On how computers work and what all the different parts in them do. Eventually I want to learn some programming from my uncle, but for now, I have a computer thats a few years old and broken. I think I'm going to use this chance to learn more about whats going on inside a computer and how everything works. Of course I searched google but there so much information, I don't know where to start. I'm really just looking for a guide that goes over the parts in the computer and a little about what each one does, just to get the basics down before I get into anything serious. Thanks.
Personally, I don't find knowledge of hardware to be a huge requisite to learning software skills. I know C, C++, Perl, Python, and bash, and I couldn't tell you anything about anything if I had a disassembled computer in front of me.
Start with this picture of the inside of a common Dell Dimension PC: Use Google and Wikipedia to learn about the individual components listed. This is a very basic setup but should give you an idea of the fundamentals. Motherboard - A big circuitboard that connects all the junk together. It also tends to have some smaller processors integrated (such as the Northbridge or Southbridge chipset). The Northbridge and Southbridge are normally used for the integrated audio/video, or the storage controller (talks to the hard disk drives). The Northbridge and Southbridge are used less on some newer Intel motherboards because the CPU performs a lot of their duties in Intel's new architecture. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR MOTHERBOARD. IF YOUR MOTHERBOARD SUCKS, SO WILL YOUR LIFE Cheap motherboards lack features, and die. CPU (Processor) - Calculates shit. When Excel calculates 1+1, it uses the processor for the calculation. CPU's almost never fail, so when shopping get the cheapest one that will perform the way you need. HDD (Hard Disk Drive or Hard Drive) - Stores data, even when the computer shuts down. RAM (Memory) - Stores data on a temporary basis for quick access; RAM is volatile (it loses all data when it loses power) "Disk Drives" - That label is misleading; normally disk drives refers to hard disk drives as above. In this case they meant the optical drives (CD and DVD) and the floppy drive. If you don't know what CDs, DVDs, and floppies are, they are just external media used to store data and move it around. Power Supply - Converts your house's AC current into lower-voltage DC current that is usable by the computer components. It also breaks out the power from the single power cord you plug in the wall into a separate connector for each part of the computer. Video Card - Allows the computer to output a visual display on your monitor. Video takes a lot of power compared to other computing tasks, so the video card is actually a lot like its own small computer with its own processor and memory. Sometimes this is a separate component, but many times it is integrated onto the motherboard. Sound Card - Allows the computer to output sound to your speakers. Sometimes this is a separate component, but usually these days it is integrated onto the motherboard. Only hardcore audiophiles who must have the absolute highest quality sound (or specific inputs/outputs) use sound cards these days because the integrated audio processors can already handle HD surround sound.
One of the details that gets easily overlooked inside computers is air flow. Proper fan placement is very important to the survival of your computer. Remember that hot air rises and that you want to have a good balance of intake:exhaust (be sure your fans are facing the right way. Putting fans in backward is an easy mistake). Also, don't forget size differences between KB, MB, GB, TB, etc to make picking hard drives and other media easier.
I agree 100%. Theyre completely separate. Learn basic programming at the same time OP, its easy. It starts to get complicated evetually, especicially when getting into object oriented programming, using certain datastructures things like that, but conditional statements, loops and all that jazz is real easy. Java's a nice language to work with (at least over c++ in my opinion) because its a little cleaner, and takes care of certain things automatically for you. Id advise learning on that seeing as you could move to any c based language after with relative ease.
Thanks for all the input. I know it's not essential to understand architecture for programming but I'm just curious in general about how the computer works. That post up there is perfect just what I needed. Someone mention a great free pdf. book on another forum called "Your PC Inside and Out". Ill probably glance thru that, then move onto software.
When I first started building computers I learned a lot just from browsing Newegg.com - Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, HDTVs, Digital Cameras and More! Its a good website for ordering any parts and they've been around since for ages, i remember reading their magazines when I was like 10 lol Im not too sure what else to say but if you have any specific questions just shoot me a pm, been building computers for a long time I know about nothing when it comes to software anything, I can do html and that's it. As far as my knowledge goes... you don't need to know much about hardware to do programming Ha! Front page of neweggs site [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw&feature=player_embedded[/ame] Pretty sure this is what you were looking for