COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND

SERVICING NCII

Week 1: Introduction to Computer

Learning Objectives:
• At the end of this lesson, students should
be able to:
– Practice OHS guidelines
– Identify the parts of computer system.
– Install parts of a computer system.
– Assemble and setup a desktop.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
PROCEDURE
• 1. Check and
confirm right
voltages of
equipment to
Laboratory
personnel or
teacher.
• 2. Know the location of
emergency equipment
such as fire extinguisher
and first aid kits. (also
locate emergency exit/s
if evacuating the
premises is necessary)
• 3. Create an ESD free
environment or work
area by holding a metal
base for 10 seconds for
grounding, using anti-
static wrist straps, using
anti-static containers
and using anti-static
mat.
• 4. Keep the PC
unplugged when
working inside it.
• 5. No food and drinks on
the working area to
avoid spills that can
damage parts and
equipment.
• 6. Report unsafe or
malfunctioning
equipment to
Laboratory personnel or
teacher.
• 7. Use care in handling,
disposing and storing
sharp objects.
• 8. Use protective wear
such as rubber gloves,
eyeglass etc.
INTRODUCTION TO DESKTOP COMPUTER
Learning Objectives:
• At the end of this lesson, students should
be able to:
– Define computer
– Enumerate types of personal computer
– Identify common parts of a desktop
computer
– Select peripherals for best computing
experience.
 COMPUTER

• A computer is an electronic device that has the

capability to manipulate information or data, store,
retrieve, and process it for more useful information.

• It is programmable so it can responds to specific

instructions or commands.
 Personal Computer

• Personal Computer or PC
for short is small and
designed for an individual
user.
• The most common type of
PC in every household.
TYPES OF PC
 Desktop Computer
• Desktop is a common
term used to describe a
general type of personal
computer that is not
portable and often
placed on or at someone
home or office desk.
 Laptop Computer
• Laptop Computer is a small, portable
computer enough to sit it on your lap.
• Laptop computers are more frequently
called as notebook computers, though
technically laptops are somewhat
larger in size than notebooks in both
thickness and weight.
• Portable computers run off AC power
and also have the ability to run of
battery pack for a few hours.
 Netbook
• Netbook is a small portable
computing device, similar to a
notebook, but has a smaller form
factor.
• It is suitable for net browsing or
surfing, hence, the term netbook.
• Most Netbook nowadays have the
same performance with other
Notebook.
 PDA – Personal Digital Assistant
• Originally this size was
developed to handle
specific tasks, a
handheld device or
mobile device that
functions as personal
information manager.
COMMON PARTS OF A DESKTOP COMPUTER
 System Unit

• System Unit is the main

body of a desktop
computer which is
typically consisting of a
metal or plastic enclosure
containing all the essential
parts of the personal
computer.
 FORM FACTOR OF SYSTEM UNIT
• The form factor is the size,
configuration, or physical
arrangement of a computer
hardware object.
• The term is commonly used
in describing the size and/or
arrangement of a computer
case or chassis
 Full Tower
• Full-tower cases are
generally big with a height
that is about or more than
30 inches (more than 76
cm).
• The number of internal drive
bays inside these cases can
be between 6 and 10.

AH T600 Full Tower Chassis

 Mid Tower
• Another case that might be a step
down, would be classified as a mid
tower case.
• Mid-tower cases are the most widely
used computer cases. Mid Tower
cases are about 18 to 24 (45 to 60
cm) inches high and they usually
contain 2 to 4 internal drive bays and
a similar number of external bays
(for CD/DVD readers and similar).

NZXT H510 Elite - Premium Mid-Tower ATX Case

 Mini Tower
• Mini-tower usually stand at
a height of 12 to 18 inches
(30 to 45 cm), and normally
has up to 2 or sometimes 3
internal drive bays.
• Expandability is a problem
with these cases.

COUGAR GEMINI M RGB Mini Tower

 Slim Line Case
• Slim line cases are
simply tower cases
turned on their
sideways. They can hold
a monitor on top of the
case.

Antec Minuet 350 Slimline Desktop Case

 Small Form Factor (SFF) Case

• Small form factor or SFF cases

are custom cases that are
designed to minimize the spatial 3XS Gamer Nanu

volume of a desktop computer. Intel NUC5i3RYH Mini PC NUC Kit

• SFFs are available in a variety of
sizes and shapes, including shoe
boxes, cubes, and book-sized
PCs.
Razer Unveils The Tomahawk N1 Chassis and Gaming PC
DISPLAY DEVICES
 Monitor
• Monitor is a visual display unit,
which shows images generated
from the video adapter of a
computer.
• Computer monitor nowadays
have two types:
– The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
and LED (Light Emitting Diode)
monitor is thin and saves energy,
but costs more.
What to Consider in buying a desktop monitor?

1. Manufacturer and
Model name

The ASUS VS239H-P

Here, ASUS is the
Manufacturer

VS239H-P is the Model Name

Popular Manufacturer and newer Model will be more expensive.

What to Consider in buying a desktop monitor?

2. Ports or Plug-ins used to

connect in system unit.

Example: At the back of ASUS

VS239H-P the 3-pin AC port sit the
HDMI, DVI-D, VGA and audio-out
ports.

Monitor with complete Plug-ins will be more expensive.

TYPES OF DATA CABLE FOR COMPUTER MONITOR
 VGA (Video Graphic Array) Cable
• VGA (video graphics array)
has been around the
longest. VGA is an analog
signal, meaning the
quality may not be as high
as with other cables,
especially at high
resolutions.
VGA Port
 DVI (Digital Video Interface) Cable
• DVI (digital video interface)
has been on graphics cards for
many years now, but is still
very common.
• Almost all LCD displays have a
DVI port. Because DVI is a
digital connection, the signal
will be higher quality than
VGA.
DVI Port
 Types of DVI Connector
• There are several different types of DVI connectors.
• They're mostly intercompatible, but not always. DVI-A
carries only an analog signal (and is therefore rarely
useful).
• DVI-D carries only a digital signal.
• DVI-I carries both, and can be used with DVI-VGA
adapters. DVI-I connectors are the most versatile, as
they can be used for either digital or analog signals as
necessary.
• There are also two link modes. Almost all DVI cables are
single-link, which supports a practical resolution of up to
1920x1200. Dual-link cables can support resolutions up
to 2560x1600, and are typically only used for very high
resolution displays. Most (but not all) graphics cards
with a DVI output do support dual-link DVI
 HDMI (Video Graphic Array) Cable
• HDMI (high definition media
interface) is a newer port, but is
100% compatible with digital DVI
signals.
• HDMI has the advantage of being
able to carry an audio signal, but this
only works if your card supports
outputting HDMI audio and your
monitor has built-in speakers can
receive audio over HDMI.
• Usually connects a PC to new age TV.
HDMI Port
Power Plug for Computer Monitor
What to Consider in buying a desktop monitor?
3. Size and Resolution.
- The bigger the monitor,
the better, and of course
the higher its price.
• 5×4 – this is a slightly taller squarish
shape that was used by some 17 &
19 inch LCD monitors.
• The resolution was usually
1280×1024.
• The 19inch LCD running 1280×1024
was the PERFECT set-up for someone
with less than perfect eye sight.
• Square-ish monitor is good for older
people.
What to Consider in buying a desktop monitor?

3. Size and Resolution. • 16×9 – this is the aspect

- The bigger the monitor,
the better, and of course
the higher its price.
ratio of HDTV.
• Computer monitors come
in many different
resolutions with this ratio
including:
– 1920×1080, 1600×900, &
1280×720
 What to Consider in buying a desktop monitor?

4. Contrast ratio
– In reference to computer monitors, the measurement of
the difference in light intensity between the brightest white
and the darkest black.
– high contrast ratio, such as 400:1, represents a better color
representation (the better the information will appear
against a darker background) on the monitor than a lower
contrast ratio, such as 150:1.
COMPUTER PERIPHERALS
 Mouse
• Mouse is also known as
pointing device whose
function is to detect
two-dimensional motion
relative to its supporting
surface.
 Types of Mouse

Wired Mouse
USB Optical Mouse

Wireless Mouse
 Keyboard

• Keyboard is an input device, designed just like a typewriter

keyboard.
• It is one of the primary ways we communicate with the computer
and enter data.
 Types of Keyboard

PS2 Keyboard USB Keyboard

Wireless Keyboard
 Special Keyboard
• Flexible Keyboards. ...
• Gaming Keyboards. ...
• Ergonomic keyboard. ...
• Virtual Keyboard.
PC CONNECTORS
 PS2
• A type of port/connector
developed by IBM for connecting a
mouse or keyboard to a PC.
• The PS/2 port supports a mini DIN
plug containing just 6 pins.
• Most PCs have a PS/2 port so that
the serial port can be used by
another device, such as a modem.
The PS/2 port is often called the
mouse port.
 USB
• Short for Universal Serial Bus, an
external bus standard that
supports data transfer rates of 12
Mbps.
• A single USB port can be used to
connect up to 127 peripheral
devices, such as mice, modems,
and keyboards.
• USB also supports Plug-and-Play
installation and hot plugging.
 USB 3.0
• USB 3.0 provides better speed
and more efficient power
management than USB 2.0. B
• Backward compatible with USB
2.0 devices; however, data
transfer speeds are limited to
USB 2.0 levels when these
devices inter-operate.
 Types of USB
USB A is the common port used by USB mouse and keyboard.
OTHER PERIPHERALS
 Speakers
• Speakers are external audio
device which is commonly
equipped with a low-power
internal amplifier.
• The standard audio connector of
a computer speaker is a 3.5mm
(1/8 inch) stereo jack plug often
color-coded lime green for
computer sound cards.
Speaker cable jack

Audio Ports
NEXT WEEK:
• Inside the System Unit
– Motherboard
– CPU
– Storage Drive
• Hard disk / SSD
• RAM
– Expansion Slots
– Video Card
– Chipsets
– Ports
• References:
– http://www.computerhistory.org/
– http://www.computerhope.com/
– http://www.webopedia.com/
– http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
– http://pcityourself.com/
http://sir-sherwin.blogspot.com | http://pcrepairportal.atspace.tv