Technical Support Fundamentals Week 2 Flashcards
Ports
Connection points that we can connect devices to that extend the functionality of our computer
CPU
Central Processing Unit - the brain of the computer, controls all calculations and data processing, a binary calculator
Uses an instruction set which are rules of what a CPU can carry out
RAM
Random Access Memory - the computers short term memory
Hard Drive
Holds all of our data which includes pictures, music, apps, etc.
Motherboard
Holds everything in place, allows components to communicate - the body or circulatory system of the computer.
Power Supply
Converts wall electricity to one PC can use - AC wall power to low-voltage regulated DC power
Programs
Instructions that tell the computer what to do
Data Bus
Row of wires that interconnect parts of computer, comes in 8, 16, 32 and 64 bit sizes.
The external data bus (also known as the external bus or simply data bus) is the primary route for data in a PC. All data-handling components or optional data devices are connected to it; therefore, any information (code) placed on that bus is available to all devices connected to the computer.
Memory Controller Chip (MCC)
Bridge between CPU and RAM - MCC takes address and looks for the requested data from RAM and sends it back to CPU.
Address Bus
An address bus sends a memory address along the bus from the CPU to the memory (unidirectional). To fetch/write data, the CPU needs to tell the RAM the address.
CPU Cache
A CPU cache is a hardware cache used by the central processing unit of a computer to reduce the average cost to access data from the main memory. A cache is a smaller, faster memory, located closer to a processor core, which stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations.
! How many cache levels are in a CPU?
3 - L1, L2, L3
L1 is the smallest and fastest level
What does the CPU’s Internal Clock do?
Let’s the CPU know when instructions end and new begins and keeps all operations in sync. Has a clock wire that receives a volt to let the CPU know it can do calculations and when it can’t.
Clock Cycle
When a volt gets sent to the clock wire
Clock Speed
The maximum number of clock cycles that a CPU can handle in a certain time period. 3.4gHz is 3.4 billion cycles per second.
Overclocking
Increasing the rate of CPU clock cycles to perform more tasks
What are the two different CPU sockets?
LGA: Land Grid Array - pins stick out from the motherboard
PGA: Pin Grid Array - pins are on the processor
Heat Sink
Takes heat and dissipates it from CPU through a fan or another medium
What does 32/64 Bit Operating System architecture specify?
Specifying how much data can be efficiently handled with the CPU
What happens to the RAM once a PC is shut off?
It gets cleared, since its short term memory that means RAM is volatile
How does RAM interact with programs?
Has a copy of it within the RAM so the CPU can process it.
Ram Size
The size of ram determines up to that size of GB that a program can run at and size of programs simultaneously
D-RAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory: Stands for “Dynamic Random Access Memory.” DRAM is a type of RAM that stores each bit of data on a separate capacitor. This is an efficient way to store data in memory, because it requires less physical space to store the same amount of data than if it was stored statically. The most common found in personal computers today.
DIMM Ram
Dual Inline Memory Module: It is a type of computer memory. A DIMM is a small circuit board that holds memory chips. It uses a 64-bit bus to the memory, whereas a single in-line memory module (SIMM) only has a 32-bit path. This allows DIMMs to transfer more data at once.
These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations, printers, and servers.
SD-RAM
Synchronous D-RAM: Synced to clock speed for quicker processing.
SDRAM is an improvement to standard DRAM because it retrieves data alternately between two sets of memory. This eliminates the delay caused when one bank of memory addresses is shut down while another is prepared for reading.
DDR SDRAM
Double Data Rate SDRAM: Faster, less power, higher capacity than SD-RAM. Can transfer data twice as fast as regular SDRAM chips. This is because DDR memory can send and receive signals twice per clock cycle.
Chipset
Decides how components talk to one another on the motherboard. Manages the data between CPU, RAM, and peripherals.
What does the North Bridge do?
Interconnects RAM + video cards
What does the South Bridge do?
I/O Controllers - in charge of hard-drives and USB devices that input/output data.
Which bridge is sometimes integrated within the CPU?
North Bridge
Peripherals
External devices we connect to a computer. ex. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, webcam, microphone, headphones, etc.
Expansion Slots
Grants the ability to increase the functionality of a computer
PCI Express
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express: The standard expansion slot today. Looks like a slot while PCIe Base Expansion Card looks like a circuit board
Form Factor
Determines sizing of motherboard, within this also determines size needed of case.
ATX: Most common sizing
ITX: much smaller than ATX. Mini, micro and pico.
HDD
Hard Disk Drive: uses spinning platter and mechanical arm to read and write information.
The speed the platter rotates increase the data speed, referred to as RPM
SSD
Solid State Drive: No moving parts, data stored on microchips so data transfer occurs much quicker
Serial ATA Cable
Type of cables (SATA) that are used to connect storage to motherboard, SATA can’t keep up with SSD speeds
NVM.e
Used for modern day SSD connectivity, an expansion slot instead of a wire for greater efficiency
What is DC electricity?
Direct Current: only flows one directional. The energy type that your computer uses and that your power supply converts outlet energy into.
What is AC electricity?
Alternating Current: flows < - > either direction. The type of energy that comes out from a power outlet.
Amperage
The amount of electricity/current coming out
What is electricity measured in?
Amps
What’s the difference between amps and voltage?
Amps pull electricity and as much as needed
Voltage pushes electricity and gives everything that’s needed
Wattage
The amount of volts and amps that a device needs
SoC
System on a Chip: Packs the CPU, RAM, and sometimes storage onto a single chip.
USB meaning & speeds:
Universal Serial Bus
USB 2.0: 480 Mb/s
USB 3.0: 5 Gb/s
USB 3.1: 10 Gb/s
Drivers
Contain the instructions CPU needs to understand external devices
BIOS
Basic Input/Output Services - Software that initializes hardware in our computer and gets OS up and running through checks “mission control”
ROM Chip:
Read Only Memory: Where the BIOS is stored
UEFI:
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface: Performs same BIOS startup function - more modern and better compatibility and support
POST
Power On Self Test: A check before PC is on to make sure hardware is running correctly.
CMOS Battery
Stores basic data about PC boot - date, time, how to start up
Reimaging
Restoring an entire disk using a disk image file. Essentially a backup that can keep files
