An Indepth Guide To The Workings Of Desktop Pcs

By Andrew Johnson

The desktop PC has come a long way in a short space of time. Currently there are two main operating systems used, these being either Windows or Macintosh, although there are more.

There are many components underneath the cover of the PC that enable it to do the things it does and all of them are feats of engineering genius in themselves. Such is the way that a PC works that replaces just one of them can improve speed and performance greatly.

The processor is the part of the PC that does the thinking, the brain if you will. As you would expect for a brain it doesn't come cheap, if you were looking to upgrade the processor in your system you will probably find it cheaper to replace the whole thing such is their individual expense. The thing you need to know about the processor is, is that is completes the tasks that you and the operating system set it for example 2 + 2=4. The difference between processors is the speed at which they can do these tasks. The faster the rate the processor operates the faster it can perform tasks and the more expensive it is.

The motherboard connects the processor to all the other components of the PC. You can think of it as the switchboard of the PC connecting calls between the different parts. The differences between motherboards is the number of connections it has i. E. How many things you can connect to it and the speed and number of calls it can transfer and connect.

Next is the RAM, random access memory. This is where the processor gets it work from. The operating system places a task in the RAM and the processor will complete it. Therefore the more RAM you have the more work you can ask the processor to do at the same time. RAM also stores pieces of information that the processor will use to complete tasks such as program files so that multiple programs can be used at the same time for example playing music whilst writing a document.

The hard drive is where all the information is permanently stored, if you save a picture or install a game. The hard drive is the filing cabinet of the PC.

DVD drives are common place now in desktop PCs. They can be used to play music CDs, movies or play games. Currently the fastest speed at which they run is 16x this means that for example it can read 16 seconds of a song in one second.

Some connections on a desktop PC are USB, DVI, Audio out and PS/2. The USB connections are useful for connecting detachable drives such as USB pens or webcams. DVI is a digital interface connection that can be used to connect up a monitor or TV. The audio out socket is the connection that leads to the speakers this is generally green on color coded machines. The PS/2 connections are used for a wired keyboard and mouse the keyboard is purple and the mouse is green.

Prices for desktop PCs start from around $350 and can exceed $5000. There is such a variety of specifications available for sale that the price you can pay really does depend on the specific needs that you have. - 31403

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here