Build a Computer
Take it apart. Put it back together.
Your mission
A box of computer parts has just arrived. Find out what each part does, see what goes wrong when one is missing, then build a working computer against the clock.
Explore
Tap each glowing dot to learn about that part. Drag to turn the computer, and try Take apart.
Drag to turn the computer
This computer has eight main parts. Tap each glowing dot (or a name below) to find out what that part does. Drag to turn the computer, and press Take apart to see every piece.
0 of 8 parts explored
Experiment
Take parts out, then press Power on. Try at least three experiments with a part missing to continue.
Parts in the computer
Tap a part to take it out or put it back. Then press the power button and see what happens.
Press the power button to start the computer.
0 of 3 experiments with a missing part
Challenge
Build the computer from scratch. Install the motherboard first, then the rest. Fewer mistakes means more stars.
Pick a part from the box, then tap the glowing spot where it belongs. The clock starts when you pick your first part.
Build and power on the computer to continue.
Understand
Here is what each part does, in the words you need for the exam.
How the parts work together
Every computer accepts input, processes it, produces output and stores results. Here is who does what inside the box:
What your experiments showed
- No power supply or motherboard: nothing can work at all.
- No CPU: nothing executes the instructions.
- No RAM: programs have nowhere to run, so the computer beeps and stops.
- No storage: there is no operating system to load.
- No GPU: no picture, unless the CPU has graphics built in.
Opening a program, step by step
When you open an app, it is copied from the SSD into RAM. The CPU then fetches its instructions from RAM and executes them, the GPU draws the result on the screen, and anything you save goes back to the SSD.
A complete computer system is hardware, software and peripheral devices (like the keyboard and screen) working together.
Words to know
- Motherboard
- The main circuit board that connects all the parts.
- CPU
- Central processing unit. Executes program instructions.
- GPU
- Graphics processing unit. Speeds up graphics and image processing, and also jobs like training neural networks.
- RAM
- Random-access memory. Volatile working memory for running programs and data.
- Secondary storage
- Non-volatile storage, such as an SSD or HDD, that keeps data without power.
- Power supply (PSU)
- Converts mains electricity into the low voltages the parts need.
Exam tip
A favourite exam question describes a task, like typing and printing a letter, and asks what each part does. Use the right words: the keyboard gives input, the CPU executes the instructions, RAM holds the running program and data, the SSD stores the saved file, and the printer produces output.