5-6 Dell OptiPlex GX1 and GX1p Mini Tower Managed PC Systems Reference and Installation Guide

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Figure 5-5 shows your computer with its cover removed. Refer to this illustration to
locate interior features and components discussed in this guide.
When you look inside your computer, note the

direct current (DC) power cables

com-
ing from the power supply. These cables supply power to the system board; to
internal diskette drives, hard-disk drives, and tape drives; and to certain expansion
cards that connect to external peripherals.
The flat ribbon cable in Figure 5-5 is typical of the

interface cables

for internal drives.
An interface cable connects a drive to a connector on the system board or on an
expansion card.
The

system board

—the large printed circuit board mounted vertically inside the chas-
sis—holds the computer’s control circuitry and other electronic components. Some
hardware options are installed directly onto the system board. The riser board at the
bottom of the chassis contains the expansion-card connectors.
During an installation procedure, you may be required to change a

jumper

setting on
the system board and/or a jumper or

switch

setting on an expansion card or on a drive.
Jumpers and switches provide a convenient and reversible way of reconfiguring the
circuitry on a printed circuit board. For information on jumpers and switches, see the
following two subsections.
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Jumpers are small blocks on a circuit board with two or more pins emerging from
them. Plastic plugs containing a wire fit down over the pins. The wire connects the
pins and creates a circuit.
front
back
drive
cage
power
supply
internal
drive bracket
expansion-ca rd
cage
top
system
board
bottom