Parts of A Computer

 

PARTS OF A COMPUTER If you use a desktop computer, you might already know that there isn't any single part called the "com "c ompu pute ter. r."" A comp comput uter er is re real ally ly a sys syste tem m of many working The physical parts, whic wh ich h parts you you can ca n see see together. and and touc touch, h, are ar e co coll llec ecti tive vely ly called hardware. (Software, on the other hand, refers to the instructions, or programs, that tell the hardware what to do.  The illustration !elow shows the most common hard ha rdwa ware re in a de desk skto top p comp comput uter er sy syst stem em.. o our ur system may look a little different, !ut it pro!a!ly has parts. Aslaptop has sim si milar ilmost ar part paof rts sthese !u !utt co com m!i !ine nes th them em computer in into to a sin ingl gle e note!ook#si$ed package.

 

Desktop computer system SYSTEM UNIT  The system unit is the core of a computer system. %sually it's a rectangular !o& placed on or unde dern rnea eatth your your des desk. Insid ide e this !o& are many electronic components that process information. The most important of these components is the central processing unit (%, or microprocessor, which acts as the "!rain" of your yo ur co comp mput uter er.. An Anot othe herr co comp mpon onen entt is ra rand ndom om access memory ()A*, which temporarily stores inform ation thaThe t th e rmation %ionustored ses win hile this e comp computer uter is on. info informat )A* erased when the computer is turned off. Almost every other part of your computer connects to the system unit using ca!les. The ca!les plug into specific ports (openings, typically on the !ack of the system unit. +ardware that is not part of the system unit is sometimes called a peripheral device or device.

 

System unit  STORAGE  our computer has one or more disk drives dev evic ice es tha hatt stor ore e inf nfo orma rmation tion on a met etal al or plastic disk. The disk preserves the information even when your computer is turned off.

HARD DISK DRIVE  our computer's hard disk drive stores information on a hard disk, a rigid platter or stack of platters with a magnetic surface. -ecause hard disks can hold massive amounts of information, they th ey us usua uall lly y serv serve e as yo your ur co comp mput uter er's 's pr prim imar ary y mea ean ns of sto tora rage ge,, hold ldiing alm almos ostt al alll of yo you ur programs and files. The hard disk drive is normally located inside the system unit.

 

Hard disk drive

CD AND DVD DRIVES early all computers today come e/uipped with a 0 or 010 drive, usually located on the front of the th e sy syst stem em un unit it.. 0 driv drives es use use la lase sers rs to re read ad (retrieve data from a 0, and many 0 drives can also write (record data onto 0s. If you have a recorda!le disk drive, you can store copies of your files on !lank 0s. ou can also use a 0 drive to play music 0s on your computer.

 

CD 010 drives can do everything that 0 drives can, plus read 010s. If you have a 010 drive, you can watch movies on your computer. *any 010 drives can record data onto !lank 010s. Tip If you have a recorda!le 0 or 010 drive, periodically !ack up (copy your important files to 0s or 010s. That way, if your hard disk ever fails, you won't lose your data.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE 2loppy 2lop py di disk sk driv drives es st stor ore e in info form rmat atio ion n on fl flop oppy py disks, also called floppies or diskettes. ompared to 0s and 010s, floppy disks can store only a small amount of data. They also retrieve information more slowly and are more prone to damage. 2or these reasons, floppy disk drives are less popular than they used to !e, although some computers still include them.

Floppy disk 

 

3hy are floppy disks "floppy"4 5ven though the outside is made of hard plastic, that's 6ust the sleeve. The disk inside is made of a thin, fle&i!le vinyl material.

MOUSE A mouse is a small device used to point to and select items on your computer screen. Although mice come in many shapes, the typical mouse does look a !it like an actual mouse. It's small, o!long, and connected to the system unit !y a long wire that resem!les a tail. Some newer mice are wireless.

Mouse

 

A mous use e usu usually lly ha has s two two !utt tto ons7 a pri rim mary !utton (usually the left !utton and a secondary !utton. *any mice also have a wheel !etween the two !uttons, which allows you to scroll smoothly through screens of information.

3hen you move the mouse with your hand, a pointer on your screen moves in the same direction. (The pointer's appearance might chan ch ange ge de depe pend ndin ing g on wh wher ere e it it's 's po posi siti tion oned ed on your screen. 3hen you want to select an item, you point to the item and then click (press and release the primary !utton. ointing and clicking with your mouse is the main way to interact with your computer.

KEYBOARD A key!oard is used mainly for typing te&t into your computer. 8ike the key!oard on a typewriter, it has keys for letters and num!ers, !ut it also has special keys7 •

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 The function keys, found on the top row, perf pe rfor orm m di diff ffer eren entt fu func ncti tion ons s depe depend ndin ing g on where they are used.  The numeric keypad, located on the right side of most key!oards, allows you to enter num!ers /uickly.

 

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 The navigation keys, such as the arrow keys, allo llow yo you u to move yo your ur pos positi ition wi witthi hin n a document or we!page.

Keyboard  ou can also also use your ke key!oard y!oard to perfo perform rm many of the same tasks you can perform with a mouse.

MONITOR A mo moni nito torr disp displa lays ys in info form rmat atio ion n in visu visual al form form,, using te&t and graphics. The portion of the moni mo nito torr th that at di disp spla lays ys the the info inform rmat atio ion n is call called ed the screen. 8ike a television screen, a computer screen can show still or moving pictures.  There are two !asic types of monitors7 )T (ca cath thod ode e ray ray tu tu!e !e moni nito tors rs and 80 (li/ (li/ui uid d

 

crysta crys tall di disp spla lay y moni monito tors rs.. -o -oth th ty type pes s pr prod oduc uce e sharp images, !ut 80 monitors have the adva ad vant ntag age e of !e !ein ing g muc uch h thin thinne nerr and and li ligh ghte ter. r. )T monitors, however, are generally more afforda!le.

LCD monitor (left); C! monitor (ri"#t)

PRINTER A printer transfers data from a computer onto paper. ou don't need a printer to use your comp co mput uter er,, !u !utt ha havi ving ng on one e al allo lows ws you you to pr prin intt e#mail e#m ail,, car cards ds,, invita invitatio tions ns,, annou announce nceme ments nts,, and

 

other materials. *any people also like !eing a!le to print their own photos at home.  The two main types of printers are ink6et printers and laser printers. Ink6et printers are the most popular printers for the home. They can print in !lack and white or in full color and can produce high#/uality photographs when used with special pape pa per. r. 8ase 8aserr prin printe ters rs ar are e fa fast ster er an and d gen gener eral ally ly !etter a!le to handle heavy use.

Ink6et printer (left9 laser printer (right

SPEAKERS Speakers are used to play sound. They may !e !ui uillt in intto the sys ysttem unit unit or con onne nec cted with with

 

ca!les. Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects from your computer.

Computer speakers

MODEM  To connect your computer to the Internet, you need a modem. A modem is a device that sends and receives computer information over a telephone line or high#speed ca!le. *odems are sometimes !uilt into the system unit, !ut higher# speed modems are usually separate components.

Cable modem