Personal computer hardware are component devices which are typically installed into or peripheral to a computer case to create a personal upon which system software is installed including a firmware interface such as a BIOS and an system supporting application software that performs the operator's desired functions. Operating systems
usually communicate with devices through hardware buses by using software device drivers.
Mother board
The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large
rectangular board with integrated circuitry that connects the other parts of
the computer including the CPU, the RAM, the disk drives (CD, DVD, hard disk, or any others) as well as any
peripherals connected via the ports or the expansion slots.
Components directly attached to the motherboard include:
- The CPU (Central Processing Unit) performs most of the calculations which enable a computer to function, and is sometimes referred to as the "brain" of the computer. It is usually cooled by a heat sink and fan. Newer CPUs include an on-die Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).
- The Chipset mediates communication between the CPU and the other components of the system, including main memory.
- The RAM (Random-access Memory) stores resident part of the current running OS (OS core and so on) and all running processes (application parts, using CPU or input/output (I/O) channels or waiting for CPU or I/O channels).
- The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) includes boot firmware and power management. The tasks are handled by operating system drivers. Newer motherboards use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) instead of BIOS.
- The ROM (Read-only Memory) stores the initial program that runs when the computer is powered on or otherwise begins execution (Bootstrapping also known as "booting" or "booting up"). Usually stores the BIOS or UEFI.
-
for graphics and sound.- Current- PCI Express, for expansion cards such as graphics, land and physics processors, and high-end network interfaces- SATA, for disk drives- ATA- Obsolete
computers)
- External bus controllers support ports for external peripherals. These ports may be controlled directly by the south bridge I/O controller or based on expansion cards attached to the motherboard through the PCI bus.
Example of CPU
Power supply
A
power supply unit (PSU) converts alternating current (AC) electric power to
low-voltage DC power for the internal components of the computer. Some power
supplies have a switch to change between 230 V and 115 V. Other models have
automatic sensors that switch input voltage automatically, or are able to
accept any voltage between those limits. Power supply units used in computers
are nearly always switch mode power supplies (SMPS). The SMPS provides regulated direct current
power at the several voltages required by the motherboard and accessories such
as disk drives and cooling fans.
Removable media devices
- CD (compact disc) - the most common type of removable media, suitable for music and data.
Example of CD
- DVD (digital versatile disc) - a popular type of removable media that is the same dimensions as a CD but stores up to 12 times as much information. It is the most common way of transferring digital video, and is popular for data storage.
of DVD.
- Blu-ray Disc - a high-density optical disc format for data and high-definition video can store 70 times as much information as a CD.
- HD DVD - a discontinued competitor to the Blu-ray format.
- Floppy disk - an outdated storage device consisting of a thin disk of a flexible magnetic storage medium. Floppies are used today mainly for loading device drivers not included with an operating system release (for example, RAID drivers).
Example of floppy disk
- Zip drive - an outdated medium-capacity removable disk storage system, first introduced by Iomega in 1994.
- USB flash drive - a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB interface, typically small, lightweight, removable, and rewritable. Capacities vary, from hundreds of megabytes (in the same range as CDs) to tens of gigabytes (surpassing, at great expense, Blu-ray discs).
Example of USB flash drive
- Memory Card - a flash memory data storage device used to store digital information found on many mobile devices. They are smaller and lighter then USB flash drives. They are thin, removable and able to retain data without power. Common types of formats are SD and MS.
- Memory Card Reader - a device used for reading Memory Cards. Most modern devices contains a Memory Card Reader. Examples are personal computers, mobile phones, printers and some gaming devices like PSP.
- Tape drive - a device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape, used for long term storage and backups.
Secondary storage
Hardware that keeps data inside the computer for later use and remains
persistent even when the computer has no power.
- Hard disk - for medium-term storage of data.
- Solid-state drive - a device similar to hard disk, but containing no moving parts and stores data in a digital format.
- RAID array controller - a device to manage several internal or external hard disks and optionally some peripherals in order to achieve performance or reliability improvement in what is called a RAID array.
Sound card
Enables
the computer to output sound to audio devices, as well as accept input from a microphone. Most modern computers have sound cards
built-in to the motherboard, though it is common for a user to install a
separate sound card as an upgrade. Most sound cards, either built-in or added,
have surround sound capabilities.
Input and output peripherals
Input and output devices are typically housed externally to
the main computer chassis. The following are either standard or very common to
many computer systems.
Input :
- Text input devices :
> Mouse - a pointing device that detects two dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface.
> Optical Mouse - uses light (laser technology)
to determine mouse motion.
> Trackball - a pointing device consisting of
an exposed protruding ball housed in a socket that detects rotation about two
axes.
> Touch screen - senses the user pressing
directly on the monitor.
- Gaming devices
> Game pad - a hand held game controller that relies on the digits (especially thumbs) to
provide input.
> Game controller - a specific type of controller specialized for certain gaming purposes.
> Game controller - a specific type of controller specialized for certain gaming purposes.
or an object.
> Web cam - a video camera used to provide visual input that can be easily transferred over
> Web cam - a video camera used to provide visual input that can be easily transferred over
the internet.
- Audio input devices
signals.
Output :
- Printer - a device that produces a permanent human-readable text of graphic document.
- Diode display
Example :
