Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including its digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Digital electronics are Electronics systems that use Digital signals Digital electronics are representations of Boolean algebra also see The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with software and hardware data, which are "soft" in the sense that they are readily created, modified or erased on the computer. Firmware is a special type of software that rarely, if ever, needs to be changed and so is stored on hardware devices such as read-only memory (ROM) where it is not readily changed (and is, therefore, "firm" rather than just "soft"). In Computing, firmware is a computer program that is Embedded in a hardware device for example a Microcontroller.
Most computer hardware is not seen by normal users. It is in embedded systems in automobiles, microwave ovens, electrocardiograph machines, compact disc players, and other devices. An embedded system is a special-purpose Computer system designed to perform one or a few dedicated functions often with Real-time computing constraints A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Personal computers, the computer hardware familiar to most people, form only a small minority of computers (about 0. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated 2% of all new computers produced in 2003). See Market statistics. A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a Central processing unit (CPU on a single Integrated
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Typical PC hardware
A typical personal computer consists of a case or chassis in a tower shape (desktop) and the following parts:
Motherboard
- Motherboard - the "body" or mainframe of the computer, through which all other components interface. A motherboard is the central or primary Printed circuit board (PCB making up a complex electronic system such as a modern Computer or Laptop
- Central processing unit (CPU) - Performs most of the calculations which enable a computer to function, sometimes referred to as the "brain" of the computer.
- Computer fan - Used to lower the temperature of the computer; a fan is almost always attached to the CPU, and the computer case will generally have several fans to maintain a constant airflow. A computer fan can be any fan inside a Computer case used for cooling purposes and may refer to fans that draw cooler air into the case from the outside expel warm Liquid cooling can also be used to cool a computer, though it focuses more on individual parts rather than the overall temperature inside the chassis.
- Random Access Memory (RAM) - Fast-access memory that is cleared when the computer is powered-down. RAM attaches directly to the motherboard, and is used to store programs that are currently running.
- Firmware is loaded from the Read only memory ROM run from the Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) or in newer systems Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) compliant
- Internal Buses - Connections to various internal components. In Computing, firmware is a computer program that is Embedded in a hardware device for example a Microcontroller. In Computing, the BIOS (ˈbaɪoʊs The Extensible Firmware Interface ( EFI) is a specification that defines a software Interface between an Operating system and platform Firmware In Computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data between computer components inside a Computer or between computers
- External Bus Controllers - used to connect to external peripherals, such as printers and input devices. The Peripheral Component Interconnect, or PCI Standard (commonly PCI) specifies a Computer bus for attaching peripheral devices to a Computer Not to be confused with PCI-X, a different bus architecture Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, officially abbreviated as PCI-E The Intel QuickPath Interconnect or simply " QuickPath " (the official legal name for Common System Interface or " CSI " is a point-to-point 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The VESA Local Bus (usually abbreviated to VL-Bus or VLB) was mostly used in personal computers These ports may also be based upon expansion cards, attached to the internal buses.
- parallel port (outdated)
- serial port (outdated)
- USB
- firewire
- SCSI (On Servers and older machines)
- PS/2 (For mice and keyboards, being phased out and replaced by USB. A parallel port is a type of interface found on Computers ( personal and otherwise for connecting various peripherals In Computing, a serial port is a Serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one Bit at a time (contrast The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus Interface standard for high-speed communications and Isochronous real-time data transfer frequently )
- ISA (outdated)
- EISA (outdated)
- MCA (outdated)
Power supply
A case that holds a transformer, voltage control, and (usually) a cooling fan, and supplies power to run the rest of the computer, the most common types of power supplies are AT and BabyAT (old) but the standard for PC's actually are ATX and Micro ATX. Industry Standard Architecture (in practice almost always shortened to ISA) was a Computer bus standard for IBM compatible computers The Extended Industry Standard Architecture (in practice almost always shortened to EISA and frequently pronounced "eee-suh" is a bus standard for IBM compatible Micro Channel Architecture (in practice almost always shortened to MCA) was a proprietary 16- or 32-bit parallel Computer bus This article is about the common off-line switching power supplies used in desktop IBM PC compatible computers
Storage controllers
Controllers for hard disk, CD-ROM and other drives like internal Zip and Jaz conventionally for a PC are IDE/ATA; the controllers sit directly on the motherboard (on-board) or on expansion cards, such as a Disk array controller. A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory " is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to but not writable AT Attachment with Packet Interface ( ATA/ATAPI) is a standard interface used to connect storage devices such as Hard disks Solid-state A disk array controller is a device which manages the physical Disk drives and presents them to the computer as logical units. IDE is usually integrated, unlike SCSI which is found in most servers. AT Attachment with Packet Interface ( ATA/ATAPI) is a standard interface used to connect storage devices such as Hard disks Solid-state The floppy drive interface is a legacy MFM interface which is now slowly disappearing. This article is about Modified Frequency Modulation For other uses of MFM see the MFM (disambiguation All these interfaces are gradually being phased out to be replaced by SATA and SAS. Introduction A typical Serial Attached SCSI system consists of the following basic components An Initiator is a device that originates device service
Video display controller
Produces the output for the visual display unit. A video card, also known as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics card, is a hardware component whose function is to A visual display unit, often called simply a monitor or display, is a piece of Electrical equipment which displays images generated from the Video This will either be built into the motherboard or attached in its own separate slot (PCI, PCI-E, PCI-E 2. 0, or AGP), in the form of a Graphics Card.
Removable media devices
- CD (compact disc) - the most common type of removable media, inexpensive but has a short life-span. Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to Computer components devices and recording media that retain digital A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio
- CD-ROM Drive - a device used for reading data from a CD. CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory " is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to but not writable
- CD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a CD. In Computing, an optical disc drive ( ODD) is a Disk drive that uses Laser light or electromagnetic waves near the Light spectrum
- DVD (digital versatile disc) - a popular type of removable media that is the same dimensions as a CD but stores up to 6 times as much information. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is It is the most common way of transferring digital video.
- DVD-ROM Drive - a device used for reading data from a DVD. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is
- DVD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a DVD. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is
- DVD-RAM Drive - a device used for rapid writing and reading of data from a special type of DVD. DVD-RAM ( DVD – Random Access Memory) is a disc specification presented in 1996 by the DVD Forum, which specifies rewritable DVD-RAM media and the appropriate
- Blu-ray - a high-density optical disc format for the storage of digital information, including high-definition video.
- BD-ROM Drive - a device used for reading data from a Blu-ray disc.
- BD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a Blu-ray disc. Blu-ray Disc recordable (or BD-R) refers to two Optical disc formats that can be recorded with an Optical disc recorder.
- HD DVD - a high-density optical disc format and successor to the standard DVD. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being It was 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. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased
- Zip drive - an outdated medium-capacity removable disk storage system, first introduced by Iomega in 1994. The Zip drive is a medium-capacity removable Disk storage system introduced by Iomega in late 1994
- USB flash drive - a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB interface, typically small, lightweight, removable, and rewritable.
- Tape drive - a device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape, usually used for long term storage. A tape drive, which is also known as a streamer, is a data storage device that reads and writes data stored on a magnetic tape.
Internal 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. A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device
- Solid-state drive - a device similar to hard disk, but containing no moving parts. A solid-state drive ( SSD) is a Data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent Data.
- Disk array controller - a device to manage several hard disks, to achieve performance or reliability improvement. A disk array controller is a device which manages the physical Disk drives and presents them to the computer as logical units.
Sound card
Enables the computer to output sound to audio devices, as well as accept input from a microphone. A sound card (also known as an audio card is a Computer Expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to/from a computer under 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.
Networking
Connects the computer to the Internet and/or other computers. A computer network is a group of interconnected Computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks
- Modem - for dial-up connections
- Network card - for DSL/Cable internet, and/or connecting to other computers. Modem (from mo dulator- dem odulator is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode Digital information A Network card, Network Adapter, LAN Adapter or NIC (network interface card is a piece of Computer hardware designed to allow computers
- Direct Cable Connection - Use of a null modem, connecting two computers together using their serial ports or a Laplink Cable, connecting two computers together with their parallel ports. Direct Cable Connection (DCC is a feature of Microsoft Windows that allows a computer to transfer and share files (or connected printers with another computer Null modem is a communication method to connect two DTEs ( Computer, terminal, printer etc Laplink Gold is Software used for Data transfer and remote control between two or more Computers.
dial up connections broad band connections
Other peripherals
In addition, hardware devices can include external components of a computer system. For an account of the words periphery and peripheral as they are used in biology sociology politics computer hardware and other fields see the The following are either standard or very common.
Includes various input and output devices, usually external to the computer system
Input
- Text input devices
- Keyboard - a device, to input text and characters by depressing buttons (referred to as keys), similar to a typewriter. An input device is any Peripheral (piece of Computer hardware equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system (such as a An output device is any piece of Computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of Data processing carried out by an Information processing system Input is the term denoting either an entrance or changes which are inserted into a System and which activate/modify a Process. For other uses see Character. In Computer and machine-based Telecommunications terminology a character is a unit of In Computing, a keyboard is an Input device partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys The most common English-language key layout is the QWERTY layout. QWERTY (ˈkwɜː(rti is the most common modern-day Keyboard layout on English-language computer and Typewriter keyboards It takes its
- Pointing devices
- Mouse - a pointing device that detects two dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. A pointing device is an Input interface (specifically a Human interface device) that allows a user to input spatial (ie continuous and multi-dimensional data In Computing, a mouse (plural mice, mouse devices, or mouses)
- Trackball - a pointing device consisting of an exposed portruding ball housed in a socket that detects rotation about two axes. A trackball is a Pointing device consisting of a Ball housed in a socket containing sensors to detect rotation of the ball about two axes&mdashlike an upside-down
- Xbox 360 Controller - A controller used for Xbox 360, Which with the use of the application Switchblade(tm), can be used as an additional pointing device with the left or right thumbstick. The Xbox 360 Game console, developed by Microsoft, features a number of first-party and third-party accessories
- Gaming devices
- Joystick - a general control device that consists of a handheld stick that pivots around one end, to detect angles in two or three dimensions. Computer and Video Games ( CVG) is a Video game Magazine and website published in the United Kingdom. A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling
- Gamepad - a general game controller held in the hand that relies on the digits (especially thumbs) to provide input. A gamepad, also called joypad or control pad, is a type of Game controller held in the hand where the digits (especially thumbs are used to provide input
- Game controller - a specific type of controller specialized for certain gaming purposes. A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game.
- Image, Video input devices
- Image scanner - a device that provides input by analyzing images, printed text, handwriting, or an object. An image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact usually two-dimensional that has a similar appearance to some subject &mdashusually Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images Historical precedent Scanners can be considered the successors of early telephotography input devices consisting of a rotating drum with a single Photodetector at
- Webcam - a low resolution video camera used to provide visual input that can be easily transferred over the internet. Webcams ( web cameras) are small cameras (usually though not always Video cameras, whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant
- Audio input devices
- Microphone - an acoustic sensor that provides input by converting sound into an electrical signals
Output
- Image, Video output devices
- Printer - a peripheral device that produces a hard (usually paper) copy of a document. Output is the term denoting either an exit or changes which exit a System and which activate/modify a Process. An image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact usually two-dimensional that has a similar appearance to some subject &mdashusually Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images
- Monitor - device that displays a video signal, similar to a television, to provide the user with information and an interface with which to interact. A visual display unit, often called simply a monitor or display, is a piece of Electrical equipment which displays images generated from the Video
- Audio output devices
- Speakers - a device that converts analog audio signals into the equivalent air vibrations in order to make audible sound. Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers, are external speakers commonly equipped with a low-power internal amplifier
- Headset - a device similar in functionality to computer speakers used mainly to not disturb others nearby. Headphones (also known as earphones, earbuds, stereophones, headsets) are a pair of small Loudspeakers or less commonly a single
See also
- Computer architecture
- Digital circuit
- Green computing
- History of computing hardware
- Origins of computer terms
- Open hardware
- Optical computer
- DNA computing
- Legacy system
- E-waste
Internet
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/computer-hardware-channel.htm
In Computer engineering, computer architecture is the conceptual design and fundamental operational structure of a Computer system Digital electronics are Electronics systems that use Digital signals Digital electronics are representations of Boolean algebra also see Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently The history of computer hardware encompasses the hardware, its architecture, and its impact on software. This is a list of the origins of computer-related terms or terms used in the computing world (i Open source hardware refers to computer and electronic hardware that is designed in the same fashion as free and open-source Software. An optical computer is a computer that uses light instead of electricity (i DNA computing is a form of Computing which uses DNA, Biochemistry and Molecular biology, instead of the traditional silicon-based Computer A legacy system is an old Computer system or Application program that continues to be used because the user (typically an organization does not want to replace or Electronic waste, " e-waste " or " Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment " (" WEEE " is a Waste type consistingDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic