Hardware

the physical, touchable, electronic and

mechanical parts of a computer system.

System Software
Is a set of instruction required to run
a computer system.
 3 FUNDAMENTAL
ELEMENTS OF THE
COMPUTER
A. SYSTEM UNIT
B. INPUT DEVICES
C. OUTPUT DEVICES
Major hardware
components of a
SYSTEM UNIT
1. System case
A computer case also known as a
computer chassis, it is the enclosure
that contains most of the components of
a computer
 2. Motherboard
/ Mainboard /
System Board

The main circuit board of a computer. It

contains all the circuits and components that
run the computer.
 3. CPU (Central
Processing
Unit)

The processor is the main “brain” or “heart” of

a computer system. It performs all of the
instructions and calculations that are needed
and manages the flow of information through
a computer.
 4. Primary storage
(internal storage, main memory or
memory) is the computer's working
storage space that holds data,
instructions for processing and processed
data (information) waiting to be sent to
secondary storage. Physically, primary
storage is a collection of RAM chips.
 Two (2) Types of Memory

1. ROM – (Read Only

Memory) ROM is non-
volatile, meaning it
holds data even when
the power is ON or
OFF.

2. RAM – (Random Access Memory) RAM is

volatile, meaning it holds data only when the
power is on. When the power is off, RAM's
contents are lost
 5. Expansion
Bus

A bus is a data pathway between several

hardware components inside or outside a
computer. It does not only connect the parts
of the CPU to each other, but also links the
CPU with other important hardware.
 6. Adapters

Printed-circuit boards (also called interface

cards) that enable the computer to use a
peripheral device for which it does not have
the necessary connections or circuit boards.
They are often used to permit upgrading to a
new different hardware.
 7. Power
Supply Unit
(PSU)

Installed in the back corner of the PC case, next to

the motherboard. It converts 120vac (standard house
power) into DC voltages that are used by other
components in the PC.
 8. Hard Disk
Drive (HDD)

Also known as hard drive, is a magnetic storage

device that is installed inside the computer. The hard
drive is used as permanent storage for data. In a
Windows computer, the hard drive is usually
configured as the C: drive and contains the operating
system and applications.
 9. Optical Drive

An optical drive is a storage device that uses

lasers to read data on the optical media.
There are three types of optical drives:
Compact Disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disc
(DVD) and Blu-ray Disc (BD).
 10. Digital
Versatile Disc
(DVD)

Designed to optically access data stored

on a DVD. A laser moves back and forth
near the disk surface and accesses data
at a very fast rate.
B. Input Devices

Accepts data and instructions

from the user or from another
computer system.
 Two (2) Types of Input Devices

1. KEYBOARD The first input device developed for the PC. Data is
transferred to the PC over a short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini-din
connector that plugs into the back of the motherboard.

2. Direct Entry – A form of input that does not require data to be keyed
by someone sitting at a keyboard. Direct-entry devices create
machine-readable data on paper, or magnetic media, or feed it directly
into the computer’s CPU.
Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices
1. Pointing Devices - An input device used
to move the pointer (cursor) on screen.

Mouse - The most

common 'pointing
device' used in PCs.
Every mouse has two
buttons and most have
one or two scroll
wheels.
Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices
Touch screen- A display
screen that is sensitive to
the touch of a finger or
stylus. Used in myriad
applications, including ATM
machines, retail point-of-
sale terminals, car
navigation and industrial
controls. The touch screen
became wildly popular for
smart phones and tablets.
Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices

Light Pen - A light-sensitive stylus

wired to a video terminal used to
draw pictures or select menu options.
The user brings the pen to the
desired point on screen and presses
the pen button to make contact.
 Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices

Digitizer Tablet - A graphics drawing tablet

used for sketching new images or tracing old
ones. Also called a "graphics tablet," the user
contacts the surface of the device with a
wired or wireless pen or puck. Often
mistakenly called a mouse, the puck is
officially the "tablet cursor."
 Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices
2. Scanning Devices- A device that can read
text or illustrations printed on paper and
translates the information into a form the
computer can use.
 Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices

3. Voice- Input Devices - Audio input devices also

known as speech or voice recognition systems that
allow a user to send audio signals to a computer
for processing, recording, or carrying out
commands. Audio input devices such as microphones
allow users to speak to the computer in order to
record a voice message or navigate software.
C. Output Devices
Any piece of computer hardware that
displays results after the computer has
processed the input data that has been
entered.
1. Computer Display Monitor
It displays information in visual form, using text
and graphics. The portion of the monitor that
displays the information is called the screen or
video display terminal.
C. Output Devices
Types of Monitor
a. CRT Monitors -
Cathode Ray Tubes
(CRT) were the only
type of displays for use
with desktop PCs. They
are relatively big (14"
to 16" deep) and heavy
(over 15 lbs).
C. Output Devices
Types of Monitor
b. LCD Monitors -
Liquid Crystal Display
(LCD) technology has
been used in laptops
for some time. It has
recently been made
commercially available
as monitors for desktop
PCs.
C. Output Devices
Types of Monitor
c. LED Monitors
(Light Emitting Diode) - A
display and lighting
technology used in almost
every electrical and
electronic product on the
market, from a tiny on/off
light to digital readouts,
flashlights, traffic lights
and perimeter lighting.
C. Output Devices
2. LCD Projectors- utilize
two sheets of polarizing material
with a liquid crystal solution
between them. An electric current
passed through the liquid causes
the crystals to align so that light
cannot pass through them. Each
crystal, therefore, is like a shutter,
either allowing light to pass
through or blocking the light.
C. Output Devices
3. Smart Board - A
type of display screen
that has a touch
sensitive transparent
panel covering the
screen, which is similar
to a touch screen.
C. Output Devices
4. Printer - A
device that prints
text or illustrations
on paper.
Types of printer
1. Ink-Jet or
Bubble-Jet Printer
- sprays ink at a
sheet of paper.
Ink-jet printers
produce high-
quality text and
graphics.
Types of printer
2. Laser Printer -
Uses the same
technology as
copy machines.
Laser printers
produce very
high quality text
and graphics.
Types of printer
3. LCD and LED
Printer- Similar to
a laser printer, but
uses liquid crystals
or light-emitting
diodes rather than
a laser to produce
an image on the
drum.
Types of printer
4. Line Printer -
Contains a chain of
characters or pins
that print an entire
line at one time.
Line printers are
very fast, but
produce low-
quality print.
Types of printer
5. Thermal Printer-
An inexpensive
printer that works by
pushing heated pins
against heat-sensitive
paper. Thermal
printers are widely
used in calculators
and fax machines.
D. Ports
External connecting sockets on the outside
of the computer. This is a pathway into and
out of the computer. A port lets users plug
in outside peripherals, such as monitors,
scanners and printers.
D. Ports
Type of Port Function Illustration
Serial Port Intended for serial type mouse and older camera
Parallel Port Also called as printer port. This is only for old model printer.
It has 25 pins. It is a female port.
VGA (Video Graphic Used to connect monitors. It has 15 pins and it is a female
Array) Port port.
USB (Universal High speed serial interface that is used with almost all
Serial Bus) Port devices. It is used to connect latest model printers, pen
drives, cell phones etc. it has 4 pins.

PS/2 Port Simple, 6-pin, low-speed serial connections commonly

dedicated to a keyboard and mouse.
Power Port Intended for power cord.

S-Video Port S-Video connections are available on certain source

components and video display devices, and offer a higher
level of video performance over composite video signals.

Audio Port Intended for plugging in the speaker or headset.

LAN (Local Area A physical interface often used for terminating twisted pair
Networking) Port type cables used to connect computers onto a local-area
networks (LAN), especially Ethernet RJ-45 connectors
Software
is the set of instructions (also called
a program) that guides the
hardware to operate effectively.
Software can be split into two main
types:

1. System Software
2. Application Software
 System Software
Any software required to support the production or
execution of application programs, but which is not specific
to any particular application. Common operating systems
include Windows, the Macintosh OS, OS/2 and LINUX.

LINUX

MAC
 Application Software
Designed to help the user to perform singular or
multiple related tasks. Examples of application
software are as follows:
a. Word processing software - Creates, edits, saves, and prints documents.
Example: MS Word, WordPerfect, Ami Pro, MacWrite.
b. Spreadsheet software - An electronic spreadsheet consisting of rows and
columns is used to present and analyze data. Example: MS Excel, Lotus 123,
Quattro Pro.
c. Database management software - Used to structure a database, a large
collection of computer programs. Data is organized as fields and records for
easy retrieval. Example: MS Access, dBase, Fox Pro, Oracle.
d. Graphic software - Graphics programs display results of data
manipulation for easier analysis and presentation. Example: Macromedia
Flash, Harvard Graphics, 3D Studio Max, Adobe Photoshop
People ware
Refers to people involved in the data
processing operations such as the system
administrator, office workers, students
and others.