COMPUTER COMPONENTS AND DEVICES
Learning objectives:
After reading this information sheet, you should be able to:
1. Classify of the hardware and software components of a computer with its
corresponding functions.
2. Determine the various computer components and peripherals.
A computer system is a special subsystem of an organizations overall information
system. It is an integrated assembly of devices, centered on at least one processing
mechanism utilizing digital electronic, which are used to input, process, store, and
output data and information.
Putting together computer system, however, is more involved than just connecting
computer devices. In an effective and efficient system, components are selected and
organized with an understanding of the inherent tradeoffs between overall system
performance and cost, control, and complexity.
Basic Hardware Components of a Computer System
Today, almost everyone in our information society has a basic understanding of
what a computer is and what it can do. A contemporary computer system consists of
central processing unit, primary storage, secondary storage, input devices,
output devices and communication devices that work together with software to
perform calculations, organize data, and communicate with other computers
A computer is an electronic machine, operating under the control of instruction
stored in its memory, that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it into
useful information (output), and store it away in a secondary storage device (store) for
safe keeping or later reuse. The processing of input into output is directed by the
software but performed by the hardware.
Common Computer Hardware Components
Computer system hardware components include devices that perform the function of
input, processing, data storage, output and communication. The device responsible
for these five areas are as follows:
• Input devices. Allow you to enter data or commands in a form that the
computer can use; they send the data or commands to the processing unit,
commonly-used input devices include keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner,
digital camera, and PC camera.
• Output devices. Show people the processed data and information in
understandable and useful form. Four commonly used output devices are
printer, a monitor, speakers, and portable media player. Input/output devices
are playing an increasingly significant role in our lives. The number and variety
of input/output devices are expanding.
• Processing devices. Processing devices are the computer electronic circuitry
housed in the system unit. The circuitry in the system unit is part of a circuit
board called the motherboard. The Major Components on the mother board are
the processor and memory. The processor, formally known as Central
Processing Unit (CPU), has electronic circuitry that manipulates input data
into the information people want. Computer instructions are actually are
executed in the central processing unit. Memory is a series of electronic
elements that temporarily holds data and program instructions while they are
being processed by the CPU. Both the processor and memory consist of chips.
A Chip is an electronic device that contains many microscopic pathways
designed to carry electrical current.
• Storage devices. Storage usually means secondary storage that can store
data and programs outside the computer itself. Storage devices hold data,
information, and programs permanently. These devices supplement memory
(also called primary storage) that can hold data and programs only
temporarily. Common storage devices include a hard disk, USB flash drives,
CDs, DVDs, and memory cards. A drive is a device that reads from and
writes onto a storage medium. A storage medium is the physical material
on which data, information, and program are stored. Some portable devices,
such as digital cameras, use memory cards as the storage media.
• Communication devices. provide connections between the computer and
communications networks, and enable computer users to communicate and
to exchange data, information, and programs with other computers.
Communication devices transmit these items over transmission media such
as cables, telephone lines, satellites, and cellular radio. A widely used
communications device is a modem
In summary, we communicate with computers through input/output devices, Input
devices that translate our data and communications into a form that the computer
can understand. The computer then process these data, and an output device
translates them back into a form we can understand. The central processing unit
manipulates data and controls the other parts of the computer system. Memory
(primary storage) temporarily stores data and programs instructions during
processing, while secondary storage feeds data and instructions int the central
processor and stores data for the future use.
EAST ASIA INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS COLLEGE INC.
MARTIN BLDG.,3rd & 4th FLOOR, ROXAS ST., DISTRICT II, CAUAYAN CITY, ISABELA
COMPUTER SYSTEM SERVICING NCII
1ST QUARTER – MODULE 4
COMPUTER COMPONENTS AND DEVICES
