What does a standard computer consist of? From a monitor, system unit, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and some other peripheral devices. Almost everyone knows the answer to this question. But what is the structure of the system unit? The vast majority of users will not be able to accurately name all the components. Nevertheless, the system unit is a very important component of any computer. Therefore, you need to know what it consists of. We will understand its structure in this material.
Case ("Box", "Box")
Let's start with the basics. It is impossible to attribute this component to devices, but without a case it is impossible to imagine a personal computer. Cases come in all shapes. But the main thing in them is the availability of space to accommodate all components of the system unit. Also, do not forget about cooling. Most modern cases have additional fans and a place for installing the main coolers. The most advanced "boxes" have connectors for connecting water cooling. As for the design, it all depends on the specific preferences of the user. There are cases with transparent glass, backlight, LCD screen and so on. Many people think that the body is a toy. He does not play any important role. But this is not so. Correctly selected case will help the computer to work quickly and for a long time. Quality cooling is expensive. Yes, and the availability of free equipment slots opens up decent upgrade opportunities. Now consider the main devices of the system unit.
Power supply unit ("BP")
This is the alpha and omega of any "system". It determines what class of devices and what power can be installed in the PC. Power supplies have their own class and are divided into types of power. For an ordinary office computer, a unit of 350-400 watts is enough. If you plan to use a PC for multimedia entertainment at home, then you need a PSU with a power of 500 watts or more. And gaming machines should be equipped with power supplies from 800 watts. And better - 1000. Also, do not forget about the energy efficiency of the unit. The most economical power supplies in terms of energy consumption, equipped with the Gold Class mark. They consume little, but give a lot. If you plan to upgrade your computer in the foreseeable future, then you definitely need to take a power supply with increased power. Otherwise, you will not be able to install new components, which will absolutely be much "gluttonous" of the old ones. Now we continue to consider the internal structure of the computer system unit.
Motherboard ("Mother", "Mother")
This component is a bridgehead for hosting and connecting all the main components of the computer. Often, the amount of RAM, the type of processor and much more depends on the motherboard. There are various types of motherboards: ATX, Micro-ATX and so on. They vary in size and number of connected components. Any "mother" is equipped with a certain number of connectors. These include USB ports, PS / 2 connectors, COM ports and others. Also included in the motherboard are slots for installing the processor (sockets), connectors for connecting various components, PCI-E slots for connecting video cards, network cards and sound devices, and much more. If the "mother" is equipped with a built-in sound card, then on the rear panel there are also connectors for connecting speakers of various configurations. The device system unit of a personal computer is inconceivable without a motherboard. However, let's move on to the other components.
Processor ("CPU", "Stone")
This is the "heart" of any computer. It is the central processor that determines the overall performance of the entire machine. This is a small chip made of silicon, which is responsible for the number of processed operations per second. Multi-core processors boast impressive performance at a fairly low frequency. The time of single-core “stones” with an unrealistic amount of “gigahertz” has already passed. At the moment, there are two manufacturers of processors whose products are worthy of attention: Intel and AMD. The choice of processor depends on the preferences of the user. But it is worth noting that AMD products are much cheaper. That's just they warm themselves strongly. However, a good cooling system can solve this problem. We continue to consider the system unit device and move on to the next component.
RAM ("RAM", "Frame", "RAM")
The computer’s RAM is responsible for how many tasks the PC can handle at the same time and how fast it can do it. In modern realities, it is better to have more RAM, as modern applications are constantly updated and their system requirements increase. Also, "RAM" works better in multi-channel mode (two memory modules). This is a common fact. Do not forget about bit depth. The higher the number of megahertz, the faster the memory will work. There are several types of RAM: SDRAM, DDR, DDR II, DDR III, DDR IV. SDRAM is now obsolete. Like the first two DDRs. But DDR III is the most popular type. And the fourth is still gaining momentum. In fact, these letters indicate only the stages of evolution of memory modules. Naturally, it is better to use the latest advances in the IT world and go broke on the fourth version of DDR. Then say thank you. Consider other devices located in the system unit of the computer.
Video card ("Video adapter", "Vidyuha")
The video card is used to display images on a computer monitor. Adapters are built-in and discrete. The former are built directly into the processor core, the latter look like a separate board designed for installation in a PCI-E slot. A good graphics card is the most expensive component of any computer. Powerful game models are capable of making a perceptible gap in the family budget. Powerful video cards are delivered in a special case with their own cooling system. The higher the class of the video card, the more options it has in its arsenal. The most advanced models can broadcast images without loss of quality to several different monitors using various connection options (including wireless). In general, without a video adapter, it would not be possible to see an image on the monitor. Therefore, this is a very important component of the computer. However, we consider other devices that are part of the system unit.
Hard disk ("Winchester", "Screw", "HDD")
This component is designed to store user data. In addition, an operating system is installed on it. At the moment there are several varieties of hard drives: solid state drives (SSD) and standard mechanical "hard drives" (HDD). Despite the fact that the former are much smaller and have a very high read and write speed, mechanical hard drives do not give up their positions. The fact is that high-capacity SSDs are very expensive. And the capacity in the case of the "screw" is a decisive parameter. Therefore, hybrid drive systems are now in fashion: a solid-state drive with a capacity of up to 512 gigabytes for the operating system and programs works in conjunction with a classic HDD with a capacity of 4 terabytes and above. The latter is used as a storage for multimedia files. This decision is highly justified. Consider other devices included in the system unit.
Cooling fans ("Coolers", "Turntables")
This is a very important component of a personal computer. It is coolers that are responsible for efficient cooling of the processor and other elements of the block ecosystem. At the moment, there is a huge selection of these devices. Among them there are noiseless, luminous, resourceful and not very, with oversized blades and others. Silent coolers - the best option for a home computer. Unless, of course, the user does not like the computer to roar like a Ferrari in afterburner. A separate conversation is the processor cooler. It is equipped with a radiator, from which copper pipes go in contact with the surface of the "stone". This is how the processor is cooled. There are also fans in the power supply and the box of the system unit itself. This allows you to achieve effective cooling of all components of the computer. Water cooling, of course, is much more efficient, but due to its high cost, it is not as common as conventional fans. We continue to disassemble the device of the system unit of the computer.
Drives and drives
These include components such as CD drives, floppy drives, and more. Blu-ray R / RW drives are currently very popular. These devices can read and write almost all discs. Including giant in volume Blue Ray discs. As for floppy, this is a device for reading floppy disks. Currently, such a component can only be found in very old computers. Floppy drives are outdated morally and physically. Therefore, they ceased to integrate into the PC. In principle, a computer may have more than one drive. The design of several disk drives is necessary in order to be able to organize direct overwriting of information from media to media. In this case, there is no need to copy information to the hard disk of the computer. There are also very interesting optical disc drives that can immediately print a label on a CD. But they are very rare and expensive. Therefore, they are not installed in ordinary home computers. Now to summarize.
Conclusion
So, we disassembled the device of the system unit of a personal computer. There is nothing complicated about it. The main thing is to remember that without any of the above components, computer operation is impossible. The system unit consists of many high-tech devices that make the computer work quickly and clearly. It is worth remembering the names of all components, so that in case of breakdown of one of them it was not necessary to rack their brains over what this or that part is called.