What is Computer Hardware?

Computer hardware includes all the physical parts from which your computer is built. It is computer equipment such as your case, power supply, motherboard, memory, CPU, disk drives, disks, keyboards, mice, printers, monitors, etc.

This hardware is made to work along with your computer software - operating systems (OS) and programs.



 
The hardware consists of:

- Case

- Power Supply Unit

- Memory (RAM)
 
- CPU (Processor)

- Storage Devices - Hard drive, optical storage such as CD/RW and DVD/RW drives

- Input Devices - Keyboards and Mice, Multimedia Devices, Scanners, Web Cams and Microphone

- Output Devices - Monitors, Printers, Speakers

- Motherboard

There are many other computer hardware but those listed above are the main components.

Case:

This is the 'slave' of your computer system. It just does its job day-after-day without requiring any attention or maintenance.

It protects the inner components of the system, keeps them cool and prevents them from causing radio frequency interference (RFI). These are important functions that are oftentimes overlooked. 
Some cases are supplied with installed power supplies.

Power Supply Unit:

The power supply unit converts alternating current (A/C) to low voltage DC current for use by the different internal components. Most are multi-voltage to be able to switch between 230 volts and 115 volts.

The power supply unit (PSU) provides regulated DC current at different voltages that are required by the different internal components of the system. Depending on what your system will be required to do, you will need to obtain a power supply unit (PSU) that is capable of safely supplying the total power requirements of your system plus reserve power for future upgrading.
Ensure that there is adequate cooling for your PSU with minimum noise. Some PSUs provide modular wiring - you only use the cables required thus eliminating that 'mess' of wiring which clutters the innards of your system, preventing proper cooling.

Motherboard:

Inside the case, one very important computer hardware is the motherboard (system board/mainboard). It's that rectangular or square board with integrated circutry that connects all the other components of your system be it internal components or peripherals that are connected through ports or expansion slots.

Below are the components directly connected to the motherboard:

CPU:

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) also known as the microprocessor or processor is the 'brain' that controls the internal activities of your computer.

Just like the human brain processes information and directs the body to perform certain actions, this computer hardware processes instructions and directs the operations of the computer.
It is always kept cool by a heat sink/fan assembly .

Memory (RAM):

Memory (RAM) Random Access Memory is mounted on the motherboard and is a very important part of your computer. Computers use RAM to keep temporary instructions and data in order to complete its tasks.

Whenever a computer application is worked on, it is loaded into memory. This then allows your computer's CPU to quickly get instructions and data which are stored into memory. There are different types of memory such as ROM, (Read Only Memory), RAM and 'cache' memory. ROM is non-volatile memory while RAM is volatile which means ROM remains in memory unlike RAM which dies whenever the system is shut down.

Storage Devices:

• Hard Drive - This local computer hardware is usually named Drive 'C' and it provides permanent storage for your computer.

The storage of your information on your hard drive is measured in bytes. It is best to purchase as large a hard drive as you possibly can afford since your applications along with your other files can take up a lot of space.

Storage Devices also consist of other drives such as:

• Floppy Drive - This obsolete computer hardware is a small storage device with a capacity of 1.4 MB.

These are usually used to store backup copies of your files or to transfer data from one computer to another. The capacity of this drive is too small therefore, I would not recommend using it as a permanent storage for your data.

• CD-R/RW Drive - Although no longer popular, this drive enabled you to record and re-write audio and data to CD-ROMS. A 700MB CD-R/RW holds approximately 486 times the amount of data on a floppy disk. Music CDs can be played on your CD-R/RW Drive.
• DVD-R/RW Drive - This drive performs a dual role by reading and writing to DVD and CD media. DVD media holds approximately 6 times the amount of data on CD media and can store full length movies (approximately 120 minutes).
• Zip Drive - This is a removable storage device that is used for data backup. It has moderate storage capacity but never really replaced the floppy drive.
• Tape Drive - This computer hardware has an extremely large storage capacity and is used for data backup.

Input Devices:

• Keyboards and Mice - Your computer keyboard and mouse (input devices) are the basic parts of your computer system. The keyboard is used to enter text commands into your system and the mouse is used to point and click.
• Multimedia Devices - These devices include DVD players, MP3s, projectors and various other media devices. 
• Scanner - A scanner is a device that provides input by analyzing graphics, printed text, handwriting or objects.
• Webcam - A Web Cam is a video camera used to provide visual input that can be transferred over the Internet.
• Microphone - This is an acoustic device that enables input by converting sound energy to electrical signals.

Main Output Devices:

• Monitors - This computer hardware is an electronic visual display with text and grapical information from the computer.
• Printers - The printer is a device that produces permanent human-readable text or graphics on appropriate media.
• Speakers - This is a device which converts electrical signals into audio.

Conclusion

Computer hardware needs software to interact with.....without software your hardware is useless!