Personal computers

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COMPUTERS

It's dark and it's gloomy; there are people out to kill. Like in the days of ancient Rome, these gladiators are skilled warriors, but with hi-tech weapons. None of them have a conscience. Shadows of men running are seen everywhere. A man pops out from behind a tank of ooze with an enormous gun. Boom! Boom! Shots are fired from across the room. Bullets whiz by, bodies hit the floor until one man is standing. But it's not over until he gets his required amount of kills. Playing the computer game, Unreal Tournament 00, people will experience this feeling. However, computers are not just for playing games; they are used for storing and processing important information. Personal computers have evolved greatly since their invention and require many complex parts to run properly.

Before World War II, if one looked up the word computer in a dictionary, it would have meant a person whom is employed to compute equations (Campbell-Kelly and Aspray ). The first generation of modern computers was developed during World War II. The governments wanted computers to be developed for strategic reasons. In 141, Konrad Zuse, a German Engineer developed a computer called Z, which was used to design missiles and airplanes (Campbell-

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Kelly and Aspray 10). The Allied Forces came back strong with their computer Colossus that decoded the Germans messages (LaMorte with Lilly ).

The invention of the transistor made the second generation of computers smaller by removing a large vacuum tube. Ever since then computers have been getting smaller and smaller. Not only were they smaller, but they were faster and more reliable. This new type of computer was used in laboratories for research on atomic energy. The transistor was great, but it made too much heat, which wasn't good for the reactive parts inside (LaMorte with Lilly ). Quartz was later used to make an integrated circuit, which reduced heat and size of computers even more.

In 181, IBM was able to integrate even more components onto chips, which allowed ordinary people to have personal computers or PCs (History of Computers). In 181 Intel came out with the 8088 CPU which had 4.77 megahertz and in the early 10's Intel came out with its Pentium CPU that started at 60 megahertz and nowadays the Pentium 4 is up to .1 gigahertz which is 100 megahertz ("Intel Microprocessor" 1). In 185, Microsoft created the first Windows operating system, which today is the main operating system for personal computers ("History of Computers" 1). Computers have advanced exponentially through history.

Computers keep changing at a rapid pace and the parts are always being upgraded. The main part in a computer would have to be the motherboard also known as a system board. There are a few types of motherboards ATX (the most common layout), mini ATX, and AT. A motherboard is a means of attaching

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all of the peripherals of the computer to the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slots ("Intel Microprocessors" ). Today most motherboards come with attachments such as sound cards, video cards, and network interface cards (Johnson).

The next important part would have to be the CPU (central processing unit), which is where most of the calculations or work is done (Magid 4). The speed of a processor is measured in megahertz or gigahertz. Of course the higher the megahertz/gigahertz, the faster the computer will run. It sits on top of the motherboard pretty close to the rest of the chips. The two significant brands for some personal computers are AMD and Intel. Today Intel has the most popular CPUs. They are not necessarily the better chipset, but they have the most compatibility. Both AMD and Intel have good quality products each having its own advantages. There are other chips out in the market, but none of them are used for home computers anymore.

The next part to install is the memory. Memory is known as RAM, which stands for random access memory. What the RAM does is hold all of the programs that are being looked upon at the same time temporarily. The most common type of memory today is DIMM (dual in-line memory module) (SL-75DRV User's Manual 17). There are two types of DIMM, DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SDRAM. The amount of memory in a computer determines how many programs can run at the same time.

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The AGP, or accelerated graphics, port is where the video card is installed (SL-75DRV User's Manual 1). The AGP was developed by Intel and was designed for -D graphics (Webopedia.com). A video card displays images on the monitor. Some of the new cards contain memory so that the RAM isn't being locked up by too many images.

The hard disk drive, unlike RAM, keeps saved information even when the computer is turned off (Magid 4). The main type of hard drive used today is IDE (integrated development environment). What happens is that the information is read and is recorded onto a magnetic disk by making magnetic marks on it. Floppy disks also record data the same way. The more gigabytes a hard drive has, the more room there is to store data.

Floppy disk drives and CD-ROM (compact disk, read-only memory) drives are where software can be loaded onto the computer through a disk (Magid 5). The -½ inch floppy disk can hold 1.4 MB (megabytes) and CDs store an average of 700 MB. Floppy disks can be recorded over and over again on the same disk. Today we have CD rewriters, which act as a CD-ROM and can record data from other CDs or record programs from the computer, but reusing the same disk isn't wise because it usually doesn't work. There is also DVD-ROM drive and a DVD rewriter that play DVDs.

Now something is needed to put all of these parts in. Cases come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them are pretty colors and really small, while others are huge and very bland looking. The problem with small cases is that not all motherboards will fit into them. Just about anything will fit in a giant case and

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more parts can be added when necessary without everything being crammed together. The main types of cases are mini towers, mid towers, full towers, and server towers (Johnson).

Next a monitor is needed to visualize what a computer can do. When peoples' eyes look at a monitor, two things determine what the quality picture they get. They are dot pitch and frequency. Dot pitch is how close the dots on the screen are together. The better dot pitch, the sharper the image on the screen is. Frequency has to do with how often the screen is renewed. There are two types of monitors Liquid Crystal Display or LCD and is also known as flat screen and Cathode Ray Tube or CRT, which are the big, square ones (Johnson). LCD screens have a lower dot pitch and frequency, but cost more than CRTs because people like the flat screen, which takes up less space.

The mouse is a device that is used to scroll pages and click to start the computers programs. There are a couple types of mice. The main ones are the optical mouse, which uses a laser, the mechanical mouse that uses a ball, and a trackball which is like an upside down mouse (Magid 55). The optical mouse is great because without a ball, it is easier to maneuver and it doesn't always have to be used on an extremely flat surface.

The keyboard performs a critical function for the computer. The standard one that almost everyone uses, is the QWERTY keyboard that was named for the first six letters in the top row (Aspray and Campbell-Kelly 0). QWERTY keyboards were designed so that typist couldn't break the buttons from typing to fast like the buttons on a typewriter. Some companies have come up with

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specialty keyboards which can help stop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome like the ergonomic keyboard (Magid 64). On an ergonomic keyboard, the keys have a space right down the middle of the letters and are angled, so that when people type their wrists are in a natural position and there is not too much pressure put on the wrist and fingers (Magid 64).

All of the parts needed to build a computer are put together, What's next? An operating system is needed to run the computer. The operating system is what controls all of the hardware and lets the person using the computer open up files and programs. The two main types of operating systems for personal computers are Windows and Linux (Johnson). There is also an operating system called Lindows, which is like a combination of the two major systems, but it isn't popular at all. Most people prefer Windows because it is more user friendly and it has the most software that's compatible. Windows is good for novice computer users, but the problem with it is that there are always problems to be fixed. With Linux there are less problems and they are easier to fix.

Computers have evolved remarkably since they were created and have many elaborate parts to operate them right. Throughout history computers have changed, the way we live. Almost every household today has a personal computer in it because they are absolutely critical to complete even the smallest tasks. Computers are always changing at a rapid pace helping many people get through their daily lives faster. There are computers in many products today from automobiles, to cameras, to home entertainment systems, and many other electronic components. With the click of a button tremendous things can happen

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from e-mailing a buddy, to buying and selling products, to having a good time playing games, and many more things.

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