Basic Parts of a Computer

• Monitor
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• System Unit
Monitor
The monitor is the piece of computer
hardware that displays the video and
graphics information generated by the
computer through the video card.

Monitors are very similar to televisions

but usually display information at a
much higher resolution. Also unlike
televisions, monitors are not usually
mounted on a wall but instead sit atop
a desk.
Keyboard
A computer keyboard is one of the
primary input devices used with a
computer. Similar to an
electric typewriter, a keyboard is
composed of buttons that
create letters, numbers,
and symbols, as well as perform
other functions. The following
sections provide more in-depth
information and answers to some of
the more frequently asked questions
about the keyboard.
Mouse
The mouse, sometimes called a pointer, is a
hand-operated input device used to
manipulate objects on a computer screen.

Whether the mouse uses a laser or ball, or is

wired or wireless, a movement detected from
the mouse sends instructions to the computer
to move the cursor on the screen in order to
interact with files, windows, and other software
elements.

Even though the mouse is a peripheral device

that sits outside the main computer housing, it's
an essential piece of computer hardware in
most systems... at least non-touch ones
System Unit
A system unit is the part of a computer that
houses the primary devices that perform
operations and produce results for complex
calculations. It includes the motherboard,
CPU, RAM and other components, as well as
the case in which these devices are housed.
This unit performs the majority of the functions
that a computer is required to do.
The term system unit is generally used to
differentiate between the computer itself
and its peripheral devices, such as the
keyboard, mouse and monitor.
Components of a System unit
• Power Supply • Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• Mother Board • Optical Drive
• CPU • Floppy Drive
• CPU heat sink/fan assembly • External/Internal Cables
• RAM • PATA Cable
• Floppy Cable
• Adapter Card • SATA Cable
• NIC
• VGA/Monitor Cable
• Video Adapter
• Ethernet Cable
Power Supply

A power supply provides the needed

voltage to power the various
electronic circuits that make up the
PC.
Attach the power supply to the case.
Motherboard
one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds
together many of the crucial components of a computer, including the
central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors for input and
output devices. The base of a motherboard consists of a very firm sheet
of non-conductive material, typically some sort of rigid plastic. Thin layers
of copper or aluminum foil, referred to as traces, are printed onto this
sheet. These traces are very narrow and form the circuits between the
various components. In addition to circuits, a motherboard contains a
number of sockets and slots to connect the other components.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
It is the unit which performs most of the processing inside a
computer. To control instructions and data flow to and from other parts
of the computer, the CPU relies heavily on a chipset, which is a group of
microchips located on the motherboard.

The CPU has two components:

Control Unit: extracts instructions from memory and decodes and

executes them
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): handles arithmetic and logical operations
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
a device that incorporates either a fan or some other means to
keep a hot component, such as a processor, cooled down. There are
two heat sink types: active and passive. The picture is an example of a
heat sink that has both active and passive cooling mechanisms.
• Active heat sinks utilize the
computer's power supply and
may include a fan. Sometimes
these types of heat sinks are
referred to as an HSF, which is
short for heat sink and fan.
There are also liquid cooling
systems, which have become
more popular in recent years.
• Passive heat sinks are those
that have no mechanical
components. Consequently,
they are 100% reliable. Passive
heat sinks are made of an
aluminum finned radiator that
dissipates heat through
convection. For passive heat
sinks to work to their full
capacity, there should be a
steady airflow moving across
the fins.
RAM (random access memory)
Alternatively referred to as main memory, primary memory, or system
memory, It is a hardware device that allows information to be stored and
retrieved on a computer. RAM is usually associated with DRAM, which is a
type of memory module. Because information is accessed randomly instead of
sequentially like it is on a CD or hard drive, access times are much faster.
However, unlike ROM, RAM is a volatile memory and requires power to keep
the data accessible. If the computer is turned off, all data contained in RAM is
lost.
Network Interface Card (NIC)
A hardware component without which a computer cannot be
connected over a network. It is a circuit board installed in a computer that
provides a dedicated network connection to the computer. It is also called
network interface controller, network adapter or LAN adapter.
Purpose
NIC allows both wired and wireless communications.

NIC allows communications between computers connected via local area

network (LAN) as well as communications over large-scale network through
Internet Protocol (IP).
NIC
Video Adapter
Alternatively known as a display adapter, graphics card, video card,
video board, or video controller, a video card is an expansion card that
connects to a computer motherboard. It is used to creates a picture on a
display; without a video card, you would not be able to see this page. More
plainly, it is a piece of hardware inside of your computer that deals with
processing images and video, along with some of the tasks normally handled
by the CPU. Video cards are used by gamers in place of integrated graphics
due to their extra processing power and video ram.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile computer storage

device containing magnetic disks or platters rotating at high
speeds. It is a secondary storage device used to store data
permanently, random access memory (RAM) being the primary
memory device. Non-volatile means data is retained when the
computer is turned off.
A hard disk drive is also known as a hard drive.
Optical Drive
An optical drive is a type of computer disk drive that reads and
writes data from optical disks through laser beaming technology.

This type of drive allows a user to retrieve, edit and delete the
content from optical disks such as CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks.
Optical drives are among the most common computer
components.

An optical drive may also be known as an optical disk drive

(ODD).
Floppy Drive
A floppy disk drive (FDD), or floppy drive, is a hardware
device that reads data storage information. It was invented in
1967 by a team at IBM and was one of the first types of hardware
storage that could read/write a portable device. FDDs are used
for reading and writing on removable floppy discs. Floppy disks
are now outdated, and have been replaced by other storage
devices such as USB and network file transfer.
 Floppy Disk Drive
Floppy Disk
PATA Cable
short for Parallel ATA, is an IDE standard for connecting
storage devices like hard drives and optical drives to the
motherboard.
PATA generally refers to the types of cables and
connections that follow this standard.
PATA cables are flat cables with 40-pin connectors (in a
20x2 matrix) on either side of the cable.
SATA Cable
Short for Serial ATA (which is an abbreviation for Serial
Advanced Technology Attachment), is an IDE standard first
released in 2001 for connecting devices like optical drives and
hard drives to the motherboard.
The term SATA generally refers to the types of cables and
connections that follow this standard.
Serial ATA replaces Parallel ATA as the IDE standard of
choice for connecting storage devices inside of a computer.
SATA storage devices can transmit data to and from the rest of
the computer much, much faster than an otherwise similar PATA
device.
Floppy Cable
A ribbon cable found in PC's that allow one or more floppy
disk drives to be connected to a computer. In the illustration to
the right, is a visual example of what a floppy cable may look like
and where each end of connectors connect. As can be seen,
this cable allows a desktop computer to have two floppy drives
connected to one floppy controller.
Video Graphics Array (VGA) Cable
is a type of computer cable that carries visual display data
from the CPU to the monitor. A complete VGA cable consists of
a cable and a connector at each end, and the connectors are
typically blue.
Ethernet Cable
It is one of the most common types of network cables used
for wired networks. Ethernet cables connect devices within a
local area network, like PCs, routers, and switches. These
physical cables are limited by their length and by their durability.
If a network cable is too long or of poor quality, it won't carry a
good network signal. These limits are one reason there are
different types of Ethernet cables optimized to perform certain
tasks in specific situations.
Back Panels

VGA Port