Major Hardware Components of

A Computer System
System Unit
CPU
Motherboard
The Motherboard is
The Central
the main circuit
Processing Unit
board for the
(CPU) is the
computer, containing
"brain" of the
both soldered,
computer. It
nonremovable
executes
components along
instructions (from
with sockets or slots
software) and tells
A system unit is the part of a computer that houses the for components that
primary devices that perform operations and produce results other components
can be removed. The
for complex calculations. It includes the motherboard, CPU, what to do.
motherboard holds
RAM and other components, as well as the case in which
the CPU, RAM and
these devices are housed.
ROM chips, etc. System Fan
Power Supply
CPU Fan
A system fan, a
A computer case fan is located
fan is any inside a computer,
fan inside, or attached to the
attached to, front or back of its
a computer case. Case fans
case used help bring cool air
for active into and blow hot
cooling. air out of the case.
A power supply is a device that converts the output from an
AC power line to a steady DC output or multiple outputs.
Hard Disk Drive

RAM
Solid State Drive Random Access
A solid-state drive Memory (RAM), also
known as Main Memory
(SSD) is a new
or Primary Storage, is
generation of
used to hold
storage device instructions and data
used in computers. while they are being
SSDs store data used. RAM is volatile,
using flash-based meaning its contents
A computer hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile data memory, which is are lost when the power
storage device. Non-volatile refers to storage devices that goes off. RAM is more
much faster than
maintain stored data when turned off. than 1000x faster than
the traditional hard
ROM the fastest secondary
disks they've come storage
to replace.
Optical Drive

Graphics Card
Video card, also
called graphics card, An optical disk
integrated circuit that drive (ODD) uses a
generates the video laser light to read
signal sent to a data from or write
computer display. data to an optical
The card is usually disc. These include
Read-only memory, or ROM, is a type of computer storage containing
non-volatile, permanent data that, normally, can only be read, not written
located on the CDs, VCD, DVDs,
to. ROM contains the programming that allows a computer to start up or computer and Blu-ray discs.
regenerate each time it is turned on. motherboard or is a
Expansion Bus separate circuit board
but is sometimes built
into the computer
display unit.
Mouse

Monitor

The Monitor (or The mouse is a

small, movable
Display Screen) is
device that lets
the most common you control a
Expansion Slots are sockets on the motherboard that you can type of output range of things
plug expansion cards into. device. It produces on a computer.
Adapters softcopy (i.e.
temporary) output on
a screen

Keyboard

An adapter is a physical device that allows one hardware or electronic

A keyboard is for putting
interface to be adapted (accommodated without loss of function) to information including letters,
another hardware or electronic interface. In a computer, an adapter is words and numbers into your
often built into a card that can be inserted into a slot on the computer's computer.
motherboard.