All about PC Hardware

Nowadays computer has become an essential part of our life, wherever we are, we need it for different reasons. As computer become inseparable in daily life, we are used to sovle question by it even more than by our own brains. In the golden age of computer, it’s absolutely imperative for us to know some basic knowledge of its structure. This doesn’t mean you have to become an expert, and know as clear as the expert, just try to learn some fundamental things about that. Now let’s have a look about the components in PC, and what are their functions?

Random Access Memory
You also can call it RAM, it’s a primary storage device. Each and every software application, however large of small it may be, needs to be first loaded into the RAM before it can be actually executed, regardless of the fact that the software is actually stored in the hard drive. The contents of RAM are lost once the computer is powered off; hence it is volatile memory and not a permanent memory. RAM is present in the form of RAM chips which are fitted into designated RAM slots on the motherboard.

Hard Drive
It is that component of your computer on which your entire data is stored. In technical terms, a hard drive is often referred to as a secondary storage device. Seagate, WD, Samsung are a few popular hard drive manufacturers. Hard drives can be both internal as well as external, though an external hard drive mainly serves the purpose of being a portable storage device or a device for data backup.

Cards
Various cards such as network (LAN) cards, video adapter cards, sound cards, etc. are installed on the motherboard and each one has a specific role to play in the functioning of the computer. LAN or Ethernet cards are necessary for connecting the computer to a network, whereas video, sound and graphics cards are necessary for executing multimedia applications.

Processor
As the name suggests, it is that part of the computer that is responsible for performing all the computing and processing operations within the computer. Higher the quality and computing capacity of the processor, faster is the computer. The Pentium series of processors by Intel happen to be one of the most popular processors and are widely used all over the world.


USB Ports
USB ports are located on the motherboard and can be typically found on the rear of the computer cabinet. Certain computer cabinets have an additional feature of frontal USB ports for added user convenience. USB ports are used for connecting devices such as USB flash drives, MP3 players, digital cameras, mobile phones, etc. to your computer.

CD-ROM Drive
It is that component of the computer which is responsible for playing CDs. Today, CD-ROM drives come with an inbuilt feature of CD writing, in addition to plain reading. DVD-ROM drives have taken this advancement to an even higher level, wherein they are capable of not only playing CDs and DVDs but also burning data onto them.

Motherboard
It is that component of the computer which houses the processor, the RAM, the sound card, the network card, the video card, the modem, the USB ports as well all the remaining electronic components. Computer motherboards produced by Intel and AMD are among the most preferred motherboards and are popular all over the world.

Power Supply
As the name suggests, the power supply (also known as the SMPS unit) acts as the source of power for the motherboard and all the other hardware components that are housed within the computer cabinet. Cables originating from the SMPS unit are known as power cables, and are different from data cables.

Monitor
It is an output device and more importantly, is the display component of the computer. Modern computer monitors are available in flat screen designs as well as in box-type designs. Flat screen monitors are further available in two variants - LCD monitors and plasma monitors.

Keyboard and Mouse
These are input devices which are responsible for feeding data and user information into the desktop computer. They are connected to the computer through specially designated ports which are located at the rear of the computer cabinet. Modern devices such as wireless computer keyboards and mice are, well, wireless!

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