Inside and outside view of a computer
Dropcy
1Insideandoutsideviewofacomputer1.docx1
1. Inside and outside view of a computer
Objectives
Identify computer parts located inside the case and explain its usage.
What you need prior to starting the lab
· Internet connection
Purpose of the lab
Understand components of a computer and functionality are important when troubleshooting, assembling and/or disassembling computers or building a new computer. Expert computer technicians can identify components visually and able to differentiate different form factors (physical dimensions) at no time which is an essential skill when working in a fast pace world.
Activity
1. Form factors
a. Using the Internet, identify different form factors of motherboards and find the closest motherboard form factor (as listed in the second column of the table below). In addition, find the model number and the approximate price range.
|
Motherboard form factor |
Width x Length in mm (rounded off to the nearest whole number) |
Model number |
Price (CAD) |
|
Extended ATX |
305 x 330 |
|
|
|
Standard ATX |
305 x 244 |
|
|
|
Micro ATX |
244 x 244 |
|
|
|
Mini ATX |
170 x 170 |
|
|
|
Pico ITX |
100 x 72 |
|
|
b. Using the Internet, identify different form factors of desktop computer cases, and fill the table accordingly. For your reference, the desktop case dimension is labeled in the figure below.
|
Case type |
Height in mm |
Width in mm |
Depth in mm |
|
Super tower |
|
|
|
|
Full tower |
|
|
|
|
Mid tower |
|
|
|
|
Micro ATX |
|
|
|
|
Mini ITX |
|
|
|
Fig. Desktop dimension
c. Identify which computer cases (based on your input in the exercise 1b) are compatible with an “ATX large” Power Supply Unit (PSU).
2. Random Access Memory (RAM)
a. Identify what type of RAM (DDR 2/3/4) is installed on your computer. What is the speed of the RAM (rated in MHz)? What is the capacity of the RAM installed? Write down the steps taken to identify RAM information on your computer. (There may be more than one way to find out RAM information, however, identify only one).
b. What other types of RAM exist in the market?
Example:
I have 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM installed on my desktop computer. I accessed this information by clicking on Apple Logo → About this Mac.
|
Type of RAM |
Bus speed (MHz) |
Capacity (GB) |
Backward compatibility |
|
DDR4 |
2200 |
16 |
No |
|
SODIMM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
a. Identify what type of CPU is installed on your computer. Write down the steps taken to identify CPU information on your computer. (There may be more than one way to find out CPU information, however, identify only one).
Example: I have 4 GHz Quad-Core Intel i7. I accessed this information by clicking on Apple Logo → About this Mac.
b. List some types of CPU available in the market and fill the table below.
|
CPU model |
Speed (GHz) |
Price (CAD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. Graphics card
a. Identify the graphics card model number and memory installed on your computer. Write down the steps taken to identify graphics card information on your computer. (There may be more than one way to find out the information, however, identify only one).
For example, I have AMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2GB RAM
b. List some graphics cards available in the market and fill the table below.
|
Graphics card model |
RAM capacity |
RAM generation |
Price (CAD) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5. Input/output ports
a. By looking into the figure below, identify the usage of the ports.
Ports on the back of a motherboard[footnoteRef:1] [1: Image is taken from http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8524045]
b. Based on the ports as shown in the figure above, locate the ports on your computer. Identify which ports are available on your computer but are not available on the figure above.
6. Inside cables
a. Using the Internet, identify cable name, usage and which components can use such cables.
End of document
