Form 1 I.C.P.
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
What do I need to build my own computer?
To build your own computer, you will need to decide a few things before you begin. You
will need to determine:
1. what brand and speed of processor you want,
2. what kind of motherboard is compatible with the
processor,
3. how much RAM you want,
4. what type of video card you want,
5. what style case you want,
6. what kind of soundcard you want,
7. what speed CD drive, DVD ROM drive and optical
disk writer you want,
8. how much hard disk space do you need,
9. other peripherals such as keyboard, mouse and
10. how much do you want to pay for it.
The most important thing to decide is what kind of processor to
get
CPU
 It is the most important component on the motherboard
 It is the brain of a computer
 Execute the instruction of a computer program

CPU of a personal computer (PC) is also known as microprocessor
There are two major CPU manufacturers: Intel and AMD
Activity
1. What is the full name of the term “CPU”?
2.
Visit of web site of Intel and explore the following products.

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor

Intel® Celeron® D Processor

Intel® Celeron® Processor
Note: Pay attention to “Processor number”, “Clock speed”, “Chipset” and “Socket.
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Form 1 I.C.P.
3.
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
Visit the web site of AMD and find the four families of CPUs for desktop
computers.
4.
Visit http://www.hkgolden.com and notice the prices of different CPUs.
5.
Some people do not satisfy with the original CPU cooler, can you suggest any
alternative products?
Find a motherboard that is compatible with the processor
A motherboard is a liaison among all of your computer hardware. You can put the CPU,
RAM on it. Hard disk, floppy disk drive and optical drives can be connected to the
motherboard through cables.
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Form 1 I.C.P.
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
The first issue to choose a motherboard is looking at the socket and the chipset on the
motherboard. Different sockets and chipsets support different types of CPU.
The next point is to check the interfaces available on the motherboard. Typical
connection interfaces include the followings

AGP slot

LAN port

PCI slot

Audio ports

Serial ATA ports

COM port

HDD connector

PS/2 ports

FDD connector

USB ports

VGA port

LPT port
Activity
1. Can you find the above connection interfaces on a motherboard?
2. Visit http://www.hkgolden.com and write down the names of sockets and the
supporting chipsets for any two CPU types.
CPU
Socket
Chipset
RAM is another essential component of a computer
Main memory is a storage device on the motherboard that is linked directly to the CPU
Main Memory
 It is used to store data and instructions to be executed by the CPU
 Computers can only manipulate data and instructions that are placed in the main
memory
 Two major types:
1. Read-only memory (ROM)
2. Random-access memory (RAM)
ROM
 It contains permanent information that
cannot be written over or erased by the



user
It is non-volatile
ROM chips are hardwired on the
motherboard
ROM stores the Basic Input/Output
System (BIOS) that controls the startup process of a computer
RAM
 It temporarily holds data and
instructions to be processed by
the CPU before and after

processing
It is volatile
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
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
Data and instruction and be read and written on the RAM
You will need to buy RAM that fits in your board. Nowadays, DDR-RAM should be
most popular. This means you cannot use your existing SD-RAM on your new computer.
Some new motherboards even support the newest DDR2-RAM.
How much RAM is enough? The answer depends on your needs. However, a minimum
amount of 256 MB RAM is recommended. If you want to do some video editing jobs, 1
GB RAM is preferred.
Activity
1. Visit http://www.google.com and find a picture of DDR-RAM.
2. Visit http://www.corsairmemory.com/xms/xms_modules.html and find the speeds of
RAM with the codes such as PC2700, PC3200, PC4000, etc.
Next, consider a video card
You will also need to get a
video card. If you only plan on
using the machine for business
purposes, any video card will do,
or even use the built-in video
port on the motherboard. But if
you intend on gaming, you
should get a high-end 3D video
card. If your motherboard
contains an AGP slot, get an
AGP
card.
Some
new
motherboards provide the faster
PCI-E slot, so you can buy the video card with PCI-E interface.
Activity
1. What is the “Scalable Link Interface” technology?
Now, buy a computer case
You will need to get a case to build the
computer in. After you buy your motherboard,
pick out a case that the board will fit in. Mini
cases support the smaller “microATX”
motherboards only. If you buy an “ATX”
motherboard, you have to buy a larger
computer case.
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Form 1 I.C.P.
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
Usually, a power supply is bundled with the
computer case.
Do you need a sound card?
If you want good sound, I wouldn't
suggest getting a cheap sound card. If
at all possible, get one from Creative
Labs. They are not only compatible
with the standard, they are the standard.
However, the audio ports on most
motherboards can fulfill the needs of
most users!
Activity
1. Do you know what are “5.1 channels” and “7.1 channels” audio outputs?
Secondary Storage Devices
 Secondary storage is used to store data, programs and information for future use
 It is also called backing storage
 Non-volatile storage medium
 Speed measure by access time and data transfer rate
 Storage capacity usually measured in KB, MB, GB and TB
 Storage device is the hardware that read/write the data storing on the storage
medium
 Different storage technologies:
1. Optical
2. Magnetic
3.
Electronic
Which kind of optical drive will you buy?
There are many different kinds of optical drive.
1. Compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) drive
2. Compact disk recordable (CR-R) drive
3. Compact disk rewritable (CD-RW) drive
4. Digital versatile disk (DVD) drive, there are various formats of storage methods:
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM
Do you know the characteristics of the above hardware?
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Form 1 I.C.P.
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
Don’t forget to buy a hard disk
One other vital part of your computer system is the
hard disk. Hard disk adopts the magnetic storage
technology. Hard disk has short access time and
very high data transfer rate, it has very large storage
capacity, the operating system is stored inside the
hard disk.
You should get a large hard disk since most of
today's applications take up more space than they
used to. You have to realize that the application will get even larger.
Activity
1. Visit http://www.hkgolden.com and find out which hard disk capacity is the most
worth to buy.
Any more peripherals?
Now, let’s consider some I/O peripherals for your computer. (“I/O” is short form for Input
and Output.)
Activity
1.
Here is the list of some common input/output devices. Please categorise them. (Tick
the correct boxes.)
Peripherals
2.
Input
devices
Output
devices
Keyboard
Printer
Multifunction printer
Mouse
Plotter
Touchpad
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








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Visual Display Unit (VDU)
Joystick
Touch screen
Microphone
Scanner
Speaker
Barcode reader
Data projector
Card reader








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There are two kinds of VDU. Can you name them?
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Form 1 I.C.P.
Module 2 – Computer Hardware
3.
You can find inkjet and laser printers in the computer shops. Discuss which kind is
4.
more suitable for you.
Besides using the keyboard and mouse, suggest two other peripherals to enter
Chinese characters.
5.
Most card readers can read different kinds of memory cards. Can you name three
different kinds of memory cards?
ASSIGNMENT
Suppose you want to buy a new computer. Try to collect some information on the Internet
and make a plan. In your plan, you have to include the following items:
(1) Purposes of using the computer.
(2) Your budget.
(3) The hardware list.
(4) Reasons to choose the hardware.
(5) Limitations of the computer.
Submit the plan to the AeroDrive.
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