Configuration of a Desktop PC:

Intel Core i3/i5 processor

Intel DH77EB Motherboard (socket LGA 1155)
4GB/8GB RAM DDR 3
500GB/1 TB HARD DRIVE
17 LCD Monitor
Keyboard+Mouse
Power Supply
DVD RW Drive
Speakers
Cabinet
Windows 7/8 operating system

The chipset connects the microprocessor to the rest of the motherboard and
therefore to the rest of the computer.
it consists of two basic parts -- the northbridgeand the southbridge.

The northbridge connects directly to the processor via the front side bus (FSB). A
memory controller is located on the northbridge, which gives the CPU fast access to
the memory The northbridge also connects to the AGP or PCI Express bus and to the
memory itself.

The southbridge is slower than the northbridge, and information from the CPU has to
go through the northbridge before reaching the southbridge. Other busses connect the
southbridge to the PCI bus, the USB ports and the IDEor SATA hard disk connections.
Chipset:
A bus is simply a circuit that connects one part of the motherboard to another. The
more data a bus can handle at one time, the faster it allows information to travel.
The speed of the bus, measured in megahertz (MHz)
Bus speed usually refers to the speed of the front side bus (FSB), which connects
the CPU to the northbridge.
Since the CPU reaches the memory controller though the northbridge, FSB speed
can dramatically affect a computer's performance.
FSB : FRONT SIDE BUS
Cache memory is extremely fast memory that is built into a computers
CPU or located next to it on a separate chip.

The CPU uses cache memory to store instructions that are repeatedly required to
run programs, improving overall system speed.

The advantage of cache memory is that the CPU does not have
to use the motherboards system bus for data transfer. Whenever data must be passed through
the system bus, the data transfer speed slows to the motherboards capability.

The CPU can process data much faster by avoiding the bottleneck created by the system bus.

Cache Memory
BIOS (BASIC INPUT OUTPUT SYSTEM)
One of the most common uses of Flash memory is for the basic input/output
system of your computer, commonly known as the BIOS
On every computer,the BIOS makes sure all the other chips, hard drives, ports and
CPU function together.
One of the most important roles of BIOS is to load the operating system. When you
turn on your computer and the microprocessor tries to execute its first instruction. It
cannot get it from the operating system because it is located on a hard disk. The BIOS
provides those instructions .

Other Tasks of BIOS:
A power-on self-test (POST) for all of the different hardware components in the
system to make sure everything is working properly
Managing a collection of settings for the hard disks clock, etc
Activating other BIOS chips on different cards installed in the computer
eg.graphics cards often have their own BIOS chips.


Bridges vs Routers
Bridge:
A bridge is a device that
connects two segments of
the same network. The two
networks being connected
can be alike or dissimilar.

Bridges are protocol-
independent. They simply
forward packets without
analyzing and re-routing
messages.


Router:
A router is a device that connects two
distinct networks. Routers are
similar to bridges, but provide
additional functionality, such as the
ability to filter messages and
forward them to different places
based on various criteria.
The Internet uses routers extensively
to forward packets from one host
to another.

6
Gateways
A node on a network that serves as an entrance to another network.
In enterprises, the gateway is the computer that routes the traffic
from a computer to the outside network that is serving the Web
pages.
In homes, the gateway is the ISP(Internet Service Provider ) that
connects the user to the internet.

In enterprises, the gateway node often acts as a proxy server and
a firewall.The gateway is also associated with both a router. which
use headers and forwarding tables to determine where packets are
sent, and a switch , which provides the actual path for the packet in
and out of the gateway.