Hardware and Software

What is a computer? An electronic device that stores, retrieves, and processes data, and can be programmed with instructions. A computer is composed of hardware and software, and can exist in a variety of sizes and configurations. Hardware is any part of your computer that has a physical structure, such as the system unit, mouse, keyboard, monitor etc. There are two types of hardware: Input and Output devices. Software is any set of instructions that make the computer work. Some examples of software include web browsers, games, word processors etc.

The basic parts of a desktop computer are the computercase, monitor, keyboard, mouse. Each part plays an important role whenever you use a computer.

SOFTWARE The software is the instructions that make the computer work. Programming software, system software and application software are the three main types of computer software used in computer networking. System software coordinates all external devices of computer system like printer, keyboard, displays etc. Programmers use the programming software to develop the programming languages necessary to run computer software. Compliers, interpreters, linkers and text editors are some of the basic tools used in programming software. Application software is used for commercial purpose. The application software is widely used in educational, business and medical fields. Computer games are the most popular forms of application software. Industrial automation, databases, business software and medical software prove to be of great help in the respective fields. Educational software is widely used in educational institutes across the globe.

HARDWARE Computer case - is the frame that holds and protects all your computer parts. Computer cases come in different shapes and sizes. The computer case is the metal and plastic box that contains the main components of the computer. It houses the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), power supply, and more. The MOTHERBOARD - is the frame that holds and protects all your computer parts

CPU (Central Processing Unit) The microprocessor calculates, performs logical operations and manages data. This is what makes your computer run. There are two main brands of CPU's to choose from: Intel (Pentium) Computer Parts - and AMD (Athlon).

A cooling Fan Today's CPUs are very powerful and they run very hot, therefore you need a Cooling Fan to keep your CPU from overheating and melting your motherboard

Computer Memory Storage devices All disks need a drive to get information off or read and put information on the disk or write. Each drive is designed for a specific type of disk whether it is a CD, DVD, hard disk or floppy.

RAM - (Random Access Memory) RAM is memory that your computer uses to run programs and software applications on your computer. Without RAM your computer won't function For use with digital cameras Computers use RAM to hold the program code and data during computation

ROM – Read Only Memory Read Only Memory (ROM) as the name suggests is a special type of memory chip that holds software that can be read but not written to. A good example is the ROM-BIOS chip, which contains read only software. Often network cards and video cards also contain ROM chips.

Hard drives and Floppy Drives A hard drive is essential for storing your system's data. It is where your programs are installed and where you save information on your computer. Get at least a 40GB Hard Drive Floppy drives are going out of style, but they are not gone yet, a ton of people still use floppy disks

CD-RW/DVD Writer CD-RW 0.7 GB of data so you can record up to 1 hours of streaming video DVD-RW 4.7 GB of data so you can record up to 4 hours of streaming video

Graphics Card / Video Card The Graphics card also know as a video card is what turns your computer data into visible graphics. Get at least a 64MB AGP Graphics Card

Sound Card The sound card is what allows you to listen sounds and music on your computer. The better your sound card and your speakers, the better the quality of sound or music you will hear Without a sound card you will hear only the most basic of computer sounds

Network card The network card allows your computer to communicate over a network and access the Internet. It can either connect with an Ethernet cable or through a wireless connection (often called Wi-Fi). Many motherboards have built-in network connections, and a network card can also be added to an expansion slot.

Monitor The monitor works with a video card, located inside the computer case, to display images and text on the screen. Newer monitors usually have LCD (liquid crystal display) or LED (light-emitting diode) displays. These can be made very thin, and they are often called flat-panel displays. Older monitors use CRT (cathode ray tube) displays. CRT monitors are much larger and heavier, and they take up more desk space.

LCD Monitor and CRT Monitor LCD screens are much easier to read from than bulky CRT displays

Keyboard and Mouse / Input Devices. Speakers

Keyboard and Mouse / Speakers Mouse - Most modern computers today are run using a mouse controlled pointer. Keyboard - The keyboard is used to type information into the computer or input information. There are many different keyboard layouts and sizes with the most common for Latin based languages being the QWERTY layout (named for the first 6 keys). The standard keyboard has 101 keys. Notebooks have embedded keys accessible by special keys or by pressing key combinations

The keyboard is one of the primary ways we communicate with the computer and enter data. There are many different types of computer keyboards, including wired, wireless, ergonomic, and multimedia. Although there may be differences in the location of some keys or features, keyboards are very similar and allow you to accomplish basically the same tasks.

Printer

Printers - The printer takes the information on your screen and transfers it to paper or a hard copy. There are many different types of printers with various levels of quality. The three basic types of printer are; dot matrix, inkjet, and laser.

Scanner A scanner is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display.

Modem The modem is what allows you to get on the internet as well as what use to hook your fax or telephone up to the computer. Modem For PC Modem For Notebook 4-Port Cable/DSL Router For Networking & Broadband