What's in a PC?

Have you ever wondered what was inside your home PC but were too afraid to look or maybe you have looked and were blown away by what you found.

Here is our laymans guide to the components of your PC.

Motherboard

The motherboard is the ‘heart’ of the PC. It is the main circuit board on which everything else is attached.

It has a simple software system called the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).

When choosing a motherboard you have to consider the size of it (the most common being the ATX at present), the make of processor (Intel or AMD) you will have and the specific type of processor i.e. Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is responsible for all the work you do on your computer.

It is the most important component with regards to the performance of the PC although other components will effect its maximal capabilities.

The CPU generates a lot of heat and needs a cooling system to keep it running.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

There are a number of different types of memory in a PC. RAM, sometimes known as system memory, is responsible for holding programs and data that are currently in use.

RAM is also a major factor in determining your system performance. Insufficient RAM can cause the processor to run much slower than it is capable of.

Hard Disk Drive

This is the ‘data centre’ of the PC system. It is normally where all your programs and data are stored.

It is a prime component in the speed at which your PC and programs load.

Floppy Disk Drive

The floppy disk drive is still a component that is a feature of modern PCs.

The small capacity of the drive (1.44 MB) means it is only suitable for storing and backing up very small amounts of data.

CD-ROM and DVD Drives

The main reason for having CD-ROM and DVD drives is that the majority of software titles come in these formats.

You can get ‘read only’ drives, read and write drives and rewritable drives.

CD-ROMs can hold up to 700 MB of data.

DVD-ROMs can hold up to 4.7 GB of data.

Video Cards

The majority of motherboards have an in-built graphic capability but in order to play the latest games a separate video card with its own graphic memory is required.

There are a number of different types of interfaces for these cards dependant upon the available slots on your motherboard.

Sound Cards

Again, the majority of motherboards have in-built sound capability but for enhanced sound a separate sound card is required.