How to learn to understand computer hardware?

mletov2018-02-10 19:07:57

Iron

mletov, 2018-02-10 19:07:57

I know, there are similar topics on the toaster, for example, How to learn to understand hardware?
But this question is of interest from a different angle.
Here the person wanted to understand iron. For practice, I decided to change the processor in my computer. I read Wikipedia, watched videos on YouTube ... I dismantled the computer and, due to inexperience, ruined both the CPU and the motherboard. The training is quite expensive. And how much do you need to ditch and burn to become a specialist ...
Question for people who actively work with iron:
How did you get practical experience working with iron? Had access to a lot of outdated hardware that you don't mind experimenting with? Or did you upgrade your only computer at your own peril and risk?
Or did everything always work out the first time?

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11 answer(s)

Wexter, 2018-02-10
@Wexter

It is not necessary to assemble / disassemble systems for understanding, as well as to ruin them. Study the compatibility of processors with chipsets and memory - this is the main thing, start with desktop for now. Study the difference between chipsets (it's not just that there are mothers for 3000r and 30000r for the same percentage). Learn what two / three / four-channel memory is and what will happen if you put more than one bar in one channel. Learn why you need a PCI-E bus and why there are already 3 versions of them, how PCI-E x1 differs from x4 / x8 / x16.
Then you can read about server chipsets. There mainly appears support for ECC and Buffered (Registered) memory, a data exchange bus between processors and support for SAS disks (they do not differ much from SATA, but there is a difference not only in bandwidth)

Alexey Nikolaev, 2018-02-10
@Heian

How did you get hands-on experience with iron?

Yes, everything is simple there. You choose iron, you google about support and compatibility. Then, if the socket opens incomprehensibly, you google how to correctly put a percent in the socket. You install, and everything works, once is enough.
The most difficult thing is to connect the LEDs and the power button to the motherboard.

Stalker_RED, 2018-02-10
@Stalker_RED

More reading and thinking. Consult with more experienced people.
For most "important" pieces of iron there are compatibility tables, and often, directly on the manufacturers' websites.
You can ask for advice on "hardware" forums, such as ixbt or overclockers.ru.
You ask there "Will it be possible to put xeon X7550 on a chaintec 6BTM mother?", and they will immediately explain to you how strange this idea is. And if they are in a good mood, they will give a link to the next branch, which lists compatible pieces of iron.

Ilya bow, 2018-02-10
@8889996

When I was studying, they gave me a couple of times to train on 486 and that's all.
And then I just did everything carefully.
In the same place, in general, everything is simple:
Do not let the conductors get on and under the mother.
Insert ram all the way.
Push and pull everything vertically and not at an angle (except for power supply wires on old PCs).

Saboteur, 2018-02-10
@saboteur_kiev

I don’t understand why you need to ruin the processor and motherboard?
There is an elementary understanding of safety precautions, for which a school course in physics and elementary logic is enough.
Therefore, the question of what exactly to learn in hardware is if you become an overclocker, then you can burn a lot there. But you can learn without harm.

evgeniy_lm, 2018-02-10
@evgeniy_lm

Well, for example, I started studying at Radio 86RK and ZX Spectrum clones. For 10 years of processors (and not only) it was unmeasured so that the assembly of the first PC for me was easier than a children's designer.

Alex vak, 2018-02-10
@Itmoing100

Read the book "Modernization and Repair of PCs for Dummies". Written by Andy Rathbone.

fman2, 2018-02-10
@fman2

Really 2-3 times to assemble a PC yourself. That's how I learned. On your mistakes.

CityCat4, 2018-02-11
@CityCat4

When I assembled my first computer (oh my God, I'll soon be a fucking old man :D) - the assembled computers cost absolutely ridiculous money and everyone who wanted to have them assembled them themselves. Therefore, the study began long before OH appeared :) Everything was studied and optimized - from the case to the keyboard, each piece of iron was bought separately and only you answered for making it compatible with other pieces of iron :)
After I earned the first computer, I could already give lectures on the topic "what is the difference between AMD (from the time of 1996) and Intel (of the same time)"

Vladimir, 2018-02-12
Chukin @Vladimir Chukin

In order to "understand" the gland, you need to read a lot. There are good online publications where everything is well written, in accessible language, and so on.
And in order to select according to compatibility - here you just need to carefully read the specifications and compatibility lists. For example, you need to assemble a system based on an Intel Core i5 7600 processor - this is just an example.
What do we need to know about this processor?
- socket
- TDP (if this is not a boxed version)
- which mothers support
- type and amount of memory supported
By socket, you look through what motherboards are, go to their specifications on the manufacturer’s website and read compatibility, whether this particular processor model is there and what BIOS revision this percentage supports, you choose cooling by socket and TDP, don’t confuse with memory, respectively.
Especially for beginners, I wrote instructions for configuring a PC www.compera-online.ru/articles/sobiraem-kompyuter-... - you can read it, I think it might be useful to assemble it right away and everything worked the first time.