What the heck is inside a computer, anyway?
Glad you asked. Computers may seem like overly complicated contraptions, but they can actually be broken down into just a few major parts. A typical computer is able to accept and process input, store data, and produce and communicate output. What follows is a short explanation of the handful of hardware devices that enable these basic functions of personal computing.
- Logic Board
- Processor
- Long-term storage
- Short-term storage
- Removable storage
- Input devices
- Output devices
- Networking devices
Logic Board
If you look inside a computer you can’t miss the logic board; it’s the large circuit board to which everything else is attached. In the simplest terms, the logic board routes electrical currents to different parts of the system and performs calculations via the system’s processor.
Processor
The processor is the “brain” of your computer. Mathematics is at the root of everything a computer does, and the processor performs these calculations many timers per second.
Long-term Storage
When you “save a file to your computer”, you are telling the system to place that data in long-term storage. Long-term storage usually comes in the form of a hard drive, which is a device that uses magnetic discs to “remember” data even when the system is powered down.
Short-term Storage
Short-term storage is more commonly referred to as your computer’s memory, which is implemented by hardware called RAM (Random Access Memory). When you are editing files and using applications, all of that data is kept in RAM. This short-term storage is much faster than long-term storage and therefore more expensive, so a typical system will have much less memory than hard drive space.
Removable Storage
Any type of media that you insert into and remove from your computer is considered Removable Storage or Removable Media. Examples include CD & DVD discs, floppy disks, zip disks, memory cards and USB drives.
Input Devices
Input devices allow people to interact with computers, and include microphones, mice, trackballs, keyboards and the like.
Output Devices
Devices that communicate information from a computer to the user are Output Devices. Two of the most common examples are speakers and monitors, which in turn interface with the system through video and sound cards. Printers are also considered output devices.
Networking Devices
No computer these days is complete without the ability to connect its user to the Internet, and so Networking Devices are another main component of a computer system. Ethernet and Token Ring cards connect a system directly to high-speed networks, WiFi cards enable computers to join wireless networks and modems access the Internet by dialing up a service provider over traditional phone lines.
[tags]computers,hardware[/tags]
