Internal Computer Components

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Expansion Cards

Bluetooth Card/Adapter

Key performance indicators include data transfer rate and Bluetooth range.

Bluetooth range is measured in feet or metres

Data transfer rates: megabytes per second (MBps)

Connected to the motherboard through a USB port.

Adds wireless Bluetooth technology to a computer: enables communication with Bluetooth devices

Network Card

The data transfer rate of a network card is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).

Adds network connectivity to a computer: Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Sound Card

Enhances bit depth, sampling rate, and signal-to-noise ratio.

Signal-to-noise ratio: sound compared to background noise (decibels/dB)

Sampling rate: audio quality (kilohertz/kHz)

Bit depth: audio resolution (e.g. 32-bit)

More audio capabilities: higher quality sound, audio production, surround sound

Video Card

Enhances frame rate and resolution.

Pixels (e.g. 1080p or 4K)

Frames Per Second (FPS)

Connected to the motherboard through a PCle slot.

Enhances a computer's graphics performance: images, video, gaming

Expansion cards are installed in expansion slots on the motherboard.

Expansion cards expand a computer's capabilities and performance.

Secondary Storage

Examples

Solid State Drive (SSD)

High-performance storage solution: Popular with modern computers.

SSDs hold the advantage over HDDs in speed, durability, power consumption, noise, and size.

SSDs use memory chips to store data.

Hard Drive (HDD)

Low-cost, high-capacity storage: Mainly for storing large amounts of data.

HDDs hold the advantage over SSDs in cost and capacity.

HDDs use spinning discs to store data.

Bytes are the measure used to determine secondary storage sizes.

1 terabyte = 1 trillion bytes

1 gigabyte = 1 billion bytes

Secondary storage is located in the computer case.

Secondary storage serves as an addition to the computer's CPU by acting as a long-term storage for data and programs.

Microprocessor (CPU)

The CPU produces heat as it works, so fans and heat sinks are usually installed in modern computer systems help cool it down.

Example

The performance of Intel Core processors is determined by the amount of the 'cores' and 'hyperthreads' the processors have.

Intel Core i9

Intel Core i9 processors are faster and more powerful than Core i5 processors, but they are more expensive.

Intel Core i5

Intel Core i5 processors perform at a lower level than Core i9 processors, but they're cheaper.

Megahertz and gigahertz are a measure of how fast CPUs work.

Gigahertz (GHz): Billions of instructions/second

Megahertz (MHz): Millions of instructions/second

It's located inside the computer case on the motherboard.

The microprocessor acts as the brain of the computer by carrying out instructions.

Power Supply

Power Supply for Different Devices

Tablets and phones generally use internal batteries and can be charged using AC adapters or USB cables connected to a wall outlet.

Laptops have AC adapters that draw power from wall outlets and supply it to the internal battery.

A power supply unit converts power from a wall outlet and distributes it to the components of the desktop.

The amount of electricity a computer uses is measured in watts (400 watts = 400 joules/second).

Power supply unit is located within the computer case.

Draws power from wall outlets, converts the power to suit the computer, and distributes it throughout the device.

Motherboard

Motherboard for Different Devices

Small and compact to fit the device, limited compared to other motherboards

Less expansion options, integrated into the device, smaller than desktop motherboard

More expansion slots, relatively big

Number of RAM ports and USB slots

Clock speed (GHz)

Motherboard is located inside the computer case.

The main circuit board that holds and connects essential components of the computer, including the memory, CPU, and storage.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM for Different Devices

Tablets/Phones

Less RAM than desktops and laptops (e.g. 2 GB), non-expandable

Laptop

Smaller and more limited RAM, less expandable

Desktop

Can have a lot of RAM, upgradable, better performance overall

Key Performance Indicators

Memory speed: Gigahertz (GHz) or megahertz (MHz)

Memory capacity: Gigabytes (GB) or megabytes (MB)

Location

Located on the motherboard in the computer case.

Function

Random Access Memory (RAM) is the short-term memory of a computer that allows for quick access to information. The more RAM a computer has, the better its performance will be.