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The system components are the physical parts of a computer that make it fucntion. System Components are used in all computers weather its in a 3D printer, cell-phone, or desktop computer. Without your system components your cell-phone would be a bare metal case. Here, we will show you the diffrent parts of a computer.
RAM, or Random Access Memory is in charge of storing things that need to be read at random and needs to be extreemly fast, unlike storage when the system loses power RAM loses all its data. In modern computers RAM is typically measured in gigabytes. Generally there are 3 types of RAM used in computers today, DRAM (Dynamic RAM) SRAM (Static RAM) and VRAM (Video RAM). DRAM is the most common type of RAM used in computers today, it is used for the main system memory and is typically found in DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module for desktops and servers) or SO-DIMM (Small Outline DIMM for laptops) form factors. SRAM is faster than DRAM but is more expensive and is typically used for cache memory in CPUs. VRAM is used for graphics cards and is optimized for storing image data, it is typically found in GDDR (Graphics Double Data Rate) form factors. Common RAM sizes for consumer devices are 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
The CPU a.ka.a Central Proccesing Unit is in charge of making calculations, its like the brain of the computer.
In most modern systems there are 2 architectures (A CPU architecture is the way the transistors are arranged) of CPUs, x86_64 and ARM64.
Notice how at the end of both of them there are the numbers 64, this means that the CPU can procces memory addreses that are 64 bits wide.
x86_64 CPUs use a set of complex instructions that often use multiple CPU cycles (based on the Complex Instruction Set Computing, CISC), therefore using more power. These CPUs are typically found in desktop computers and laptops. The 86 in x86_64 CPUs came from the early Intel 8086 CPU.
Unlike x86_64, ARM64 or Advanced RISC machine use small highly optimized instructions making them use less power which is why RISC is in their name (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), therefore they are more common in cell-phones, TVs, single board computers, and even some laptops (Apple silicon Macs).
The most popular brands of x86_64 CPUs are Intel and AMD, while the most popular brands of ARM64 CPUs are Qualcomm and Apple. The price of these CPUs can range from $50 to over $1000 depending on the chip. Some CPUs also have integrated GPUs meaning that the GPU is built into the CPU die itself, these are typically less powerful than dedicated GPUs but are more power efficient and generate less heat. CPUs also come in diffrent architectures like x86_64 and ARM64 which we explained earlier. Overall, the CPU is a crucial component of any computer system as it is responsible for executing instructions and performing calculations that allow the computer to function properly.
While the GPU or Graphics Proccesing Unit is also used to make calculations,
it dosent make the same calculations as the CPU does. The GPU makes specialized calculations for graphics.
For example CAD softwares heavily rely on the GPU for rendering complex 3D models or games rely on GPUs to render high quality graphics at high frame rates.
There are 3 brands of GPUs today, NVIDIA, AMD,
and Intel. The price of these GPUs can range from $100 to over $2000 depending on the performance level.
Some CPUs also have integrated GPUs meaning that the GPU is built into the CPU die itself,
these are typically less powerful than dedicated GPUs but are more power efficient and generate less heat.
GPUs also come in diffrent architectures like CPUs NVIDIA uses their own CUDA architecture while AMD uses their RDNA architecture.
Intel uses their own architecture called Iris Xe.
Storage is used to store data long term, unlike RAM storage dosent lose its data when the system loses power by using the NAND technology.
There are 2 main types of storage, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and SSDs (Solid State Drives). HDDs use spinning disks to read and write data,
while SSDs use flash memory to read and write data. SSDs are typically faster than HDDs but are more expensive per gigabyte.
Storage is typically measured in gigabytes or terabytes. Common storage sizes for consumer devices are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
There are also diffrent form factors for storage devices, the most common being 2.5 inch and M.2.
M.2 is a newer form factor that is smaller and faster than 2.5 inch drives (HDDs and SSDs).
M.2 drives can also use the NVMe protocol which is faster than the SATA protocol used by 2.5 inch drives.
There are also removable drives which are designed to be more temporary. The most popular types today are USB flash drives, SD cards, and microSD cards which all function similarly to the SSD by using the NAND technology. You can learn about how Software interacts with Storage in the File Types page.
A display is used to visually output information from the computer to the user. There are many types of displays, the most common being LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode). LCDs use a backlight to illuminate the pixels while OLEDs use organic compounds that emit light when an electric current is applied. OLEDs typically have better contrast and color accuracy than LCDs but are more expensive. Displays are typically measured in inches diagonally and have a resolution measured in pixels (width x height). Common resolutions for consumer devices are 1920x1080 (Full HD or 1080p), 2560x1440 (Quad HD or 1440p), and 3840x2160 (4K). Displays also have a refresh rate measured in hertz (Hz) which is the number of times the display updates per second. Common refresh rates for consumer devices are 60Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz.