Install, configure and test internal hardware components (part 1)

Why would you install new hardware components? 2

Electrostatic discharge 3

General installation procedures 4

Functions of internal hardware components 5

Motherboard 5

Central Processing Unit (CPU) 6

Random Access Memory (RAM) 7

Graphics card 8

Expansion cards 9

Hard drives 9

Why would you install new hardware components?

Some reasons for installing new hardware components include:

·  replacement of faulty parts

·  need to upgrade hardware to meet software system specifications

·  need to add additional functionality

·  need to meet company benchmarks.

Replacement of faulty parts

As time goes by, components will eventually fail. Because the relative cost of hardware has decreased over time, this can also be an opportunity to upgrade the component. For example, if a user has a 10GB hard drive which has failed, it would be a good opportunity to upgrade to a larger capacity hard drive.

Need to upgrade hardware to meet software system specifications

If an operating system upgrade or installation of new software is being considered, you first must check that the existing system meets the minimum hardware requirements of the new software. To find these requirements, you would need to visit the website of the proposed software manufacturer. Some manufacturers will have a recommended specification as well as a minimum.

Need to add additional functionality

Because PCs have a modular design, it is relatively easy to add components for extra functionality. Some examples include:

·  Replacement of a CD reader with a DVD writer. This would allow the user to read and create CDs and also to read and create DVDs.

·  Installation of a network expansion card. This would allow the user to connect a stand alone PC to a network.

Need to meet company benchmarks

Most operating systems have tools that allow you to monitor system performance indicators. An example would be RAM. If memory usage is continually at a high level, the system performance would be enhanced by installing additional RAM.

Electrostatic discharge

Have you ever touched a car door handle on a warm dry day and got an electric shock? What you got was an electrostatic discharge (or ESD). ESD doesn’t hurt people, but it can destroy electronic devices. This damage may not appear instantly; it can build up over time and cause the device to fail. For the average person to notice a static discharge it must be at least 2000 volts, but an electronic device can be damaged by a discharge as low as 200 volts. When you move, the clothes you wear rub together and can produce charges in excess of 1000 volts. If the relative humidity is low, static charges can accumulate easily. Walking on carpet also can build up static charges. When working with electronic components, take these precautions:

·  Wear an antistatic wrist strap (earthing strap). These straps are worn around the wrist and are clipped to a metallic contact point on the computer case.

·  Work on an antistatic mat. Both bench and floor mats are available. These mats also are clipped to a metallic contact point on the computer case.

·  Keep all hardware in the original anti-static packaging until ready for installation.

·  When handling components, don’t touch any chips or contact point. Hold them by the edges.

·  Use a humidifier.

Earthing strap


Figure 1: Earthing strap / Earthing straps should be used if you need to touch components inside a computer. The antistatic wrist strap wraps around your wrist, and is then connected to the outer casing of a PC (which is, of course, switched off and unplugged from the mains). If you need to switch the PC back on you must first detach the strap. The earthing strap also protects the equipment because there is enough charge in your body to damage the sensitive electrical components in the equipment.

General installation procedures

Let’s review some vital points about performing an installation:

·  Planning is the key to a successful installation.

·  Read the manual. The user manual for the hardware component you are installing will contain information on:

– minimum system requirements, hardware and software

– safety precautions

– list of accessories provided with the component such as screws and cables

– hardware installation guide

– driver installation guide for various operating systems.

·  When installing hardware components you may need to install drivers and configure the device.

·  After installation the hardware component must be tested.

Functions of internal hardware components

Here is a brief overview of the main components found inside the system unit. Every component here can be replaced or upgraded. In addition you can also replace the floppy drive, system case and power supply.

Motherboard

Figure 2: ATX motherboard components

The motherboard or main system board is the central part of a PC, and contains circuitry that determines the computing power and speed of the entire system. It contains a socket or slot for the CPU and control devices, RAM, ROM, cache memory, expansion slot connectors, processor support chips (collectively known as the chipset).

Before working on the motherboard, locate the motherboard manual and familiarise yourself with the layout.

Increasingly, motherboards are integrating graphics, sound and networking controllers on the motherboard. The following picture is an end view of the motherboard shown above and shows the integrated connectors:

1 PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse connector

2 Parallel port (LPT)

3 Serial port (COM1)

4 VGA port

5 Game/MIDI port (supports joystick, MIDI keyboard and other related audio devices)

6 Line out jack (speaker)

7 Line in jack (devices such as CD ROM)

8 MIC in jack (microphone)

9 LAN port

10 USB port

Figure 3: End view of motherboard showing integrated peripheral connections

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

You will often hear that the CPU is the ‘brain’ of the computer. This is because the CPU performs three basic tasks:

1 reads data

2 manipulates the data

3 writes data.

The main suppliers for CPUs are Intel (http://www.intel.com/) and Advanced Micro Devices (http://www.amd.com/us-en/). The Macintosh platform uses the IBM G series processors.

The following picture is of an Intel Pentium IV processor.

Figure 4: Central processing unit

For a Pentium IV processor installation, locate the CPU socket on the motherboard and raise the CPU socket lever to a 90 degree angle. Locate Pin 1 on the socket and Pin 1 on the CPU (refer to above picture). Then insert the CPU into the socket and lock the CPU by pulling and locking the lever.

The next step is to install the heat sink and cooling fan according to the manufacturer’s installation guide. Connect the CPU fan power cable to the CPU fan connector on the motherboard.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM is called primary memory because it temporarily holds data and instructions as the CPU processes them. The following picture is of a 168 pin DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM memory module

Figure 5: RAM memory module

To install RAM modules, locate the memory module sockets on the motherboard. Pull the plastic clips at both ends of the slot down towards the motherboard. Match the notch on the memory module to the notch on the socket (note the notch is off-centre). Insert the memory module vertically into the socket and push down. Close the plastic clip at both edges of the socket to lock the memory module.

Graphics card

The primary function of the graphics card is to take information from the CPU and display it on the monitor. Today graphics controllers have their own processor to boost performance and they also have memory to handle the large volume of data generated by increased resolution and colour.

Newer motherboards use the AGP interface for the graphics card. The AGP interface is a dedicated graphics connection used only by the graphics card. If you have an older PC which does not have an AGP slot you need to purchase a PCI card.

Figure 6: AGP Graphics card

To install the graphics card, locate the graphics card slot on the motherboard. An AGP slot is brown. Remove the slot bracket from the computer by removing the screw. Align the graphics card to the slot and press the card firmly into the slot. Replace the screw to secure the card.

Expansion cards

Expansion cards, also known as interface cards or adapter cards, allow a wide variety of ‘add-on’ devices to communicate with the basic system.

Typical cards include modem card, network card and sound card. Some motherboards now integrate some of these functions in the motherboard.

To install expansion cards, locate a suitable slot on the motherboard. PCI slots are white. Remove the slot bracket from the computer by removing the screw. Align the expansion card to the slot and press the card firmly into the slot. Replace the screw to secure the card. You may have to install additional cables depending on the function of the expansion card. For example, if you are installing a sound card you will also need to install a signal cable from the internal CD In connector on the sound card to the CD reader.

Hard drives

Hard drives store information in a magnetic format on rigid platters that spin around a spindle. The three main hard drive interfaces are:

1 Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), also known as the ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) interface is the most common. The standard has evolved to a maximum data transfer rate of 133MBps and is also referred to as Ultra-DMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) or EIDE (Enhanced IDE). It uses a flat 40 pin signal cable.

2 Small Systems Computer Interface (SCSI) is an interface usually used with high end PCs such as servers

3 Serial ATA (SATA) is an emerging technology that replaces the parallel ATA format with a serial-based format. It promises faster data transfer rates and uses smaller cabling.

Figure 7: Rear view of IDE (ATA) hard drive

The IDE interface supports four drives as listed below:

Drive / Function
Primary
(IDE 1) / Master / Typically boot hard drive
Slave
Secondary
(IDE 2) / Master / Typically first optical drive
Slave

You will need to set jumpers on your drive to be either the master or slave. Consult your user manual.

To install an IDE drive, locate a suitable drive bay to house the drive. Optical drives require a 5 ¼" drive bay accessible from the front of the PC whereas a hard drive will require a 3 ½" drive bay which doesn’t require access from the front of the PC."

Set the drive jumper block to master or slave as appropriate. Mount the drive in the drive bay and secure with a minimum of two screws on each side. Connect the IDE drive cable to the IDE connector on the hard drive. Make sure you align Pin 1 of the cable (denoted by the red stripe) to Pin 1 on the hard drive (adjacent to the jumper block). Connect the other end of the cable to either the IDE connector on the motherboard or another IDE drive, depending on your configuration. Locate a spare power connector and plug in to the power connector on the back of the hard drive.

/ To locate Pin 1 on the motherboard, you will need to look very hard at the markings on the board. This will indicate which is the primary (IDE1) channel and which is the secondary (IDE2) channel.
It is usually easier to refer to your motherboard layout in the manual and orientate yourself with the diagram.

Optical drives

Drives that read and/or write to either a CD (compact disk) or DVD (digital video disk) are known as optical drives because the information is stored in grooves or tracks running in a spiral around the disk. They use laser beams to scan these grooves where the information is stored either as a reflective bump (or land) or as a non-reflective hole (or pit).

Internal optical drives use the same interfaces described above for hard drives. Most common is the IDE interface. Refer to the above section on hard drives for physical installation details. In addition you will need to connect the audio signal cable form the drive audio connector to the input connector on your sound card or motherboard.

Power supply connectors

In an AT system, there are two six-pin power supply connectors, usually labelled P8 and P9. Plug these into the motherboard with the black wires next to each other in the centre.

Figure 8: AT system power supply connector

Figure 9: ATX system power supply connector

In an ATX system, there is one 20-pin power supply connector that will only fit in one direction. Later ATX systems also have a 4-pin connector, usually denoted as 12V ATX power connector, which will be physically close to the CPU socket on the motherboard.

Reading: Install, configure and test internal hardware components (part 1) XXX

2005