PC as a Device

I often stand perplexed at how flabbergasted even the smartest person can become when confronted with a PC. Let me try to take the edge off.

A PC is a device like anything else. It is a collection of parts. It is not smart. All it does is what it is told to do. In fact, if you studied even the basics of how a computer works, you'd be surprised at how dumb a PC really is. Internally, all it can think in is two numbers, 0 and 1. Believe it or not, everything you do on a PC is being done in only those two numbers, using the binary number system. This all takes place transparent to you, though.

The PC sits there until you tell it what to do. It does not have an "attitude" or attempt to make your life hell. Usually when it does something you don't want or gives you an error, it is because (a) you told it to do the wrong thing and it simply obliged, or (b) whoever wrote the software messed up in the programming and HE/SHE is telling the PC to do the wrong thing. Either way, all the PC does is WHAT IT IS TOLD. Keep that in mind.

General PC Structure

To further take the confusion off of the computer, let's dissect it and show you what it's made out of. I know that the inside of that computer's case may seem like the forbidden zone, that it must be jam-packed with wires and that you'd need to be an electronics expert to even fathom it. Well, no. Actually, a typical PC has a lot of wasted space inside the case. It is also, as I said, a collection of parts. If a part breaks, you just buy a new one and throw it in. And, no, its not like fixing a Ford. A PC does not have many parts at all and it's fairly straight-forward.

So, you're sitting there looking at it. That thing you see is the case. It is a rectangular box which houses all the PC innards. Taking the cover off the case reveals the guts. Up in the corner is a grey, sometimes bronze colour box with a bunch of wires coming out. That is the power supply. That device takes the power from the electrical outlet in the wall and distributes it to the devices within the computer. At the ends of each wire bunch will be a white plug. This plugs into each device within the PC.

The largest circuit board in the PC is the motherboard. The motherboard usually lies flat or stands upright against the side of the case. All of the parts in the PC connect to the motherboard. The motherboard serves as the communication centre of the PC. All data moves through it. All of those little electrical etchings in the board itself are the little roadways that the data and electricity move around on.

In a big slot on the motherboard is the main processor, or CPU. The CPU will have a big fan hanging off it. This serves to keep the processor cool. Without the fan, it would boil itself. As I said previously, the processor is the "brain" of the PC. Usually below the processor are a series of smaller circuit boards, mounted perpendicular to the motherboard and each in it's own slot. Each of these boards are your expansion cards. They are your modem, sound card, video card, networking card, and any other various cards you may have. Each card is modular and separate, meaning you can remove the cards and replace them with ease.

You will also see the various storage devices of the computer. All but the hard drive will be mounted so as to stick out the front of the case when the case cover is on. All drives have a power cord and a wide, grey cable going into it. These wide, grey cables are called IDE cables. "IDE" refers to the type of data transfer used on the PC. Data travels over these cables and this is how data moves from the drives back to the processor in order to be manipulated.