Computer hardware is the equipment that makes up a personal computer. It includes components that process information, including the central processing unit (CPU), random access memory and motherboard. It also encompasses data storage devices like hard disk drives and solid state drives.
Lastly, computer hardware includes input and output devices such as a monitor, keyboard and mouse. It also includes cooling systems such as heat sinks, which disperse excess heat from internal components.
Motherboard
The Motherboard is the base on which other modular parts like CPU, RAM and hard disks are installed. It also provides expansion slots to install peripheral devices like graphics cards, network adapters and audio jacks. It is responsible for distributing power to all the different components in the computer and maintaining an interface between them.
The motherboard also houses a central processing unit, or CPU, that acts as the brain of your computer. It processes instructions that are sent by desktop programs and communicates with other hardware components through a series of buses. The motherboard also has a memory connector that connects to the RAM. It also has a power supply connector, which is used to provide electrical power to the motherboard and other components.
CPU
The brain of your computer, the CPU calculates and interprets instructions while you’re surfing the Internet, creating documents or playing games. It’s a crucial component without which your computer wouldn’t function.
The CPU has a circuit called the arithmetic and logic unit that performs mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction and multiplication. It also performs logical comparisons of data items.
A control unit activates wires that connect to different parts of the processor. For example, it determines whether the current privilege level (CPL) is set to ring 0, for running drivers, or ring 3, for users.
The CPU is a silicon chip that sits in a socket on the motherboard inside your computer. It’s separate from memory, which is where information is stored, and from the graphics card or GPU, which renders video and 3D graphics on your screen.
RAM
When you type a letter, save a file or jump into a video game, a lot of work goes on in the background. Those processes are executed by your computer’s RAM (random access memory).
Without the help of RAM, everything would be much slower. RAM takes the information your processor needs to do its work and puts it right in front of him, where it can easily be accessed.
Previously, SDRAM synchronized its memory operations to the system clock and performed data transfers at every peak of a single pulse; DDR (double data rate) technology performs two data transfer sequences in one clock cycle, which doubles the speed for another huge leap in performance. You’ll see a four-digit number at the end of your RAM product name that lets you know its speed.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is the primary storage device for your computer. It has two components: the platters that store data and the heads that retrieve it. The platters are circular aluminum disks covered with a magnetic layer. The heads are mobile, positioned over the platters by an actuator arm.
The heads read data from the platters by scanning them with a magnetic field. The data is organized into tracks and sectors, each containing a fixed number of bytes (256 or 512) grouped into clusters.
The heads move across the platter surface with precision, but even a little friction or a speck of dust can damage them. The movement of the heads is steered by an actuator motor, which uses a voice coil approach similar to those found in the cones of stereo speakers.
Optical Drive
An optical drive, sometimes called a DVD drive, CD drive or Blu-ray drive, reads data stored in the form of small optical areas on a plastic disc that spins inside the drive. The laser in the drive reflects off these areas, which contain codes that can be read by another part of the drive that’s plugged into your computer.
The back of an optical drive contains a port for a cable that connects to your motherboard. Some drives also include jumper settings that control how the drive is recognized by your system.
Optical drives are much more durable than magnetic hard disks, which can lose information if they lose power, or magnetic tape, which can wear out over time. But they aren’t as fast as solid-state storage, which is becoming increasingly popular.