A+ Hardware Service Technician: System Architecture

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General System Architecture Overview

System Architecture is a broad topic in regards to computers.

There are many components which make up a computer. Each one is necessary to the operation of the computer, which makes each one important in terms of troubleshooting issues and difficulties.

At the heart of the computer is the motherboard and its heart the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is responsible for most of the processing of software applications, directing of data traffic inside the computer, and other operations of the computer. An example of a CPU is a Pentium III.

The computer also needs to allow its user to change its base settings and store those settings. Its BIOS (Basic Input Output System) contains the base level instructions for the computer and has a setup program to change any user-defined settings such as hard drive type, power management settings, or IRQ settings. The BIOS stores its data in the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

The motherboard/system board also contains RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is used to load your operating system and software applications to be able to utilize them while you are using your computer system. RAM has extremely fast transfer rates.

The system board also has expansion buses allowing you add expansion cards to increase communication capabilities, expand viewing features, or use the computer more effectively. Example expansion boards include an Ethernet card, a 64 Mb video card, or a IEEE1394 Firewire expansion card.

In addition, PCs have storage devices which allow you to store and retrieve data. A storage device may be a hard drive, a floppy drive, or an optical drive.

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