pcb prototype in ronpcb.com

Understanding PC Parts - The Basics Understanding PC Parts - The Basics

This article is intended for n00bs, the classic and affectionately used term for someone who uses computers, but doesn't really understand how they work. If you read through this article, it should help you follow FAQs and discussions in the forums, since you will then have a basic understanding of common PC terms and parts.
This is a picture of a "chipset" as the chips look when they're not on a motherboard, but in a marketing presentation! The South Bridge is always the smaller of the two. The North Bridge especially is actually often covered by a heatsink when it's on a motherboard.

The North Bridge

The North Bridge determines what type of CPU and RAM the PC can have. Since the AMD K8 (64 bit) platform was released flex PCB, the memory controller is no longer in the North Bridge, it is instead part of the CPU. Some North Bridge chips feature an integrated video controller. Such North Bridges are often called integrated or IGP chips.

Drivers are the layer between the operating system and the hardware. They tell the operating system what hardware there is for it to use. For example, if you buy a new video card, it's not enough to simply plug it into the correct spot on the motherboard, you also have to install the drivers for that video card to tell the operating system what type of video card you have plugged in and what it is capable of doing Rigid flex PCB. It should be noted that many operating systems have a lot of drivers built in.

PCI bus

Think of the PCI bus as a highway or a tube. The PCI bus, as mentioned above, is a feature of the South Bridge. It allows for the connection of PCI cards (oddly enough!) that includes things like sound cards and cards that allow for extra connectivity like network cards, USB 2.0 cards, 1394 cards, etc.

BIOS

The Basic Input/Output System is a program used to start computers. It is stored on a ROM chip or flash chip, and either way, they are most often simply called a BIOS. BIOS stored on flash chips (which include almost all modern BIOS) can be "flashed" or updated. The BIOS manages data flow between the operating system and attached devices such as the HDD, video card, keyboard, mouse, etc. As such, drivers, operating systems and BIOS all share information and device ID codes so that the hardware all works well together. Hence, the sound advice to "update your BIOS" if you're having a technical issue with a new piece of hardware!
Related Links