The Components of the System Unit

1. The Components of the System Unit By Chelsea Shaw & Kelsie Tomerlin

2. System Board • Motherboard is the main system board in the computer. • Sometimes alternatively known as the main board, system board, planar board or logic board. • a printed circuit board found in all modern computers which holds many of the crucial components of the system, such as the central processing unit (CPU) and memory.

3. Memory (RAM) • a form of computer data storage • A random-access device allows stored data to be accessed in very nearly the same amount of time for any storage location, so data can be accessed quickly in any random order. • random-access memory takes the form of integrated circuits.

4. Power Supply • a device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. • The term is most commonly applied to electric power converters that convert one form of electrical energy to another. • Though it may also refer to devices that convert another form of energy to electrical energy.

5. CD/DVD Drive • A disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. • Some drives can only read from discs, but recent drives are commonly both readers and recorders, also called burners or writers. • They are very commonly used in computers to read software and consumer media distributed on disc

6. Floppy Drive • Was the primary means of adding data to a computer until the CD-ROM drive became popular. • have been a key component of most personal computers for more than 20 years. • reads and writes data to a small, circular piece of metal-coated plastic similar to audio cassette tape.

7. Hard Disk Drive • A data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information using rapidly rotating discs. • Retains its data even when powered off. • Became the dominant secondary storage device for general purpose computers by the early 1960s. • The primary characteristics are its capacity and performance.

8. Expansion Slots • A socket on the motherboard that can hold an adapter card. • How it works: There is a slot & it plugs into the back of the motherboard. • They provide access to the AGP, PCIe,PCI & ISA slots on the mother board. • There are 3 different types of expansion slots. They are called PCI, PCI Express, & AGP.

9. Expansion Cards • It is a circuit board that enhances functions of a component of the system unit and provides connections to the peripheral. • One edge of the card holds a slot for contacts (edge connector or pin header) that fit into the slot. • An expansion card can be to multiple RS232 ports.

10. CPU Chip • A microprocessor that incorporates functions of a computers central processing unit. • It works in any computers in the hard drive. • It is also called a microprocessor. • Everything on the computer is in this one chip.

11. Storage Bays • It is a location where various items are kept. • They are used to store disk drives • Does not connect to the motherboard • It is internal and external.

12. Zip Drive • It is a medium-capacity removable disk storage system • It is used to transport files from one computer to another. • The first zip drive was introduced by Iomega. • They are known to hold any amounts of data.