Final Project Introduction to Computer System Unit

Submitted to: Mrs. Mukhtiar Bano Submitted By: Arooj Bashir Ayesha Pervez Saira Komal Samira Malik Sara Akhtar Department BBA-I

Fatima Jinnah Women University

SYSTEM UNIT
A system unit, also known as a base unit, is the main body of a desktop computer, typically consist of a plastic enclosure containing the mother board, power supply, cooling fans, internal disk drives, memory modules and expansion cards that are plugged into mother board.

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT

History of central processing unit:
Early CPUs were constructed from vacuum tubes, which required a great deal of energy and physical space compared to modern construction. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), which became operational in 1945 using more than 18,000 vacuum tubes, is largely regarded as the first electronic computer. The transistor was introduced in 1948, providing a smaller, faster, more efficient and reliable alternative to the vacuum tube. In 1956 the UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was completed, the first computer to incorporate a transistor-based CPU.

Development of the integrated circuit (IC), or computer chip, began in 1958 when Texas Instruments introduced a single piece of silicon containing multiple components. The integrated circuit provides the physical basis for today's microcomputers. In 1965 Gordon Moore made a prediction, now known as Moore's Law, that the number of transistors contained on a computer chip would double every year. In fact, the number of transistors integrated onto a single chip has doubled about every eighteen months over recent years. The first ICs had less than one hundred transistors, as opposed to the more than eight million transistors now common on a single chip. Continually improving methods in IC manufacturing have led to larger numbers of smaller components, which have in turn led to faster processing.

John W. Mauchly, co-inventor of the ENIAC, makes some adjustments to his electronic calculating machine.

In 1967 Fairchild Semiconductor introduced an IC that contained all of the ALU functions, but required additional circuitry to provide register storage and data control. Intel Corporation introduced the first fully functioning microprocessor in 1971. The Intel 4004 was capable of four-bit arithmetic operations and was used in a number of handheld calculators. The 4.77 MHz sixteen-bit Intel 8086 was introduced seven years later, becoming the first generation of the popular x86 series of microprocessors and the basis for the personal computer. New Pentiums were introduced. In 2001 Intel introduced the 32-bit Pentium IV with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz, or 1.5 billion pulses per second.

CPU:
The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the central processor, but more commonly called processor, the CPU is where most calculations

take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system. The CPU is responsible for manipulating data and coordinating the activities of the computer's other physical components, including memory and peripherals. Instructions gathered from input interfaces are executed at the CPU, and the results delivered to output interfaces. The CPU, therefore, functions as the heart of the computer, facilitating all data processing activity.

On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor. The CPU itself is an internal component of the computer. Modern CPUs are small and square and contain multiple metallic connectors or pins on the underside. The CPU is inserted directly into a CPU socket, pin side down, on the motherboard. Each motherboard will support only a specific type or range of CPU so you must check the motherboard manufacturer's specifications before attempting to replace or upgrade a CPU. Modern CPUs also have an attached heat sink and small fan that go directly on top of the CPU to help dissipate heat. Two typical components of a CPU are the following:

The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations. The control unit (CU), which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.

ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT (ALU):

The arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) performs all arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) and logic operations. Logic operations test various conditions encountered during processing and allow for different actions to be taken based on the results. The data required to perform the arithmetic and logical functions are inputs from the designated CPU registers and operands. The ALU relies on

basic items to perform its operations. These include number systems, data routing circuits (adders/subtracters), timing, instructions, operands, and registers. Basic arithmetic operations, like addition and subtraction, are performed by an arithmetic circuit; logic operations, such as AND, OR, and XOR (exclusive OR), are performed by a logic circuit.

CONTROL UNIT (CU):

The control unit of the central processing unit regulates and integrates the operations of the computer. It selects and retrieves instructions from the main memory in proper sequence and interprets them so as to activate the other functional elements of the system at the appropriate moment to perform their respective operations.

CLOCK:
A clock that sends repetitive pulses throughout the components of the CPU synchronizes all of these operations. Each clock pulse triggers an actiontherefore, a CPU's performance can be measured by the frequency of clock pulses. The clock, however, must not exceed the performance of the registers or the CPU cannot function. The frequency of the clock is measured in Hertz (pulses per second).

Memory:
Computer memory refers to devices that are used to store data or programs (sequences of instructions) on a temporary or permanent basis for use in an electronic digital computer.

History:
Drum memory, an early form of computer memory that actually did use a drum as a working part with data loaded to the drum. The drum was a metal cylinder coated with recordable ferromagnetic material. The drum also had a row of read-write heads that wrote and then read the recorded data.

Magnetic core memory (ferrite-core memory) is another early form of computer memory. Magnetic ceramic rings called cores, stored information using the polarity of a magnetic field. 1834 Charles Babbage begins build his "Analytical Engine", precursor to the computer. It uses read-only memory in the form of punch cards. 1932Gustav Tauschek invents drum memory in Austria. From 1936-1940s different substances were introduced for memoey storage purposes for e.g. capacitors and punch cards. In 1947 the idea of magnetic core memory and magnetic drum memory were introduced. They were introduced in 1950s.in after that their memory range were increased with passage of time. In 1955 semiconductor chips were introduced .1969Intel produce a 1 KB RAM chip, the largest memory chip to date. In 70s intel introduces the DRAM memory chip, 256-bit programmable memory, 256-bit programmable memory and erasable read-only memory (EROM) were introduced. 1975 Personal consumer computer 1 KB of memory. Later in the same year, Bob Marsh manufacturers the first Processor Technology's 4 kb memory boards for the Altair. 1984Apple Computers releases the Macintosh personal computer. It is the first computer that came with 128KB of memory. The one-megabyte memory chip is developed.

Types of memory:
There are two types of memory: Volatile memory Non-volatile memory

Volatile memory
Volatile memory is computer memory that requires power to maintain the stored information. Current semiconductor volatile memory technology is usually either static RAM or dynamic RAM Static RAM exhibits data remanence, but is still volatile, since all data is lost when memory is not powered. Whereas, dynamic RAM allows data to be leaked and disappear

automatically without a refreshing. Upcoming volatile memory technologies that hope to replace or compete with SRAM and DRAM include Z-RAM, TTRAM and A-RAM.

Non-volatile memory
Non-volatile memory is computer memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered. Examples of non-volatile memory include read-only memory most types of magnetic computer storage devices (e.g. hard disks, floppy discs and magnetic tape), optical discs, and early computer storage methods such as paper tape and cards. Upcoming non-volatile memory technologies include FeRAM, CBRAM, PRAM, SONOS, RRAM, Racetrack memory, NRAM and Millipede. READ ONLY MEMORY (ROM): Read-only memory is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Because data stored in ROM cannot be modified. However, more modern types such as EPROM and EEPROM can be erased and re-programmed multiple times; they are still described as "read-only memory"(ROM) because the reprogramming process is generally infrequent, comparatively slow, and often does not permit random access writes to individual memory locations. Despite the simplicity of ROM, economies of scale and field-programmability often make reprogrammable technologies more flexible and inexpensive, so mask ROM is rarely used in new products as of 2007. RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM): Random-access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order (i.e., at random). The word random thus refers to the fact that any piece of data can be returned in a constant time, regardless of its physical location and whether or not it is related to the previous piece of data. By contrast, storage devices such as magnetic discs and optical discs rely on the physical movement of the recording medium or a reading head. In these devices, the movement takes longer than data transfer, and the retrieval time varies based on the physical location of the next item. The word RAM is often associated with volatile types of memory where the information is lost after the power is switched off. Many other types of memory are RAM, too, including most types of ROM and a type of flash memory called NOR-Flash.

Memory Storage Devices

The computer has one or more disk drivesdevices that store information on a metal or plastic disk. The disk preserves the information even when your computer is turned off.

Hard disk drive

The computer's hard disk drive stores information on a hard disk, a rigid platter or stack of platters with a magnetic surface. Because hard disks can hold massive amounts of information, they usually serve as your computer's primary means of storage, holding almost all of your programs and files. The hard disk drive is normally located inside the system unit.
Hard disk drive

CD and DVD drives

Nearly all computers today come equipped with a CD or DVD drive, usually located on the front of the system unit. CD drives use lasers to read (retrieve) data from a CD, and many CD drives can also write (record) data onto CDs. If have a recordable disk drive, it can store copies of the files on blank CDs. It can also use a CD drive to play music CDs on computer.
CD

DVD drives can do everything that CD drives can, plus read DVDs. If you have a DVD drive Many DVD drives can record data onto blank DVDs.

Floppy disk drive

Floppy disk drives store information on floppy disks, also called floppies or diskettes. Compared to CDs and DVDs, floppy disks can store only a small amount of data. They also retrieve information more slowly and are more prone to damage. For these reasons,

floppy disk drives are less popular than they used to be, although some computers still include them.
Floppy disk

MOTHER BOARD
The motherboard is the main circuit board of r computer and is also known as the mainboard or logic board. In computer, the biggest piece of silicon you see is the motherboard. Attached to the motherboard, CPU, ROM, memory RAM expansion slots, PCI slots, and USB ports. It also includes controllers for devices like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse. Basically, the motherboard is what makes everything in computer work together. Each motherboard has a collection of chips and controllers known as the chipset. When new motherboards are developed, they often use new chipsets. These boards are typically more efficient and faster than their predecessors. The best way to describe the motherboard goes along well with human body analogy that used for the CPU. The CPU is the brain, and the motherboard is the nervous system. Therefore, just as a person would want to have fast communication to the body parts, Fast communication isn't as important as reliable communication though. If our brain wanted to move our arm, we want to be sure the nervous system can accurately and consistently carry the signals to do that. The motherboard is the circuit board to which all the other components of the computer connect in some way. The video card, sound card, IDE hard drive, etc. all plug into the motherboard's various slots and connectors. The CPU also plugs into the motherboard via a Socket or a Sl.

Modern use:
Motherboard is a complex printed circuit board (PCB) that is the central part of many electronic systems, particularly the computers. They are alternately known as main board, system board, or logic board (Apple Computers). A motherboard is a platform that offers electrical connections through which other components of a computer communicate, and it also has the central processing unit (CPU), generally referred to as the brain of computer. Motherboards are also present in mobile phones, clocks, stop watches, etc. Motherboards include a lot of essential components of a computer such as microprocessor, main memory, microprocessors supporting chipset that provides interfaces between CPU and other external components. The devices revolutionized the way computer systems were designed. The earlier versions were confusing and time consuming. Few things that a motherboard nowadays include are: Sockets for microprocessors Slots where main memory (Random Access Memory) is installed A chipset that forms an interface between CPU, main memory and peripheral buses BIOS (Basic input/output system)
Expansion card slots, etc

History of motherboard:
Before the invention of microprocessors, computers were built in mainframes, with components which were connected by a backplane that had countless slots for connecting

wires. In old designs, wires were needed to connect card connector pins but, soon they became a thing of past with the invent of PCBs. The CPU, memory and other peripherals were all housed on this printed circuit board. During the late 1980s and 1990s, it was found that increasing the number of peripheral functions on the PCB was very economical. Hence, single Integrated Circuits (ICs), capable of supporting low-speed peripherals like serial ports, mouse, keyboards, etc., were included on the motherboards. By the late 1990s, they began to have full range of audio, video, storage and networking functions on them. Higher end systems for 3D gaming and graphic cards were also including later.

1. Mouse & keyboard

2. USB 3. Parallel port 4. CPU Chip 5. RAM slots 6. Floppy controller 7. IDE controller 8. PCI slot 9. ISA slot 10. CMOS Battery 11. AGP slot 12. CPU slot 13. Power supply plug in 1. Mouse & keyboard: Keyboard Connectors are two types basically. All PCs have a Key board port connected directly to the motherboard. The oldest, but still quite common type, is a special DIN, and most PCs until recently retained this style connector. The AT-style keyboard connector is quickly disappearing, being replaced by the smaller mini DIN PS/2-style keyboard connector. AT-style keyboard with a PS/2-style socket (or the other way around) by using a converter. Although the AT connector is unique in PCs, the PS/2-style mini-DIN is also used in more modern PCs for the mouse. Fortunately, most PCs that use the mini-DIN for both the keyboard and mouse clearly mark each mini-DIN socket as to its correct use. Some keyboards have a USB connection, but these are fairly rare compared to the PS/2 connection keyboards. 2. USB (Universal serial bus): USB is the General-purpose connection for PC. You can find USB versions of many different devices, such as mice, keyboards, scanners, cameras, and even printers. a USB connector's distinctive rectangular shape makes it easily recognizable. USB has a number of features that makes it particularly popular on PCs. First, USB devices are hot swappable. You can insert or remove them without restarting your system. 3. Parallel port: Most printers use a special connector called a parallel port. Parallel port carry data on more than one wire, as opposed to the serial port, which uses only one wire. Parallel ports use a 25-pin female DB connector. Parallel ports are directly supported by the motherboard through a direct connection or through a dangle.

4. CPU Chip : The central processing unit, also called the microprocessor performs all the calculations that take place inside a pc. CPUs come in Variety of shapes and sizes. Modern CPUs generate a lot of heat and thus require a cooling fan or heat sink. The cooling device (such as a cooling fan) is removable, although some CPU manufactures sell the CPU with a fan permanently attached. 5. RAM slots: Random-Access Memory (RAM) stores programs and data currently being used by the CPU. RAM is measured in units called bytes. RAM has been packaged in many different ways. The most current package is called a 168-pin DIMM (Dual Inline Memory module). 6. Floppy controller: The floppy drive connects to the computer via a 34-pin ribbon cable, which in turn connects to the motherboard. A floppy controller is one that is used to control the floppy drive. 7. IDE controller: Industry standards define two common types of hard drives: EIDE and SCSI. Majority of the PCs use EIDE drives. SCSI drives show up in high end PCs such as network servers or graphical workstations. The EIDE drive connects to the hard drive via a 2-inch-wide, 40-pin ribbon cable, which in turn connects to the motherboard. IDE controller is responsible for controlling the hard drive. 8. PCI slot: Intel introduced the Peripheral component interconnect bus protocol. The PCI bus is used to connect I/O devices (such as NIC or RAID controllers) to the main logic of the computer. PCI bus has replaced the ISA bus. 9. ISA slot: (Industry Standard Architecture) It is the standard architecture of the Expansion bus. Motherboard may contain some slots to connect ISA compatible cards. 10. CMOS Battery: To provide CMOS with the power when the computer is turned off all motherboards comes with a battery. These batteries mount on the motherboard in one of three ways: the obsolete external battery, the most common onboard battery, and built-in battery. 11. AGP slot: If you have a modern motherboard, you will almost certainly notice a single connector that looks like a PCI slot, but is slightly shorter and usually brown. You also probably have a video card inserted into this slot. This is an Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) slot 12. CPU slot: To install the CPU, just slide it straight down into the slot. Special notches in the slot make it impossible to install them incorrectly. So remember if it does not go easily, it is probably not correct. Be sure to plug in the CPU fan's power. 13. Power supply plug in: The Power supply, as its name implies, provides the necessary electrical power to make the pc operate. the power supply takes standard 110-V AC power and converts into 12-Volt, 5-Volt, and 3.3-Volt DC power.

Some motherboard components with major functions:

Transistors A transistor is a type of electronic switch. It is made up of sections of n-type and p-type semiconductors that switch a current on or off. An n-type semiconductor is a kind of semiconductor that has been treated to produce electrons. A p-type semiconductor is a kind of semiconductor that has been treated to produce holes (spaces for electrons). A controlling signal goes to the central section (the base or

gate), which controls the flow of current through two outer sections (the emitter or source, and the collector or drain). If the signal is positive, the charge attracts negatively charged electrons out of the base. The rush of electrons out of the ptype silicon creates an electronic vacuum, and the electrons from the n-type source fill the vacuum up. Also, the electrons from the source flow to the drain, completing the circuit and making the transistor on, so that it represents a 1. If a negative charge is fed into the poly silicon, the electrons from the source are repelled, and the transistor is turned off. Diodes A diode allows current to flow in one direction, but not the other. It consists of a p-n semiconductor junction. When a positive terminal is connected to the p-type layer (far right on the image below), the positive charge of the terminal attracts electrons and full current flows. On reversing the connections (right), the negative charge of the p-type layer opposes electron flow. A low current flows as a few electrons freed by atomic vibrations cross the junction. Forward Bias Reverse Bias Transistor On Transistor Off

Expansion Cards

An expansion card (also expansion board, adapter card or accessory card) in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard to add additional functionality to a computer system. One edge of the expansion card holds the contacts (the edge connector) that fit exactly into the slot. Slot is an opening where cards are attached. They establish the electrical contact between the electronics (mostly integrated circuits) on the card and on the motherboard.

There are Connectors mounted on the bracket allow the connection of external devices to the card. Depending on the form of the motherboard and case, around one to seven expansion cards can be added to a computer system. The primary purpose of an expansion card is to provide or expand on features not offered by the motherboard. For example, the original PC did not provide graphics or hard drive capability as the technology for providing that on the motherboard did not exist. In that case, a graphics expansion card and hard disk controller card provided graphics capability and hard drive interface respectively. Early computers were without expansion cards. They were first introduced in 1975.but they were not for commercial purpose. They were first called as PC bus. In early 1990s expansion bus that was inherently tied to CPU, became obsolete (along with the processor) when Intel launched the Pentium CPU in 1993. in 1997 different cards for different purposes such as for network and communication purposos were introduced.There are different types of cards such as

Sound card
A sound card (also known as an audio card) is a computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. Typical uses of sound cards include providing the audio component for multimedia applications such as music composition, editing video or audio, presentation, education, and entertainment (games). Many computers have sound capabilities built in, while others require additional expansion cards to provide for audio capability. Sound cards usually feature a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which converts recorded or generated digital data into an analog format. The output signal is connected to an amplifier or external device using standard interconnects. Digital sound reproduction is usually done with multi-channel DACs, which are capable of multiple digital samples simultaneously at different pitches and volumes, or optionally applying real-time effects like filtering or distortion. Sound cards for computers were very uncommon until 1988, which left the single internal PC speaker as the only way early PC software could produce sound and music. Several companies tried to introduce sound system. Other home computer models of the 1980s included hardware support for digital sound playback, or music synthesis (or both), leaving the IBM PC at a disadvantage to them when it came to multimedia applications such as music composition or gaming. Now different technologies for sound cards are available in integrated from, the most common is USB sound cards. They produce sound within the computer.

Network cards
A network interface card, network adapter, network interface controller (NIC), or LAN adapter is a computer hardware component designed to allow computers to communicate

over a computer. It is both an OSI layer 1 (physical layer) and layer 2 (data link layer) device, as it provides physical access to a networking medium and provides a low-level addressing system through the use of MAC addresses. It allows users to connect to each other either by using cables or wirelessly. The network card implements the electronic circuitry required to communicate using a specific physical layer and data link layer standard such as Ethernet or token ring. This provides a base for a full network protocol stack, allowing communication among small groups of computers on the sameLAN and large-scale network communications through routable protocols, such as IP.

Modem Card
A modem card (modulator-demodulator) is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. It sends and receives data from one computer to another through telephone lines. There are different types of modem. Some of them are as follow: Internal modem A modem that plugs into an expansion slot within the computer. Unlike an external modem, an internal modem does not provide a series of display lights that inform the user of the changing modem states. External modem A self-contained modem that is connected to the serial or USB port of a computer. The older serial port models draw power from a wall outlet and have the advantage of status lights on the outside of the case that show the changing states of the modem (off-hook, carrier detect, transmitting, etc.). Wireless modem A modem that transmits and receives from antenna over the air. Wireless
modems support several technologies, Bluetooth. There are wireless modems for laptops, handhelds and cell phones.

DSL modem A device used to connect a computer to a telephone company digital subscriber
line (DSL) service for Internet access. Compared to analog dial-up, DSL significantly increases the bandwidth between the user's computer and the Internet. It is provided by telephone companies.

ISDN modem Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communications

standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network.

Cable modem A cable modem is a type of Network Bridge and modem that provides bidirectional data communication via radio frequency channels on a cable television (CATV) infrastructure.

Video Card
Video card, video adapter, graphics-accelerator card, display adapter or graphics card is a card, whose function is to generate and output images to a display. Many video cards offer added functions, such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, video capture, TV-tuner adapter, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoding, FireWire, light pen, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors (multi-monitor), while other modern high performance cards are used for more graphically demanding purposes such as PC games. Video hardware can be integrated on the motherboard, as it often happened with early computers; in this configuration it was sometimes referred to as a video controller or graphics controller.

TV tuner card
A TV tuner card is a computer component that allows television signals to be received by a computer. Most TV tuners also function as video capture cards, allowing them to record television programs onto a hard.

Computer ports
Ports are used to connect external devices to the computer. A 'port' serves as an interface between the computer and other computers or peripheral devices. When we need to add a new piece of hardware to computer, there is need to connect with bus. Most computers have several types of ports, each with different capabilities and uses. There exist several types of ports like serial port, parallel port, USB port, etc.

Serial ports
As the name suggests, the serial port transfers data serially a bit at a time. As a result, the serial port needs only wire to transmit 8 bits. The disadvantage is that it takes 8 times longer to transmit a byte Serial ports come in the form of 9-pin or 25-pin male connector. Serial ports are often known as communication ports or RS232C ports. They are typically used to connect devices like mouse and modem.

Parallel Ports
Parallel ports can send or receive a byte (8-bit) at a time. Unlike the serial port, these 8bits are transmitted parallel to each other. Parallel ports come in the form of 25-pin female connector. Parallel ports are popularly used to connect printer, scanner, CD writer, zip drive, external hard disk drive, tape backup drive, etc.

USB Port
Universal Serial Bus) A widely used hardware interface for attaching a maximum of 127 peripheral devices to a computer. There are usually at least two USB ports on laptops and four USB ports on desktop computers. USB is gaining popularity for PCs it intended to replace many varieties of serial and parallel ports. USB can connect computer peripherals such as mice, keyboards, digital cameras, printers, personal media players, flash drives, and external hard drives. The USB 1.0 specification was introduced in 1996. It was intended to make it fundamentally easier to connect external devices to PCs by replacing the multitude of connectors at the back of PCs, addressing the usability issues of existing interfaces, and to simplify software configuration of all devices connected to USB, as well as to permit greater bandwidth for external devices. The original USB 1.0 specification had a data transfer rate of 12 Mbit/s.

Heat sink

The process of removing heat from computer components. Because a computer system's components produce large amounts of heat during operation, this heat must be dissipated in order to keep these components within their safe operating temperatures. In addition to maintaining normative function, varied cooling methods are used to either achieve greater processor performance, or else to reduce the noise pollution caused by typical Components which produce heat and are susceptible to performance loss and damage include integrated circuits such as CPUs, chipset and graphics cards, along with hard drives (though excessive cooling of hard drives has been found to have negative effects).

Power supply
A power supply unit (PSU) is the component that supplies power to the other components in a computer. The most common computer power supplies are built to conform to the ATX form factor. This enables different power supplies to be interchangeable with different components inside the computer. ATX power supplies also are designed to turn on and off using a signal from the motherboard, and provide support for modern functions such as the standby mode available in many computers.supply is in standby. It can be grounded to turn the power supply on without having to turn on the rest of the components. This is useful for testing or to use the computer ATX power supply for other purposesMost computer power supplies are a type of switched-mode power supply (SMPS). Computer power supplies may have short circuit protection, overpower (overload) protection, overvoltage protection, undervoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and over temperature protection. Some power supplies come with sleeved cables, which is aesthetically nicer, makes wiring easier and cleaner and have less detrimental effect on airflow

Ribbon cable
A ribbon cable (also known as multi-wire planar cable) is a cable with many conducting wires running parallel to each other on the same flat plane. As a result the cable is wide and flat. Its name comes from the resemblance of the cable to a piece of ribbon computers, such as hard drives, CD drives and floppy drives. On some older computer systems they were commonly used for external connections as well. Unfortunately the ribbon-like shape makes them awkward to handle, especially when there are a lot of them, and so round cables have almost entirely replaced ribbon cables for external connection Ribbon cables are commonly seen for internal peripherals in computers, such as hard drives, CD drives and floppy drives. On some older computer systems they were commonly used for external connections as well

Computer fan

A set of 4 industry standard 80 mm fans, most commonly used in personal computers. A computer fan is any fan inside a computer case used for cooling purposes, and may refer to fans that draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside, or move air across a heatsink to cool a particular component. The use of fans to cool a computer is an example of active cooling. Manufacturers of fan include, among others, AVC, Akasa, Antec, Arctic Cooling, Cooler Master, Delta, ebm-papst, Nexus, Nidec, Noctua, NorthQ, Scythe, Sharkoon, Thermaltake, Y.S. Tech and Zalman

CPU fan
Used to cool the CPU (central processing unit) heatsink.

Graphics card fan

Used to cool the graphics processing unit or the memory on graphics cards. These fans were not necessary on older cards because of their low power dissipation, but most modern graphics cards, especially those designed for 3D graphics and gaming, need their own dedicated cooling fans. Some of the higher powered cards can produce more heat than the CPU so effective cooling is especially important..

Chipset fan
Used to cool the northbridge of a motherboard's chipset, which may be necessary for system bus overclocking