Personal Computer (PC) Components

There are several categories of computers that are on the market; however, in this tutorial, we will concentrate only on the Microcomputers (commonly known as "Personal Computers").

The four basic categories of computers are:

  1. Microcomputer (PC) - a small desktop or laptop. Common desktop PCs are Gateway2000, IBM Aptiva, Micronics, etc. Common LAPTOPs are Toshiba, IBM ThinkPad, etc. Their cost as new devices may range from $800.00 to around $5000.00.

    A typical desktop personal computer (PC).

  2. Minicomputers. Mid-size computers, non-portable types. Common minicomputers are DEC Vax/750 models. They often appear as mainframes. They are gradually disappearing from the marketplace.

  3. Mainframe Computers. These are large computers, often occupying a large room. They are generally used by banks, universities, and some government functions such as IRS, etc. They lost sales during the 1980-1991 era, but were predicted to regain some leverage in 1993 and 1994. They may continue to lose ground with the advent of some smaller computers such as the Zenith Z-Server, DEC AlphaServer, and other multi-CPU products housed in small cabinets.

  4. Supercomputers. The most powerful computers. They are very fast, and have extremely high storage capacity, probably in the terrabyte range. Used in research, weather forecasting, modeling/simulations, etc.

Let's look at Personal Computers

A Personal Compuer (PC) is a computer, in a small cabinet or case (above illustration), that is sized to fit on a desk. It can be in different cabinet configurations such as a mini-tower, tower, laptop, desktop, etc.

A PC normally consists of a monitor, a cabinet, a keyboard, a mouse, one or more floppy drives, and one or more hard disk drives.

In the majority of cases, a PC will also contain a CD-ROM, a MODEM, and other components.

The configuration of a LAPTOP PC (below) is designed to be lightweight and portable. Its devices are streamlined versions of those devices in a desktop. Each manufacturer differs in where they locate the devices on the laptop, but most are convenient for the user.

Notice this IBM ThinkPad contains a CD-ROM drive located below the keyboard. Some LAPTOPs have been developed than are "hardened", and can take a drop of approximately 8 feet without errors. Caution: don't try with yours!

Additional PC components may include:

  • Audio System
  • Network Interface Cards
  • Special Video interfaces.
  • Joysticks
  • PCMCIA Card Drive/Slot
  • etc.....
  1. Absolute Basics
  2. PC Components
  3. Central Processing Units (CPU)
  4. PC Operating Systems
  5. Advanced Concepts

  6. Review Exercises