| course | mod | topic | first name | date completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-115 | brickfinder | Hardware testing and dissection |
Brick finding and cataloging
Electronic components break for many reasons. Most hardware faults inside modern computer components can be considered fatal due to the scarcity of replacement parts and the costs required for repair. In such a state, a component becomes akin to a brick.
Our goal in this section is to use a working computer system to test our existing hardware stock which has been assembled from various sources over the past few years. There's probably more bricks in the bunch than workable parts. Our goal is to differentiate the bricks from the still up-to-the-task parts. This will be done in a shared google spreadsheet. Work through the following procedure over the course of TWO class sessions. Dedicate time outside of class between the end of the second session and the start of the new week to thoughtfully respond to the culminating prompts.
- Open and study each column of our hardware tracking spreadsheet
- Choose a component of each hardware family (motherboard, storage, ram, etc.) and make an entry for it in our master spreadsheet
Upon assembly of a bootable computer
This is an OLD computer! We want to choose THREE components to upgrade. Load the website pcpartpicker.com which allows you to browse nearly all available parts for PC builders. Then complete the following table:
| Component name | Current specification & Manufacturer | New component specs | Expected improvement in performance: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
|||
| 2. |
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| 3. |
Boot sequence
Do some internet research: What core checks does a computer carry out during its boot process? What component guides this process?
Test Boot!
Wire up your computer and try booting it with a monitor connected. Describe the results of your test: was the boot successful? If not, what error codes were given? What would need to be fixed?