Unit #11 Objectives: Components

The objective of unit Components is to learn to recognize and understand the 16 key unit vocabulary terms. This is accomplished by completing the readings and other activities.

Unit Vocabulary

Below is a list of key vocabulary terms in this unit. You can also Print out the vocabulary list.

This is normally a ROM program that controls the base functionality of the computer such as video, hard drives, optical drives, and keyboard

The technician had to update the firmware in the BIOS before he could install a faster processor in the motherboard.

The main computational section of a computer that interprets and executes instructions

Many people still refer incorrectly to an entire computer as a CPU. where in fact they are referring to only the processor, or in larger computers, the series of processors and interconnecting data buses.

a collection of integrated circuits designed to help the motherboard perform certain tasks such as control components

Cheap cheapsets sitting on cheap motherboards are a recipe for an unstable PC which will probably not work very well or last very long.

The normally metal or plastic container that holds and protects the main components of a desktop computer system. It is also known as the "beige box" or "box" for short.

The fashion conscious company bought cool-looking pink cases for all their computers, but neglected to ask the technician how long it would take to switch them.

Any computer processor or portion of the CPU which assists the main processor by performing a highly specialized task

Many older Pentium processors included a co-processor to speed up floating-point calculations.

a calculation, normally including decimal points, that a particular computer can perform in a single operation

The speed of computers is often measured by how many floating point operations they can complete in a single second.

a component of a computer which is designed to convert a binary image stored in memory to a display medium

The latest and greatest games normally require the latest and greatest graphics cards.

a specialized coprocessor sitting on the motherboard or graphic card of a computer which handles the graphical calculations such as 3D modeling and games

Most computers you buy today come with weak GPUs embeddeded into the motherboard. These need to be upgraded for more serious graphics applications such as games, CAD/CAM design, or driving multiple monitors.

an electronic device constructed from microscopic transistors and other circuit elements on a single integrated circuit; popular manufactures of these devices include Intel, AMD, and IBM

The microprocessor is often thought to be the central brain of a computer because it performs most of the calculations.

The main printed circuit board in a computer that carries the system buses. It is equipped with sockets to which all processors, memory modules, plug-in cards, daughterboards, or peripheral devices are connected; also known as a 'mainboard'

The processor, RAM, and PCI cards plug directly into the motherboard.

a wired or increasingly wireless PCI or USB device that connects a computer to a network

Almost every computer that ships today has some sort of NIC so it can attach to the network.

an older socket on which many units of data can move simultaneously, usually used to connect a printer or other device

Most new printers use the much newer USB port instead of a parallel port.

A separate unit or part of a circuit that supplies the correct amount of electrical current to a computer system.

Nick needed to upgrade to a 500-watt power supply in his computer after he added a new processor and two more hard drives.

a COM port where only 1 bit of data is transferred at a time

The technician was surprised to see the computer had a mouse attached through the serial port instead of a USB or PS/2 port.

a piece of circuitry added to your computer that allows it to play and record audio. These devices normally have outputs on the back in a variety of formats that enables the audio signal to travel to headphones, speakers, stereos, and so on; some newer/cheaper computers come with this device integrated onto the motherboard

The boy was a serious musician and asked for a new sound card for his birthday to replace the one that came with his computer.

A relatively fast and convenient computer technology allowing the connection of many peripherals such as digital cameras, scanners, external hard drives, etc; this is a much faster replacement for the old serial bus technology

USB technology is so fast and easy to use it is hard to even remember what similar connection types existed before it.