PC Components and Upgrades

• Graphics cards
• Internal hard drives
• Memory (RAM)
• Motherboards
• Processors
• Sounds cards

Cables - Connects components to one another.

What are cables and what do they do?

Connect components to one another. Some distribute power from a PSU around your computer whilst others purely transmit data. Other types of cables can transmit both data and small amounts of power.

Why do I need one?

Cables are essential for the distribution of data signals and power around your computer. They are comparable to veins in the human body. Without them nothing will work.

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

There are a variety of cables available to suit your needs, each one serving a different purpose. For example, PATA or SATA hard drives cables allow you to connect your hard drives to your motherboard or Fan splitter cables which allow you to connect more than one fan to a single power plug for extra system case cooling.

How do I know what I need?

There are a variety of cables available to suit your needs based upon what connection type you require.

The majority of devices will specify the type of cables which they require for connection. Graphics cards, optical drives and hard drives will have written on them the type of cables they require. Motherboards and interface cards are supplied with a user manual which list the relevant cables which can be attached. These are the two ways of determining what cables your components require.

Optical Drive

Allows CD's and DVD's to be read, recorded and viewed

What is an Optical drive and what does it do?

A drive which allows CD’s, DVD’s or Blu-ray discs to be read, recorded and viewed on your computer.

Why do I need one?

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

Internal Drive

Situated on the front of your system case for easy access. Connects directly to your computers motherboard.

External

Free standing drive Located outside of your computers system case. Can connect to your computer via USB, Firewire or E-sata.

CD-ROM Drive

Reads CD’s that are either data or music CD format.

CD-Re-writer

Allows you to both read and record (write) to a blank CD in order to create your own music, data or movie CD.

DVD Drive

Reads DVD discs and allows for the viewing of DVD movies on your computer.

DVD Re-writer

Has dual functions. Allows you to both read and record (write) to a blank CD or DVD in order. to create your own music, data or movie CD or DVD.

Blu-ray Drive

Reads Blu-ray discs to allow playback of Blu-ray movies on your computer.

Blu-ray Re-writer

Allows you to both read and to record to your own Blu-ray disc. You can create Blu-ray movies, music or data discs for playback on compatible Blu-ray players.

How do I know what I need?

This depends on what type of discs you want to create and whether you wish to have an internal or external optical drive.

Internal drives depend on what type of connection you already have available inside your computer. External drives offer a choice of half height for desktops or Slimline drives, which are great for carrying around. They also come in a variety of colours and brands for you to choose from.

Case fans

Allows airflow through the computer, keeping it cool to avoid overheating.

What is a Case fan and what does it do?

A fan inside the system case which allows improved airflow over vital components.

Why do I need one?

Computer components can get very hot during use. It is the job of case fans to prevent these components from overheating by extracting the hot air out of the case.

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

System fans come in a variety of sizes that are suited to different "spaces″ inside your computer’s case. Larger fans such as a 14cm case fan can move more air through your system case than a smaller 8cm fan. Some fans run at a slower speed to reduce their noise whilst others are variable speed depending on the temperature inside the case.

Some fans are also available with LED’s built into them which glow as the fans spin. These can be used to really bring your case to life.

How do I know what I need?

The size of the fan depends on the space you have inside your case. Fans come in 6cm, 8cm, 12cm, 14cm and 18cm sizes. Your system case will have spaces which will allow a specific sized fan to be fitted. The size and shape of your system case dictates the amount of space and the size of the fans which you wish to install.

System Case

Provides the outer casing of the computer.

What is a System case and what does it do?

A system case is the outer casing of your computer and houses all of your computer’s major components.

Why do I need one?

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

System cases provide a range of solutions for the computer owner. Larger cases that are ATX form provide more spaces for extra hard drives and more fans for better airflow for the efficient cooling of the computer’s components. MATX cases are smaller and will hence take smaller fan types.

Power Supply

Provides the mains power to the computer.

What is a Power supply and what does it do?

The Power Supply (PSU) provides the mains power to the computer. It converts the power from your home or office wall socket to a steady stream that your computer uses to power all its components. The power output of PSU’s is measured in Watts. The more watts your PSU can produce, the more stable and efficient the PSU will be at providing power to your computer.

Why do I need one?

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

The right choice of PSU is very important and may make the difference between a stable computer and one that crashes often. What you use your computer for and what you need to power determines what level of PSU you will need. More powerful PSU’s will offer more connections and the ability to power more components at once. They will also have to work less to provide the same power a smaller PSU would deliver. This will result in a more stable and cooler running computer.

The 80 Plus program is a world-wide program to promote energy efficient PSU’s. It certifies PSU’s that have more that have more than 80% energy. Most PSU’s are rated as part of the 80 Plus program. A PSU with this certification can help to reduce your electricity use and bills over less efficient PSU’s.

How do I know what I need?

This depends on what type of case you have. Small system cases (known as an MATX will use a specific smaller PSU designed to fit in smaller spaces but will produce less power. A regular or large sized system case will usually use an ATX size PSU. This is the standard regular size for a PSU designed to fit in most system cases.

If you are replacing a power Supply for desktop or Home office use, a 350w PSU will be sufficient. If you wish to upgrade an existing computer to power more components then a larger power supply such as a 500w or 650w may be required. Those wishing to run the latest graphic Cards and multiple hard drive and optical drives may require 750w or 1000w of power.

A non-modular PSU

A non-modular PSU is one with a fixed amount of cables connected to it. It has a variety of connectors attached to allow you to power various components inside your computer.

A modular PSU

A modular PSU is one which has swappable / removable cables to allow you to install more or less power cables inside your system case depending on what you wish to power. This helps to make your system case a lot more tidy as you only plug in the cables which you require.

Desktop coolers

Cools down components to avoid damage caused by overheating

What is Desktop cooling and what does it do?

Desktop coolers provide essential cooling for a variety of components to avoid damage which is caused by overheating.

Why do I need one?

Computer components can get very hot during use, especially if you’re playing games or editing movies where the computer is working very hard. A cooler can easily improve airflow around the components and help it run more efficiently.

CPU Coolers

Come in both air cooling and water cooling varieties. They Cool the computers CPU helping it to run more efficiently and faster.

GPU Coolers

Cools your computers graphic card allowing it to produce images on screen without freezing or slowing down.

Coolers are also available for Hard disks, RAM and VGA chips.

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

Desktop coolers come in a range of sizes and types. Coolers consist of a fan and a heatsink, an arrangement of metal fins that help to disperse heat from the processor.

Other coolers may have larger fans and more elaborate heatsinks. High end coolers may feature a water filled radiator and fan similar to that on your car in order to provide superior cooling for your computer. It is well known that Lower temperatures within the computer lead to better performance.

How do I know what I need?

This depends on the component requiring cooling as well as its size, type, and brand etc. There is a wide range of coolers for all types of components. Compatibility is clearly labelled for each product.

A simple heatsink will help improve cooling whilst one with a larger fan will help cool your components even more. Water coolers with a fan and radiator will provide much better cooling for your computer than just a fan and heatsink alone.

Interface Card

Provides the computer with external access points such as USB or firewire ports.

What is an Interface card and what does it do?

Provides the computer with more connectivity for external devices by adding extra plug-in points to the computer known as ports. The most commonly used are USB and Firewire and Network cards.

Why do I need one?

Without enough connections you can be limited to the number of devices you can attach. An interface card adds extra ports. to the computer to allow you to connect multiple devices.

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

Interface cards are available for laptops and for desktops. Depending on what type of computer you have you can either choose from USB or Firewire cards.

USB: Stands for Universal serial Bus (USB)

Devices such as memory sticks, mice, keyboards and external hard drives can all be connected to your computer via USB providing you have enough ports available.

Firewire

Usually used for the connection of External hard drives, Video cameras and some MP3 players.

How do I know what I need?

It depends on the type of device you are wishing to connect and whether you have a Desktop or Laptop computer. Most external storage devices such as portable hard drives, memory sticks and Mp3 players usually connect via a USB connection. However it depends on the type of device you are wishing to connect.

ITools and Miscellaneous

A range of accessories that can help with tasks.

There are a variety of tools and accessories available for your computer. These include anti static wrist straps, screw drivers and toolkits, thermal compound, cable ties and wraps, SATA/PATA converters and various power and internal data cables.

Laptop & Netbook Cooling

A specially designed fan designed to cool your laptop or netbook whilst in use.

What is Laptop or Netbook cooling and what does it do?

A specially designed fan or series of fans designed to cool your laptop or netbook whilst in use.

Why do I need one?

Laptops and netbooks can get very hot during operation and often switch themselves off. Keeping your laptop or netbook cool improves its performance and stops vital components from overheating. This increases the laptop or netbooks lifespan by preventing it from damage and crashing.

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

Laptop and Netbook coolers come in a variety of different sizes, shapes and colours. Larger coolers with more fans will help cool your laptop or netbook more efficiently however smaller coolers are ideal for smaller desks and use whilst on the move.

How do I know what I need?

Different coolers are designed for different sized laptops. We have coolers to suit 15″, 17″ and 20″ widescreen laptops and netbook sized coolers for 12″ sized laptops. We offer a range of different coolers to suit your needs with both home and mobile solutions. Metal laptop coolers are useful for desktop cooling whilst light weight plastic coolers prove useful for mobile and around the home use.

Internal Hard Drive Enclosures

Allows you to convert an internal hard drive to an external one.

What is an Internal Hard Drive enclosure and what does it do?

Also known as a “Hard drive Caddy”, Allows you convert an Optical Drives to an external one.

Why do I need one?

This is great for accessing data from an old hard drive that is no longer in use. For example, You may be upgrading your computer and wish to retain the hard drive from your old one. This way you can transfer your existing files to your new desktop or laptop via the Caddy. Also, adding another hard drive to your computer will improve your storage availability. The more hard drive space you have, the more documents, photos, music and videos you can store.

What is available and what are the benefits of each?

Hard drive enclosures come in a variety of sizes and connections depending on your hard drive type.

Some enclosures will allow older PATA drives to be connected whilst others will allow both PATA and the newer SATA drives to be connected. Some will accommodate both 2.5 inch laptop hard drives and 3.5 inch Desktop Hard drives. Some even allow you to use an existing hard drive as a media or Network attached storage (NAS) drive for storing movies and music and allowing playback via your TV.

Most enclosures connect via 3 connections, USB, Firewire and E-sata

How do I know what I need?

This depends on what type of hard drive you have and what size it is, either 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch. Hard drive enclosures are available to suit both types and both PATA and SATA hard drive types. Other than this all other variables such as size of the enclosure and colour are down to personal preference.

Glossary List

AMD

One of the two manufacturers of CPU’s for desktops and laptops.

ATX

This is a standard type of motherboards, case, and power supplies. ATX motherboards, ATX PSU’s and ATX Cases are generally used together. MATX motherboards have their own special array MATX motherboards and MATX PSU’s

Desktop

The name which refers to a computer designed to be used at home or in an office.

DIMM

Refers to the standard size of a piece of Desktop RAM. It is a specific size and shape especially for desktop computers. It is not compatible with SODIMM type RAM.

E-Sata

Connection for connecting hard drives and removable storage externally.

External storage device

A removable drive which allows you to store files and data outside of your computer via an external connection.

Firewire

A connection type that allows very fast data transfer. Usually used for the connection of External Hard drives or digital video cameras. Your computer may require an additional interface card if it does not already have a Firewire port already built in.

Heatsink

A metal object that absorbs and directs heat away from a specific computer component in order to reduce it temperature and increase its performance. Heatsinks can be used to cool a variety of Graphics Cards, CPU’s and RAM.

Intel

One of the two manufacturers of CPU’s for desktops and laptops

Litescribe

Optical drives with the Litescribe facility allow you to “burn” your own designs and labels onto one side of your data CD/DVD using the drives lasers. Great for personalising the front of your home movie discs or music CD’s

MATX

A term used to define a specific sized set of Motherboards, PSU’s and System cases. MATX components are a lot smaller than those which are ATX making them ideal for those user which have very little space with which to incorporate a computer.

Mp3

Player A small portable device is used to store and play music whilst on the move. They connect to a computer via cables allowing you to upload songs and data to the device.

NAS

Network Attached Storage. A hard drive specially designed for the storage of music, video and media which can then be played back over a network or through a TV.

Netbook

A very small Laptop which is specially designed to be extra lightweight and very portable. Netbook usually come with between a 10″ and 12″ screen.

PATA

Also known as IDE. A slightly older type of connection used to connect hard drives and optical drives to your motherboard inside your computers system case.

Port

A socket on the back or front of a computer which allows you to plug in extra hardware such as an External hard drives, mice, keyboards, printers or other components.

Portable Hard drive

A storage device that is designed to be portable. It allows you to store files such as documents, music, videos and pictures. Portable hard drives can connect to a computer or laptop via USB, Firewire or E-Sata connections depending on what drive you have and what connections your computer has available.

SATA

A newer type of connection used to connect hard drives and optical drives to your motherboard inside your computers system case. It is the replacement for the older PATA connection.

Socket

This is an older CPU connection format that was used by the Pentium, Pentium MMX, all the AMD K6 and later CPUs, and several Cyrix CPUs. Slot 1 CPUs cannot be used on these motherboards, nor can Socket 370 CPUs. These CPUs are flat squares that sit parallel to the motherboard. Their pins plug into the motherboard.

SODIMM

Refers to the standard size of a piece of Laptop RAM. It is a specific size and shape especially for Laptop Computers. It is not compatible with DIMM type RAM

SSD

Stands for Solid State Drive. A new style of Hard drive with no moving parts. Offers greater possibilities for the future in terms of possible storage space than current disc based hard drives.

USB

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. A type of connection which allows a large number of external devices to be connected to a computer. For example, mice, keyboards, modems, joysticks, External Hard drives, USB memory sticks and MP3 players.

USB Memory Stick

A small device that allows the storage of files and data that may come to and from a computer.