Computer Repair Training Plus – Hardware Lesson 1-2

Computer Repair Training Plus hardware 1-2 discusses the motherboard, chipset and other I/O devices connected to the motherboard.  The motherboard or sometimes called system board is the largest circuit board in the computer. The CPU,intel mb 1366 r1 RAM and video are directly connected through the North Bridge (NB) and directly determine the performance of the computer.  You need fast RAM memory and a good video card to prevent data bottlenecks.  Intel has recently moved the memory controller off the north bridge and onto the CPU.  This move allows the CPU direct access to the RAM and has greatly improved performance.  The south bridge controls all the other I/O connections and can run considerably slower.  Most computers today have dual channel memory which has helped feed the faster CPUs.  However, take advantage of the two channels you should be splitting your memory so if you want 4GB of RAM you will put 2GB in each channel.  The memory should also be rated and matched for dual channel.  The Newer Core i7 CPU uses DDR3 triple channel and again to get the benefit you would split the memory over all three channels.  The only area left to catch up is the hard drive.  New faster solid state drives will eventually help bridge this gap.

I also have a YouTube video related to this topic.

The Computer Repair Training website has some additional information you might find helpful.

Computer Repair Training Plus – Hardware Lesson 1-1

I teach Computer Repair Training Plus class for an ROP in Southern California.  There is no required text for this course since we have access to the Internet.  However, I do recommend several good authors and books that can be valuable references for you.  CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide by Michael Meyers, Upgrading and Repairinginside computer case 2 PCs by Scott Mueller, and A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC by Jean Andrews are some of my favorites.  These books can be found at Amazon and eBay. I have found some of the older versions sell for a lot less and still contain most of the information that you will need to learn.  The technology has been rapidly improving over the years but the basics have stayed the same.  For example, floppy drives and ATA hard drives operate the same as they did 10 years ago with only a few bandwidth improvements.  However, the newer SATA and solid-state drives are a much needed improvement.

YouTube videos are available on Hardware 1.1 and Binary .   ( http://youtube.com/frenchge )

I will also be making some Lab and supplemental lesson and other resources available as this course progresses.

I also want to mention the A+ CompTIA certification.  This certification is the most widely recognized computer CompTIA-Atechnician certification throughout the world.  Passing the two tests for certification will open many doors to the computer maintenance field.  Many employers make the A+ a prerequisite for getting an interview.  CompTIA is a vendor neutral nonprofit organization and has developed a set of exam objectives that we will cover during this course. The objectives can be viewed at the CompTIA site and comprise the following categories; hardware, operating systems and software, networking, security, troubleshooting, repair and maintenance, and operational procedures. Each category is weighted differently with hardware having the highest weight followed by operating systems and then troubleshooting.

The Computer Repair Training website has some additional information you might find helpful.

Computer Repair Training Plus

Computer repair training plus develops a knowledge base and the appropriate A+-logoskills needed to repair and maintain computers.  There are many vocational, trade tech, and college level classes available.  The Regional Occupational Centers (ROPs) where I teach are great places to learn.  They are usually free or very low cost and provide working industry experts that give you valuable hands-on experience.  I have had several IT college graduates that told me that this was the first time they ever got to actually touch the insides of a computer and apply what they learned.  Application of the knowledge is what helps develop necessary computer repair skills.  We take the computers down to the bare metal and then build them back up.  You learn how to properly configure hard drives so that maintenance and backups are easy to perform.  You will learn all about the Windows operating system and all its short comings and problem areas, such as, why is my computer so slow.  You will learn about many open source utilities and programs that will help greatly in troubleshooting and maintenance.  All this should be helping you to obtain the A+ certification from CompTIA .  A+ will open many doors to this exciting field.  There is some study you will have to do, but you will find it very rewarding as all the mystery of computers is revealed and you become a proficient tech.

The Computer Repair Training website has some additional information you might find helpful.