This is a textbook chapter from a computer literacy or introductory information technology course. It is written for students or general readers who want to understand the hardware inside personal computers. The chapter focuses on the system unit, the main enclosure that holds a computer's electronic components.
This is a textbook chapter from a computer literacy or introductory information technology course. It is written for students or general readers who want to understand the hardware inside personal computers. The chapter focuses on the system unit, the main enclosure that holds a computer's electronic components.
The chapter begins by introducing the five basic types of personal computers: cell phones (smartphones), tablets (including mini tablets), laptops (including two-in-one laptops, gaming laptops, and ultrabooks), desktops (including all-in-one and tower units), and wearable computers (smartwatches and activity trackers). Each type is described with its typical form factor, size, power, and primary input methods.
A dedicated section on gaming covers three platforms: mobile gaming (casual games and augmented reality titles like Pokémon Go), console gaming (Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, with notes on friends, input devices, and exclusive games), and PC gaming (customizability, indie games, upgrades, and compatibility).
The chapter then lists nine learning objectives that will be covered in the full chapter: differentiating system unit types, describing system boards (sockets, slots, bus lines), recognizing microprocessors and specialty processors, comparing RAM, ROM, and flash memory, explaining expansion cards and slots, describing bus lines and expansion buses, identifying standard and specialized ports, identifying power supplies for different device types, and explaining how computers represent numbers…
The text also includes an ethics sidebar that asks whether consumers have a responsibility regarding the labor and environmental practices of electronics manufacturers, many of which are based outside the United States.