Inside/Hardware

The CPU is the Central Processing Unit. It is the heart of your computer. It does all the thinking and is housed inside a metal (or sometimes plastic) box called a case. This case protects the inner workings of a computer. The CPU does all the thinking and it processes all the information to be turned into files on your computer. It also connects all the parts of the parts of a computer to this central piece: the CPU. The CPU is a broad spectrum of devices that encompasses the processing chip, the drives, the power supply, and the slots (which will be explained on the "Slots" page).

This is the back of the computer where all the connections are plugged into slots in the back of the CPU. This is where the exhaust fan is housed and where all the serial numbers are. Various connections you might find on the back of a computer would be the modem jack, the power supply connection, the mouse and keyboard hookup, and the monitor connection.

This is the inside of the CPU from a top-side view. Scroll over any parts of the CPU (your cursor should turn into a little hand or something of that nature) and then click on the part you want to view. This is where the modem, sound card, video card, the various drives, and the processing chip are housed. In the top left is the power supply. In the top right are the drives. In the bottom left are the slots where a video card, a modem, sound card, and/or network card would go. In the middle, the black square with what looks like a blue dot on it, is the processing chip.