Whats Inside A Computer

Front 1

motherboard

Back 1

serves as a literal foundation for many of the other elements inside your computer

Front 2

central processing unit (CPU)

Back 2

a chip containing millions of tiny transistors

Front 3

read-only memory (ROM)

Back 3

Computers can read data stored in ROM, but can't write new data to it

Front 4

random access memory (RAM)

Back 4

computers can read from and write to that memory

Front 5

stateless

Back 5

no way to preserve information from one moment to the next and every process would start on a clean slate

Front 6

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

Back 6

handle interactions between the software running on a computer and the machine's hardware components

Front 7

graphics processing unit (GPU)

Back 7

can handle some of the processing power required to generate rich graphics

Front 8

power supply

Back 8

provides a supply of electricity throughout the rest of the computer

Front 9

transformer

Back 9

convert the incoming electricity into the proper voltage for each part of the machine that needs electricity

Front 10

drives

Back 10

the devices that let you store and recall data and applications

Front 11

hard drive

Back 11

either a series of thin platters that store information using magnetic recordings or a solid state flash hard drive with no moving parts

Front 12

platters

Back 12

store information using magnetic recordings

Front 13

solid state

Back 13

flash hard drive with no moving parts

Front 14

floppy disk drives

Back 14

disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles

Front 15

CD-ROM or DVD-ROM

Back 15

allow you to use media storage devices like compact discs or DVDs with your computer

Front 16

Modems

Back 16

machines that let computers communicate with other computing systems

Front 17

wireless cards

Back 17

radio transceivers that can send and receive data through a specific frequency of radio waves

Front 18

Sound and graphics cards

Back 18

give your computer the ability to display graphics or play sounds and music

Front 19

Cooling systems

Back 19

typically include heat sinks and fans

Front 20

heat sinks

Back 20

absorb heat and move it away from critical components

Front 21

fans

Back 21

give computers a way to exhaust heat externally