1.1 Computer Components Part 5
1.1 Identify the fundamental principles of using personal computers part 5
> Identify the names, purposes and characteristics of adapter cards
Video including:
PCI
A specification introduced by Intel that defines a local bus system that allows up to 10 PCI-compliant expansion cards to be installed in the computer. PCI video cards were replaced by the newer AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
Specifications:
- 33.33 MHz clock with synchronous transfers
- peak transfer rate of 133 MB per second for 32-bit bus width (33.33 MHz × 32 bits × (1 byte ÷ 8 bits) = 133 MB/s)
- 32-bit or 64-bit bus width
- 32-bit address space (4 gigabytes)
- 256-byte configuration space
- 5-volt signaling
PCIe
PCI Express is a computer system bus that allows expansion cards with various capabilities to be added to a system. It is a flexible system intended to replace PCI, and AGP. While PCI Express has the same software interface as PCI and can be bridged to PCI, the cards are physically and electrically incompatible.
PCIe 1.1 transfers data at 250 MB/s in each direction per lane. With a maximum of 32 lanes, PCIe allows for a total combined transfer rate of 8 GB/s in each direction. To put these figures into perspective, a single lane has nearly twice the data rate of normal PCI,
AGP
The Accelerated Graphics Port (also called Advanced Graphics Port, often shortened to AGP) is a high-speed point-to-point channel for attaching a graphics card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. Some motherboards have been built with multiple independent AGP slots. AGP is currently being phased out in favor of PCI Express.
Multimedia:
I / O:
SCSI
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it can connect a wide range of other devices, including scanners, printers, and optical drives (CD, DVD, etc.). The SCSI standards promote device independence, which means that, at least in theory, almost any type of hardware can be connected via SCSI.
Serial Port
a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time. Data transfered through serial ports connected the computer to devices such as terminals or modems. Mice, keyboards, and other peripheral devices.
While such interfaces as Ethernet, FireWire, and USB all send data as a serial stream, the term "serial port" usually identifies hardware more or less compliant to the RS-232 standard, intended to interface with a modem or with a similar communication device.
As of 2007, the USB interface has replaced the serial port, most new computers are connected to devices through a USB connection, and often don't even have a serial port connection.
USB
Parallel
A parallel port is a type of socket found on personal computers for interfacing with various peripherals. It is also known as a printer port.
Like the serial port, the USB interface has replaced the parallel port. As of 2006, most modern printers are connected through a USB connection.
Communications including:
Network Interface Adapters
A hardware device that provides a computer with access to a LAN. Network interface adapters can be integrated into a computer's motherboard or take the form of an expansion card, in which case they are called network interface cards or NICs. The adapter, along with its driver, implements the data-link layer protocol on the computer. The adapter has one or more connectors for network cables, or some other interface to the network medium. The network interface adapter and its driver are responsible for functions such as the encapsulation of network layer protocol data into data-link layer protocol frames, the encoding and decoding of data into the signals used by the network medium, and the implementation of the protocol's media access control (MAC) mechanism.
Modem
Short for modulator/demodulator, a hardware device that converts the digital signals generated by computers into analog signals suitable for transmission over a telephone line, and back again. A dial-up connection between two computers requires a modem at each end, both of which support the same communication protocols. Modems take the form of internal devices that plug into one of a computer's expansion slots, or external devices that connect to one of the computer's serial ports.
The term modem is also used incorrectly, in many cases, to describe any device that provides a connection to a wide area communications service, such as a cable or DSL connection. These devices are not actually modems, because the service is digital, and no analog/digital conversion takes place.
> Identify the names, purposes and characteristics of ports and cables for example:
Universal Serial Bus, or USB, is a computer standard designed to eliminate the guesswork in connecting peripherals to a PC. It is expected to replace serial and parallel ports. A single USB port can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, such as mice, modems, keyboards, digital camera's, printers, scanners, MP3 players and many more. USB also supports Plug-and-Play installation and hot plugging.
- USB 1.1 standard supports data transfer rates of 12 Mbps.
- USB 2.0 (Also referred to as Hi-Speed USB) specification defines a new High-speed transfer rate of 480 Mb/sec.
USB 2.0 is fully compatible with USB 1.1 and uses the same cables and connectors.
USB has with two connector types. The first is Type A (on the right), This connector connects to the PC's USB port.
The Type B (on the left) connector and is for connecting to the relevant peripheral.
Where as the type A connector is truly standard, the Type B connector could be changed in size etc. with individual peripherals meaning they require there own unique cables.
IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
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Is a personal computer (and digital audio/video) serial bus interface standard, offering high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data services. FireWire can be considered a successor technology to the obsolescent SCSI Parallel Interface. Up to 63 devices can be daisy-chained to one FireWire port.
IEEE 1394 connectors are used to connect FireWire devices such as host controllers, adapters, hard drives, hubs, repeaters, and card readers. FireWire, a registered trademark of Apple Computer, is a communications protocol for the transmission of data, video, and audio over a single cable at very high bit rates. IEEE 1394 is an interface standard adopted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for digital data transfers at 400 Mbps. The popularity of IEEE 1394 is due in part to its use of a bus-powered architecture that does not require peripherals to supply their own power. Products that support the IEEE 1394 standard adhere to its specifications, but often use proprietary trade names. For example, Sony uses the term iLink to describe its FireWire products. iLink is a registered trademark of the Sony Corporation. There are two basic types of IEEE 1394 connectors: four-pin and six-pin. Four-pin or four-position FireWire connectors are used with digital video camcorders and other devices that have a small footprint and do not require external power. By contrast, six-pin or six-position connectors are used with personal computers (PCs), rewritable compact disc rewritable drives (CDRWs), external hard drives, digital audio stations, and other larger, more durable FireWire devices that use external power. Four-pin connectors are rectangular, 1/4” by 1/8” devices in which one of the longer sides is indented. Six-pin connectors are rectangular, 1/2” by 3/16” devices in which one of the smaller sides is rounded. Four-pin and six-pin IEEE 1394 connectors are either straight or right-angled. |
RJ-11 (Registered Jack)
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Standard telephone cable connectors, RJ-11 has 4 wires (and RJ-12 has 6 wires).
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RJ-45
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RJ-45 The "RJ" stands for Registered Jack. These connectors are used with 10-100BaseT cables, and resemble telephone RJ-11 connectors, but are larger. They are connected to the cable by crimping.
Used for Ethernet cable connectors, where usually 8 pins (4 pairs) are used, e.g., a male-to-male cable to connect a cable or ADSL modem to the computer Ethernet network card. Applications include other networking services such as ISDN and T1. 25 Pair Color Code Chart
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> Identify the names, purposes and characteristics of cooling systems for example heat sinks, CPU and case fans, liquid cooling systems, thermal compound
In earlier PC's it was possible to cool most components using convection (passive cooling), more efficient cooling has become a necessity on many components. To cool these components, fans are used to move heated air away from the components and draw cooler air over them. Fans attached to components are usually used in combination with a heatsink to increase the surface area available for heat conduction, thereby improving the efficiency of cooling.
CPU topped by heatsink and fan
Areas where cooling fans may be used:
- Power Supply (PSU) fans : often play a double role, not only keeping the PSU itself from overheating, but also removing warm air from inside the case.
- CPU fan: Used to cool the CPU (central processing unit).
- Case fans: move air through the case, usually drawing cooler outside air in through the front and over the internal motherboard components expelling it through the rear.
- Chipset fan: Used to cool the northbridge of a motherboard's chipset.
- Graphics card fan: Used to cool the GPU and/or memory on graphics cards.
- PCI slot fan: A fan mounted in one of the PCI slots, usually to supply additional cooling to the PCI and/or graphics cards.
- Hard disk fan: A fan mounted next to or on a hard disk drive.
