Computer main partsPor: Walter Pérez

HARDWAREComputer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and related devices.

Internal hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM. External hardware devices include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.

The internal hardware parts of a computer are often referred to as components, while external hardware devices are usually called peripherals. Together, they all fall

under the category of computer hardware.

Motherboard

A motherboard is one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds together many of the crucial components of a computer, including the central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors for input and output devices. The base of a motherboard consists of a very firm sheet of non-conductive material, typically some sort of rigid plastic.

Processor A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer.

The term processor has generally replaced the term central processing unit (CPU). The processor in a personal computer or embedded in small devices is often called a microprocessor.

RamRandom Access Memory) The main memory in a computer, smartphone or tablet. RAM is the temporary workspace where instructions are executed and data are processed. What makes RAM "random access" is its capability of reading and writing any single byte. This "byte addressability" differs from storage devices such as hard disks and flash memory chips, which read and write sectors containing multiple bytes.

Graphic cardA video card connects to the motherboard of a computer system and generates output images to display. Video cards are also referred to as graphics cards. Video cards include a processing unit, memory, a cooling mechanism and connections to a display device.

hard driveThe hard drive is what stores all your data. It houses the hard disk, where all your files and folders are physically located. can hold over 100 GB of data. The data is stored on a stack of disks that are mounted inside a solid encasement. These disks spin extremely fast (typically at either 5400 or 7200 RPM) so that data can be accessed immediately from anywhere on the drive.

Optical disk drive

An optical disk drive (ODD) uses a laser light to read data from or write data to an optical disc. These include CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. This allows you to play music or watch movies using pre-recorded discs. Computer software also often comes on one of these discs, so you need an optical drive to install software.

A power supply

is a hardware component that supplies power to an electrical device. It receives power from an electrical outlet and converts the current from AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current), which is what the computer requires. It also regulates the voltage to an adequate amount, which allows the computer to run smoothly without overheating. The power supply an integral part of any computer and must function correctly for the rest of the components to work.

SOFTWARESoftware, on the other hand, consists of the programs and applications that run on computers. Because software runs on computer hardware,

software programs often have system requirements that list the minimum hardware required for the software to run.

The operating system

The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs and applications. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

Microsoft Office

A collection of programs for a personal computer that is used to automate common office tasks. The packages usually includes: word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email, and database. These components are sold together and typically interface with each other.