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BASIC COMPUTER HARDWARE COMPONENTS: ALL COMPUTERS MUST HAVE:

A Central Processing Unit
2 Internal clock
3 Memory locations call RAM
4 An Input devise(s
5 An Output Device(s
6 Storage Devices
7 Operating System
8 SoItware

1) A CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (also called a CPU)

A CPU is the main chip that handles millions oI arithmetic/logic and
Control operations every second. It is what is reIerred to by the '386,
'486 or 'Pentium designation.

) INTERNAL CLOCK

%he speed at which a CPU runs is measured in Megahertz (MHz. All microprocessors have
a built-in clock that 'ticks with a Irequency oI anywhere Irom million times/second to
million times/second or more. Nothing can happen inside a computer until the clock 'ticks
- no data transIer, no instructions executed. %he Iaster the clock speed, the Iaster the computer
can work.

) MEMORY LOCATIONS CALLED RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)

RAM is a physical medium to which data can be written to or read in any order. It is an
electronic chalkboard where inIormation can be written and erased at will, but is always
Erased when the computer`s power is turned oII. %he amount oI RAM in your computer
delimits what programs you can run.

) INPUT DEVICE(S)

a KEYBOARD: a device used to enter inIormation and instructions into the computer. It includes
standard typewriter keys and specialized Iunction keys.



b MOUSE: a hand-held device that lets you point to, select or move
items on a screen. A mouse has at least a leIt and right button, sometimes
a middle button, that each perIorm speciIic Iunctions. It has a ball
underneath which senses movement and relays it to the monitor.

c CD-ROM DRIVE: a device that reads inIormation stored on compact disks. Most CD-ROM
drives are located inside the computer case, but external units are available that connect to the
computer by a cable.

d SCANNER: %ranslates inIormation it reads on paper into a Iormat
that a computer can use. Like a photocopier, it creates a duplicate,
but into a computer Iile instead oI on paper.

) AN OUTPUT DEVICE(S)

a MONITOR: displays text and images generated by the video
card inside your computer. All monitors have a power switch, as
it turns on and oII separate Irom the computer. When the light
beside the power switch is on, the monitor is powered. In addition,
all monitors have at least a Brightness and a Contrast control dial,
that allow the user to control the display on screen.

b PRINTER: Produces a paper copy oI the inIormation displayed
on a screen. A dot-matrix printer uses patterns oI tiny dots to Irom
images on a page. 24-pin dot matrix printers produces typewriter
quality documents & is ideal Ior multi part Iorms. An ink jet printer`s
print head sprays ink on the page through small holes. A laser
printer uses a laser beam to Iorm images on a page to produce high
quality printouts. A printer can connect directly to one standalone
computer or be a resource on a network, Irom which all
network computers can print.

c MODEM: Allows a computer to communicate through
telephone lines. A Iax modem lets you send inIormation Irom a
computer to a Iax machine or another Iax modem at the other
end. Communication packages allow you to exchange
inIormation through telephone lines. A modem lets you access
the Internet through a 'Service provider. %hese services allow
access to a vast amount oI inIormation and let you communicate
with other users connected to the Internet.


d SOUND CARD: A hardware card that improves the quality oI sound that a computer is able to
create or duplicate. It allows you to add sound eIIects, music and speech to documents and
presentations. It also lets you use a computer to compose music.
6) PERMANENT STORAGE DEVICES

A computer needs a place to store inIormation. Whereas RAM read-only memory is temporary, the
computer`s hard drive and Iloppy drive are places to write, erase and/or modiIy the Iiles that you create.

HARD DRIVE: %he primary device that the computer uses to
store inIormation. It is located inside the computer case. II the
computer has one hard drive, it is called drive C:. %he amount
oI inIormation that a hard drive can store is measured in bytes.
%he operating system (DOS/Windows and soItware applications
are usually stored here, iI your computer is a stand-alone.


FLOPPY DRIVE: A Iloppy drive uses diskettes to store and retrieve
inIormation. II your computer has one Iloppy drive, it is called drive A:.
II you have two Iloppy drives, the second is called drive B. Use your
Iloppy drive to copy Iiles Irom the hard drive onto a diskette, in order to
protect your work in case oI viruses, computer Iailure or accidental erasure
oI important Iiles.

PERMANENT STORAGE DEVICES
A computer needs a place to store inIormation. Whereas RAM read-only memory is temporary, the
computer`s hard drive and Iloppy drive are places to write, erase and/or modiIy the Iiles that you create.

7) OPERATING SYSTEM

What is DOS? DOS stands Ior Disk Operating System. It is the program that tells the hardware what
to do & controls the overall activity in a computer. You must type in the correct command to activate
something using DOS.
What is Windows 1? Windows is a picture-based program runs on top oI DOS. Rather than typing
in commands, Windows lets you use the mouse to point & click or choose Irom a number oI selections
on a provided menu. Windows is popular because most soItware run on Windows looks & acts the
same. Once you have learned the basics oI one application run on Windows, the next is easier to learn.
What is Windows `9? Windows `95 is an operating system that uses pictures to represent tasks and
instructions. Users Iind it easier to point and click or choose Irom selections on a provided menu than
to type in commands. Windows `95 lets users run more than one soItware program at the same time. It
can move twice the amount oI data as DOS in the same amount oI time. Unlike Windows 3., Windows
`95 is an operating system - it controls and issues commands to the hardware and the soItware programs
in the computer.





8) SOFTWARE (ALSO CALLED PROGRAMS OR APPLICATIONS)

Whereas hardware is the machinery itselI, SoItware is the instructions or potential instructions that the
computer is to carry out. SoItware is programs written to perIorm speciIic tasks, such as word processing,
keyboarding tutors.