What is a computer and its components?

A computer is an electronic machine that has the ability to perform logical operations and process information. A computer consist of nine basic components. These components are as followed:




1) Motherboard (integrated or non-integrated): A motherboard that is integrated means that the components are apart of the circuitry(instead of a sound card you would already have that on the board) a non-integrated motherboard mean that you need to add a video card if you want to have video capabilities or a sound card if you want to have sound. Although now it is rare that you will find a non-integrated MB.


2) CPU/ Central Processing Unit: Is the main intergrated(part of the motherboard) circuit that interacts with a just about every component attached to the motherboard, it helps run your applications and handles system processing.




3) Power Supply: This piece is something like a heart to a human. Our heart pumps and allows the blood to circulate in our body. Well the power supply allows electricity to flow through to power the computer.








4) Hard Drive: Here a lot of people confuse this with RAM. Your hard drive is where you store your data. when you go to save something it is stored here.

5) RAM/ Memory: Like I said above this is always confused. Your RAM is your memory. This is used by software like your Operating System.



6) Video port or card (depending on the Motherboard you have)
7) Sound port or card (depending on the Motherboard you have)

Both of the Video and Sound are what allows you to have sound and video.



8) Optical drive/ DVD, CD: This component can come in many different forms, it will just depend on your preference. Today you are more likely to run into a DVD drive than a CD.



9) Case: Your case is nothing more than the piece that holds all of these components together.

Some people might say "Well that's not right because when I got my computer it had a monitor, mouse and keyboard." Well I'm not arguing that fact because it is true, but from the technochal view a computer is only what I listed. Those addtional items are external devices that add to your computer to be used by the user. You can always look at it like the. When you buy a Xbox 360 or a PS3 you don't by a TV with it and depending on where you bought the game console, you may not get a controller. You are paying for the console itself not the external devices.