CHAPTER 1 — Introduction to Computer Systems

A computer is a complex system consisting of both hardware and software components. This chapter discusses these components.

Chapter Topics:

• Hardware and Software
• Components of a Computer System
• Networks
• World-Wide Web
  

  Hardware Components

  The terms input and output say if data flow into or out of the computer. The picture shows the major hardware components of a computer system. The arrows show the direction of data flow.

  
• A bus is a group of wires on the main circuit board of the computer. It is a pathway for data flowing between components. Most devices are connected to the bus through a controller which coordinates the activities of the device with the bus.
• The processor is sometimes called the Central Processing Unit or CPU. A particular computer will have a particular type of processor, such as a Pentium or a SPARC.

X58i

Groundbreaking, Earth Shattering, Mind-BlowingFirst, the XFX X58i Motherboard launches the XFX/Intel® enthusiast chipset motherboard. As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure that its customers receive the best product options available, XFX has integrated state-of-the-art Intel® technology. This motherboard is the first to support the Intel Core i7 processor using the Intel Nehalem architechture. Additionally, the XFX X58i is the first motherboard to support either NVIDIA 3-Way SLI or ATI CrossFireX, which allows two or more discrete graphics cards to work together to improve system performance and creating a substantial visual gaming experience. Also featuring Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, Intel® Quick Path Interconnect (QPI), making the XFX X58i Motherboard truly unique and amazingly agile.
KEY FEATURES
> Up to 6.4 GT/s QPI
> Supports Intel LGA 1366 processors
> PCI Express 2.0 slots
> Supports 3-Way SLI and Crossfire
> Supports up to 12 GB of DDR3-1333 Memory

nForce® 790i Ultra

The 790i Ultra SLI motherboard ensures a premium gaming experience, with world record-setting memory speeds and ESA component control. Currently the only platform to support DDR3-2GHZ, this motherboard delivers top performance for 1600MHz FSB Intel CPUs with extreme CPU overclocking, as well as unmatched DirectX® 10 gaming with 2-way, 3-way and Quad SLI technology.

KEY FEATURES

Supports DDR3 Memory

8 Channel Integrated Audio

Supports up to 3-Way SLI Bridge

SLI Memory with EPP 2.0

Up to 1600 FSB HMz Intel CPUs

ESA Certified

Don’t Settle for “Good Enough” Graphics

Get 16-cores of DirectX® 10 graphics and parallel processing horsepower with NVIDIA® GeForce® 9 Series motherboard GPUs. From viewing digital photos, to transcoding videos, to playing the most-popular DirectX 10 games, GeForce motherboard GPUs deliver the performance today’s visual computing applications demand. NVIDIA® GeForce® motherboard GPUs (mGPUs) make experiencing the GeForce difference more affordable than ever. Designed for both AMD and Intel platforms, GeForce motherboard GPUs support the latest graphics technologies including DirectX® 10, CUDA™, PhysX™, PureVideo® HD and Hybrid SLI®.

Brother HL-5250DN Review

by Paul Jasper

Feb 10, 2006 - Brother has another winner on its hands with the HL-5250DN. Its low price tag and compact footprint make it a good fit for the tight budgets and crowded workspaces of many small offices. Yet this attractive monochrome laser also produces top output quality at outstanding speed, can print on both sides of the paper, and hooks up easily to your network.

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Canon i960 Photo Printer Review

by Dan Littman

Jun 22, 2004 - Though it lacks some extras that are becoming common on photo printers--such as a control panel, an integrated LCD, and media slots--Canon's i960 has some attractive features. These include a PictBridge port on its front panel and two ports--one USB 1.1 and one USB 2.0--for sharing the printer without a network. A less useful extra is the auxiliary paper feed for 4-by-6-inch paper. This snapshot feed locks onto the main paper slot, and you move sheets down into the paper path by turning a dial. Unfortunately, the dial on our test unit jammed repeatedly and didn't pull the small sheets up and away from the paper path. On the plus side, the main paper tray and the output tray are made from tough plastic, and they close up snugly when empty.

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Dell Laser Printer 3100cn Review

by Paul Jasper

Apr 5, 2006 - The Dell Laser Printer 3100cn has all the advantages of the similar Dell 3000cn (which topped our color laser printer chart for months), including a reasonable price, strong performance, and good image quality. But the newer model has a couple of advantages. First, it comes with a 250-sheet paper drawer as standard equipment, making it even more of a bargain at $499. Adding that same paper capacity to the $399 3000cn cost $180.

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