Computer Mission Impossible
The main components of a computer
Motherboard
The main circut board of a microcomputer. The motherboard contains things called connectors for attaching any other boards. The motherboard contains the CPU, BIOS, memory, mass storag, serial and parallel ports, expansion slots, and all the other controllers required to control the other devices, such as the display screen, keyboard, and disk drive.
Power Supply
A power supply is a component that supplies power to any electrical device. It receives power from an plug and converts the current from a thing called AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current), which is what the computer wants. It also controls the amount, which allows the computer to run smoothly without overheating. The power supply an important part of any computer and must function correctly for the rest of the components to work.
Optical Drive
The Optical or disk drive is a device the can read and understand the little microscopic bumps on a DVD or CD.
Heat Sink
Nearly all computers have heat sinks, which help keep the CPU cool and prevent it from overheating. But sometimes the heat sink itself can become too hot. This can happen if the CPU is running at full capacity for an long time or if the air surrounding the computer is simply too hot.
Floppy Disk
The floppy disk is a square information keeper, it was used before disks were widely avalible. It is coated with iron oxide and stores data magnetically, just like a hard disk. The first floppy disks were created in 1969, the same year the Internet had its origin. These disks were 8 inches in diameter.
RAM
RAM or Recent acess memory is made up of small memory chips that form a memory module, these store recent activities done on the computer. It can access them quickly and without blocking up your computers main hard drive. These modules are installed in the RAM slots on the motherboard of your computer.
CPU
Stands for "Central Processing Unit." This is the pretty much the brain of your computer. It processes everything from basic instructions to complex functions. Any time something needs to be computed, it gets sent to the CPU