Alice Y's CSC231 2014 Page

Alice Yang's Lab Report

On 10/7/2014, I took a PC apart. The instructions are available here.

Demolition

Steps taken and discoveries:

• Case of Unopened Computer

The make of our PC, Margaret, is a Dell and the model number is DCNE.

• Inside the Case

When we removed the cover, we saw the motherboard, RAMs, cd/dvd drive, cables, power cords, battery, crystal cover and power supply.

• The processor

The processor (also known as the central processing unit, CPU) was located under the fan and a metal cover secured with a metal buckle, is an Intel '84 with 3.0 Ghz. The processor acts as the brain of the computer, running the operating system by communicating with and handing out instructions to every other component in Margaret. It also Margaret's processor is 3.0 Ghz which means her processor can process 3.0 billion cycles/instructions in one second. For such a vital part in the computer's function, the processor is surprisingly small compared to other components in the computer such as the fan or power supply.

• The RAM

There were two RAM cards. Each RAM card was clipped tightly perpendicularly to the motherboard. Margaret's RAMs were made by infineon. They are each 1GB, so Margaret had 2GB of RAM in total.The RAM is responsible for holding the Margaret's data in a way that can be quickly accessed by the processor while Margaret is turned on and running. Once Margaret turns off, the data in the RAM is erased.

• CD/DVD drive

This is a CD and DVD drive that can play and burn CD and DVDs. It was located in one of the corners. One of its sides was touching the gridded panel that users can see through. By pushing one of the buttons outside of the computer, the disk holder in the drive should eject from the pc so that a user can place a CD/DVD in to read.

• Power Supply

The power supply was located in another corner across from the CD/DVD drive. It can output 280 Watts of power.

• Cables

These grey cables supply power from the power supply to the motherboard, DVD drive, and other devices within Margaret.

• Hard Disk

The hard disk was found directly underneath the cd/dvd drive. It can hold up to 250.0 Gigabytes of data.

Inside the hard drive is the disk where memory is stored in and a spindle motor that reads and writes the information onto the disk.

• Motherboard

The motherboard is the green board underneath and connected to all of the other components. The lines on the motherboard are electrical paths where data, instructions and power are moved between components.

• Crystal

On the motherboard is a quartz crystal hidden underneath a metal cover. The crystal oscillates to produce ticks that indicate one cycle and executes one instruction.

• Small Battery

There is a small battery on the motherboard that is responsible for keeping track of the date and time, so it is still running while the computer is turned off.

Questions

Question 1 What is the make and model number of the computer you are taking apart?

Question 2 What are the parts visible when you remove the cover?

Question 3 Where is the processor? What brand and model number is it? Remove it from the motherboard!

Question 4 Where is the RAM (Random Access Memory)? How much RAM is in the PC you're taking apart? What company makes it?

Question 5 Where is the CD/DVD player/burner? Is it a CD or DVD drive?

Question 6 Where is the power supply? How many watts of power can it output?

Question 7 What are all the cables for? Cables supply power from power supply and other mother board and other components in PC

Question 8 Where is the hard disk? How many Gigabytes of data does it hold?

Question 9 (Optional) What is inside the hard disk?

Question 10 Where is the motherboard? What are the lines you see on the board?

Question 11 On the motherboard is a crystal. Where is it? What is it for?

Question 12 You may find a small battery on the motherboard. What is it for?