PC Hardware A Beginner’s Guide

(^364) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide

LEDs, the Speaker, and Some Connecting Wires

Under the heading of miscellaneous stuff that a PC case must include are LEDs (see “Sta-

tus LEDs” earlier in the chapter), the system speaker, and the wiring that connects these

two items and others to the power supply and motherboard.

 Speaker The system speaker is not intended for stereo sound or to play your

audio CDs. It is meant to act as a basic means of communication between the

motherboard, BIOS, chipset, processor, and other system components and the user.

At best, it sounds bee pcodes during the boot and other monotone sounds while

using the PC. The speaker is normally mounted inside the case near the front

panel (so it can be heard by the user), but it may come unattached in some

cases so that you can decide where inside the case to mount the speaker.

 Front-panel wiring On the back of the front panel near the system speaker,

the LEDs, and the keylock, there is a small bundle of multicolored wires that

connect these items to the motherboard and perhaps each other. The LEDs

Figure 15-21. The locations of the main cooling fan and an auxiliary fan on an NLX case.

Photo courtesy of Enlight Corporation

Power supply

Main cooling fan

Auxiliary fan