hardware Flashcards
ATX form factor
Advanced Technology Extended
Power
– 20 pin connector
– 24 pin connector, additional 4/8 pin connector
ITX form factor
A series of low-power motherboards
– Developed by VIA Technologies in 2001
– Small form factor
Mini-ITX is screw-compatible with ATX
Small form factor uses
– Single-purpose computing, i.e., streaming media
A computer bus
Communication path
Internal PC growth
System expansion
Conventional PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect
Many expansion options
– 32-bit and 64-bit bus width
– Parallel communication
A common expansion interface on previous
computer generations
– PCI Express is the newer technology
PCI Express
Also known as PCIe - Replaces the older PCI standard
Communicates serially - Unidirectional serial “lanes”
One, two, four, eight, sixteen, or thirty-two full-duplex lanes
– x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, x32
24-pin motherboard power
Main motherboard power
– Provides +3.3 V, +/-5 V, and +/- 12 V
20 pin connector was the original ATX standard
– 24 pin was added for PCI Express power
You can connect a 24-pin connector to a 20-pin
motherboard
4-pin ATX
4-pin ATX +12 V power
Additional 12 volt power for older motherboards (Used primarily for CPU)
May be labeled ATX12V, P4, or CPU
Headers
A pin header
– A simple electrical interface
– The connector is attached to the header
Many different uses
– Power, peripheral connections, lights, and buttons
Intel and AMD
Two solid CPU manufacturers
– The differences are subtle
Cost
– AMD tends to be a bit less expensive
Different sockets
– The motherboard is designed for a particular CPU
Choosing a side
– Historically, AMD is value and Intel is performance
– This is a dynamic technology segment
Server motherboards
Multisocket
– Supports multiple physical CPU packages
– Split the load
Memory slots - Supports 4+ modules
Expansion slots
Overall size
– Designed for a rack-mounted system
– Larger ATX-sized system
Desktop motherboards
Can range from full-size motherboards to compact or
monitor-only systems
Single CPU - Reduces cost and complexity
Memory slots - Usually two or four
Expansion slots - May have limited options
Mobile motherboards
Laptops - Small and light
CPUs - Limited in speed - Thermal throttling
Limited system modification
– Memory, CPU, functionality
Portability - Smaller devices
– Low power consumption
System board
Proprietary - Built to fit
Replacement isn’t easy
– Swap the entire board
– Most components are on the system board
Expansion cards
Extend the functionality of your computer
Install hardware - Add a card
Install a driver - Software for the operating system
Sound card
Output
– High-end audio
– Advanced headphone amp
– Home theater, Dolby decoding
Video card
Many CPUs include an integrated GPU
– Video functionality is built into the CPU package
Discrete graphics
– The GPU is not part of the CPU
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Ethernet connection
Case fans
Cool air is pulled through a personal computer
On-board fans
Designed to cool an entire adapter card
Heat sink
Dissipate heat through thermal conduction
– Copper or aluminum alloy
Thermal paste
Thermal grease, conductive grease
Place between the heat sink and the component
Liquid cooling
Coolant is circulated through a computer
Computer power supply
Computer uses DC voltage
– Most power sources provide AC voltage
Convert 120 V AC or 240 V AC
– To 3.3 V DC, 5 V DC, and 12 V DC
Amp and volt
Ampere (amp, A) – The rate of electron flow
past a point in one second
– The diameter of the hose
Voltage (volt, V)Electrical “pressure”
pushing the electrons
– How open the faucet is
Power
Watt (W) – Measurement of real power use
– volts * amps = watts
– 120V * 0.5A = 60W
Current
Alternating current (AC)
Direction of current constantly reverses
Distributes electricity efficiently over long distances
Direct current (DC)
– Current moves in one direction with a constant voltage
Dual-voltage input options
Voltage varies by country
Manually switch between 120 V and 230 V
Don’t plug a 120 V power supply into
a 230 V power source!
Power supply output
Different voltages for different components
Positive and negative voltage
+12 V
– PCIe adapters, hard drive motors, cooling fans,
most modern components
+5 V
– Some motherboard components
– Many components are now using +3.3 V
+3.3 V
– M.2 slots, RAM slots, motherboard logic circuits
+5 VSB
– Standby voltage
-12 V
– Integrated LAN
– Older serial ports
– Some PCI cards
-5 V
– Available for ISA adapter cards
– Most cards didn’t use it
– Today’s motherboards
don’t have ISA slots
24-pin motherboard power
Main motherboard power
– Provides +3.3 V, +/-5 V, and +/- 12 V
20 pin connector was the original ATX standard
– 24 pin was added for PCI Express power
You can connect a 24-pin connector to
a 20-pin motherboard
Redundant power supplies
Two (or more) power supplies
Each power supply can handle 100% of the load
– Would normally run at 50% of the load
Hot-swappable
– Replace a faulty power supply without
powering down
Power supply connectors
Fixed connectors
– Connected to the power supply
Modular
– Add cables as needed
– Fewer leftover wires,better airflow
– A bit more expensive
Multifunction devices
Printer, Scanner, Fax, Network connection,
Phone line connection, Print from web
PCL or PostScript
Printer Command Language, created by Hewlett-Packard, commonly used across the industry
PostScript popular with high end printers, created by Adobe Systems
Make sure the drivers match the printer
