago you can find an AGP video card. It often has a massive cooling system that also takes up the adjacent slot on the motherboard.

May have a 6/8-pin connector for additional power, which must be connected from the power supply.

CD/DVD drive

Well, everything is clear here. Even grandma knows the drive is for reading discs. Most PCs have CD/DVD write drives. In more modern ones - BLUE-ray. Personally, I use it very rarely, so I can write down a blank or two.

Card reader

A device for reading memory cards of all formats - SD, microSD, Memory Stick PRO Duo, CompactFlash and others. Useful for those who often download and upload materials from their phone and camera.

Expansion cards

This includes boards that expand the hardware capabilities of your computer, adding new inputs/outputs to it to connect various devices.

Here are a few of the most common:

  • TV tuner. To watch cable TV on your computer. You can also use it to digitize videotapes; you can read about this in one of the following blog articles on the site. Subscribe!
  • Sound card. Nowadays, a sound card is built into almost all motherboards, but if you want to achieve better sound quality or want to connect a modern speaker system, you need a more powerful and expensive sound card.
  • USB controller. You can add additional USB inputs, including the now popular USB 3.0.
  • Outdated COM, LPT, RS-232 controllers. It may be useful to someone.
  • SATA controller. If you have run out of SATA outputs on your motherboard, or you want to connect an external hard drive via the high-speed e-SATA interface.

Additional fans, fan speed controller.

For better ventilation and air exchange, additional fans can be installed on the walls of the case - on the back, on the side. above, in front. They are connected to the power supply via a molex connector, or to the motherboard via a 3-pin.

Also, in advanced cases, a fan speed controller can be installed.

Modding is a special device for a home PC.

In general, modding is a separate topic. The simplest thing you can do with your system unit is to install a backlight. And then - a flight of unlimited imagination. 🙂

Computer design is simple!

So, you have learned what they are, what they look like, and why all the main components in the system unit are needed.

Agree, now the computer structure doesn’t seem so “incomprehensible to mere mortals”? 🙂

If you come across a “crap” in your PC that doesn’t fit any of the points in this manual, write in the comments, let’s try to identify the “beast” together.

So, what does our ordinary personal computer (PC) that we use at home or at work consist of?

Let's look at its hardware (“hardware”):

  • system unit (that large box that stands on your table or under the table, on the side of it, etc.). It contains all the main components of the computer.
  • peripherals(such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse, modem, scanner, etc.).

The system unit in a computer is the “main” unit. If you carefully unscrew the screws from its back wall, remove the side panel and look inside, then only in appearance its structure will seem complicated. Now I will briefly describe its structure, and then I will describe the main elements in the most understandable language.

The system unit contains the following elements (not necessarily all at once):

- Power unit

— Hard disk drive (HDD)

— Floppy disk drive (FDD)

— CD or DVD drive (CD/DVD ROM)

— Connectors for additional devices (ports) on the rear (sometimes also on the front) panel, etc.

— System board (more often called motherboard), which, in turn, contains:

  • microprocessor;
  • mathematical coprocessor;
  • clock generator;
  • memory chips(RAM, ROM, cache memory, CMOS memory)
  • controllers (adapters) of devices: keyboards, disks, etc.
  • sound, video and network cards;
  • timer, etc.

All of them are connected to the motherboard using connectors (slots). We will look at its elements in bold below.

And now, in order, about the system unit:

1 . Everything is clear with the power supply: it powers the computer. Let me just say that the higher its power rating, the cooler it is.

2. A hard disk drive (HDD - hard disk drive) is popularly called a hard drive.

This nickname arose from the slang name for the first model of a 16 KB hard drive (IBM, 1973), which had 30 tracks of 30 sectors, which coincidentally coincided with the “30/30” caliber of the famous Winchester hunting rifle. The capacity of this drive is usually measured in gigabytes: from 20 GB (on old computers) to several Terrabytes (1 TB = 1024 GB). The most common hard drive capacity is 250-500 GB. The speed of operations depends on the rotation speed (5400-10000 rpm). Depending on the type of connection between the hard drive and the motherboard, ATA and IDE are distinguished.

3. A floppy disk drive (FDD - floppy disk drive) is nothing more than floppy disk drive. Their standard capacity is 1.44 MB with a diameter of 3.5" (89 mm). Magnetic disks use magnetic materials with special properties as a storage medium that allows them to record two magnetic states, each of which is assigned binary digits: 0 and 1.

4 . Optical disk drives (CD-ROM) come in different diameters (3.5" and 5.25") and capacities. The most common of them are with a capacity of 700 MB. It happens that CD discs can be used for recording only once (then they are called R), and it is more profitable to use repeatedly rewritable RW discs.

DVD originally stood for Digital Video Disk. Despite the name, DVDs can record anything from music to data. Therefore, recently another decoding of this name has become increasingly common - Digital Versatile Disk, loosely translated meaning “digital universal disk”. The main difference between DVDs and CDs is the amount of information that can be recorded on such media. From 4.7 to 13, and even up to 17 Gb can be recorded on a DVD disc. This is achieved in several ways. First, reading DVDs uses a laser with a shorter wavelength than reading CDs, which has significantly increased recording density. Secondly, the standard provides for so-called double-layer discs, in which on one side the data is recorded in two layers, while one layer is translucent, and the second layer is read “through” the first. This made it possible to write data to both sides of DVDs, thereby doubling their capacity, which is sometimes done.

5 . Other additional devices can be connected to a personal computer ( mouse, printer, scanner and other). The connection is made through ports - special connectors on the rear panel.

There are parallel (LPT), serial (COM) and universal serial (USB) ports. A serial port transmits information bit by bit (slower) over a small number of wires. A mouse and modem are connected to the serial port. Through a parallel port, information is transmitted simultaneously over a large number of wires corresponding to the number of bits. A printer and an external hard drive are connected to the parallel port. The USB port is used to connect a wide range of peripheral devices - from a mouse to a printer. Data exchange between computers is also possible.

6. The main computer devices (processor, RAM, etc.) are located on motherboard.

Microprocessor (simpler - processor) is the central unit of a PC, designed to control the operation of all machine blocks and to perform arithmetic and logical operations on information.

Its main characteristics are the bit depth (the higher it is, the higher the computer’s performance) and clock frequency (largely determines the speed of the computer). The clock speed indicates how many elementary operations (cycles) the processor performs in one second.
Intel Pentium processors and its economical version Celeron are respected in the market, and their competitors - AMD Athlon with the economical version Duron are also appreciated. Intel processors are characterized by high reliability, low heat generation and compatibility with all software and hardware. And AMD shows greater speed with graphics and games, but is less reliable.

Computer memory can be internal or external. External memory devices include the already discussed HDD, FDD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM. Internal memory includes permanent storage (ROM, ROM), random access memory (RAM), Cache.

ROM is designed to store permanent program and reference information (BIOS - Basic Input-Output System - basic input-output system).

RAM is fast and is used by the processor for short-term storage of information while the computer is running.

When the power source is turned off, the information in RAM is not saved. For the normal functioning of a computer these days, it is advisable to have from 1 GB to 3 GB of RAM.

Cache memory is an ultra-high-speed intermediate memory.

CMOS memory - CMOS RAM (Complementary Metall-Oxide Semiconductor RAM). It stores computer configuration settings that are checked every time the system is turned on. To change computer configuration settings, the BIOS contains a computer configuration program - SETUP.

Sound, video and network cards can be either built into the motherboard or external. External boards can always be replaced, whereas if the built-in video card fails, you will have to replace the entire motherboard. For video cards, I trust ATI Radeon and Nvidia. The higher the video card memory, the better.

Peripherals

The computer consists of 6 groups of keys:

  • Alphanumeric;
  • Controls (Enter, Backspace, Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Tab, Esc, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock, Pause, Print Screen);
  • Functional (F1-F12);
  • Numeric keypad;
  • Cursor controls (->,<-, Page Up, Page Down, Home, End, Delete, Insert);
  • Function indicator lights (Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock).

Mouse (mechanical, optical). Most programs use two of the three mouse keys. The left key is the main one, it controls the computer. It plays the role of the Enter key. The functions of the right key vary depending on the program. In the middle there is a scroll wheel, which you quickly get used to.

Modem - network adapter. It can be both external and internal.

The scanner automatically reads from paper media and enters any printed texts and images into the PC.

The microphone is used to input sound into the computer.

(display) is designed to display information on the screen. Most often, modern PCs use SVGA monitors with a resolution (the number of dots located horizontally and vertically on the monitor screen) of 800*600, 1024*768, 1280*1024, 1600*1200 when transmitting up to 16.8 million colors.

The monitor screen size ranges from 15 to 22 inches diagonally, but most often it is 17 inches (35.5 cm). Point (grain) size - from 0.32 mm to 0.21 mm. The smaller it is, the better.

PCs that are equipped with television monitors (CRT) are no longer so popular. Of these, preference should be given to monitors with low radiation levels (Low Radiation). Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are safer, and most computers have one.

Designed for printing text and graphic images. Printers are dot matrix, inkjet and laser. In dot matrix printers, the image is formed from dots using the impact method. Inkjet printers have thin tubes in the print head instead of needles - nozzles, through which tiny droplets of ink are thrown onto the paper. Inkjet printers also produce color printing by mixing base colors. The advantage is high print quality, the disadvantage is the danger of ink drying out and the high cost of consumables.

Laser printers use the electrographic method of image formation. The laser is used to create an ultra-thin beam of light that traces the contours of an invisible dotted electronic image on the surface of a pre-charged light-sensitive drum. After developing the electronic image with dye (toner) powder adhering to the discharged areas, printing is performed - transferring the toner from the drum to paper and fixing the image on the paper by heating the toner until it melts. Laser printers provide the highest quality printing with high speed. Color laser printers are widely used.

Speakers output sound. The sound quality depends - again - on the power of the speakers and the material from which the cabinets are made (preferably wood) and its volume. An important role is played by the presence of a bass reflex (hole on the front panel) and the number of reproduced frequency bands (high, mid and low speakers on each speaker).

USB flash drives, in my opinion, have become the most universal means of transferring information. This miniature device is smaller in size and weight than a lighter. It has high mechanical strength and is not afraid of electromagnetic radiation, heat and cold, dust and dirt.

The most sensitive part of the drive is the connector, covered with a cap. The capacity of these devices ranges from 256 MB to 32 GB, which allows you to select a drive of the required capacity, in accordance with your needs. Thanks to the interface, the USB drive can be connected to any modern computer. It works with Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OS 8.6 ~ 10.1, Linux 2.4 operating systems. In Windows you don’t even need to install any drivers: just plug it into a USB port and go.

Needed to input dynamic images into a computer and sound (for communication and the ability to create teleconferences).

Uninterruptable power source needed in case of a power outage.

Puff, well, in my opinion, that’s all the main thing I wanted to tell you about the computer hardware, the so-called hardware.

The article “Computer Design” was written quite a long time ago. Therefore, if you find an error or find some inaccuracy, please write about it using the comment form. We will be very grateful to you!

Today, computer devices have become so firmly established in our lives that it seems impossible to imagine our existence without them. However, most users almost never think about how all these systems work. It will be discussed further (for “dummies”, so to speak). Of course, it won’t be possible to describe everything in detail and cover all the technical aspects (and most people don’t need this). Therefore, we will limit ourselves to the main aspects, speaking in simple “human” language.

Computer for dummies: basic components

When talking about the structure of any computer device, it should be clearly understood that it basically consists of hardware and software.

Hardware refers to all connected devices that, so to speak, can be touched with your hands (processors, memory sticks, hard drives, monitors, video, audio and sound adapters, keyboard, mouse, peripheral devices like printers, scanners, etc. .d.). People sometimes call all these components “computer hardware.”

The software part consists of many components, among which the leading role is played by the operating system, on the basis of which interaction is carried out between the hardware part and other programs and device drivers installed in it - special programs with the help of which the OS can interact with the hardware itself and use it when performing certain tasks.

From here it is easy to conclude that the main principle of operation of a computer of any type is the interaction of hardware and software components. But this is only the surface idea. These processes will be described a little later.

Computer hardware

In hardware, as many believe, the processor and RAM come first. In part, this is true. They ensure the execution of all program commands and make it possible to launch certain processes.

On the other hand, if you dig deeper, not a single “hardware” component in itself is worth anything, because in order to be used it must be connected somewhere. And here, paramount importance is given to the so-called motherboards (popularly known as “motherboards”) - special devices on which all other components, microcircuits, etc. are mounted. In this sense, the basic principle of computer operation (correct functioning without failures) is is to correctly connect all hardware components through the appropriate controllers to special slots or connectors on the board itself. There are rules here, for example, on the correct use of PCI buses, on connecting hard drives and removable drives using the Master/Slave principle, etc.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the information on which the information is recorded, as if forever, and the random access memory device (RAM), which is used to execute software components.

Types of software

The software principle of computer operation implies the use of appropriate software to perform assigned tasks.

In the general understanding, software is divided into several categories, among which we can separately distinguish system software and include operating systems themselves, device drivers, and sometimes service utilities necessary to ensure the correct operation of the entire system. This is, so to speak, a common shell into which application programs and applications are embedded. Software of this type has a strict focus, that is, it is focused on performing a specific task.

But since we are talking about what the basic principles of computer operation are in a general sense, it is the system software that comes first. Next, let's look at how the entire computer system starts.

Computer science lesson. Computer: Turn on and check devices

Probably, many desktop PC users have noticed that when they turn on the computer, a characteristic sound from the system speaker is heard. Few people pay attention to it, but from the fact of its appearance we can conclude that all hardware devices are working normally.

What happens? The principle of operation of a computer is that when power is supplied to a special chip, called the primary input/output device, all devices are tested. The first step is to detect problems in the operation of the video adapter, because if it is not in order, the system simply will not be able to display visual information on the screen. Only then is the processor type and its characteristics, RAM parameters, hard drives and other devices determined. In fact, the BIOS initially stores information about the entire hardware.

Download options

There is also a system for selecting a boot device (hard drive, optical media, USB device, network, etc.). In any case, the further principle of the computer’s operation in terms of booting is that the device must have a so-called boot record, which is necessary to start the system.

Start of the operating system

To load the OS, you need a special bootloader, which initializes the system kernel recorded on the hard drive and places it in RAM, after which control of the processes is transferred to the OS itself.

In addition, the master boot record can have more flexible settings, giving the user the right to choose the boot system. If the start is made from removable media, the executable boot code is read from it, but loading in any case is carried out only if the BIOS determines the executable code as valid. Otherwise, a notification about the impossibility of starting will appear on the screen, such as that the boot partition was not found. In this case, a partition table is sometimes used, which contains information about all logical drives into which the hard drive can be divided. Among other things, access to information directly depends on the file organization structure, which is called the file system (FAT, NTFS, etc.).

Note that this is the most primitive interpretation of the loading process, since in reality everything is much more complicated.

launching programs

So, the operating system has loaded. Now let's focus on the functioning of programs and applications. The central processor and RAM are primarily responsible for their execution, not to mention the drivers of other devices involved.

The principle of operation of computer memory is that when an executable file of a program or other object is launched from ROM or removable media, when the application plays a complementary role, some associated components, most often dynamic ones, are placed into random access memory (RAM) through the system kernel libraries (although for simple programs their presence may not be provided), and device drivers necessary for operation.

They provide communication between the operating system, the program itself and the user. It is clear that the larger the RAM, the more components can be loaded into it and the faster their processing will occur. When interaction commands arrive, the central processor comes into play and performs all computational actions in the system. When the application finishes running or when the computer is turned off, all components from the RAM are unloaded. But this doesn't always happen.

Changing system settings

Some processes may reside in RAM permanently. Therefore they need to be stopped manually. In Windows systems, many services start automatically, but they are completely unnecessary for the user. In this case, the autorun setting is applied. In the simplest version, optimizer programs are used that clean up unnecessary processes and remove computer junk automatically. But this is a separate conversation.

Description of the internal structure of a computer (for beginners).

A home or office computer (in the common sense - an ordinary computer) consists of a system unit and peripheral devices (monitor, keyboard, mouse, scanner, printer, etc.).

I won’t describe what a monitor, printer and keyboard with a mouse look like, but will immediately move on to describing the insides of the main component of the computer - the system unit.

We remove the side cover of the system unit and see the following picture:

Photo of the internal structure of the computer

Main components of the system unit:

1. Frame- a very important part of the computer. They come in different sizes and form factors. The choice of system unit case should be approached carefully. In principle, the larger and heavier the case, the better - it will be easier to ensure good cooling and low noise levels. Buy cases only from well-known brands, for example: InWin, Thermaltake, Chieftec, Asus, etc.

2. power unit- one of the most important components of the computer system unit. You can save on anything, but not on the power supply. Oddly enough, the quality of the power supply can be indirectly determined by weight - the heavier, the better. Take a cheap, nameless power supply in one hand, and an expensive branded one in the other, and you will understand everything. High-quality radiators and transformers are quite heavy. The power supply provides power to all components of the system unit, and the quality of this power has a significant impact on the health of all components. A low-quality power supply can cause unstable computer operation and even burn out expensive components. Branded cases are usually equipped with fairly high-quality power supplies. When choosing a power supply, you also need to pay attention to its power, for example, 300 W will be enough for an office computer, but 500 W may not be enough for a gaming computer.

3. Microprocessor(CPU - central processing unit) with cooling radiator and fan. The microprocessor is the main computing device of the computer; it is the one that executes the commands that make up the programs in sequence. The performance of a computer largely depends on the speed of the processor. The speed of a processor is determined by the frequency at which it operates, the number of cores and its architecture. Now there are two main brands on the market: Intel and AMD. The choice of processor is determined by the tasks for which the computer is purchased. Top models are usually needed for games, video processing and similar tasks. (website)

4. Case fan. Necessary for creating air circulation inside the system unit: it usually works as a blower, removing warm air from the computer case and causing an influx of cold air from outside.

5. RAM modules. Random access memory (RAM - random access memory, RAM) is the high-speed memory of a computer. It is this memory that the processor works directly with. After turning off the computer, the information stored in it is erased. Taking into account the gluttony of modern programs, the rule is: the more RAM, the better. At the moment, the optimal amount of RAM will probably be 4-8 Gigabytes.

6. Video card(video adapter, video card, videocard, videoadapter) - processes and displays graphic information on the monitor. The video card has its own specialized graphics processor, which processes 2D/3D graphic information. This reduces the computational load on the central processing unit (CPU). For office applications, almost any video card is suitable (even one built into the motherboard), but for toys you will have to fork out more. I think you should choose a gaming video card after first deciding on the set of games you would like to play. When choosing a top-end video card, make sure that the power of your power supply is sufficient.

7. Modem. (The device is probably no longer relevant in Moscow)

8. LAN card. Through a network card, the computer connects to a local or global network (Internet). Nowadays, network cards are usually integrated into motherboards.

9, 10. CD or DVD drive(CD/DVD-ROM). There are both those who write and those who do not write. Read and write speeds may differ.

11. HDD(hard magnetic disk drive, harddisk, HDD) is a long-term memory device, the data is not erased when the power is turned off, the operating speed is much lower than that of RAM, and the capacity is much higher. All your installed programs, documents, music and movies are stored on your hard drive. Its capacity is measured in Gigabytes - the more the better, although 40-80 Gigabytes are enough for most office applications.

12. Motherboard- the main component of the system unit, because it combines all the listed devices and also contains additional components: network adapter, video card, sound card, input/output devices, etc.

Conclusion:

When choosing components, you should make sure that they are compatible with each other. Don't skimp on the case and power supply - it's better to save on a video card and then buy a new one over time. It is also better to buy a motherboard “with a reserve” in order to upgrade the processor, memory, etc. in the future.