A computer is nothing without the components or parts it contains. Many users take advantage of what these powerful machines have to offer, but don’t know which components make them work. Keep in mind that a computer contains several mechanical, electrical, and electronic components called hardware.
Do you know these hardware components? If not, read on and explain everything you need to know. But first, let’s explain what a computer is before we get to the good stuff. Now keep in mind that it won’t be a long article because the information here is pretty simple, but trust us, a lot of computer users have no idea.
What is a computer?
A computer is simply an electronic device that operates under the control of commands stored in its own memory. The instructions here can accept data and then process that data according to specific rules. In addition, it can produce results and store those same results for future reference.
Keep in mind that a computer is not only a machine running Windows 10, but also Linux, macOS, Android and other operating systems designed only for industrial use. Even modern cars rely heavily on computers to function.
Components of a computer system
The 5 main components of a computer system are:
- Contribution
- Production
- Processing unit
- Storage room
- Communications.
Let’s take a look.
1]Contribution
The entry allows the user to enter information and commands into a computer. A scanner, keyboard, touch screen and mouse are perfect examples of an input device. Interestingly, microphones have become very important for data entry.
Today, it is possible to add texts in Microsoft Word without ever using a keyboard. Simply activate Office Dictation, then speak into your microphone to enter the data. We can say with certainty that it works fairly well if the words are pronounced correctly. It won’t completely replace the keyboard, but it’s a good alternative when your fingers become too painful to type.
2]Production
When you look at what an input component is, it should be very easy to determine what an output component is. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s a hardware component that carries information to one or more people. A computer screen, printer, projector and speakers are examples of output equipment.
As you may already know, the projector is very similar to a monitor. The main difference is that it projects data onto a hard surface, while a monitor displays the information on a screen.
In addition, the television can also be used as a monitor if it has the correct connection. Today, every TV with an HDMI connector can be used as a monitor
3]Processing unit or system
If you are using a desktop computer, then the system unit would be the case that contains all of the electronic equipment used to process the data. The main tool inside the central processing unit is the processor, the brain of your computer. Not only that, but it contains the memory unit, also known as RAM (Random Access Memory). In addition, it also houses the motherboard, hard drive, cooling unit, etc.
In truth, the CPU is the most important aspect of a consumer computer, at least for now. Things may change in the future when cloud computing becomes the norm.
4]Storage room
OK, let’s talk a little bit about storage and what it means. You see, storage on a computer is to save and retrieve items to and from other storage media. For example, users can store data for future use in ROM (read-only memory) or on a hard drive.
The hard drive hosts the operating system and all files saved on the machine. As for the ROM, well, it is designed to keep the software that will not be modified. Firmware is one such software that is found only on ROM and nowhere else.
That’s why every time a computer is cleaned, the firmware stays the same at all times. And it’s good for the system and the user in general.
Older computers have a built-in CD player for a variety of reasons. Most people would use this bay to add DVDs to watch movies, listen to music, and more. However, a DVD or CD can also be used to store files for future use in the same way as a hard drive. Not as reliable, but possible.
5]The communications
A computer in today’s world is nothing without the ability to communicate with other devices or over the Internet. With this ability, people can send and receive data from mobile devices and other computers with ease.
They can even do it in the cloud. An example of this is using Windows 10 to send and retrieve Office files from a OneDrive cloud storage account.
The ability to communicate depends on internal hardware components such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi adapters. But also the USB ports to send data from the computer to a mobile device, and HDMI to communicate with another screen.