Inside a typical personal computer, the two major types of integrated circuit chips are which of the following pairs?

Introduction / Context:
A modern computer contains many electronic components, but some are more central to its function than others. At the heart of the system are integrated circuit chips that perform processing and store data for active tasks. Understanding these main chip types helps learners distinguish core components from peripheral devices. This question asks you to identify the pair of chip types that are considered the two major categories inside a typical personal computer.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The context is the internal components of a standard personal computer.
- We are asked about major types of integrated circuit chips, not entire devices like hard drives or power supplies.
- Options include combinations involving microprocessors, primary memory, and various peripheral related components.
- We assume basic knowledge of what a microprocessor and main memory do in a computer.

Concept / Approach:
The microprocessor, also known as the central processing unit, performs calculations and executes program instructions. Primary memory chips, typically RAM, hold the data and instructions that the processor is currently working with. These two together form the core of the computing process. While many other chips exist in a computer, such as those on hard drives, DVD drives, keyboards, and mice, they are peripheral or specialised controllers rather than the main processing and primary storage elements. Therefore, when textbooks refer to two major types of chips, they usually mean the microprocessor and the primary memory chips.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify microprocessor chips as the components that carry out the main logic and arithmetic operations of the computer. Step 2: Identify primary memory chips as the integrated circuits that store data and programs currently in use, usually implemented as RAM modules. Step 3: Recognise that these two types of chips work closely together, with the processor fetching instructions and data from primary memory constantly during normal operation. Step 4: Evaluate external hard disk and DVD drive chips. Although these devices use electronics, they are primarily storage peripherals and not the main integrated circuit categories referred to in introductory descriptions. Step 5: Evaluate power supply units and cooling fan controllers. These are important for power regulation and temperature control but are not the central processing and primary memory chips. Step 6: Evaluate keyboard controller chips and mouse sensor chips, which are specialised for input devices and not considered core system chips. Step 7: Conclude that the correct pair is microprocessor chips and primary memory chips.

Verification / Alternative check:
Basic computer fundamentals books frequently introduce computer hardware by emphasising the processor and memory subsystem. They describe the microprocessor as the brain of the computer and RAM as its working memory. Subsequent chapters cover secondary storage, input and output devices, and power systems, but they return repeatedly to the interaction between processor and primary memory as the core of computation. Exam questions that mention two main types of chips in a computer almost always refer to these two central components, reinforcing the correctness of this answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
External hard disk and DVD drive chips: These belong to storage and optical drive units, which are secondary storage devices, not the main processing and primary memory chips.
Power supply units and cooling fan controllers: These are part of supporting subsystems that ensure stable power and proper cooling, not core logic or memory components.
Keyboard controller chips and mouse sensor chips: These chips are important for handling input, but they are specialised peripherals, not the major categories of chips that perform general processing and primary data storage.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners may see that many devices contain chips and confuse the presence of any integrated circuit with being a core component. They might pick options mentioning familiar peripherals like hard disks or keyboards without considering the hierarchy of importance. To avoid this, it is useful to think in terms of what makes a computer a computer, which is the processor that executes instructions and the memory that holds those instructions and data. Other chips support these core functions but do not replace them.

Final Answer:
The two major types of integrated circuit chips inside a typical personal computer are Microprocessor chips and primary memory chips.