Understanding Tiered Data Storage For Faster Retreival

In this digital world, data is a highly valuable commodity. For this reason, every business must make use of a data storage solution which is able to accommodate the tonnes of information you have and still ensure a high level of security. If you’re in the market for a data storage solution, it’s always a good idea for you to know more about tiered storage.

Computer Hardware Familiarization Part-3.

The computer hardware that you need to know is the DVD/CD/DVD-RW ROM Drive.  This is another standard feature components of a computer. These comes in the old IDE and the new SATA configuration. This drive is important  because this is where we put all our DVD disc for movie, application and many more if we want their content to installed or seen in the computer.

The DVD/CD/DVD-RW ROM Drive

CD-ROMs are popularly used to distribute computer software, including video games and multimedia applications, though any data can be stored (up to the capacity limit of a disc). Some CDs hold both computer data and audio with the latter capable of being played on a CD player, while data (such as software or digital video) is only usable on a computer (such as ISO 9660 format PC CD-ROMs). These are called enhanced CDs.

Although many people use lowercase letters in this acronym, proper presentation is in all capital letters with a hyphen between CD and ROM. At the time of the technology's introduction it had more capacity than computer hard drives common at the time. The reverse is now true, with hard drives far exceeding CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray, though some experimental descendants of it such as HVDs may have more space and faster data rates than today's biggest hard drive.

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Now we have come to the optional hardware part. I categories them as optional because the computer will work without these parts because they are already built-in of has become part of the computer motherboard. These hardware components are the Graphics Card or video cards, network card and the sound cards. But if you like to have a high type of these card you need to know be to be familiar with the add in separate type for each card.

A video card, display card, graphics card, or graphics adapter is an expansion card which generates output images to a display. Most video cards offer various functions such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors. Other modern high performance video cards are used for more graphically demanding purposes, such as PC games.

Video or Graphics Card

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Video hardware is often integrated into the motherboard, however all modern motherboards provide expansion ports to which a video card can be attached. In this configuration it is sometimes referred to as a video controller or graphics controller. Modern low-end to mid-range motherboards often include a graphics chipset manufactured by the developer of the northbridge on the motherboard. This graphics chip usually has a small quantity of embedded memory and takes some of the system's main RAM, reducing the total RAM available. 

This is usually called integrated graphics or on-board graphics, and is low-performance and undesirable for those wishing to run 3D applications. A dedicated graphics card on the other hand has its own RAM and Processor specifically for processing video images, and thus offloads this work from the CPU and system RAM. Almost all of these motherboards allow the disabling of the integrated graphics chip in BIOS, and have an AGP, PCI, or PCI Express slot for adding a higher-performance graphics card in place of the integrated graphics.

Computer Hardware Familiarization Part-2.

The computer hardware that we need to be very familiarize is the hard disk drive or hard drive or HDD. Currently all hard disk drive out there that is available in the market is already in SATA type drive. Although some hard drive that still carry the old EIDE or IDE type remains. The one characteristics of the Hard drive is it's size, where in today's standard will fall on the 320 gigabytes or 500 gigabytes. Also if you want bigger size than the standard one then drive size will be entering the Terabytes zone where after the 500 GIG size the next one is ONE TERABYTES.

For a quick info SATA drive is faster in terms of data access and transmission compare to the IDE type drive.

The Hard Disk Drive or HDD

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SATA connector and IDE connector

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Another important component is the PSU or Power Supply Unit. The power supply distribute the needed electrical supply for each different components of the computer hardware.

The Power Supply Unit

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More computer hardware components on my next post.

Computer 101: What is a Computer Motherboard Really Part 2?

Let’s go back so far several items have been mentioned as being connected to the motherboard, they are the following hard disk drive which connect via the older IDE or the newer SATA interface cable, then the memory or RAM which is connected via the memory slot and then there’s the graphics card which is generally built-in or is connected via the graphics card slot which could be the now phase-out AGP slot or the newer PCIE slot. All the three system mentioned previously communicates with each other via the motherboard and also communicates with the central processing unit or CPU. The motherboard also serves as the manager of all different systems connected on it. The motherboard also facilitates the proper flow of data from one point to another. One important function of the motherboard is to regulate the flow of current from the power supply unit to all the different components that needs them. The power supply unit is also connected via the motherboard using several color coded wire where in each wire color correspond to a specific value of power that flows thru it.

Also other additional system that interacts with the motherboard are the sound card which processes information to be converted to sound and is play out via a speaker system. Another expansion system is the NIC controller which comes in two configurations. The first type is built-in NIC controller and the second is add-in card. The NIC stand for network interface card or controller, this system allows the computer to be connected to a network, or to the internet. The expansion NIC is also connected via the PCIE slot located next to the graphics card. Also all motherboard have external connector for external devices such the printer, mp3 player, Smartphone, external drive, flash drive, microphone, speaker and many other devices. As we can see the motherboard is the host for all the devices that can connected to the computer. Other devices can also use the external ports of a motherboard to charge their battery. This feature was not available before, but as technology evolves and develops the computer allows other devices such as smart phone and mp3 player to charge their battery via the usb ports.

Motherboard Chips

Memory

One important feature of the computer motherboard is that there are no moving parts. All different systems are electronic there is no wear unlike parts that has a clear movable parts where the continuous movement through constant usage at a long period of time will eventually result in that parts succumbing to wear and tear. But since all components are small, to be exact micro in size or even smaller that power they consume less power compare to conventional devices which would eat a considerable amount of power. While wear and tear is not common to electronic component, power surges are common. These small electronic component when feed with the right amount of power will function correctly but if the power being feed increases dramatically at a given time then that electronic component is very susceptible power burn-out which will cause the main system to malfunction and eventually failure. Just like what I posted a couple of days ago regarding motherboard failure cause by blown-out capacitor, the same is true with IC based components.

CPU

Integrated circuit is the main components of all type of motherboard and much other electronic system. All integrated circuit consume certain amount of very low power from 4 volts DC to 15 volts DC. So if there is a power surge on the motherboard system most IC would not be able to withstand such a sudden increase in power and will always burn-out once the power flowing through is suddenly increased instantly. The main benefit of very small circuits is that a lot of system can be built and compacted which in turns would produce smaller system and greater efficiency in operation. Also the cost of building such system is very chip as well since free made smaller system is already working and linking them together is the only problem. A problem that be easily solve by proper design and configuration. So whenever we are giving importance to other components of the computer the motherboard should also be at the top or near the top of your list because it plays a very important function in your computer over-all performance.

Computer 101: What is a Computer Motherboard Really?

A lot of topic has been discussed about this one major component of the personal computer. Then why create one and add more to the confusion? There are so many articles out here that adding this one might only make things more complicated. We based on my fifteen years of experience building and repairing personal computer, the computer motherboard is more than just connection, and circuit. To me it is the central focal point of all things in a personal computer. In this article we will go in depth regarding how a motherboard works in real life environment and how it is affected by inside and outside forces not just parts and function or this works like this and it is connected to this and that. There are already a lot of those kind of stuff in the internet just some research and it will pop-up.

For anatomy that computer motherboard can be compared to the human skeletal system. But why, well for one the bones in our body is the one responsible for keeping up all that is you and me. Yup there is the muscle but without the bones we will all look like a big lump of a mass bulging on the ground. The motherboard is more that just connection it is a means of communication between devices and different system integrated or added in the motherboard. To generalize all electronic devices has a main board inside each and everyone of theme. From the newest smart phone, tablet, laptop, Television and more each and every one of these items has a main board inside them. Those lines that we saw in every motherboard are more than just line of connection there are the line of communication.

PCI Slot

Dual CPU Slot

Let’s take a closer look what are the different system that connect and communicate with each other and with the motherboard. On top of the list is the mighty brain of the computer, the central processing unit or CPU also known as processor or micro processor. These device is the one that process all the information being used by all the separate system inside the computer and is connected via the motherboard. The processor communicates via the motherboard to all the other system in the computer while it also processes all the information for all the different systems. Another such different systems in your computer are the hard disk drive unit. It is a complete system that is connected also to the motherboard via the cable like the older IDE cable and the newer SATA cable. Lets take a look at these two different system, while the processor is the brain the hard disk drive is the main permanent storage of all types of information used in the computer. The processor’s job is to process information but what happen after processing all those information. Where are all that process information goes too? Or what happen to information before and after being process by the processor?

IDE Cable

SATA and Power Cable

Well before being process all information stays in the hard disk drive and after being process it comes back to the hard disk drive. Yup that why the hard disk drives is the main permanent storage of all types of information being used by the computer. Ever notice I keep adding the word permanent to all storage word that because there are two types of data storage in computer, one is the permanent type while the other is the temporary type. But why do we need a temporary type of data storage since all our information and data is important? Well yup that is correct all the information and data that we put inside the computer is important that why we used computer to almost anything today. It’ likes this temporary information and data is what we call the ones being use at the moment. Let’s say the user is going to watch a movie stored in the computer, the file of that movie is stored permanently in the hard drive. In order for that movie to brought to the screen of the computer it needs to be process by the process and then sent via the motherboard to the memory or RAM to be stored temporarily and than sent via the graphics card to be process or converted to analog signal for displaying in CRT type screen or process then displayed to an LCD or LED type screen.

RAM

Ops we mentioned three things there, the Memory, graphics card and screen. If the hard disk drive is the permanent storage facility inside the computer then the memory or RAM is the temporary holding area for the information and data while that data is being use by the computer or while we watch the movie it is temporary stored in the memory. This is one reason why we need a larger amount of memory so that while playing a movie it would continue to play properly and we enjoy watching it. Compare to a movie which barely plays on because the computer does not have enough memory capacity to store and play it correctly. So why happen to the data stored in the memory? Well all the information and data store in the memory is erase or deleted after we turn-off the computer. Yup that what happen if we turn off the computer then the data stored in the memory is erase. But the data in the hard drive is not even if we turn the computer of that information or data is still stored there. That why there is permanent and temporary storage of data. To be continued………

What is a Computer Motherboard Really Part 2?