Welcome to the Education Centre!
Are you not tech savvy and want to learn more about basic computer parts and how they work? You are in the right place.
CPU - Computer Part 1
First of all, the CPU is the like the brain of the computer. It does all the calculations on the computer. It can help you edit documents, make presentations, make spreadsheets, play video games, browse the web, and much more! There are 2 mainstream manufacturers of CPUs, Intel and AMD.
RAM (Random Access Memory) - Computer Part 2
RAM, or Random Access Memory is used to store active windows, documents while you are working on them, and much more things that you are running on your computer. The RAM chip wipes out its data each time you shut your computer down or restarting. That is why your document editor may tell you to save your work before shutting down or restarting.
Motherboard - Computer Part 3
A motherboard is what connects all the parts together with cables and sockets. Think of it as the main hub or the bridge for all the parts to interact with each other.
Storage - Computer Part 4
Your documents, files, photos, presentations, spreadsheets, operating system, and much more are all stored on your storage. Your computer storage could be a hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD). A hard drive is the slower, but cheaper option to store files on. Why a hard drive is slower is because it is mechanical (The data is stored on a disk with moving parts surrounding it). Now let's talk about a solid state drive. A solid state drive is the fastest option, but they can be expensive. SSDs are pretty common today and they are not too expensive, but they still cost more than a HDD. SSDs are fast because the data is stored on a chip rather than mechanical disks.
Graphics Card/GPUÂ - Computer Part 5
The graphics card is for processing video details. Let's say you were playing a video game, making a 3D model, or editing a video. The GPU will do most of the video rendering while the CPU does the calculations. On some lower end computers that are not designed or built for gaming/rendering/editing, the GPU is integrated into the CPU and it may not match the performance of a dedicated GPU. The three mainstream manufacturers of graphics cards are Nvidia, AMD, and Intel.
Power - Computer Part 6
This is what supplies power to all the components in the computer. In a laptop there is a battery so you can use your laptop on the go. Desktops have power supplies which you can plug in to a 120/240 volt power source which provides much more power for more powerful hardware but you cannot move desktops around.