PC Hardware Essay

Human Interface Devices

Human interface devices is what you use to get the computer to do what
you tell it to do. This can be done by many things for example a mouse, a
keyboard or even touchscreen. You use these every day and you dont
even think about it like when youre on your phone at your computer
doing work or even watching a video. For gaming these can be very
important as you need to interact with the game to move forward. These
can be very cheap or very expensive depending on the make and what
you intend to use it for.
These are examples of a
human interface device e.g. a
keyboard and mouse
These can be many things
from controllers to remotes

Central Processor Unit

The Central Processor Unity (or CPU) is where all the calculations and
where most of the processing is done. Every computer has a CPU as this is
a very important part to a computer. The can get very hot very quickly so
this is why they are kept by the cooling fan to help reduce the possibility
of the CPU overheating and burning up.
There are numerous components within the CPU. One of them is a
Arithmetic Logic Unit or ALU, this performs simple Arithmetic and logic
operations. The control unit or the CU manages the various components of
the computer. From memory, it interprets instructions and it then
transforms them into various signals to activate other computer parts. The
control unit calls upon the ALU to help perform necessary calculations.

PC Hardware Essay

This is an example of an intel

platinum processor
As you can see it would be for
a Laptop as it is smaller than it
would be for desktop pc.

Graphic
processors
This is like the CPU, it does complicated mathematical and geometrical
calculations, which are essential for graphics rendering. An important part
of a Graphic Processors is how many pixels they can keep up with, how
fast they can processes images (speed cache) and if they can handle 2D
and 3D imagery. A graphics processor can recreate a virtual image in a
few seconds. The GPU has thousands of cores to help it produce high
quality images in a matter of seconds. The reason the GPU has so many
cores is that if the GPU only has 1-4 it would take ages before an actual
image came up where as if it has thousands it can take a matter of
seconds.
The link below can help explain this through using paint.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/what-is-gpu-computing.html

This an GeForce 6600GT

graphics processor

Memory
Memory is mainly used to store images, work and games and can be split
into 3 main types. Random Access Memory (RAM) is used to store items

PC Hardware Essay
for a certain time period but is wiped when it is shut down or restarted so
it has a fresh start when it is booted back up. The other two types is
Internal and External this is where things can be permanently stored
and not lost until deleted. All types of Memory are talked about in
Gigabytes and Terrorbytes (GB and 1000GB in 1TB).
Game Storage Medium
Game Storage Medium (GSM) is Technology used to Place, Store and
Retrieve Data.
These are examples of a hard
drive from a laptop and a
computer

Display
Display is the image given off by the screen of the computer/laptop. There
are many types of screen imagery hardware. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) are some of the common and most used
when it comes to PCs and laptops as the dont need a huge amount of
space by the screen and can be placed in easily
LCDs are much cheaper to buy compared to CRTs. They dont use so
much electricity than the CRTs and theyre not as strong on the eyes so
you wont have to take breaks from the computer as often. However CRTs
are better at processing graphics and colours better than an LCD and they
also update more frequently so that you can have better graphics for your
gameplay if you play PC games.
Below is an example of an LCD screen and to the right is an example of a
CRT screen

PC Hardware Essay

Sound
There are many types of sound cards available for your computers and
your laptops. Some of the best sounds cards are listed and explained
about below.
PCI these are attached to the motherboard and are very cost effective
and stable if you just want to listen to music and watch videos. PCIs are
also able to connect to other equipment very easily. The only downside is
that you can only get these on desktop PCs and not laptops.
USB External Sound Cards some sound cards work using a USB lead
connect to your computer and function as a external sound card. These
are very user friendly as you just need to plug it in then go. This works
with all types of computers with a USB port.
FireWire this is just like the USB but they offer a faster data transfer
rate.

this is an example of a turtle beach sound card

Interface Devices
A interface Device (IDF) is what allows people to interact with the
computer like a webcam or a keyboard. Some of these things like a
webcam or a USB mouse can be placed into a specific port and then thats
it but for a keyboard this will be attached to multiple parts of the

PC Hardware Essay
motherboard for example the CPU. All computers have a mouse and a
keyboard, as you will need to have one to interact with the computer
unless it all voice activated.

The oculus rift is a good example of an

interface device

Connectivity
To be able to connect to the internet wired or wireless you will need a
network card. This enables you to access the internet from your computer
without it crashing down with the massive amount of calculations the CPU
will have to do. Most newer computers will have this already in the
motherboard. Many places in the city or town offer a free Wi-Fi spot and
many companies offer free Wi-Fi to promote their business.

this is an example of an ATM network interface

Power Supply
There two main types of power supply within computer. Internal and
external battery. An internal battery like PC monitors are not easily
moveable as it is very difficult and is usually placed in one area and never
really moved. An external power supply tends to be smaller than an

PC Hardware Essay
internal power supply and can be moved around easier than having an
internal power supply as external power supplies tend to be in laptops.

Pros and cons of internal power

supplies
Pros:

You dont have to worry about moving them and where you have to
place the computer as they tend to stay in one place.
They wont overheat as quickly as a laptop and so you can stay on
them longer than an External Power Supply like a laptop.

Cons:

You can take them out or on holiday with you as this would be very
hard to move them so anything with an external hard drive would be
better.
If there is a power cut then you cant keep working unlike a Laptop
so you could lose all your work and have to start again.
When the computer crashes or you need help fixing it you have to
get someone to come over and have a look where as a Laptop you
can take it over to someone and show them the problem.

this is an example of an
internal battery as this is kept in PCs and laptops as a backup

Pros and cons of an external power

supply
Pros

Easier to move than the internal battery supply

Lighter than an internal battery source
Can be replaced easier than a internal battery source

PC Hardware Essay
Cons:

They overheat quicker than an internal power supply.

They need more time to be looked after
Its very expensive to get them fixed compared to an internal power
supply

Conclusion
In conclusion PCs and Laptops have become even more powerful but the
equipment has become even smaller too. Most of the computer part
manufactures are always trying to cram more power into a smaller space
and this has worked to an extent like our mobile phones have become
much smaller than the bricks in the 1990s and we can also do more on
them too.
I believe that in the next decade were going to see even more powerful
equipment crammed into a smaller space which will transform the way we
think and how people are going to use and view them.

Reference list
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-different-types-of-pcmonitors.html
http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/Sound-CardsExplained-/10000000003410541/g.html
https://www.google.co.uk/#q=what+is+an+interface+device
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/13/print
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_external_power_supply
http://webshop.atlantikelektronik.de/Webpage/CSR_Human%20Interface
%20Device%20Profile.html
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/cpu.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_processing_unit

PC Hardware Essay
http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Monitor/CRT-Monitor/
http://digitalwalt.com/how-to-choose-a-lcd-monitor/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_card
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2024445/oculus-rift-vr-headset-prototypeworks-so-well-it-s-a-little-scary.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_interface_controller
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/central-processing-unit-cpuparts-definition-function.html#lesson