Internal hardware components, cost, image and function

CPU: $100-$1000

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or the processor is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, and is the primary element carrying out the computer's functions.

Memory:$50-$300

In computing, memory refers to the state information of a computing system, as it is kept active in some physical structure. The term "memory" is used for the information in physical systems which are fast (ie. RAM), as a distinction from physical systems which are slow to access (ie. data storage).

Hard Disk: $100-$400

A hard disk drive[2] (hard disk,[3] hard drive,[4] HDD) is a non-volatile storage device for digital data. It features one or more rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a metal case. Data is encoded magnetically by read/write heads that float on a cushion of air above the platters.

DVD ROM: $20-$200

DVD, also known as Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc, is an optical disc storage media format,

Comments

External hardware components and peripherals, cost, image and function

Monitor: $100-$300 A monitor or display (sometimes called a visual display unit) is an electronic visual display for computers. Laser Printer: $150-$400 A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. Projector: $300-$3000 A video projector takes a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. Scanner: $100-$300 In computing, a scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image.

A Description of the different PC and Macintosh Operating Systems

Linux: Linux (commonly pronounced /lɪnəks/ LIN-əks in American English, also pronounced /lɪnʊks/ LIN-ooksin Europe and Canada) refers to the family of Unix-like computer operating systems using the Linux kernel. Linux can be installed on a wide variety of computer hardware, ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers and video game consoles, to mainframes and supercomputers.[ Linux is predominantly known for its use in servers; in 2009 it held a server market share ranging between 20–40%. Most desktop computers run either Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X, with Linux having anywhere from a low of an estimated 1–2% of the desktop market to a high of an estimated 4.8%. However, desktop use of Linux has become increasingly popular in recent years, partly owing to the popular Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, and openSUSE distributions[11] and the emergence of netbooks and smartphones running an embedded Linux. Macintosh Operating Systems: Mac OS is the trademark-protected name for a series of g...

A Description of the Boot Process

In order for a computer to successfully boot, its BIOS, operating system and hardware components must all be working properly; failure of any one of these three elements will likely result in a failed boot sequence. When the computer's power is first turned on, the CPU initializes itself, which is triggered by a series of clock ticks generated by the system clock. Part of the CPU's initialization is to look to the system's ROM BIOS for its first instruction in the startup program. The ROM BIOS stores the first instruction, which is the instruction to run the power-on self test (POST), in a predetermined memory address. POST begins by checking the BIOS chip and then tests CMOS RAM. If the POST does not detect a battery failure, it then continues to initialize the CPU, checking the inventoried hardware devices (such as the video card), secondary storage devices, such as hard drives and floppy drives, ports and other hardware devices, such as the keyboard and mouse, to ensu...

Ben's Blog

Search This Blog