Computer Hardware and its Types

Features of Hardware

Hardware has many components which are important to the working of the computer like software hardware devices. The basic hardware of the computer is mother board, RAM and CPU. However there are many different devices which are supporting the functioning of computer like mouse, data ports, monitor and removable storage devices. The supporting hardware devices are divided into sub groups further like web cam, joystick, sound card and track ball etc. hardware is something which you can touch and feel and which can not communicate with you. Hardware is breakable or can be destroyed by external forces like shattered, hitting and electricity voltages.

Main Types of Computer Hardware

Computer hardware is divided into many different parts. The most important types of computer hardware are mother board, central processing unit, random access memory, basic input output system, power supply, video display controller, computer bus and hard disk.  An alternate name to main board or system board, mother board is a central circuit, which is a complicated electronic board kept into computer for working as an electronic machine. The next most important type of computer hardware is CPU. Central processing unit seeks the software commands and interprets and process data. Random access memory is the key component which allows the data to be reached in any form. Next is the basic input output system, which loads and runs the software. Power supply takes electric current to the output load. Video display controller helps in the logical conversion of the visual data in order to run a signal to be used by display medium. Computer bus is used to transfer the data within the computer or with other computers. Hard disk is the stable that stores data and information on a magnetic surface, placed on hard disk platters.

Some other Supporting Hardware

Some other types of hardware include CD ROM drive, Floppy disk and Zip drive. The hardware such as Floppy drive is no more in use. Floppy drive is a data storage device which was used to run a floppy. This mode of data transfer was slow and prone to viruses. The data in the floppy gets contaminated even after two to three times. However it was an inexpensive way of carrying data. CD ROM drives stands for compact disk read only memory. It is used to store data and softwares. This important medium is the million dollar business for software producers. CD is run on the CD ROM.CD can carry data and softwares to the ultimate users. The various applications which this device can carry are games, multimedia information, songs and movies. Zip drive is medium capacity storage device which is removable. It was introduced by Iomega in 1994. Mouse is another very important hardware device. It has two buttons, known as left and right mouse key. It has a central wheel which is used to move page high and low. The mouse is supported with a mouse pointer which helps in surfing through the display pages. Beside this computer hardware devices there are many more like Key Board, speakers, microphone and monitor.

Personal computer components

Primary Hardware Components of a PC

If we analyze our PC as a machine it has many complicated circuits and it has many hardware components like hard disk, RAM, CD ROM, DVD driver, monitor, mouse, keyboard and CPU. When we go to buy a PC we can either buy PC which is fully assembled having all the essential hardware components like monitor, CPU, keyboard and mouse or we can buy an unassembled system. The unassembled system allows us to buy a central processing unit of different company, separate mouse and a keyboard of different brand. The range and variety of all primary PC components is so much that we can change them every week. The development has not yet stop now there are wireless keyboards and laser mice available in the market. The development in the computers have also replaced many components like in laptops the screen and the mouse is attached in one single machine.

Memory Components of a PC

Memory components of a computer are like heart of the entire PC. It is the storage capability that has made the PC desirable for domestic and commercial applications. Random access memory and hard disk are two primary storage components of a PC. Random access memory or RAM is an impermanent storage of data. This data is not stored permanently and is automatically erased from the memory when the specific software application is closed. In order to increase the efficiency and speed of your PC, increase the RAM. The PC can perform various operations using this temporary memory. The time wasted in copying the data backward and forward to hard disk can be saved. On the contrary hard disk is the undeviating memory of the computer. The data we save during different software applications is not erased unless we want to clear it from the hard disk. The performance of the PC can be improved only if we increase the rotation and access speed of the hard disk. DVD or CD ROM is also important to store and carry software and other related data, which also helps in storing the data.

Types of Personal Computers and Related Hardware

There are many different types of personal computers like desktop, net books, laptop, palm top, single unit and works stations. The usual components of a computer may include central processing unit, mother board, main memory, video card, hard disk, and mouse keyboard and computer case. However the modern computers like palm tops, net books and laptops have removed the additional use of many hardware components like mice and keyboard. However if see and observe that the development in technology has erased the use of many hardware devices but the software needs are still there. For example if we install windows operating system in a desktop Pc and a laptop. We have to install pertinent softwares like windows office etc. the performance and speed of the Pc can be increased by using many softwares and hardware devices like PCI cards additional memory etc. today computer is like a basic necessity , it is a part of all commercial projects. It is the companion of students and travelers.

Computer Hardware Specification

Purpose of Hardware Specification

The desktop users can access varied levels of softwares, operating systems, high and level drivers and to the graphical applications. The purpose of the separate hardware and software specifications is to allow for quick and adaptable operating system and software rules. The hardware specifications change with the change in users of the hardware. For example the industrial users have different hardware specifications and a college lab has different hardware specifications. The PC hardware specifications of the industry are more demanding and require the integration of software and hardware in order to match the standards of the production. Therefore more advanced circuits are usually required for the processors which are used in industry. Another major consideration is the selection of compatible operating system matched with the needs of your hardware. The most versatile operating system to be used is usually is of Windows and today it is XP.

Components of the Hardware

Hardware specification is like a process in some cases. Suppose you are planning to build a network of computers then the hardware specifications would be a key process and step for your planning. For a network hardware specifications might include servers, towers, racks, mobile media storage devices, printers, routers, hubs, modems, communications controllers and display stations. The hardware requirements which are helpful in increasing the performance of the system are also dependent on many external factors like the running of different applications on the same computer infrastructure. The software is greatly influenced by the hardware specification. Higher specification computer is well suited to run variable software applications. Some other components like good processor, free hard disk of 2 GB, RAM of 4GB, display adapter, monitor, keyboard, mouse, CD ROM and network adapters are necessary to hardware specifications. The processor support for running operating system and various other software applications is necessary. Hardware specification also takes into account the fact that if more than one software or program can run on the same infrastructure.

Hardware Specifications for Windows

The windows operating system can be installed on low system specifications. Any PC today is capable of running windows operating systems. The system requirements for modern PCs reject the running of outdated operating systems such as windows 98 and Windows 95. The hardware specifications in order to match the recent windows XP may include upgrading the RAM, 1.5 GB requirement of hard disk empty space, some high resolution monitor and video cards. The actual specification varies with the system configuration along with the features and applications which are installed. The hardware specification for a network is different because it requires the installation of extra space in hard disk. The hardware specifications include network adapters, printers, CD ROM; DVD drives, well-matched pointing devices, graphic cards and sound cards. In large networks and in commercial systems there is no need to operate on obsolete operating systems. Windows XP is the best option for commercial systems. it can match well with your hardware specifications. Recent launch of windows 7 asks for higher level system specification in order to run and perform well

Development in Intel Processors Technology

Earlier Computers

 The early processors were designed using electrical relays and vacuum tubes. With the invention of transistors the technology improved in 1950 and so as the capability of the processors. Transistors were constructed on the copper and    printed circuit boards that are engraved on a board which was not electrical afterwards various other components were added. Through the manufacturing of the Apollo guidance for the NASA, scientists discovered the integrated circuits. These integrated circuits became the base of the modern computers. The integrated circuits allowed for the construction of small chips. These chips contained many individual transistors embedded on a single silicone material. The production of integrated circuits helped to reduce the size of the computers and also helped in increasing the speed of processing. The first micro processor was invented by Intel in 1970. This processor was known as 4004, it was capable of performing larger manipulations but in small devices unlike its counterparts. When the first personal computer was introduced the processor technology largely shifted to the use of micro processors.

History of Microprocessors

As mentioned previously the first microprocessors was developed by Intel in 1971, which was known as the 4004 microprocessor. Its next legacy 8008 was invented in 1972. This microprocessor was more powerful than its predecessors. It was declared as the first mark 8 computer, which were the first computers considered practical to be used in homes. After two years in 1974, 8080 Microprocessor was developed. This processor became the brainpower to first emerging PC. The large scale supply of the 8086 to 8080 processors to the IBM PC helped Intel to become the business tycoon of the 1970’s. After the period of four years, 286 microprocessors came to surface, which was able to load and run all the softwares present at that time. Next generation Intel 1386 was introduced in 1985. This microprocessor contained 100 times more transistors than were embedded in 4004. This microprocessor contained 32-biy chip which was able to perform multi tasks and run many applications. Intel486 was the first color computer introduced in 1989.

The Era of Pentium Processors

Almost around 1993 Intel Pentium process came to the face. This processor was able to run many sets of instructions. This processor was also able to integrate real world information like photographs, speech and sounds. The first Pentium Pro processor was introduced in 1995; it was meant to support 32-bit server applications. This microprocessor was able to boast 5.5 million transistors. In 1997 Intel Pentium 2 processor aroused which contained more than 7.5 million transistors. This processor was bale to run many audio and video applications. It contained single edge contact technology able to carry very high speed cache memory. Intel Celeron processors were developed in 1999 for giving consumers good performance and compatible speed. Intel Pentium processor 3 was an amazing invention of the century which incorporated more than 9.5 million transistors which allowed 3D, video and audio streaming.

Time of Pentium 4 Processors

The extended version of Pentium 3 was Xeon which was helpful in performing commercial level activities. It was suitable to be used as network servers and workstations in research labs. Right in the year 2000 Intel Pentium processor 4 helped in performing advance multi media applications. It has about 42 million transistors. The multi media applications like movies , TV, video downloading from internet, 3D graphics,MP3 connectivity, real time video and voice chatting. The speed of this processor was amazingly swift. This processor ran at the speed of 1.5 MHz which is way faster than the 4004. 4004 microprocessor had a speed of only 108 KHz.  In 2001 Intel Xeon processor was targeted to provide more speed and performance. This provided consumers with a high speed Pc at really affordable prices. The aim of the next generation processor was to provide the end users with high speed and low price connectivity. Xeon processors were aimed to increase the capability of the workstations to about 90% higher than what it used to be. These processors were really suitable to download applications form the internet.

Itanium Processors

 Itanium processors were developed in 2001. These processors were really help in supporting enterprise servers and advance workstations. This processor was built by using EPIC technology (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing). This processor was highly efficient in performing large enterprise applications. The various transactions which this processor can support are E-commerce security dealings; computer aided manufacturing, is really helpful in mechanical engineering and advanced scientific computing. The important requirement of today’s PCs is a really fast processor to perform fast and speed computations and help in fats internet connectivity. Itanaium 2 processors a second important member of the 64 bit product family released in 2002.  It is based on the architecture of data intensive, crucial technical and business applications for supporting computer based manufacturing and safe internet transactions. The next development in this field so far by Intel was Pentium M processors released in 2003. This processor is based on the Centrino mobile technology. These processors provided the wireless internet connectivity for portable digital devices like laptops. This technology helped in producing systems with built in wireless internet connectivity or LAN card inside the PC. The further development was Montecito which was released in 2006 and contained dual core installation of Itanium 2 and Montvale 2007. Montvale contains swift IA-64 chip which is to date the fastest.

Working of PCI cards

History of PCI Cards

The progress on the PCI cards began in1990 in a private lab. This lab was owned by Intel and was attached to the architecture development department. PCI card was first installed in servers and they took the place of early buses like MCA and EISA. However PCI did not receive widespread recognition till 1994. It became popular with the advent of the Pentium personal computers. It became so popular that it also became the part of the 486 processors. Apple computer manufacturers also used PCI cards for their professional Macintosh. Overtime the development in the PCI cards continued. New and advanced models of PCI cards came to the surface such as PCI express. Hence PCI cards become an essential part of the motherboard.

Types of Computer Buses

Any desktop Pc has two main buses known as system bus and the one that communicates with the hardware. The system bus is able to connect CPU with the main memory. The one that communicates with the hardware is known as PCI bus. PCI is a slow bus. This bus is connected to the system with the help of the bus bridge. Bus Bridge is a kind of traffic police a sergeant which helps in assimilating the data from the different buses and delivers it to the system bus. PCI is able to connect as compared to the other busses like VL bus. One can have more than a single PCI on its motherboard. The PCI chip is able to regulate the working of the PCI indifferent of the working and the speed of the CPU. Typical PCI has a width of 32 bits and it has a speed of 33Mhz. the most recent improvement in the PCI cards known as PCI X has a data transfer rate of 1GB with a speed of 133 MHz. The PCI bus was satisfactory for several years, providing an adequate amount of bandwidth for all the peripherals the majority users might want to connect. In the middle of 1990s, graphics cards were becoming more powerful, resulting 3D games were asking for higher recital. The PCI was not able to handle the entire data stream passing between the graphics and main processor. Consequently, Intel discovered the AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port). AGP is a bus devoted totally to graphics cards. The bandwidth of the AGP bus is not shared with other apparatuses. Although PCI is persistently the bus of choice for most peripherals, AGP has essentially taken the particular task of graphics dispensation.

PCI Express Cards

Peripheral component interconnect card express or PCIe is an expansion to the PCI cards. PCIe 2.1 is the latest standard of PCI cards used in the personal computers. PCI express is equally beneficial for personal computers, commercial and industrial units. PCIe cards are based on the point to point serial links. PCIe is also used in Express card Laptop. PCIe devices remain in touch with the help of the logical interconnect. Interconnect is a point to point communiqué spot between different PCI ports. Therefore the PCI requests and interrupts can take place. In order to install the PCIe card it is important to have open ended sockets. PCIe mini cards are also on the move. The host devices are able to provide support to the PCI express and other USB 2.0 connections. Wireless LAN PCI cards are most recent addition to the PCI express cards.

Mother board and its Functions

Components of a Motherboard

Most commonly mother boards are of two types AT and ATX main board. At motherboards are now completely eradicated from the use. The ATX main board is 12 inches in width and almost 9 inches deep. ATX is relatively more reliable and it has 6 -pin connector. ATX mother board has many components attached to it which are important for its functioning. The key components of the logic board are either at connector side or embedded inside the board. The components present ate the connector side are mouse connector, keyboard connector, USB ports, serial ports, VGA ports, power supply plug and Parallel ports. The other components include CPU chip, RAM slots, PCI slot, ISA slot, AGP, CPU slot and floppy controller. The peripheral devices which are residing on the mother board are either directly fixed on it or are entrenched using sockets.

Some Main Functions of the Logic Board

BIOS or basic input output and Boot memory also resides on the motherboard. BIO is a kind of software which works when we turn on the computer. BIO is also called a lower level program because it is installed in the hardware. The job of the BIOS is to act as a communication channel between motherboard and softwares. Mother Board plays a vital role in running the operations and programs on your PC. It is this printed circuit which contains chips and many expansion cards to facilitate your working. It does not matter which ever component you attach to your motherboard, the basic functioning of that device is dependent upon on the main board. Mother board also contains a chip set. This chip set is really essential as it monitors the data flow in your personal computer. It guides the movement and flow of data through the buses. Motherboard chipset guides the data towards the correct paths and ultimately correct destinations. This chipset also scrutinizes the processors direct access to the main memory. Therefore it is mother board where you plug in your video cards, memory, cache and cards.

Other features and Functions of Main Board

Motherboards are not produced in only one shape and size. The shape and the size of the mother board is adjusted depending on the need of the manufacturers. The size of the previous motherboards like AT were really large however now the size of modern main boards are prone to many changes. The mother boards cannot be discarded form the electronic devices because of their size. Today they have been modified into smaller units in order to become parts of smaller digital devices like laptops. This makes laptop computers really difficult to repair and upgrade sometimes. Only the manufacturer can help repair it again. This is because the design of the miniature main board is really complex. The presence of micro dies on the motherboard also makes it an expensive embellishment. This is the reason why small digital appliances are costly. Mother boards cannot alone load the memory and run the system for this purpose they need non volatile memory. Mother boards use BIOS in order to boot.

Introduction to Intel Core 2 duo

Range of core 2 Processors

There is a wide variety and range of products associated with the core 2 Duo technology. Core 2 Duo with a processor E4300 was released in 2007 having L2 cache of 2MB. The next processor is known as core 2 Duo E4400 released in April 2007. Core 2 Duo E4500 and E4600 were released in 22 July and October, 21 2007 respectively. These processors also contain the L2 cache of about 2MB. Core 2 duo E4700 was released in 2008 in the month of March. This processor has the frequency rate of 2600MHz with L2cache of 2MB. Intel core 2 duo processors come in both 45nm and 65nm having virtualization, trusted execution technology and clock speed of about 2 GHz.

Features of Core 2 Duo

Core 2 Duo is a wave of technology and improved processors. This processor is entrenched with variable features. The core 2 Duo processors have sustained the back ward compatibility with the software and existing hardware. Though the older hardware is not capable of making use of the advanced features of the core 2 duo still they are compatible to work well with them. Instead if e put it in other words our supporting processor is able to match well with them. The existing motherboard like Intel LGA 755 is capable enough to accept the core 2 duo processing only with the up gradation of BIOS. Modern core 2 Duo processors are also efficient enough to run two operating systems at a time by help working virtual machines. The virtual machines are smart enough to share physical hardware, having separate operating system and busy running their own applications. Therefore core 2 Duo processors have removed the need for the high end servers. The inclusion of advanced security features is also a drastic improvement in these systems. It is core 2 Duo which has enabled to set the trusted Platform Module as an important standard for upcoming PC’s.

Some Remarkable Improvements

The introductions of core 2 duo processors have also improved the functioning of the net books. The features like appropriate power consumption has helped in increasing the battery life of the current net books. Besides being really improved core 2 processors are also using L2 cache. This compromise is made in order to reduce the power needs needed to charge or run the computers. However the cache size is varied. Like for example Allendale processors have 2Mb cache while Conroe has 4 MB cache. The reduced power needs of the Merom processors have made it desirable to use for net books. The cache utilization is regarding the core 2 duo processors is amazing as the 2 core allows the caches to compete for cache allocation. Therefore the resulting speed of the processor is simple remarkable. Moreover the processor is capable of running four instructions in single clock cycle. This is the highest speed as compared to the previous processors. Core 2 duo processors have the capability to replace AMD’s 4 core processor which was designed to beat the efficiency of the core 2 Processors and their underlined features.