Unit 4, Lesson 10

Field Replaceable Units (FRUs)

AOIT Computer Systems

Copyright © 2008–2013 National Academy Foundation. All rights reserved.

A field replaceable unit (FRU) is replaced, not repaired

• Designed to be removed quickly and easily• Can be replaced without sending the entire

computer to a repair center• Typical FRUs

• Motherboards • Processors • RAM modules • Power supply units • System drives• Bus devices

The motherboard is home for the FRUs

• Connects components that operate the computer

• Also known as the system board or planar board

Slots and sockets hold the FRUs

• Modular design • Lowers costs • Allows for easy

replacement and addition of major components

Can you think of other reasons computer manufacturers might use a modular design?

Processors fit into a special type of socket

• The processor is the brain of the computer that: • Processes billions of

instructions per second• Performs math calculations• Facilitates communication

among components• Most processors are held in

a socket.

Memory modules fit into the motherboard

• RAM is high-speed temporary memory.

• The more RAM a computer has, the better the system will operate.

• The amount of RAM a system has determines:• The number of applications the

system can run simultaneously• How quickly it can operate• How much data it can store

• SIMMs and DIMMs insert into slots.

Can you think of differences between SIMMs and DIMMs?

The power supply acts as an adapter

• Power connectors plug into the motherboard.

• A fan cools the interior of the computer.

• Power supplies change 110 V AC current to 5 V and 12 V DC current.

• Use a power supply that matches the power needs of the computer.

Why do you think power supplies are considered dangerous?

Hard drives store long-term data

• The most important long-term storage device

• Faster and larger than other storage devices

• Provides permanent storage space for all saved files and large software programs

Drive bays hold removable storage media

• CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc (BD) drives can be installed in a drive bay or connected as a peripheral device.

• Most modern computers have DVD drives rather than CD drives.

• BD drives use a blue-violet laser, for higher definition images and audio during playback.

Expansion cards let the system do more

• Two different-length slots hold expansion cards.

• A video card communicates with the monitor.

• A sound card enables a computer to record, manipulate, and play sound.

• A NIC connects a computer system to network cabling.• Ports on the back of the NIC

connect the computer to the

network cabling.

Dual-port NIC with fiber optics

FRUs add value to the system

• You can remove FRUs from your computer quickly and easily, without sending the entire computer in for repair.

• You can expand your computer simply by upgrading the FRUs.

These FRUs are expansion cards that you can simply insert into a slot on the

motherboard.

Different FRUs have different functions

FRU FunctionMotherboard Home for the FRUsProcessors The brains of the computerMemory modules Hold currently used dataPower supplies Act as an adapter for powerHard drives Store long-term dataOptical drives Hold removable mediaExpansion cards Used for images, sound,

networking, and more