Factors in assembling personal computer

INTRODUCTION
TO
COMPUTER SYSTEMS

A. Choosing the part.
1. Internal Parts
a. Power Supply /PSU(power supply unit) – converts
outlet power, which is alternating current (AC), to direct
current (DC), which is what the internal components
require, as well as providing appropriate voltages and
currents for the various internal components.
b. Motherboard/main board – the electronic centerpiece
of the computer, everything else is connected into it.
c. Processor/ CPU(central processing unit) – the brain of
the computer where the actual processing takes place.

d. RAM random access memory, the “short-term
memory” of a computer, used by the CPU to store
program instructions and data upon which it is
currently operating. Data in RAM is lost when the
computer is powered off, thus necessitating a hard
drive.
e. Hard Drive/Hard Disk, the “long-term memory” of
the computer, used for persistent storage i.e. the things
stored on it remain even when the computer is powered
down. The operating system, and all your programs and
data are stored here.

f. Optical Drive device - for reading/writing optical
disks. May read CDs, DVDs, or other optical media,
depending on the type. It is essential for installing
many operating systems and programs. It may be
able to write some of these discs, as well. Some
people like to have two such drives for copying disks.
g. Video Card/Graphics Card/GPU - does processing
relating to video output. Some motherboards have an
“onboard” GPU built in so you don’t need (but may add) a
separate video card. Otherwise, you will need a video
card. These plug into a slot on the motherboard and
provide a place to connect a monitor to your computer.

2. External Parts
a. Keyboard for typing on. Many motherboards won’t
even boot without a keyboard attached.
b. Mouse for pointing and clicking. Unless you chose a
text-based operating system, you will likely want one of
these.
c. Monitor. This is where the pretty pictures go. They
come in many forms, the most common being CRT and
LCD.

B. Selecting the Operating Systems
Before you buy components, be sure that they are
supported by the operating system you plan to use. Almost
all current, commonly available PC devices have drivers
available for current versions of Windows (generally,
anything 2000, XP, Vista, or W7); if you want to run an
alternative operating system, you’ll have to do some
research; many alternatives have extensive ’Hardware
Compatibility Lists’ as well as software compatibility.

B. Selecting the Operating Systems
1. Windows Operating Systems
Windows XP supports most processors and
motherboards based on the i386 (x86; 32-bit) or x86 64
(AMD64/EM64T; 64-bit) architectures. Put simply, all available
consumer processors (especially from AMD or Intel) will work
with the Windows XP operating system.
2. Linux Operating Systems
As one of the most popular free operating systems, Linux
is a very good alternative. It has versions for many different
architectures, including i386, x64 and PowerPC, though i386
versions are much more common. It will also support all kinds of
processors, enabling it to be used on Palm PCs and even iPods.

2. Linux Operating Systems (continued….)
There are many different versions of Linux, produced by
different companies. These are called ’distributions’ or ’distros’ for
short. For a desktop PC, you should make sure to pick a desktop
distro, one where the company/organization has desktop users in
mind, e.g. Ubuntu, SimplyMEPIS or Mandriva. SUSE is also a good
choice, and has tools that make it easy to use as a server. Ubuntu
has won many awards from PC magazines and is noted for being
particularly easy to use (for basic tasks, e.g. web, email, word
processing).
It should be noted, however, that many popular programs,
especially games, are not available for Linux, and the only way to
run them is with special compatibility layers or programs like Wine,
which may or may not work with a specific program.

2. Linux Operating Systems (continued….)
All this is important to bear in mind as different
distros will support different hardware (generally more
’bleeding-edge’ distros will support newer hardware look at
Fedora, SuSE, Ubuntu, but not the stable release of
Debian). A good rule of thumb is to buy hardware that is 12
to 18 months old, as it most likely has Linux support with
most distros, but won’t be too old.

C. Considering the Functions of the Computer
a. Simple Web Surfer - To provide basic functionality to
a user who just needs web surfing, a little word processing, and
the occasional game of solitaire, its important not to go
overboard.
Factors to consider:
a. mid to low-level processor will be enough
b. enough RAM for the operating systems(OS)
c. mother board with built-in(internal) Ethernet, video
and audio
d. mid-level case/power supply combo
e. adequate internet connection

b. Office Computer - An office computer can be expected
to do word processing, spreadsheet and database work, internet and
intranet access (including e-mail) and a little light development of
spreadsheets, databases, and presentations. It might also be called on
to do page layout work, some 2D graphic creation, and/or terminal
emulation.
a. strong mid-level processor will be fine
b. plenty of RAM to facilitate multi-tasking
c. external video card is suggested(64 MB)
d. sturdy case with reliable power supply
e. better monitor/ergonomic mouse and keyboard

c. Server – The thing that most servers have in common
is that they are always on and therefore reliability is a key
characteristic. Also they serve more than one user while storing
and processing important information.
a. redundant systems such as dual power supplies
b. RAID 5 or arrays of four or more hard disks/ fast hard
drives
c. special server grade processor
d. error-correcting memory / need lots of RAM
e. multiple high-speed Ethernet connection

d. Gaming System - Were not talking here about the
occasional game of solitaire or a secret late night Zuma obsession.
Were talking about cutting edge 3D gaming first-person shooters or
real-time strategy games with thousands of troops on the screen at
the same time.
a. fastest processor(speed is the consideration)
b. plenty of RAM
c. motherboard to match the speed of the processor
d. external video card – GPU’s (NVIDIA/ATI)
e. external sound card – DSP’s (Creative Labs)
f. hefty power supply (from 500 watts to 1KW of power)

e. Entertainment/ Media Center - This is a computer
designed to sit in the living room with the rest of your A/V gear. The
idea is that it will record and serve audio and video files for replay via
your existing television and stereo. The current notion is that this
computer should be built in a special case that makes it look more like
a stereo component, the size of which can present a challenge when it
comes to getting all the necessary parts fitted.
a. mid-range processor
b. generous amount of RAM
c. fast Ethernet connection
d. TV tuner / digital video recorder (DVR)
e. passively cooled (without fan) parts

f. Workstation - A workstation was, originally, a single-
user computer with more muscle than a PC, intended to support
a demanding technical application, like CAD or complicated
array-based simulations of real world phenomena.
a. fastest processor
b. most RAM you can manage
c. fast Ethernet connection

g. Video Editing – Application include video editing
such as movies pictures and graphics.
a. big hard disk space (75o GB to 1TB space)
b. fast hard drives (10,000 RPM and up)
c. SATA and SCSI subsystem is recommended
d. large amount of memory (2 GB and up)

h. Music Production – Includes application like mixing
and recording music.
a. plenty of disk space
b. studio reference monitors
c. better microphones

Factors in assembling personal computer

Factors in assembling personal computer

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Factors in assembling personal computer