To the uninitiated, the specifications on a desktop or laptop computer seem like a foreign language. Over time technology has advanced and changes have been made to the basic hardware components of all computers. Except for those planning on building a machine from scratch, most users only need a cursory understanding of the basic hardware components found within a computer.
The mother board is the most critical piece of hardware within a system. It is a circuit board to which the other pieces of hardware are set-up. The CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory) and peripherals are installed onto the motherboard. It is, in effect, the boss of the system.
RAM is one of the components installed onto the motherboard. The small chip temporarily stores data. They range from 256 MB to 6 GB. The more RAM installed onto a system, the faster it performs.
The CPU is also a small chip located on the motherboard. It runs the programs and software installed on the computer. It is often called the processor and the capacity of the CPU directly impacts the computers performance.
Program files and data are stored on the hard drive. There are multiple types of hard drives with a variety of storage capacities.
The power supply does just that, provides the power the system needs to function. It effectively powers the disk drives, motherboard and other components. A fan is also installed as a part of the power unit to cool the system.
There are other pieces of hardware as well. Keyboards, mice, scanners, printers and monitors are all peripheral hardware that makes the functionality of a computer more effective and useful to the end users.
Understanding how the various hardware technologies interact to form a functioning computer is useful for those that are interested in purchasing a new computer. Buying a computer doesn’t have to be headache inducing.