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tower case: interior viewclick to hear

tower case: interior view heat sink bus processor battery primary hard disk drive chipset random access memory (RAM) connector random access memory (RAM) module ISA expansion connector AGP expansion connector speaker PCI expansion connector filler plate power cable motherboard PCI expansion card power supply unit CD/DVD-ROM drive secondary hard disk drive floppy disk drive

heat sink click to hear

Metal piece that disperses the heat generated by the processor’s circuits.

bus click to hear

The wires and circuits allowing transmission of data, in the form of electric signals, between the computer’s components.

processor click to hear

Central processing unit (CPU) that reads and executes programmed instructions.

battery click to hear

Electric energy reserve used to power computer functions, which are still active when the computer is turned off.

primary hard disk drive click to hear

Device that reads and records data on the primary hard disk; it is the main storage medium for programs and data.

chipset click to hear

The integrated circuits (chips) welded to the motherboard, which coordinates the exchange of data between the computer’s various components.

random access memory (RAM) connector click to hear

Device accepting a RAM module.

random access memory (RAM) module click to hear

Module containing RAM chips, which temporarily store programs and data while they are being used or processed.

ISA expansion connector click to hear

Socket accepting an expansion card designed according to ISA standards (usually a modem card or sound card).

AGP expansion connector click to hear

Socket accepting a video board designed according to AGP standards; it is extremely fast and provides high-quality 3-D displays.

speaker click to hear

Integrated device used to generate sound.

PCI expansion connector click to hear

Socket accepting a PCI expansion card; it provides a higher transmission speed than an ISA conductor.

filler plate click to hear

Plate covering an unused expansion connector.

power cable click to hear

Flexible electric cable that contains the conductors used to attach the power supply unit to the electric circuit.

motherboard click to hear

Main circuit board that houses the components essential to the computer’s operations, including the processor, chipset and connectors.

PCI expansion card click to hear

Circuit board designed according to PCI standards that is used to add functions to the computer; it can act as a video board, network interface board or soundboard.

power supply unit click to hear

Device that converts the power system’s alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) to supply power to the personal computer’s internal components.

CD/DVD-ROM drive click to hear

Playback device using a laser beam to read the data recorded on a compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD).

secondary hard disk drive click to hear

Device used to play and record data on a secondary hard disk that complements the primary hard disk.

floppy disk drive click to hear

Device used to read or record data on a diskette.