HTM 304

Management Information Systems

Field Study : Basics of Hardware and Software

2007-09-04

Daniel Olsson
Brett Colbert
Kathy Lu
John Lieu
Chris Ratigan

Instructor : Fang Fang

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 Definitions :

A motherboard is the central or primary circuit board making up a complex electronic system, such as a modern
computer. It is also known as a mainboard, baseboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, a logic board,
and is sometimes abbreviated as mobo.[1]

A central processing unit (CPU), or sometimes simply processor, is the component in a digital computer
capable of executing a program.(Knott 1974) It interprets computer program instructions and processes
data. CPUs provide the fundamental digital computer trait of programmability, and are one of the necessary
components found in computers of any era, along with primary storage and input/output facilities.

Computer storage, computer memory, and often casually memory refer to computer components, devices and
recording media that retain digital data used for computing for some interval of time. Computer storage provides
one of the core functions of the modern computer, that of information retention. It is one of the fundamental
components of all modern computers, and coupled with a central processing unit (CPU), implements the basic
Von Neumann computer model used since the 1940s.

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 Time Line

The first computer

to use integrated
circuits, the IBM
360, is announced..

1964 1975 1977 1981

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 Time Line

The first computer

to use integrated
circuits, the IBM
360, is announced..

The first
microcomputer, the
Altair, is introduced.

1968 1975 1977 1981

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 Time Line

The first computer

to use integrated
circuits, the IBM
360, is announced..

The first Steve Wozniak and

microcomputer, the Steve Jobs found
Altair, is introduced. Apple Computer.

1968 1971 1977 1981

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 Time Line

The first computer

to use integrated
circuits, the IBM
360, is announced..
IBM introduces the IBM PC.

The first Steve Wozniak and

microcomputer, the Steve Jobs found
Altair, is introduced. Apple Computer.

1968 1975 1977 1981

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 Time Line

Compaq released their IBM PC compatible

Compaq Portable. Motorola released the 68020 processor.

IBM XT released, similar to First optical chip developed, it uses light

the original IBM PC but
instead of electricity to increase processing
with a hard drive.
speed.

1982 1983 1984 1988 . . . .

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 The Backbone…

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 The Memory…

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 The Brains
• Intel P4 Processor

• Intel 4004
Processor, the first
microprocessor.

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 Motherboard
• Chip set: A motherboard's chip
set performs such vital functions
as routing data from hard drive
to memory to CPU, and making
sure all your peripherals and
expansion cards can talk to the
CPU and one another.
Manufacturers base
motherboards around the chip
sets, adding features like RAID
controllers and FireWire ports to
differentiate their board

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 Motherboard (cont)
• The motherboard's main job is
to hold the computer's
microprocessor chip and let
everything else connect to it.
• Everything that runs the
computer or enhances its
performance is either part of the
motherboard or plugs into it via
a slot or port.

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 The form factor is just one of the many
standards that apply to motherboards.
Some of the other standards include:
• The socket for the microprocessor
determines what kind of Central
Processing Unit (CPU) the motherboard
uses.
• The chipset is part of the motherboard's
logic system and is usually made of two
parts -- the northbridge and the
southbridge. These two "bridges" connect
the CPU to other parts of the computer.
• The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
chip controls the most basic functions of
the computer and performs a self-test
every time you turn it on.

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The slots and ports found on a
motherboard include:
• Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI)- connections
for video, sound and video
capture cards, as well as
network cards.
• Accelerated Graphics Port
(AGP) - dedicated port for video
cards.
• •Integrated Drive Electronics
(IDE) - interfaces for the hard
drives
• Universal Serial Bus or FireWire
- external peripherals
• Memory slots

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 Sockets and CPUs
• The faster the
processor, the faster
the computer can
think.
• Processor fits in with
inserting the CPU’s
pins into the
motherboard.

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 Chipsets
• The chipset is the "glue" that connects
the microprocessor to the rest of the
motherboard and therefore to the rest of
the computer.
• On a PC, it consists of two basic parts --
the northbridge and the southbridge.
• The northbridge connects directly to the
processor via the front side bus (FSB). A
memory controller is located on the
northbridge, which gives the CPU fast
access to the memory.
• The southbridge is slower than the
northbridge, and information from the
CPU has to go through the northbridge
before reaching the southbridge.

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 RAM
• The speed of the RAM connection
directly controls how fast the computer
can access instructions and data, and
therefore has a big effect on system
performance.
• RAM makes up the bulk of a computer's
memory. The general rule of thumb is the
more RAM the computer has, the better.
• Much of the memory available today is
dual data rate (DDR) memory.

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 Computer Hardware
• Apple Inc.

• Dell Inc.

• Hewlett Packard Company

 Apple Inc.
• Founded: California April 1, 1976
• Headquarters: Cupertino, California
• Industry: computer hardware, software,
electronics
• Revenue: $19.3 Billion
• Website: [Link]
 Apple Products
• Mac mini
• iMac:
• Mac Pro
• MacBook
• MacBook Pro
 Apple Hardware Standard
Features
• Intel x86 processor
• 1GB RAM
• Graphic Processor: ATI Vidia, GeForce or
Intel GMA graphics
• Combo Drive: DVD player & burner in one
• 2 standard date transfer ports: USB
• iMac & FireWire: technology support higher
performance devices
 MacBook Pro
• Processor: 2.2 & 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (64 bit)
• Memory: 2 memory slots up to 2GB
• Display: 15.4 inch Viewable FTF widescreen with 1440x 900 pixel
• Hard drive: 120GB or 160 GB Serial ATA
• Battery: 60 watt hour lithium ion
• Ethernet: Built in 10/100/1000 GB
• Price: 1,519.00-1,950.00
 Dell Inc
• Founded: Austin Texas November 4,
1984
• Headquarters: Round Rock, Texas
• Industry: Computer hardware
• Revenue: $55.908 Billion
• Website: [Link]
 Dell Products
• Desktops
• Servers
• Notebooks
• Peripherals
• Printers
 Dell Standard Features
• Modem: Download speed 56kbps and upload 33.6 Kbps.
• Network interface card: high speed internet using broadband
• 6 month AOL or EarthLink
• Operating system & productivity software
• McAfee: internet security
• Limited warranty: 24/7 phone & online support and home
 Inspiron
• Intel core 2 Duo dual core processor
• Window vista
• 1.6,1.73,1.86,2.13,2.26 GH Intel Pentium Processor
• 17” wide screen (1440x900 resolution
• DDR2: memory
• Upgrade starts with nVidia GeForce Go 6800 Video card
• 7200 RPM hard drive
• Pentium M: 1.6 GH speed

• Price: 1,569.00-2,109.00
 Hewlett Packard Company
• Founded: Palo Alto, California
• Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
• Industry: Computer system, peripherals,
software, consulting
• Revenue: $9.7 Billion
• Website: [Link]
 Hewlett Packard Products
• Computer hardware
• Computer monitors
• Printers
• Scanners
• Servers
• Cameras
• Calculator
 HP Compaq
• Processor: Intel Core Duo or Intel Core 2 Duo (1.83-2.16 GH)
• Display: 12.1 Color TFT display
• Graphics: Intel Graphic Media accelerator 950
• Memory: 512MB-2GB, upgrade max of 4GB
• Wireless: 802.11 standard, blue tooth V1.2
• Hard Drive: 600-GB-100GB SATA (5400RPM)
• Ports: external monitor, microphone in, headphone, battery connector,
RJ-11 modem, S video, 3)USB 2.0
• Price: $1,449-$3,000.00
 Product Recommendations

What type of user are you?

Home User
Business User
Video Editing User

What type of CPU will you need?

Intel vs. AMD Processor

AMD is about half the cost.

Intel has many die hard fans. Much stronger market share and public
image, most likely due to aggressive advertising.

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The Motherboard
Decision depends on price range, size of your computer, USB ports, FireWire,
graphics cards, and memory needs.

Memory usage.
RAM requirements depend on applications you will be using.
If you are running Windows XP, Microsoft recommends 128MB as the minimum
RAM requirement. At 64MB, you may experience problems.

Home Entertainment User: 384MB – 512MB

Executive/ Management: 1GB - 2GB

Heavy Graphics Design: 2GB and up.

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