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Computer Case

The computer case or system unit is a big box that usually sits in a dusty corner on the floor and no one ever pays any attention to it. In fact it’s ignored so much that people have even forgotten what it’s called! They call it by other names like “CPU”. Now if you want to learn about computer hardware you will have to learn to call things by their correct names. So lesson number 1 is that a computer case is not a CPU. So what is a computer case? Take a look at the picture below:

The two boxes in front are cases.

The computer case houses the main hardware components in your computer system. Without it you would have no computer.

As you can see from the picture above there are two main types of computer cases. The tower variety on the right is taller than its wide. And then there is the desktop computer case on the left. Desktop cases are no longer in fashion because they take up desk space. Tower cases, OTOH, can be tucked out of sight underneath your desk so they are more in fashion.

But what’s really important is the stuff that’s inside the computer case:

Case internals

The computer case is home to the following core computer hardware components:

Motherboard
Central Processing Unit or CPU
Random Access Memory
Hard Disk Drive
Power Supply Unit
Add-on cards like the Graphics card

What is computer hardware?

Computer Hardware is the name given to tangible electronic components that are part of a computer system. The key words are “tangible” and “electronic”. Tangible means something that you can physically touch and feel. Electronic refers to a device that has circuits in it that control its operation.
Computer hardware can be divided into many different categories but, generally speaking, you have what I like to call core hardware and peripheral devices. Core hardware consists of those parts that are essential to the operation of the computer. Core hardware is installed in the computer case and peripheral devices are hardware devices that connect to the case but are external to it.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Random Access Memory or RAM is high speed volatile storage space in a computer system. RAM is one of the fastest storage areas in a computer system. RAM is also known as main memory or just memory.

On modern computers RAM usually comes in the form of Dynamic Random Access Memory or DRAM. DRAM is RAM that has to be regularly refreshed by the memory controller. DRAM is cheaper than the alternative memory called Static RAM but is also slower than SRAM.

Generally speaking, the more RAM you have in your PC the faster your PC operates. RAM is used to store running programs and associated data. It is also used to cache access to slower storage mediums like hard disk drives.
There are different standards for DRAM. As the technology evolves older standards are replaced with newer and faster ones. Some of the standards of DRAM are:

SDRAM
DDR
DDR2
DDR3

RAM comes in the form of a module (pictured on the left) referred to as a Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM) or nowadays Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM). DIMMs are inserted into a socket on the motherboard.

ASUS Motherboard

The motherboard is the main circuit board in a computer system. All the other parts of a computer plug into the motherboard. The motherboard is also called a mainboard or system board.

Motherboard

The motherboard has a socket for the CPU, RAM modules and add on cards. In the above picture the CPU socket is the large one in the center right. The RAM sockets are the two longish light blue ones in the bottom of the picture.
The motherboard also has sockets into which you plug in your permanent storage devices like hard disk drive and solid state drive. Peripheral devices also plug into the motherboard. You can see the sockets for the peripheral devices at the top right of the picture.
The motherboard is the foundation of your computer system. That is also why it’s called the motherboard. You have lots of circuit boards but only one motherboard

How to test computer memory

How to test computer memory?

February 20th, 2011

Faulty computer memory can be the cause of system instability. It can lead to unexpected program crashes and even cause data loss. To determine whether your computer RAM is faulty you have to put it through a rigorous test using a program called Memtest86+.

Buying a used computer

Buying a used computer CPU

November 5th, 2011

A CPU is one of the most important parts of your computer system. It’s like the brain of a computer system and is responsible for most of the data processing. As a result it plays a major part in a computer system’s performance.
Buying a used CPU can lead to significant savings at minimal risk. New CPUs are released all the time so older models can be had at a good discount. A second-hand CPU is the most risk free purchase of used computer hardware you can make. This is because a CPU either works perfectly or not at all so it’s easy to tell what condition it is in. If it works at all then it’ll continue to work happily for decades. If it doesn’t work then it’s dead and worthless. There is no room for doubt. However, there are certain steps you can take to ensure that you purchase a fully functioning CPU:
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USB 3.0 flash drives render all USB 2.0 flash drives obsolete

August 31st, 2011

USB 3.0 promises 10 times faster speeds than USB 2.0 so it’s no wonder that USB 3.0 flash drives are making all other drives obsolete. USB 3.0 drives that have shown up on foreign etailer websites offer 6x the speed of their USB 2.0 counterparts for the same price! It’s actually no contest at all!
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How to maximize the lifespan of an SSD

June 28th, 2011

Solid State Drives or SSDs have become really popular because they are faster than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). But there is a question mark about the life span of an SSD. There is a limit to how many times you can write to an SSD. That is a generally accepted fact. It’s also generally acknowledged that reading from an SSD does not shorten its lifespan. But what happens when an SSD can no longer be written to? Can you recover your data from it?
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Intel DH61BE and Intel DB65AL motherboards

June 25th, 2011

Intel DH61BE and DB65AL are two inexpensive LGA 1155 Sandy Bridge platform motherboards that recently became available in Pakistan. There are cheaper LGA 1155 motherboards available but these two motherboards stand out because they have support for the latest generation of peripheral device interfaces.
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Power supply units and efficiency

May 22nd, 2011

Computer Power Supply Units or PSUs convert mains Alternating Current (AC) to the Direct Current (DC) required by computer parts. Power supplies are typically rated in watts of power they can reliably supply to a computer. But these PSUs aren’t 100% efficient at their job. Some power is lost during the conversion from AC to DC. How efficient they are at their job determines how much electricity your computer uses and that is reflected in your monthly electricity bill.

Samsung exiting the hard drive business

April 18th, 2011

The Korean electronics giant Samsung is looking to sell of its loss making Hard drive division. Samsung hopes to earn as much as $1.5 billion from the sale. It intends to invest the funds in other more profitable areas of its business.
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