INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

COMPUTER
• An Electronic Device that performs arithmetic and logical
operations.

• Machine that performs tasks , such as calculations, under the

control of a set of instructions called a program.
 TYPES OF COMPUTERS

• Micro Computers (Desktop)

• Mini Computers

• Mainframe Computers

• Super Computers
MICRO-COMPUTERS

• These computers are the

cheapest and the most widely
used computers (also known
as personal computers).

• E.g.:- Laptops, PDA’s (personal

digital assistant) etc.
MINI COMPUTER
A mini-computer is larger than
a PC but generally smaller than
a mainframe. A common
operating system is UNIX
though manufacturers may
have their own proprietary
operating systems as well. Ex.
Mini-computers are well suited
for use in commercial,
business, engineering and
scientific applications.
MAIN FRAME
A mainframe may be shared
by large number of users,
often numbering in the
hundreds. Processing,
storage and printing are
shared services provided in
the mainframe
Ex. Banks, insurance
companies and large
national or international
companies use mainframe
computers.
SUPER COMPUTER

They are very large computers

with very large computing
power and huge RAM. One
supercomputer contains 5800
processors and more than a
trillion bytes of RAM.
Ex. Supercomputers are mainly
used in the science and
engineering projects.
 What is ???
• Hardware
• Software
1. Application s/w
2. System s/w

• Firmware
 COMPUTER

HARDWARE SOFTWARE

• Processor • System software

• Motherboard e.g.:-Operating system
• RAM
• Hard Disk
Device drivers etc.
• SMPS •Application software
• Monitor E.g.:-Ms-office
• Keyboard CorelDraw etc.
• Mouse
• Printers etc.
• HARDWARE : Hardware describes all the physical
components of computer i.e. Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor,
Hard disk etc.

• SOFTWARE : Software is the set of instructions or the

collection of programs. There are 2 types of software.
1. System Software – Windows, Linux etc.
2. Application Software – Ms-Office, Winamp etc.

• FIRMWARE : Firmware are the programs that are

permanently written and stored in computer memory.
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE COMPUTER

Keyboard, Mouse Monitor, Printer

MEMORY MEASUREMENTS

• 8 bits = 1Byte = 1 character

• 1024 Bytes = 1KB (kilobyte)
• 1024 KB = 1MB (megabyte)
• 1024 MB = 1 GB (gigabyte)
• 1024 GB = 1 TB (terabyte)
 MEMORY

Primary memory secondary memory

MAGNETIC TAPE OPTICAL DISK HARD DISK

FLOPPY DISK
RAM ROM

It can be defined as the place where the data is stored

❑RAM (Random Access Memory)

• RAM is call Random Access because one can access

any memory cell which is the basic unit of data storage.
• It’s a volatile memory
• Ram is used for temporary storage of data.
❑ Types of RAM

• SRAM
• DRAM (dynamic)
• EDO RAM (extended data output)
• VRAM (video)
• RDRAM (rambus dynamic)
• SDRAM (synchronous dynamic)

• DDRRAM (double data rate)

Types of DRAM

EDO RAM (Extended Data Out)

Pins- 32-72, 2MB-8MB

SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM)

Pins- 168, 16MB-256MB

DDR (Double Data Rate)

Pins-184, 128MB-2GB
❑ROM (Read Only Memory) :

→ Non-volatile memory.

→ Contains PC’s startup instructions.

→ It is a chip present on the Motherboard.

The following are the set of programs contained in ROM.

→POST (Power On Self Test): - The POST tests computer’s

processor, memory, chipset,
video adapter, disk drives and
other hardware.
→BIOS (Basic input/output system): - This refers to the collection of
device drivers used to act
as a basic interface between the
operating system and the
hardware when the system is
booted and running.
❑Types of ROM

• PROM (Programmable ROM)

• EPROM (Erasable PROM)
• EEPROM (Electrically Erasable)
❑DRIVE ROM

1) CD-R
2) CD RW
3) DVD-R
4) DVD-RW
5) COMBO
6) BLUE-RAY DRIVE
❑CD-ROM DRIVE

• The optical disc drive is now an Universal device on

computers.
• One CD or DVD is equivalent to hundreds of floppy disks.
• It is used to store Data, Songs, Videos etc
CD-ROM DRIVE
➢ STORAGE DEVICES

• Hard Disk

• Floppy Disk

• CD-ROM
❑HARD DISK (H.D.D)

• It is a secondary storage device.

• It Stores the data permanently which the CPU has been
processed
• It has the large storage capacity
• It is non-volatile
• It is used to store songs, movies, and large Data files
1. IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) Connectors

Power Connector for

Hard disk
IDE
connectors

40 Pin IDE

40 Pin Ultra IDE

2. SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)

SATA Ports
(7pin 7 wires)

Power Connector For SATA from

Molex

SATA Cables
3. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface

SCSI Hard Disk

(68 pins)

68 pin (P) connector on

M/B.

P Cable
❖FLOPPY DISK DRIVE
FLOPPY DISK

• It is the secondary storage device

• It has a limited storage capacity
• It is used to store Documents and Spreadsheets files
 Floppy Drive Connector

Mini Molex
Power Connector for
Floppy Drive

Floppy Drive Cable

CPU
• The CPU (central processing unit, may be called the
Microprocessor) is essentially, the brain of the computer. It
contains circuits that

(1) perform arithmetic and logic Calculations

(ALU, Arithmetic Logic Unit)

(2) control the devices attached to the processor

(Control Unit)

(3) has very high-speed memory (cache memory).

 PROCESSORS

Socket Pin less

Processor

Slot
Processor
Processor

Processor
Slot
5th Generations of Processor
Processor Bits Speed

Pentium 32 60 – 233 MHz

Pentium Pro 32 150 – 200 MHz

Pentium II, 32 233 – 450 MHz

Celeron , Xeon

Pentium III, 32 450 MHz – GHz

Celeron , Xeon

Pentium IV, a , 32 1.3 GHz – 3.8

Xeon GHz

Itanium 64 800 MHz – 3.0

GHz
• Intel
• AMD
• Cyrix
• Motorola
• MAC
 SOCKETS

ONLY FOR INTEL PROCESSOR

• PGA 370 PIII
• PGA 478 PIV
• LGA 775 for Pin less PIV, Dual Core, Core 2 Duo and
Quad core Processors
ONLY FOR AMD
• PGA 756
• PGA 939
• PGA 940 (AM2) for X2 Processor (Dual Core)
MOTHERBOARDS
MOTHERBOARD
• It is circuit board also known as the system Board.

• It is known as a planer board & main board.

• All components are attached on the Board.

• The board contains : - Central Processing Unit (CPU),

underlying circuitry, expansion slots, random access memory
(RAM) slots, and a variety of other chips.
❖Components on Mother Board

1. Chipset
2. South Bridge & North Bridge
3. Expansion Slots
4. Peripheral Ports
5. C.P.U Slot
6. Memory Slot
7. Key Board & Mouse Slots
8. Disk Controller Slots
9. Power connector slot
10. BIOS & CMOS Battery
11. Jumpers & DIP switch
12. Firmware
Name of Motherboard Manufacturer
• Intel
• Asus
• Gigabyte
• HIS
• Mercury
 Model Number of Motherboard
• 810 and 815 for P III
• 845 and 865 for PIV
• 915, 945 and 975 for PIV, Dual Core and
Core2Duo.
❑Chipset

• Chipset is a set of chips

• Chipset made of two types of Chip which
perform their different functions.
1) North Bridge
2) South Bridge
❑South Bridge & North Bridge
RAM

CPU Socket

Memory Bus
IDE
FSB (Front Side Bus)

North
Bridge
IDE Bus
AGP Bus
AGP Slot
South
Bridge
PCI
Slots
FDC Bus
PCI Bus FDC
 DIN5: ( Deutsche Industry Norm )

5 Pin Normal Keyboard Connector

PS/2: (Personal System)

6 pin Ps2 connectors

• Green – Mouse
• Purple -- Keyboard

VGA: (Video Graphic Array)

15 Pin VGA Connector

• Monitor
Game and Sound ports

15 Pin connector
• Joystick

Line IN Line Out MIC

External
Micro
Audio Speakers
phones
Sources
Parallel Port (LPT Port)

25 Pin connector
• Printers , Scanners

Serial Port (COM Port)

9 Pin connector
• Serial Mouse , External Modem
❑USB : (Universal Serial Bus)

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Scanner
• Pen Drive
• Printers
Many Mores ……

.
❑Types Of Slots

ISA : ( Industry Standard Architecture )

Width (bits) Speed (MHz)

8 / 16 8

PCI : ( Peripheral Component Interconnect )

Width (bits) Speed (MHz)

32 33 / 66
PCI - Express :

Width (bits) Speed (MHz)

32 2500

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

Width (bits) Speed (MHz)

32 533
W E R S U P P LY
SMPS : (Switch Mode Power Supply)

Electronic devices require electricity to operate. Most internal

components are DC (direct-current) but the line voltage is AC
(alternating current.) One of the roles of the power supply is,
therefore, to convert AC to DC voltage.
 ❑TYPES OF SMPS

➢ There are five types of SMPS as under :-

i. PC/XT :- (Personal computer / Extended Technology)

ii. AT :- (Advance Technology)
iii. ATX :- (Advance Technology Extended)
iv. SFX :- (Small From Factors)
v. WTX :- (Work Station Technology Extended)
❑POWER CONNECTORS

1) AT :- 6+6 PIN Connectors To Supply The Power To The Mother

Board. That Connectors Are Known As P8 & P9.
2) ATX :- 20+4 or 24 +4 PIN Connectors to Supply The Power To
The Mother Board.
3) Molex :- 4PIN Connector to Supply the power to the ATA
Hard disk & CD/DVD ROM.
4) Berg :- small 4 pin connector to Supply the power Floppy disk
drive.
5) SATA :- 15 pin connector to supply the power to sata hard disk
& CD/DVD ROM.
AT (Advanced Technology)
ATX ( Advanced Technology Extended )

BTX ( Balanced Technology

Extended)
BOOT PROCESS
POWER ON BOOTABLE DEVICE

SMPS OS LOADING
INTO RAM

MOTHERBOARD

SYSTEM
INITIALIZATION
BIOS

CMOS
POWER GOOD SIGNAL

• Power supply ensure that the system does not

run unless the power supplied is not sufficient
to operate the system properly.

• The Power Supply is nothing but +5V active

high signal that is supplied to the
motherboard when output voltage gets stable.
 ❑BIOS

• BIOS (Basic Input/output system) is a set of

instruction or program that acts as a interface
between the hardware and the operating system.

• ROM BIOS is a chip that contains the start-up

programs and drivers used to start the system.
❑POST

• POST (Power On Self Test) is the program

stored in the ROM BIOS that runs about
system initialization and performs hardware
detection task.

• When POST detects an error from keyboard,

mouse, memory or other devices it produces
an error message.
❑CMOS

• CMOS - Complimentary Metal Oxide

Semiconductor.
• The BIOS needs various parameter (hardware
configuration) information to perform its task,
these are permanently saved in CMOS RAM.
• The CMOS power is supplied by a little battery,
so its contents will not be lost after the PC is
turned off.
 ❑MBR
• MBR (Master Boot Record) is located at cylinder 0, head
0, sector 1 of a hard disk.

Boot Sector Partition Table Magic Number

446 bytes 64 bytes 2 bytes

MBR = 512 bytes

❑PC ASSEMBLING
• Gather all required devices.
• Open the case and remove power supply and
drive chassis.
• Setup your motherboard
Install the CPU
Install main MEMORY (RAM)
• Install the power supply.
• Connect keyboard, mouse and monitor.
• Conduct system check (self test)
• Install hard disk, floppy drive and cd-rom
drive.
• Install all data cables.
• Connect front panel and speaker.
• Connect all power connectors.
• Configure the BIOS.
• Install the Operating system.
 ❑DISPLAY TEST

Required devices :
• Motherboard
• Processor
• RAM
• SMPS
• Keyboard
• Monitor
❑ASSEMBLING A PC
CABINET FDD/CDROM

MOTHERBOARD SMPS

PROCESSOR DATA CABLES

RAM POWER CABLES

HARD DISK POWER ON