Huge Pedia » parts

386 and 486 computer parts

hugepedia — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:03:49 +0000

The 80386 microprocessor architecture was developed and introduced by Intel in 1985. It may have appeared to be groundbreaking new technology at the time, but little did they know then that it will be true for the next 25 years. We’re in 2010 and most personal computers are still using operating systems based on i386 (aka x86 or 32bit) technology, although all computer processors support the next big thing: 64bit architecture (aka x64 or 64bit).

It seems that it will take a lot of time to make the transition to 64bit, mostly because users are not yet forced to adopt this relatively new technology. 64Bit operating systems have one huge advantage over 32bit, they could address a huge quantity of system memory up to 256TB (instead of the 4GB limit for 32bit operating systems). Microsoft for example decided to limit maximum addressable system memory to 192GB for Windows 7 (PRO, Enterprise and Ultimate) and to 2TB for Windows Server 2008 (R2 too).

Personally I didn’t upgrade my computer when 80386 processors became available in my price range, missing a huge step in computer hardware development. From a 12MHz 80286 processor with 2MB of RAM I upgraded directly to a 33MHz i486SX, which had a lot of extra features (compared to the 80286).

The biggest advantage of this upgrade was the 8 memory slots that could support 32MB of system memory (8 x 4MB modules). This 486SX computer stayed in the family for a long time, we even ran Windows 98 on it when we upgraded the hard drive to 1GB (for about 100$).

At the time 386 and 486 computer parts were basically the same, removable processors used the same socket main boards, so users could easily upgrade even if the performance difference (between 386SX and 486SX or 386DX and 486DX) was insignificant.

Hard drives in that era came in sizes from 40MB to 2GB, and they were all supported by both processors (by their motherboards and hard disc controllers), although there was some kind of barrier around 500MB before both chips were simultaneously available, but it wasn’t common knowledge, mostly because no one that still used first generation 80386 processors could afford a hard disc close to 500MB. When CD-ROMs were introduced they didn’t have this problem if you had an operating system that could support the 650/700MB file system.

Floppy drives are not worth mentioning because they were amongst the worst technologies ever developed. Right from the start they were so primitive that new 3.5” 1.44MB drives could be used with 8088XT (or older) systems too (although only in 720K mode) so data could be transferred with these downgraded floppy disks from a brand new 80486DX (or later) machine to a 8088XT and vice versa.

Video cards were still very primitive and they were connected through 8bit (shorter) or 16bit (longer) ISA slots.

Other 386 and 486 computer parts included special hard disk controllers that also supported some kind of early RAID features, network cards, dial-up modems and so on.

The dial-up modems had a life exactly like the floppy disc drive, with the least improvements over the years. On the picture you can see a very old ISA slot modem next to a model made for PCI slots that’s still used today. Who knows what the future will bring, but what we can say for sure is that some technologies are never improved significantly (they never become practical), while others double their speed, capacity and/or quality in every cycle (6-12months).

Discount Computer Parts And Accessories

hugepedia — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:49:44 +0000

The computers have really evolved in the last decades, and today they had become really complex devices, with advanced technologies included and a great role in our lives. So many domains are directly related today with the computers, and so many of us are doing our work on the computer so we can’t even imagine how the world would be today in 2010 without the computers. But the development of the entire device called computer, was possible thanks to the evolution of each separate component. All of the small components and accessories had evolved, making the overall product (the computer) also to be better and better.

Today we can buy a new computer just how it was made by the producer (in one piece), or we can buy separate components and accessories and make our own personalized computer. You can simply go at a store that is specialized in computers and with the help of the shop assistant you can make your own unique computer, based on your day to day computer activities, and the amount of money you have available for spending. Some stores are even offering discount computer parts and accessories, so that’s why it is important to always search for the best deal.

First of all you should choose a motherboard, which is the main component on which all of the other small internal components are placed. There are many models of motherboards available, from big producers such as Gigabyte, Asrock or MSI and if you are not a computer specialist you should let the seller choose the appropriate motherboard for you. Then you must choose a processor, and here the best producers are Intel and AMD. Each of these companies offers many kinds of processors, and the ones that are really popular today (and also good) are the Dual Core processors. Since you have so many internal components that are working for you really hard, they might get hotter, and that’s why you also need a cooler for your computer. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, as long as it fits with the other components and as long as it does its job.

You definitely need a device to store all your information, and that’s why it is necessary to have a hard drive in your computer. Some of the best producers of hard drives are Western Digital, Samsung and Seagate and each company offers many types of hard disks. The more GB it has, the more space you will have to store all your data. And also if you want the hard drive to work really fast, especially when you are copying files, you need to choose one with a high number of rpm.

To be able to do all your tasks in the same time and as fast as possible you also need to have a good RAM memory. The best producers here are Kingston and Kingmax, and the more GB of RAM memory you have, the better your computer will work. Another important internal component is the video card, and good producers of video cards are: Galaxy, Gigabyte, MSI and others. The more MB or GB of memory your video card has, the better will be for you. These days most of the videos and movies come in a High Definition format, so you might want to search for a video card that has this feature. You might also need a sound card and a network card, but today most of the new models of motherboards have these features already included on them.

The next part you might want to choose for your computer will be the optical drive. Almost nobody is using a floppy disk today, so you won’t need this anymore. And even the CD-s are out of date, and most of the people are using DVD-s. So you might want to choose a DVD drive that is capable of both reading and writing DVD-s. The DVD-s will hang on for a few more years, but the Blu-ray discs are the future in this domain. So if you want to be prepared for those times, you can already buy a Blu-ray disc drive for your computer.

These are about all the internal components that you need, and finally to cover all of them you need to choose a computer case. There are some with interesting shapes and colors, but if you want you can choose a simple and classic one.

And of course now you have to choose the external components. First of all you will need a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse because these are indispensable for a computer. Then you can choose some computer speakers or headphones depending on your preferences and also other accessories such as: webcam, microphone, printer, scanner and others.

Basic Computer Hardware

hugepedia — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:50:54 +0000

Computer hardware is the physical part of the computer including the digital circuits inside the computer as opposed to the software that carry out the computing instructions. The hardware of a computer is unlikely to change frequently unless due to the crash or for upgrading them. The devices that is capable of storing, executing system instructions and controlling other logical outputs.

Hardware comprises all of the physical part of the computer such as Monitor, CPU, motherboard, ram, CD-Rom, printer, scanner, hard disk, flash drive (AKA pen drive), processor, pci buses, floppy disk, power supply, VGA card, sound card, network interface card, peripherals, joystick, mouse, keyboard, foot pedal, computer fan, camera, headset and others.

CPU (Central Processing Unit): CPU or central processing unit relates to a specific or processor. The performance of the computer is determined by the CPU chip (processor speed) and the other computer circuitry.

Hard Disk Drives – Disk drive is the mechanism to run the disks. All disks need a drive to get the information, read it and put it back to the disks. Hard disk is used to store the data permanently. Often the terms disk and drive used to describe the same thing but it should be clear that a disk is a storage device.

Modem – A modem is used for the modulation and demodulation of the data that is transferred through the modem and the telephone lines. Modem translates the data from digital to analog from analog to digital. Because on the telephone lines data can travel in the form of the analog signals and in the computer data transmits in the form of digital signals. Modems are measured by the speed which is called baud rate.

Video cards-Video cards allow computer to display video, graphics and animation. Some video cards allow computers to display television. A video card with a digital video camera allows users to produce live video. A high speed broadband internet connection is required to watch the videos on net.

Network cards: Network interface cards allow PCs to connect with each other and communicate. Every network computer is required to have a NIC card. NIC cards are required both in wired and wireless networking.

RAM (Random Access Memory) RAM is a memory that is being used by the computer to store the information temporarily. For example when some work is performed on some applications that work is temporarily stored in the RAM. More RAM in the computer more faster computer works.

Cards – Cards are the hardware components that are added to the computer to increase their functionalities and capabilities.

Memory – Memory is the one of the important piece of the hardware. Sometimes memory chip memory is confused with the hard disk memory. Sometimes unallocated space of the hard disk is used as virtual memory also known as page file. This type of memory is a temporary memory and is used actual memory is less and requires some additional memory to perform a specific task.

Computer And Its Parts

hugepedia — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:43:15 +0000

If you use a desktop computer, you might already know that there isn’t any single part called the “computer.” A computer is really a system of many parts working together. The physical parts, which you can see and touch, are collectively called hardware. Software, on the other hand, refers to the instructions, or programs, that tell the hardware what to do.

The illustration above shows the most common hardware in a desktop computer system. Your system may look a little different, but it probably has most of these parts. A laptop computer has similar parts but combines them into a single notebook-sized package.

The system unit is the core of a computer system. Usually it’s a rectangular box placed on or underneath your desk. Inside this box are many electronic components that process information. The most important of these components is the central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor, which acts as the “brain” of your computer. Another component is random access memory (RAM), which temporarily stores information that the CPU uses while the computer is on. The information stored in RAM is erased when the computer is turned off.

A mouse is a small device used to point to and select items on your computer screen. Although mice come in many shapes, the typical mouse does look a bit like an actual mouse. It’s small, oblong, and connected to the system unit by a long wire that resembles a tail. Some newer mice are wireless. A mouse usually has two buttons: a primary button (usually the left button) and a secondary button. Many mice also have a wheel between the two buttons, which allows you to scroll smoothly through screens of information.

A keyboard is used mainly for typing text into your computer. Like the keyboard on a typewriter, it has keys for letters and numbers, but it also has special keys. The function keys, found on the top row, perform different functions depending on where they are used. The numeric keypad, located on the right side of most keyboards, allows you to enter numbers quickly. The navigation keys, such as the arrow keys, allow you to move your position within a document or webpage.

A monitor displays information in visual form, using text and graphics. The portion of the monitor that displays the information is called the screen. Like a television screen, a computer screen can show still or moving pictures.

There are two basic types of monitors: CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors. Both types produce sharp images, but LCD monitors have the advantage of being much thinner and lighter. CRT monitors, however, are generally more affordable.

Speakers are used to play sound. They may be built into the system unit or connected with cables. Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects from your computer.