Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is also known as hard drive. This is the computer's main storage device used to store all data on the computer permanently. Commonly, hard drives are permanently place in an internal drive bay at the front of the system case and are connected with either ATA, SCSI, or a SATA cable and power cable. Some Hard drives nowadays are portable which use USB ports and USB cable for connection.

S-ATA CONNECTION FOR MOTHERBOARD

S-ATA CONNECTION FOR POWER SUPPLY IDE CONNECTION FOR MOTHERBOARD

CONNECTION FOR POWER SUPPLY

The larger your HDD capacity the better but the higher the price it could be. Choosing a Hard Drive is relatively simple and is usually based of 2 factors, size and speed. The size of the drive you choose will be primarily based on your personal needs, but for most people a drive not less than 160GB is a good starting point. Example:

MAXTOR / IDE / 160 GB - 1200MAXTOR / S-ATA / 160 GB - 1400MAXTOR /S-ATA / 300 GB - 2500

CD-ROM/DVD-ROM DRIVE is a device that uses photo diodes to detect reflecting lights on optic discs and uses a laser to read or write data. Commonly, it uses the same cables as hard drives to connect to the motherboard.

CD DRIVE – COMPACT DISCCD RW DRIVE - COMPACT DISC RE-WRITABLE DRIVE DVD DRIVE - DIGITAL VERSATILE DISC DVD –RW DRIVE- DIGITAL VERSATILE DISC RE-WRITABLE DISC.

IDE/P-ATA (Ultra ATA 100) Cable S-ATA Cable

PATA (Parallel ATA) and SATA (Serial ATA) ports are used for the connection of hard drives and optical drives.

ATA is the acronym for Advanced Technology Attachment.

ATA is also known as IDE or EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics).

SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

DDR (Double Data Rate SDRAM)

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY: The personal computer memory module also known as Random Access Memory (RAM) is a piece of hardware that allows stored data to be accessed randomly. Its main function is to store the data temporarily.

Land Grid Array

Pin Grid Array

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT: The CPU, or the Central Processing Unit, is the brain of the computer and one of the most important chip in the computer.

Below are the major socket types for contemporary AMD motherboards:

Socket 754 Socket 939 Socket AM2

Important Information: Current Socket 754 processors include the Sempron series and older model Athlon 64 processors. Some AMD K8 desktop processors such as the Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX, and Athlon 64 X2 utilize the Socket 939 socket. The latest Socket AM2 has been adopted by all AMD desktop processor families including Sempron, Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 X2.

20+4 pin ATX main power cable

20 pin ATX main power cable

SATA power cable

Original PC main power cables

POWER SUPPLY UNIT is also called as power supply or PSU. This is the device that supplies power to your personal computer. Although you could plug the personal computers directly into standard electrical outlets, the power supply then pulls the required amount of electricity and converts the AC current to DC current and it also regulates the voltage to eliminate spikes and surges common in most electrical systems.

Original PC main power cables - AT

4 pin peripheral power cable

Floppy drive power cable

EXPANSION CARD is also known as Also known as an add-on card, internal card or interface adapter or interface card. Expansion card is an electronic board or card added in a personal computer so the computer will have a new functions.

VIDEO CARD is commonly known as graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics card. This is a hardware component whose main function is to generate and display the output images to a computer monitor.

TYPES: •PCI –PERIPHERAL COMPONENT INTERCONNECT•AGP – ACCELERATED GRAPHIC PORT•PCI-E - PERIPHERAL COMPONENT INTERCONNECT EXPRESS

Geforce 9800 GT Geforce 9800 GTX+

COMPARE

OTHER EXPANSION

CARDS