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What does a computer consist of inside? Important parts of a computer: The processor is the “heart” of the PC. MFP - Multifunction devices

The computer configurator with compatibility check allows you to quickly assemble a system unit with necessary for the user technical characteristics. Using our online designer, you can easily assemble a reliable office machine, a home multimedia system unit, or a powerful gaming setup.

Computer assembly online

Nowadays, like many years before, assembling a computer from independently selected components is popular. This good opportunity choose what you want. Nothing limits you; there are hundreds of options available for assembly, among which there is sure to be one you like.

Our online store offers the opportunity to assemble a computer online through the configurator. In him this process presented in the form of component categories, from processor to power supply. Each category contains an expanded range of models with descriptions of characteristics for ease of selection.

To simplify the selection of components, the configurator has a compatibility filter for the main components of the assembly. For example, by selecting a specific processor, the following components are automatically filtered by compatibility. Also, you will be presented with a choice to install operating system. After completing the assembly process, you receive the final result based on three parameters: price, technical data, rendered image. After placing an order and confirming it by phone, our specialists assemble this kit and check its functionality.

The advantage of this method of purchasing a system unit is that you not only choose the components you want, but also have the opportunity to choose the brand or manufacturer of the part.

Having assembled a certain configuration and completed by pressing the assemble/buy buttons, the assembly is assigned a specific serial number, by typing it in the product search bar, you can find this PC and send a link to it to friends or acquaintances for consultation or recommending them for purchase.

Important feature our configurator is the function “find out the opinion of an expert” By sending your request via this form, You will receive a detailed answer with a recommendation for email, specified by you.

Try it and see for yourself - assembling a computer online is easy and simple! In case of difficulties, you can always get advice from our specialists on all issues that interest you.

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 sidebar and look inside, then only at first glance 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.

IN system unit are placed the following elements(not necessarily all at once):

- Power unit

— Hard drive magnetic disk(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.

— Motherboard(it is more often called maternal), 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). Its elements, highlighted in bold, we will look at 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. Hard disk drive (HDD - hard) disk drive) is popularly called a hard drive.

This nickname arose from the slang name of the first model hard drive with a capacity of 16 KB (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 motherboard distinguish between ATA and IDE.

3. 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 are used as storage media magnetic materials with special properties that make it possible to record two magnetic states, each of which is assigned a corresponding binary digits: 0 and 1.

4 . Drives on optical disks(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, in Lately Another interpretation of this name is 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. Firstly, to read DVDs, a laser with a shorter wavelength is used than to read CDs, which has significantly increased the 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 . TO personal computer others can join additional devices (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. By serial port information is transmitted bit by bit (slower) over a small number of wires. A mouse and modem are connected to the serial port. By parallel port information is transmitted simultaneously over a large number wires corresponding to the number of digits. 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 mouse to 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). Clock frequency indicates how many elementary operations (cycles) the processor performs in one second.
Processors are respected in the market Intel Pentium and its economy version Celeron, and also appreciate their competitors - AMD Athlon with economy version Duron. Intel processors are characterized high reliability operation, 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. To devices external memory include the already discussed HDD, FDD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM. TO internal memory includes permanent storage (ROM, ROM), operational storage (RAM, RAM), cache.

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

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 normal functioning For 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 motherboard, and external. External boards You can always replace it, whereas if the built-in video card fails, you will have to replace the entire motherboard. From 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). Dot (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 by impact. 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, 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!

A personal computer is a multi-component machine ( consisting of 7 main devices), which is the basis of the modern world.

If we talk about a simple average person, then he needs a computer:

  • for surfing the Internet
  • listening to music
  • watching movies
  • communication with friends
  • maybe writing articles.

For more serious purposes computers are used:

  • when forecasting weather
  • to ensure the operation of nuclear power plants, in defense and industrial technologies.

Full operation of a computer is impossible if it does not have 7 devices.

What does computer consist of

Device No. 1. Computer system unit

The system unit (otherwise the processor or dust collector) is a small “box”, inside which all elements are located. External ones are connected to it devices mouse, keyboard, printer and power cord.

Device No. 2. Computer power supply

power unit- the main part thanks to which the computer turns on at all. They are classified by power, For comfortable work, it is recommended to purchase from 500W (Watt) and above. If the power of the power supply is less, then during a power outage the computer will turn off. At first, nothing serious may happen, but if the situation repeats with a certain frequency, it will simply burn out. It’s good if only it, because power surges can damage other elements (motherboard, video card, cooling system, etc.) To exclude this, it is recommended to use an uninterruptible power supply device

Device No. 3. PC motherboard


(motherboard - English) - this is the largest board that is the most important part in the system unit. It is on it that all the elements necessary to control all devices are located. It takes up the most space in the block, one of its sides faces the back of the block. There are connectors to which peripheral devices are connected - mouse, keyboard, speakers (in rare cases, a monitor). On the inside motherboard There are also connectors, they are designed for a video card, RAM, sound or network cards. Among the wide variety of motherboards from a variety of manufacturers, we can highlight the MSI Z97-G43. This model combines the best characteristics of boards; with it you can build a computer both for simple use and for modern games and programs. In combination with a strong processor and video card, it can turn a PC into a powerful computing center that can handle any task.

Device No. 4. Computer processor


 (CPU - English) - the “brain” of the computer. This small-sized part is capable of performing tens of thousands of computational operations per second, quickly responding to all user actions. You should select a processor based on two parameters: These are the bit depth and clock frequency. The higher the first one, the more productive the computer will work. Frequency affects the speed at which commands are processed. Nowadays Intel Pentium and AMD processors are very popular in the world.. If "hemp" is chosen for its excellent reliability and excellent compatibility with many hardware, then AMD is purchased due to its high data processing speed ( however they are not as reliable)

One of the best processors that the computer market has seen is the Intel Core i7-6700. This is a quad-core processor with a clock frequency of 3400 MHz, which has been produced since 2008. It is suitable for most motherboards, and it also has a built-in graphics core, which, if desired, can become an alternative to a video card. Its computing power is enough to simultaneously run powerful games and applications, and the computer will not freeze

Device No. 5. Video card for a computer


 Video card (GPU - English) is a board with a graphics core, thanks to which signals are transformed and displayed in the form we are familiar with on the monitor. She can be integrated into the motherboard or processor, or can be installed separately. In the first case, its power is unlikely to be enough for serious tasks, but in the second it will be able to work with very resource-intensive graphics. That is why it is recommended to purchase a video card separately and not rely on integrated ones. The MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is considered. It has 8 GB of memory, which is quite enough for the most demanding games and programs. Among its advantages stands out silent cooling system and resistance to power surges.

Device No. 6. RAM for a computer


(RAM - English) - a small board required for temporary storage of data about programs and games that are currently in use. That is, if the user runs, for example, Photoshop, then certain elements of this program are loaded into RAM. Thanks to this, the utility starts working much faster, since the required data is loaded not only from the hard drive, but also from RAM. It is quite difficult to select the best memory by manufacturer, since they are all almost identical.

The only parameter you need to pay attention to is volume. The more, the better, but the minimum you should buy is 8 GB (optimally 16 GB and above).

Device No. 7. Hard drive for a computer


HDD(HDD - English) is a compact device on which all user information is stored. Programs, documents, photos, music, other files - all this is located on magnetic disks inside a sealed case. The disk is connected via a small cable directly to the motherboard. The best hard drives are devices from Seagate. They are reliable, fast and offer the best combination of price and quality. You need to choose based on memory capacity. If you plan to store a lot of different information on your PC, then you should take a closer look at a disk from 1 TB (terabyte) or even higher. For the average user, 512 GB is quite enough.
Other equipment: cooling system; disk drive; external sound card; external network card. These devices do not play a key role when choosing system unit components, but you should pay attention to them.

After assembling the computer, you will need to: select and produce several simple ones.

Hello dear visitors of the blog site. Today we’ll talk about computer devices, or as they usually say, “hardware” that can be found in the computer system unit. This way you will understand what a computer is made of. The hardware of a computer, or as it is fashionable to say “hardware,” remains a mystery even to many experienced users. In this article I’ll tell you about hardware devices, thereby filling the gap, of course, if you have one, and if you are familiar with them, then we’ll refresh your memory a little.

First of all, let’s divide what is commonly called a “computer” into two groups:

  • System unit. This is that big (or not very big) box to which everything is connected.
  • Peripherals. You can read about peripheral devices in my article « » These are all other devices that help you work with a computer. Their main feature is that they are located outside the system unit and connected to it from the outside.

System unit device

The system unit is the main device of the computer. Only by looking inside the computer can we figure out what the computer is made of.

  1. Power unit.
  2. RAM.
  3. Hard disk drive.
  4. Floppy disk reader.
  5. Optical disc reader.
  6. Additional devices.

Points 1 to 5 are mandatory; you will find them in any system unit. The rest may not exist or they may be in the form of peripheral devices, that is, connected externally.

What does computer consist of:


Now let's tell you in more detail about each component.

power unit

This computer device is an important component in the computer! The abbreviated name is BP. The main characteristic is the maximum output power. It is measured in Watts (W), in English Watt (W). For a home computer, the power supply is usually 350-450 W, for a powerful gaming computer it is 600 W or more.

The importance of this component is often underestimated. When buying a computer, you may be offered to save money by installing a lower-quality power supply. This is highly not recommended, since the power supply is the source of energy for all other components of the system. If a low-quality power supply breaks down or has some problem in the electrical network, it can damage other components of the system. In addition, cheap and low-quality models often indicate power values ​​that are far from reality. That is why the computer power supply must be from a trusted manufacturer and have sufficient power.

Name options: motherboard, mother, main board, MotherBoard, MainBoard. It is to the motherboard that all devices located inside the system unit are connected. It is the main board in the system. Let's take a closer look at its contents:

  • Socket – connector for connecting a processor. Depending on which socket your motherboard contains, you may only be able to use a certain group of processors.
  • Slots for connecting a RAM module. In personal computers their number varies from 2 to 4. By type they are: DDR, DDR2 and DDR3. Modern motherboards may have two types of slots at once.
  • Connectors for connecting devices and storing data. For ordinary PCs, they come in two types: a wide elongated connector with 39 pins in two rows and a small almost rectangular connector with an “r”-shaped middle. The first is a parallel interface called IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) and its second name is PATA (Parallel ATAttachment). The second is the SATA (Serial ATAttachment) serial interface.
  • Expansion slots. These are connectors that are used to connect additional devices. They are an elongated connector located horizontally on the lower left side of the motherboard. This is where the video card, network card and other devices are inserted. These connectors usually connect devices to the motherboard via the PCI interface (Peripheral component tinterconnect) or its derivatives PCI Express, etc.
  • Chipset. This is a set of chips that provide communication between system components. Usually it can be divided into the so-called north and south bridges. The north bridge is a memory controller, that is, a part that ensures data exchange between the central processor and RAM. On modern platforms, the memory controller can be integrated directly into the central processor. The south bridge is an I/O controller, a part that provides communication between the processor and interfaces such as SATA, IDE, PCI, USB and others.

The required components of the motherboard are listed above; they are also united by the fact that they are visible only from inside the system unit.

If you look at the back of the system unit, you can see many connectors that are also physically located on the motherboard. They are located on the left side, approximately in the middle and are enclosed in a metal “frame”. Please note that your computer may not have many of them, it depends on the specific motherboard model.

  • Connector for mouse and keyboard. These are two round connectors, one purple (for the keyboard) and the second green (for the mouse). This interface is called PS/2 (colloquially PS in half).
  • LPT port. This parallel interface was invented as a printer port and was actively used for other purposes. Today, in motherboards, it is increasingly rare to find it on board.
  • COM port. Another obsolete serial interface. This port is actively used as an interface for configuring equipment.
  • USB (Universal Serial Bus - universal parallel bus). This is the most popular way to connect peripheral devices to a modern PC. Used to connect a variety of devices: mouse, keyboard, scanner, printer, portable hard drives, flash drives, etc.
  • Video connector VGA, DVI. These are interfaces for connecting a monitor. If your motherboard has such a connector, then it has a built-in video adapter. It will be quite enough for work, but if you intend to play games on the computer, you will need a discrete (separate) video card, which will be inserted into a special expansion slot.
  • RJ-45 network connector. The interface is used to connect a computer to a local area network of the Ethernet standard.
  • Group of audio connectors Jack 3.5. Used to connect a speaker system and a microphone. Green connector for connecting speakers and pink for microphone.

Now I propose to clarify one important point. If any connector is located in a vertical “frame” in the middle of the system unit, then the device to which it belongs is built into your motherboard. If you have a discrete video card, modem or anything else, then it is connected to the motherboard through an expansion slot and the connector of the device itself will be located below horizontally.

Central processing unit (CPU), in English CPU (Central processing unit). This is a chip that executes software commands, performs calculations, performs logical comparison operations, and roughly speaking, “thinks.” Therefore, the processor is often called the “brain” of the computer.

The main characteristics of the device are: bit capacity, clock frequency, power consumption, number of cores, architecture.

Bit capacity indicates the amount of information transmitted per unit of time over the data bus. Available in 8, 16, 32 and 64 bits. Accordingly, the higher the bit depth, the faster the processor runs. Clock frequency shows how many clock cycles (elementary operations) the CPU performs per unit of time. Power consumption indicates how much heat the processor generates when running.

Some time ago, the two main processor manufacturers - Intel and AMD - in their competition, tried to increase the clock speed of their processors as much as possible. But we were faced with the fact that after overcoming a certain threshold, energy consumption and heat transfer begin to increase nonlinearly. The solution was multi-core processors. This means that one CPU contains several crystals that distribute the computing load among themselves. The most widely used devices now are 2-core devices, although this is not the limit; there are processors with 4 or more cores.

The architecture shows how work is organized inside the processor. Although this parameter does not add the desired gigahertz, it can have a very significant impact on performance. Intelligent organization of work, as we know, costs a lot.

RAM

RAM is a random access memory (RAM), in English – RAM (Random Access Memory). This memory area is volatile, that is, without “power” the data is not saved in it. The RAM stores information that must be processed by the processor in real time. During operation, RAM contains data from the operating system and running user programs.

Today, RAM modules of the SDRAM DDR3 standard are relevant; before them there were SDRAM DDR 2 and SDRAM DDR 1 (of course, they can still be found). Each new generation had a number of serious advantages over its predecessors: throughput increased, energy consumption decreased.

HDD

A hard disk drive, or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) in English, is a read-only memory device (ROM). This computer device is also called a hard drive or hard drive.

This type of memory is not non-volatile, that is, data is retained in memory after the power is turned off. It is this computer device that contains all the user data: movies, music, documents and everything else.

The hard drive consists of several round plates that rotate on a spindle. These plates are coated with a ferromagnetic material, divided into many cells, each of which stores one bit of binary information. A special head reads and writes information, which moves to the desired location above the surface of the disk.

They differ in the amount of stored information, connection method, form factor, and spindle speed.

As mentioned earlier, there are two types of connection method: IDE and SATA. The first one is almost never used anymore, since serial SATA is faster and more convenient. According to the form factor, HDDs come in 5.25 (discontinued production); 3.5, 2.5 inch, 1.8 inch, 1.3 inch, 1 inch and 0.85 inch are the sizes of the plates that contain the information. Desktop PCs usually use 3.5 HDDs, laptops 2.5. The faster the rotation speed, the higher the speed of writing and reading data. In 3.5 models, the speed is usually 7200 rpm, in 2.5 - 5400 rpm, although there are also faster models of hard drives for laptops.

Floppy disk drive

A floppy disk drive, in English FDD (Floppy Disk Driver), is also called Floppy or simply floppy. This is a floppy disk reader. Roughly speaking, a floppy disk is a miniature hard drive, only instead of metal plates there is a flexible film base, and the head and drive motor are located in the disk drive. The size of floppy disks is 3.5 inches (5.25 inch floppy disks have been used for a long time). The floppy disk capacity is 1.44 MB. Floppy disks, in addition to their small volume, have a serious drawback - they are very unreliable, the information on them may become unreadable due to exposure to magnetic fields or shock. Because of this, this type of media is almost never used today.

Optical drive

Optical media are plastic discs coated with a special layer. The disk is illuminated by a laser, and information is read from the reflected light. Optical discs come in several types: CD (Compact Disk), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc - digital multi-purpose disc), Blu-ray Disc (from English Blue Ray - blue ray). CD and DVD discs come in three types: ROM (Read Only Memory – read only), R (Recordable – writable), RW (Re-Writable – rewritable).

Drives (disk drives) for reading optical discs are called the same as media. Moreover, the drive is called an abbreviation of the last generation in line that it can read. That is, a DVD-ROM drive reads DVDs and CDs, but a CD drive only reads CDs. Also, drives are divided into those that can only read (CD/DVD ROM) and drives that can read and write disks (CD/DVD RAM).

CD capacity 700 MB. DVD discs can be single-layer, double-layer and double-sided, the volume of regular is 4.7 GB, double-layer 8.5 GB, double-sided 9.4 GB, double-sided double-layer 17.08 GB (the latter is rare). Blu-ray Disc can store 25 GB, double layer 50 GB.

So, we have just looked at the main components that make up a computer. But we must not forget about devices that are not always included in the computer.

Additional devices (peripherals)

Additional devices can be devices that are inserted into the motherboard. A discrete one (on a separate board) can be a video adapter, sound adapter, network adapter, wi-fi, modem, USB controller and many other devices.

I hope this article has fully explained to you what a computer consists of. And after reading it, the world of hadware (that’s what computer hardware is called) will become a little closer and clearer to my readers.

I planned to write a series of useful articles for beginners on how to choose and purchase a computer of the desired configuration (as well as a tablet) and for solving certain tasks: work, study, games, working with graphics. Before directly touching on the choice of a home computer or laptop to solve your problems, it would be more correct to first explain to beginners what a computer consists of... Therefore, in this article I will talk about the main components of a typical home (stationary) computer so that you have an idea of ​​how it is structured, what this or that component looks like, what characteristics it has and what it is responsible for. All this information can be useful to simple novice users when choosing and buying a computer... By “Basic” I meant those components (components) that can be removed and can be easily replaced. Simply put, I won't go too far and go into great detail about how a computer works, explaining every element on the circuit boards and the internals of every component. This blog is read by a lot of beginners, and I believe that talking about all the complex processes and terms at once is not good and will simply cause confusion in the head :)

So, let's move on to considering the components of any one using the example of a regular home computer. In laptops and netbooks you can find everything the same, just in a much smaller version.

What are the main components of a computer?

    CPU. This is the brain of the computer. It is the main component and performs all calculations in the computer, controls all operations and processes. It is also one of the most expensive components, and the price of a very good modern processor can exceed 50,000 rubles.

    There are processors from Intel and AMD. Here, whoever likes what, but Intel heats up less and consumes less electricity. With all this, AMD has better graphics processing, i.e. would be more suitable for gaming computers and those where work will be carried out with powerful image editors, 3D graphics, and video. In my opinion, this difference between processors is not so significant and noticeable...

    The main characteristic is the processor frequency (measured in Hertz. For example, 2.5GHz), as well as the connector for connecting to the motherboard (socket. For example, LGA 1150).

    This is what the processor looks like (the company and model are indicated at the top):

    Motherboard (system) board. This is the largest board in the computer, which is the link between all other components. All other devices, including peripherals, are connected to the motherboard. There are many motherboard manufacturers, and ASUS and Gigabyte are at the top, as the most reliable and at the same time expensive, respectively. The main characteristics are: the type of supported processor (socket), the type of supported RAM (DDR2, DDR3, DDR4), the form factor (determines which case you can place this board in), as well as the types of connectors for connecting other computer components. For example, modern hard drives (HDD) and SSD drives are connected via SATA3 connectors, and video adapters are connected via PCI-E x16 3.0 connectors.

    This is what the motherboard looks like:

    Memory. Here we will divide it into 2 main types, which will be important to pay attention to when purchasing:


  1. Video card(video adapter or “vidyukha”, as more or less advanced computer users call it). This device is responsible for generating and displaying images on the screen of a monitor or any other similar connected device. Video cards can be built-in (integrated) or external (discrete). Today, the vast majority of motherboards have a built-in video card, and visually we see only its output - a connector for connecting a monitor. An external video card is connected to the board separately in the form of another board with its own cooling system (radiator or fan).

    What's the difference between them, you ask? The difference is that the built-in video card is not designed to run resource-intensive games or work in professional image and video editors. It simply does not have enough power to process such graphics and everything will be very slow. Today, the built-in video camera can be used more as a temporary backup option. For everything else, you need at least some kind of simple external video card, and which one depends on your preferences for using the computer: for Internet surfing, working with documents, or for playing games.

    The main characteristics of a video card are: the connector for connecting to the board, the frequency of the graphics processor (the higher it is, the better), the amount and type of video memory, the bit width of the video memory bus.

    This is what the video card looks like:

    Sound adapter. Each computer has at least a built-in sound card and is responsible, accordingly, for processing and outputting sound. Very often it is the built-in one, and not everyone buys a discrete sound card that connects to the motherboard. Personally, for example, the built-in one is quite enough for me and, in principle, I don’t pay attention to this component of the computer at all. A discrete sound card will produce much better sound and is indispensable if you make music or work in any music processing programs. And if you’re not into anything like that, then you can safely use the built-in one and not think about this component when purchasing.

    This is what a discrete sound card looks like:

    Network adapter. Used to connect a computer to an internal network and the Internet. Just like a sound adapter, it can very often be built-in, which is enough for many. Those. in this case, you will not see an additional network adapter card in the computer. The main characteristic is throughput, measured in Mbit/sec. If the motherboard has a built-in network adapter, and the vast majority of motherboards usually have one, then there is no need to buy a new one for your home. You can determine its presence on the board by the connector for connecting an Internet cable (twisted pair). If there is such a connector, then the board has a built-in network adapter, respectively.

    This is what a discrete network card looks like:

    Power supply (PSU). A very important computer component. It is connected to the mains and serves to supply direct current to all other computer components, converting the mains voltage to the required values. And computer devices operate at voltages: +3.3V, +5V, +12V. Negative voltages are practically never used. The main characteristic of a power supply is its power and is measured, accordingly, in Watts. A power supply with such power is installed in the computer that it is enough to power all components of the computer. The video adapter will consume the most (the power it consumes will be indicated in the documentation), so you need to focus on it and just take it with a small margin. Also, the power supply must have all the necessary connectors for connecting to all existing computer components: motherboard, processor, HDD and SSD drives, video adapter, disk drive.

    This is what the power supply looks like:

    Disk drive (drive). This is an additional device, which, in principle, you can do without. Serves, respectively, for reading CD/DVD/Blu-Ray discs. If you plan to read or write any discs on your computer, then, of course, such a device is necessary. Among the characteristics, we can only note the ability of the drive to read and write various types of disks, as well as the connector for connecting to the board, which today is almost always SATA.

    This is what the drive looks like:

Everything listed above is basic, which, as a rule, no computer can do without. In laptops everything is similar, only there may often be no disk drive, but this depends on which model you choose and whether you need this disk drive at all. There may also be other components that will also connect to the motherboard, for example: Wi-Fi adapter, TV tuner, video capture devices. There may be other additional components that are not at all mandatory, so we will not dwell on them for now. Nowadays, almost every laptop has a Wi-Fi adapter for connecting to the Internet via a wireless network, and there is also a built-in TV tuner. In stationary home computers, all this is usually purchased separately!

Computer case

All those major components I listed above need to be located somewhere and not just lying around on the floor, right? :) All computer components are placed in a special case (system unit) in order to exclude external influences on them, protect them from damage and maintain the desired temperature inside the case due to the fans present in it. You also start your computer using a button on the case, so you can’t do without the case :)

Cases come in different sizes and the smallest case, of course, will not fit, for example, a standard motherboard. Therefore, the main characteristic of the case is the form factor of the supported motherboards. If the largest cases (Full Tower) are able to accommodate boards of any size and any components so that it is also more or less free and, if necessary, to remove any of the components, there will be no inconvenience.

This is what the computer case looks like:

Monitor

Also, outside the case, another important device will be located - a monitor. The monitor is connected by a wire to the motherboard and without it, you, therefore, will not see everything you do on the computer :) The main parameters of the monitor are:

    Screen diagonal in inches;

    Supported screen resolution, for example 1920x1080. The larger it is, the better;

    Viewing angle. Affects how the image will be seen if you look at the monitor from the side or slightly higher / lower. The wider the viewing angle, the better.

    Brightness and contrast. Brightness is measured in cd/m2 and in good models lies beyond 300, and contrast should be at least 1:1000 for good display.

This is what the monitor looks like:

In addition to the main computer components listed above, there are also peripheral devices. Peripherals are various additional and auxiliary devices that allow you to expand the capabilities of your computer. This includes many devices, for example: computer mouse, keyboard, headphones, microphone, printer, scanner, copier, graphics tablet, joystick, web camera.

It will be convenient to discuss all these devices in separate topics, since each of them has its own characteristics and features. The keyboard and mouse are the easiest to choose, the main thing is that the connection to the computer is via USB or even via a radio channel without a wire, and all other parameters are selected individually and the main thing here is that it is simply convenient.

Read about choosing the most basic peripheral devices in the article:

This concludes the analysis of computer components. I hope that such an article will be to some extent useful for beginners and that those who did not understand at all what is in the computer and what is needed for, can now more or less imagine :) Also, this information, I think, will be useful for choosing a computer, and even more so, subsequent articles will be about choosing and buying a home computer.

Have a nice day, everyone! Bye;)