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Basic Hardware Parts of Computer System
The basic parts of a computer are the system unit, monitor, the keyboard, the mouse and the printer. System unit is a boxlike case that houses the computer’s main hardware components. Desktops, Notebook, Personal Digital Assistant are types of system units. Motherboard is inside the system unit.
Motherboard or mainboard is a large printed circuit board with thousands of electrical circuits. Power supply Transforms alternating current (AC) from wall outlets to direct current (DC) needed by the computer. Cooling fan keeps the system unit cool. Internal speaker is used for beeps when error is encountered. Drive bays are housing for the computer’s hard drive, floppy drive and CD-ROM / DVD-ROM drives. On the motherboard there are system clock, microprocessor (CPU), Memory and Chipset.
Memory is a device that enables the computer to retain (store) information,while Random Access Memory / RAM is a type of volatile memory that stores information temporarily so that it’s available to the CPU. Chipset is a collection of chips that work together, Provides circuitry to move data to and from the rest of the computer.
Outside of the system unit there are Power switch, which is located on the back; turns power on/off to the computer. The connectors or ports, usually located on the back, used to plug in peripheral devices, keyboard, mouse and monitor. Front panel contains drive bays, various buttons and lights.
Types of ports computers have are:
serial port (modem)
Parallel port (printer)
PS/2 port (mouse, Keyboard)
Universal Serial Bus (USB) port (mouse, Keyboard, Pen Drive)
1394 port (Firewire)
IrDA port (infrared signal)
VGA connector (monitors)
LAN port (LAN connection)
Audio port (Mic, line in, line out)
Advantages of using computers are Speed, Reliability, Consistency, Storage and Communications.
Disadvantages of using computers are Violation of Privacy, Impact on Labor Force, Health Risks such as Visual strain, Impact on Environment, holding power.
Finally, Hardware performance refers to the amount of data a computer can store and how fast it can process the data.