03 - PC Components & the Boot Process

PC Components

History

Check out the CrashCourse Computer Science Playlist

#1 & #2 will go over early and electronic computing

#3 & #4 are excellent dives into boolean logic, logic gates, and binary

#5 through #9 will give you a great overview of CPU architecture and modern CPU design

#18 through #22 are good reinforcements of concepts this course also dives into - OS, memory, file systems, compression, and CLIs

#23, #26, & #27 goes into screens and 2D graphics (which does makes you respect how we got to now)

#28 through #30 are networking and internet focused which will be in a later unit

#31 through #33 are all about cybersecurity topics

#34 through #37 cover how computing is used - the videos age well since they stick to the core of the topics

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Modern Parts

Motherboard

BIOS vs UEFI

Feature	BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)	UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
Architecture	16-bit	32-bit or 64-bit
Partition Table	MBR (Master Boot Record)	GPT (GUID Partition Table)
Max Drive Size	2.2 TB	9.4 ZB (Zettabytes)
Boot Speed	Slower (Sequential initialization)	Faster (Parallel initialization)
Interface	Text-based (Keyboard only)	GUI (Supports mouse and touch)
Network Support	None (Pre-boot)	Built-in (Remote updates/troubleshooting)
Security	Minimal	Secure Boot (Prevents rootkits)
Primary Limitation	Limited to 4 primary partitions	Up to 128 partitions

Motherboard chipsets: North bridge and south bridge

CPU - Central Processing Unit

RAM - Random Access Memory

GPU - Graphics Processing Unit

PSU - Power Supply Unit

Data Storage:

• HDD - Hard Disk Drive
• SSD - Solid State Drive
• NVME - Non Volatile Memory Express

Cooling

Cases

PC Building

• Microcenter
• PC Part Picker

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It’s Complicated

Monitors

• Resolution - Wiki
• NVIDIA GSync vs AMD FreeSync
  • are adaptive sync technologies that eliminate screen tearing and reduce stutter by matching monitor refresh rates to GPU frame output
• HDR - High Dynamic Range
  • increases the range of luminosity in images, videos, and displays, allowing for brighter highlights, deeper shadows, and more vibrant colors than Standard Dynamic Range (SDR). It enhances contrast and detail, often used with Wide Color Gamut (WCG) to create more lifelike visuals in gaming, photography, and TV
  • Requires capable hardware (often OLED or Mini-LED) to display deeper blacks and brighter white highlights.

Machine Learning / AI

• NVIDIA CUDA Cores vs AMD Stream Processors
• Serve as the core component of a GPU for rendering graphics and handling compute tasks.

TPM - Trusted Platform Module

is a specialized, tamper-resistant hardware chip on a computer’s motherboard or processor that enhances system security by storing cryptographic keys, passwords, and digital certificates. It provides hardware-based authentication and ensures platform integrity, required for features like Windows 11 BitLocker encryption and Hello.

Secure Boot

is a UEFI firmware security feature that ensures only trusted, digitally signed software loads during a computer’s startup, protecting against malware and ransomware

Anti-Cheats

• Wiki - How are people cheating in online games
• Common systems:
  • Easy Anti-Cheat
  • BattlEye
  • Anti-Cheat Expert
  • Riot Games AntiCheat (Valorant)
  • EA Javelin Battlefield
• Key aspects:
  • Kernel-Level Access: Many modern anti-cheats operate at the kernel level (ring 0) of the operating system to detect advanced hacks, which can sometimes raise privacy concerns.
  • Functionality: They prevent cheating by scanning for malicious software, monitoring system memory, and verifying game file integrity.
  • Not always cross-platform compatible (making some games unplayable on systems that don’t have support for the anti-cheat software required to play the game)
  • Machine learning is under investigation to look for “sus” behavior

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Current news

• DDR5 from AMD - PC Gamer

The Boot Process

Core Commands:

• apt (pacman, yum, dnf)
• shutdown
• reboot
• lshw
• uname

Virtual Machines & Containers