⚙ Know Hardware

written in 26/09/21 by KevBoyz

You now what parts that compose a computer? In this article you gonna understand about how they work, and why they are important for you computer, have this with a guide to buy/upgrade to desktop. This article is a filtered centralization of the content extracted from various technology articles, it's not super detailed, then have it as a basis for furthering your studies.

• What do you want?

  To have a good base to start read this article, you need have know what do you want to do in a computer and search the recommendations about this. I will show some tips this in the decorried of the article, but don't just rely on it.

• Types of computers and their pros and cons

  • Desktop: Low portability, easier to upgrade and clear, higth performace. You can mount a desktop, part per part.

    Good if you want more performace or customized/upgradable computer. Recommend if you want a PC gamer.

  • Laptop: Mobile machine, more hard to upgrade/customize, medium performance. Is more hard to mount.

    Good to work, study and travel. Generally used with secondary or work computer. If you want a laptop with your main machine, consider buy one with higth performance.

  • Single board PC: Super mobile, to use you need connect keyboard, mouse and monitor, low performance, low price.

    Good to study and do simple things on the machine or internet, If you want it, I recommend a Raspberry Pi.

The above content will be about Desktop parts and how buy then.

1. CPU, the main part of machine

   The Central Process Unit (CPU), more known as processator, is the brain of your computer, he realize instructions of programs and manage the inputs (mouse, keyboard) and outputs (monitors, soud boxes), alem de store data, execute arithmetic calcules and be the collest part of computer. To mout a PC, the first thing you do is choice the cpu desejado, a bad choice can limit you machine capacity.

   There are some specifications that need to be checked to select a processor and the first is the bits. Nowadays most computers have 64bit processor and 32bit, are already old and obsolete so don't pay attention to them, opt for 64bit. the second question is the TDP, Term Energy Desining, that is related to the maximum heat level that your refrigeration system needs to handle. The TDP influences drirecively the processor capacity, high TDP is high capacity, energy use, and heat to processor. The TDP is leveled in watts, for example, if the processor has TDP = 95 watts, it means that it will release that amount of energy in the form of heat. High TDP cpu, need good refrigeration system and the trend is for the coller to work harder, making the computer noisy and using more energy and useful life of the parts, have this in mind.

   If the idea is to have a simpler and cheaper computer, look for a processor with integrated graphics, the investment in video card is only for more demanding users, or those who need a dedicated video processing. A processor like this is perfect for activities that don't demand so much graphic quality, such as surfing the internet and using programs that don't demand graphics.

   GHz, the measure of transfer rate, needs to be evaluated more carefully, the number is considered to compare pricessadors of the same family, although it is important for the processor, this measurement is not the only one that reflects its speed, look for processors with 3.5+ GHz, as are more recent, powerful and compatible, finally the meaning of the Ghz measurement is billions of cycles per second which reflects the rate at which the part works.

   Multicore processors are more and more common, they are interesting if you need multitasking processing, in general they work less often than those with fewer cores, it's like a division of the processor's total capacity into parts, which limits its capacity total. It all depends on your essence, processors with few cores are better for a few tasks at a time with great efficiency, my recommendation it is a processor with at least more than one core, but it depends a lot on your user profile.

2. Mother Board, the conector

   The motherboard is what connects everything on your computer, choosing the right card will guarantee harmony between the components. The first thing to look at is the size of the sockets and chipsets and if on the motherboard there is support for your processor. Usually the motherboard is from the same manufacturer as the cpu so you have In this support, my recommendation is to build an entire PC with parts from a single manufacturer, to avoid incompatibility. Card information is usually on the manufacturer's website. It is not necessary invest so much in a motherboard, what is interesting to do is opt for one with support for newer parts, already so that you will be able to build a better machine and improve it more easily in the future.

   Some details that should also be taken into account are the number of slots for Ram memory, which usually are more than one. The size of the board must also be taken into consideration for you to be able to buy a case. that holds the card, it's interesting that you have a spacious gainete as your computer may have problems with overheating due to lack of space. It is also necessary to check the PCIe compatibility of the card, I recommend look for one with PCIe 4.0, which means the motherboard will support newer video cards.

   USB ports and Sata ports, the more the better, as well as the number of RAM slots. Choose boards with USB 3.0 or USB-C, as they are currently most used by peripheral and electronics manufacturers. sata entries are for connecting storage disks, for a PC gamer, a lot of memory is recommended, which can lead to several discs, the interesting thing is that the board has more than one entrance but what I recommend is one with at least 3.

   Finally, it is essential to pay attention to the smallest details and research about the desired plate, usually, one will exist in the internet some rewiw where a professional will evaluate the card, which helps a lot in assembling the PC.

3. The Gabinet, where all parts stay

   Having chosen your motherboard, it's easy to choose an ideal case. The first detail to be thought about is the dimensions of the case, it's good to check if the case will hold all the components without them getting stuck inside. It is recommended check it again after choosing all the parts, so as not to generate unexpected results. Another point to be seen is yours. structure and aesthetics of the cabinet. The styles are very varied and for a case to be good it doesn't have to be beautiful, rate it first but It depends a lot on each one, a cost-effective case is recommended to save money, but if you want something prettier, Get ready to spend more, in that case I recommend one with transparent parts and several LEDs, with a more futuristic style.

4. Ram, the temporary memory

   The Ram memory is a super important component for your machine, it is responsible for storing temporary information and has great influence on computer speed, nowadays, you need at least 4gb of ram memory to have a computer running Windows10. What I recommend are 8gb or more. Ram memory is important for the graphics card, low RAM memory will cause your card to be limited, as well as limiting the overall capabilities of the machine.

   To buy Ram memory, it is necessary to pay attention to its dimensions and compatibility with the motherboard, so that it fits correctly. Another detail is the ability of your motherboard to support Ram memory, as they have a limit on the total amount, which is usually bigger than 20gb, but I think that that much Ram would no longer be necessary, 16gb already runs the most current games.

   It is essential that your Ram memory is DDR4, which is the latest and most used type of technology and for compatibility with your motherboard, unless it's DDR3, but that's very rare, boards like that aren't even manufactured anymore.

5. Video board, the GPU

   The video card is the most expensive part when assembling a computer, it is responsible for the quality of the graphics and the frequency of image update on the monitor. Choosing a video card depends a lot on what you want to do with your machine. Average cost-effective boards are enough to meet the needs of most users, but if you want higher quality, keep in mind that it won't be cheap.

   As with all parts, you must check the compatibility of the part with the motherboard, after that check the amount of video card memory, the more the better, however if the card has a lot of memory, it may be limited by the amount of RAM memory. Another detail is the frequency in ghz of the card and the support for overclocking, which consist in increasing the capacity part, increasing its efficiency and increasing its temperature.

   What I recommend is looking for a card that generates Full HD resolution graphics, but if you want something more quality, I recommend 4K resolution, but these will be much more expensive. A good video card, requires a monitor to match for its capacity to be fully utilized, saving on the monitor can lead to wasted capacity.

   There are many famous boards on the market and I recommend researching a lot before coming to a conclusion, there are also technologies that these boards have, which are quite varied, but generally don't interfere that much in the final result, just the price, it's worth checking each case if it really pays to buy it.

   Finally, search for support for that card, for example if the drivers work correctly and if it has software for board configuration. AMD has these two requirements, but as I said before, to avoid compatibility issues, it's interesting to assemble a machine with parts from the same manufacturer. In this article, the intention is not to recommend specific pieces, but to guide you to make your own choices and that they bring the desired result.

6. Cooler, zen guy

   The cooler is responsible for cooling the computer's parts, it's important to have a quality cooler for operation correct machine components, hot parts run slower and damage faster plus the risk of overheating, which is usually above 90*C, when burning, there is a high chance that the part will damage other components, as it all are interconnected. It is not necessary to buy a super cooler, what you can do is to look for one that meets your needs.

   To choose a cooler you must pay attention to the dimensions and levels of CMF, RPM and dBA, the higher the CMF level and the lower the level of dBA, the better the cooler, these measures are, respectively, air displacement and noise production. Finally RPM is speed that the fan rotates, which can be added with CMF to reach the power of the cooler.

   Each case has a route for air circulation in its structure, it is important to pay attention to the positioning of the cooler when assembling the PC, since putting the part in an improper position, can generate muffling and poor cooling. There are also offices that have spaces for more than one cooler, but having more than one depends on its cooling nature.

   You will finally know if a cooler is ideal if your cpu temperature is always below 70*C, there are several videos where these are performed types of tests, worth checking out. Another detail is maintenance, the cooler is a part that naturally accumulates a lot of dust, which will mean a long-term reduction in efficiency, so it's good to open the PC and do a clean at least every 3 months.

7. Memory disk, which is better?

   It is increasingly essential to have more memory on your computer, especially if you want a pc gamer or work with audio visual arts. There are two types of memory disks today, HDD and SSD. My recommendation is that you have both, but that depends on your ness. The important thing when choosing the type of memory you want is to know that the HDD is a disk with more technology old, whose focus is to have large space, in the case of the SSD it has less space, but it is at least 5x faster than the HDD. What I recommend is that you have your operating system and most important programs installed on the SSD and use the HDD for programs/files more extensions, you must take into account the price of each and the benefits they can bring and finally, check the compatibility with the motherboard

8. Font, energyze your machine

   The power supply is what powers all the components of the computer, to buy it you should look for one that is suitable for your motherboard and others parts, depending on the power required by them you can pay more or less for the source, you can easily check the recommended psu voltage for your case, on the power-supply-calculator site.

9. Monitor, the computer interface

   To buy a monitor, you should be guided by the capabilities of your graphics card, but considering your preferences. They exist many monitors, each with its features and it's up to you to choose one of them, for example there are curved screen monitors or with height regulator, one that comes with a webcam, anyway, you should choose one based on the capacity of your video card and if your table will have enough space to hold it.

10. Preriferics

    They must be chosen on their own, but that doesn't mean I couldn't give them any tips. As for keyboards, rely on switch to buy it, they are characterized by their color and each one changes the keyboard characteristics when typing, I particularly prefer the blue switch, but it suits everyone.

    Mouses, increasingly with futuristic desining and several buttons, you should look for one that is good and durable without just letting it go from the looks of it, I don't recommend mice with very high DPI, as this can make usage difficult, you can test different DPIs and see what suits you best. There is also the issue of format, look for one that is comfortable in your hand.

    Mouse Pads, I recommend you look for a high quality one, but one that isn't extremely expensive, it's important to have a good one as it will last longer and smooth your movements better, directly interfering with the experience. As for the size it depends a lot on where it will be placed, what I recommend is that it be more than 60 square centimeters.

Conclusion

This article took a lot of my time and was very complete, I recommend re-reading it while choosing your pieces, I Still the incentive to disseminate this content, since the entire site is very unknown, even so, I still try produce something of quality, if you found this article yourself, you are very lucky.