Computer Hardware
Hardware Parts
The Motherboard
The motherboard is the main component of a computer. It holds many of the crucial electronic components of the system, such as the CPU, and memory. It also provides connectors for other peripherals. A motherboard contains significant sub=systems such as the processor and other components. Motherboard specifically refers to a PCB with expansion capability and as the name suggests, this large board is the mother of all components attached to it. This includes sound cards, video cards, network cards, hard drives, and other forms of persistent storage.
The Monitor
The monitor is an electrical visual display for computers. The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry and an enclosure. At first, computer monitors were used for data processing while television receivers were used for entertainment. Now, computers and monitors have been used for both data processing and entertainment.
CPU
The CPU is a central processing unit hardware in the computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program. It performs the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. A computer can have more than one CPU, which is called multiprocessing. All modern CPUs are microprocessors, meaning contained on a single chip.
RAM
RAM, also known as random access memory, is a form of computer data storage. A random access memory device allows data items to be read and written in roughly the same amount of time regardless of the order in which data items are accessed. Today, random access memory takes the form of integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are a set of electronic circuits on one chip of semiconductor material, normally silicon.
The Optical Disc Drive
The optical disc drive is a disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves near the visible light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data. Optical disc drives are an integral part of stand-alone consumer appliances such as CD players, DVD players, and DVD recorders. Optical disc drives are also commonly used in computers to read software and consumer media on a disc and to record discs for data exchange purposes.
The Hard Disc Drive
The hard disc drive is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information using rapidly rotating disks coated with magnetic material. In a hard disc drive, data is read in a random access manner, meaning individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order rather than sequentially. A hard disc drive consists of one or more rigid rapidly rotating disks with magnetic heads arranged on a moving actuator arm to read and write data to the surfaces.
Expansion Card
An expansion card is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector, or expansion slot on a computer motherboard to add functionality to a computer system using the expansion bus. An expansion bus is a computer bus which moves information between the internal hardware of a computer system and peripheral devices. It is a collection of wires and protocols that allows for the expansion of a computer.
Power Supply
A power supply unit converts mains AC to low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal components of a computer. Some power supplies have a manual selector for input voltage, while others automatically adapt to the supply voltage. Most modern desktop personal computer power supplie conform to the ATX specification, which includes form factor and voltage tolerances.
