All the elements that go together to make up a PC fall into one of two categories, hardware or software. This section is about hardware, the stuff upon which software runs.
One of the definitions of 'hardware' according to Webster's dictionary is 'major items of equipment or their components used for a particular purpose'.
Everything you can see and touch in your PC is hardware. Complete PCs can be purchased for about $300 today, and the prices keep falling! All the items listed below that make up a PC can be purchased individually at computer or web supply stores.
This following list represents a basic set of hardware found in most PCs.
For more information on these components just click one.
1. PC Case
2. Motherboard
3. Power Supply
4. Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
5. Floppy Disk Drive (FDD)
6. Compact Disk Drive (CDD)
7. Digital Video Disk drive (DVD)
8. Monitors (CRT and LCD)
9. Keyboard
10. Mouse
11. Audio
12. Cables & Wires
It is however, important to know the several Computer Hardware's and its function.
1. PC Case: This is a Case that houses the Pc motherboard and all other parts in the Pc.
2. The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large rectangular board with integrated circuitry that connects the rest of the 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 central processing unit (CPU) 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.
• The chip set mediates communication between the CPU and the other components of the system, including main memory.
• 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 includes boot firmware and power management. The Basic Input Output System tasks are handled by operating system drivers.
• Internal Buses connect the CPU to various internal components and to expansion cards for graphics and sound.
o Current
The north bridge memory controller, for RAM and PCI Express
PCI Express, for expansion cards such as graphics and physics processors, and high-end network interfaces
PCI, for other expansion cards
SATA, for disk drives
ATA
o Obsolete
AGP (superseded by PCI Express)
VLB VESA Local Bus (superseded by AGP)
ISA (expansion card slot format obsolete in PCs, but still used in industrial 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.
o USB
o FireWire
o eSATA
o SCSI
3. 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.
HARDWARE CHART
