Datasheet

15
Chapter 1: A Screwdriver Is All You Need
The other primary, number-one, all-important,
absolutely necessary, required rule
Liquids are taboo!
If you even so much as think of parking your soda or mineral water next to your
computer (even just for a
second ), you might remind yourself of Chernobyl or Three
Mile Island. If you spill beverages or other liquids on your computer components,
that liquid will ruin every exposed circuit that it touches — period. You can’t salvage
anything from such a spill.
PCs Are Built with Standard Parts
Computers are practically appliances these days — one computer is put together
pretty much like another. Ever since IBM introduced the IBM PC, computers have
been built using standard components with the same connectors and dimensions, so
you no longer need the experience of an electronics engineer to assemble one. And
the parts are self-contained, so you don’t need to worry about soldering (or gears
and springs, either). Everyone uses the same building blocks that fit together the
same way.
In fact, assembling standardized computer components is how popular mail-order
and direct-sale computer manufacturers build their machines. Like you, they order
standard computer components and peripherals and then follow a procedure (much
like the ones that I describe in this book) to assemble the computer according to
your specifications.
Introducing the Major Parts
Before you find out more about where to buy the parts that make up a computer,
allow me to introduce you to each of the major components. I describe each compo-
nent in general, although you can find out all the details about each computer part
in other chapters of this book.
The metal mansion
Your computer’s case is its home, complete with a power supply, the various buttons
and lights on the front, and the all-important fans that keep the inside of your com-
puter cool. Today’s high-power gaming machines have three or four fans, depending
on how many devices inside are generating heat — heck, the fastest PCs that gamers
build these days are liquid-cooled, just like your car!
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