cpu

A Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a machine that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. The term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same.
Early CPUs were custom-designed as a part of a larger, sometimes one-of-a-kind, computer. However, this costly method of designing custom CPUs for a particular application has largely given way to the development of mass-produced processors that are suited for one or many purposes. This standardization trend generally began in the era of discrete transistor mainframes and minicomputers and has rapidly accelerated with the popularization of the integrated circuit (IC). The IC has allowed increasingly complex CPUs to be designed and manufactured to tolerances on the order of nanometers. Both the miniaturization and standardization of CPUs have increased the presence of these digital devices in modern life far beyond the limited application of dedicated computing machines. Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones to children's toys.

usb

A USB system has an asymmetric design, consisting of a host, a multitude of downstream USB ports, and multiple peripheral devices connected in a tiered-star topology. Additional USB hubs may be included in the tiers, allowing branching into a tree structure with up to five tier levels. A USB host may have multiple host controllers and each host controller may provide one or more USB ports. Up to 127 devices, including the hub devices, may be connected to a single host controller.
USB devices are linked in series through hubs. There always exists one hub known as the root hub, which is built in to the host controller. So-called "sharing hubs", which allow multiple computers to access the same peripheral device(s), also exist and work by switching access between PCs, either automatically or manually. They are popular in small-office environments. In network terms, they converge rather than diverge branches.

cd rom

CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory") is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer. While the Compact Disc format was originally designed for music storage and playback, the 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data.[1]
CD-ROMs are popularly used to distribute computer software, including games and multimedia applications, though any data can be stored (up to the capacity limit of a disc). Some CDs hold both computer data and audio with the latter capable of being played on a CD player, whilst data (such as software or digital video) is only usable on a computer (such as PC CD-ROMs). These are called Enhanced CDs.
Although many people use lowercase letters in this acronym, proper presentation is in all capital letters with a hyphen between CD and ROM. It was also suggested by some, especially soon after the technology was first released, that CD-ROM was an acronym for "Compact Disc read-only-media", or that it was a more "correct" definition. This was not the intention of the original team who developed the CD-ROM, and common acceptance of the "memory" definition is now almost universal. This is probably in no small part due to the widespread use of other "ROM" acronyms such as Flash-ROMs and EEPROMs where "memory" is usually the correct term.

hard disk

A hard disk recorder is a type of recording system that utilizes a high-capacity hard disk to record digital audio or digital video. Hard disk recording systems represent an alternative to more traditional reel-to-reel tape or cassette multitrack systems, and provide editing capabilities unavailable to tape recorders. The systems, which can be standalone or computer-based, typically include provisions for digital mixing and processing of the audio signal.
Prior to the 1980s, most recording studios utilized analog multitrack recorders, typically based on reel-to-reel tape. During the 1980s and 90s, companies like New England Digital began to include hard disk recording capabilities in their high-end systems. The high cost and limited capacity of these solutions limited their use to large recording studios, and even then, they were usually reserved for specific applications such as film post-production.

video card

Video cards provide the means for the computer to "talk" to your monitor so it can display what the computer is doing. Older video cards were "2D," or "3D," but today's are all "2D/3D" combos. The 3D is mostly useful for gaming, but in some applications can be useful in 3D modeling, etc. Video cards have their own advanced processing chips that make all kinds of calcuations to make scenes look more realistic. The many video cards out there are based on much smaller number of different chipsets (that are run at different speeds or have slight differences in the chipsets). Different companies buy these chipsets and make their own versions of the cards based on the chipsets. For the most part, video cards based on the same chipset with the same amount of RAM are about equivalent in performance. However, some brands will use faster memory or other small optimizations to improve the speed. The addition of other extras like "dual head" (support for two monitors) or better cooling fans may also appear by different brands. At any rate, the first decision to make is what chipset you want your video card to use. If you aren't interested in games, then the choice of chipset isn't too difficult - just about any will do for the 2D desktop applications. There's no point in buying a video card over $100 if you don't plan to play games.

micro processor

The Multi Micro Processor (MµP) presents a scalable multi-processor architecture to be implemented on a single chip. The MµP architecture incorporates a configurable number of identical master processors, which are able to execute an extendable instruction set. Using a non-blocking instruction distribution network, the master processors are connected to a configurable set of shared co-processors for handling complex instructions unknown to the master processors. These co-processors are grouped in different types and may originate from libraries or are especially developed in accordance with the application domain. Based on a non-blocking result distribution network, any result generated by a co-processor is redirected back to the master processor that is executing the task which originally assigned the complex instruction. However, in case the corresponding task is not running anymore, the result is stored in a dedicated Register Cache that additionally enables quick task switches. A specialized co-processor is reserved for performing operations that are common operations of an Operating System kernel. Example operations for this hardware kernel are the assignment of runnable tasks to master processors, management of inter-task communication, handling of external events and transparent communication between different MµP chips. To complete the MµP architecture, a configurable memory controller is incorporated for connecting a multi-ported data cache, various instruction caches, the dedicated Register Cache and some of the co-processors to the external memory.

motherboard

A motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB) in some complex electronic systems, such as a modern computer or laptop. It is also known as a mainboard, system board, and, on Apple computers, a logic board.[1] It is also sometimes casually shortened to mobo.[2]
Most motherboards produced today are designed for IBM-compatible computers, currently which hold over 95% of the global personal computer market.[3] A motherboard, like a backplane, provides the electrical connections by which the other components of the system communicate, but unlike a backplane, it also contains the central processing unit, other subsystems and devices, such as the chip set.
Motherboards are also used in robots and in many other electronics devices.