Overview of the Basic Computer Parts
Overview of the Basic
Computer Parts
. The parts of a computer
that we are going to discuss are the essential hardware parts that a computer
needs to operate. These components are mostly internal and external in the case
of the necessary peripherals.
As we already saw in the
previous post the basic computer parts are the following:
• Motherboard
• CPU
• Main Computer Memory (RAM)
• Video Card or Graphics Card
• Storage Devices (Hard Disk Drive & Optical Drive)
• Computer Power Supply Unit (PSU)
• Computer Display or Monitor
• Keyboard & Mouse
You need the above computer
parts so to have an operational computer. You cannot skip anything except the
video card only in case that your motherboard-CPU combo has integrated graphics
hardware (An on-board graphics card integrated to motherboard). This means that
a graphics card is present so there is no need to buy an extra card.
Let’s see now the importance
and the role of the basic computer parts. List of computer parts from the
higher to the lower importance.
1. Computer Power Supply Unit
Importance
Yes you see right. The
computer power supply unit is the most important of the basic computer parts.
Faulty computer Power Supply Unit can cause very nasty problems that are not
easily to detect. The great majority of people ignores the importance of the
quality of the power supply and just buys the cheapest Power Supply Unit that
cover their computer’s watt needs.
The quality of the Power
Supply Unit is something that you must absolutely pay attention to it. And have
in mind that quality must be paid. It is better to cut from other parts of the
computer than to buy a cheaper and lower quality Power Supply Unit. Choose the
manufacturer and model of the Power Supply Unit wisely after an extensive
market research. You can find nearly for every Power Supply Unit out there a
website that has already tested it. Check it out before buying it. Something
last: You buy Power Supply Unit last. Check here why.
Role
The computer power supply is
responsible to power up your computer and its parts. The computer parts, basic or not, may be
internal or external. Some external elements have a separate power supply feed
like some external hard disk drives and they do not use the computer’s power
supply. Everything else that does not have a separate electric feed is powered
by the Computer Power Supply Unit..
The Power Supply Unit
transforms the AC to DC providing also different voltage lines. These lines are
combined to Power Supply Unit’s connectors. Quality Power Supply Unit have
minimal fluctuations in these voltage lines promoting the stability of the
system under heavy load or overclocking. For more information about the Power
Supply Unit please follow this link.
2. Motherboard
Importance
From all the basic computer
parts the second more important is the Motherboard (mobo). Motherboard
functions, quality and support determine the role of your computer. According
to your motherboard you buy all the other components. The type of the
motherboard is determined according to several factors such as the technology
that it uses, its features, the CPU and Memory support, its expand-ability
connectivity and more. Check on the motherboard diagrams for more about the
motherboard and how its parts work. Also here is a guide on how to install a
motherboard.
Role
The motherboard’s role on
the computer is to offer a “body” where the rest basic computer parts will
connect. All the internal components fit onto the motherboard or connect to it
through wires. The motherboard provides at the back an I/O panel where you
connect peripheral and external devices like keyboard, mouse, speakers, USB
devices, microphone, display monitor and more.
3. Computer Memory – RAM
Importance
Computer memory is the third
of the most important basic computer parts. And this is because computer memory
is a very sensitive hardware part. Be sure to buy computer memory of high
quality by a trusted RAM manufacturer.
Usually, a faulty computer memory crashes the whole system losing all of
your work. Another very important issue before buying computer RAM is to check
the compatibility between the RAM modules and your motherboard.
Role
The Random Access Memory
role in the computer is to store temporarily data for the CPU to process.
Because the communication between CPU and RAM is many times faster than between
CPU and Hard Drive, the data is loaded to the RAM and then is being accessed
from the central processor.
The desktop computer memory
plays an important role to the performance of the computer. The more RAM the
computer has the more data can store in it and the faster the processing will
be. Of course RAM modules can be differentiating to their speed, technology,
capacity, timings and more. There are many desktop computer memory types. You
can read more about computer memory types by following this link.
4. Central Processor
Importance
Well, if you plan not to
play video games then the fourth most important of the parts of a computer is
the central processor. There are only two major companies that manufacture
computer processors for the home desktop computers. These manufacturers are
Intel and AMD. They both manufacture quality products. So quality does not
apply here.
The importance of the
processor though relies on the intended use of the computer. For example, if
you need to do audio or video editing then you need a multi-core, powerful
processor. If you just want to run office applications, a simple dual-core
processor will do the job. You buy computer processor always according to your
needs.
Role
The role of the CPU in the
computer is to process data. Every running program is being processed by the
CPU. So actually the result of this process is what you actually see on the
computer display. The CPU is considered the brain of the computer.
5. Video Card
Importance
If you play games then video
card is most important than the CPU. Gaming and graphics performance is mainly
depended on the potential of the video card. It is not in the first triad
though because the most important thing is to ensure computer stability, so it
comes 4th in case that you intend to play games or to use graphics related
professional programs.
Role
The graphics card is the
computer component that your computer display connects to. It is responsible to
draw what you see on the monitor. It has a processor that is called GPU
(Graphics Processing Unit) and undertakes the processing of every video or
graphics application. The faster the
video card is the smoother the video, game or application will be.
6. Hard Disk Drive
Importance
The importance of the hard
disk comes last as it is just storage medium. In case that your hard disk
capacity is low you can just add a new hard disk and expand the overall storage
capacity of your computer. Though, hard disk can play an important role to
performance. Solid state hard drives are newer technology hard disks that
perform much faster than the common SATA disks. They are also a lot more
expensive.
Faults on hard drive may be
critical. You may lose important files if a hard disk drive fails. That’s why
you must always have more than one hard drives in your computer.
Role
The role of the hard disk
drive in the computer is to store data files. It is the main storage of your
computer. It was also known as memory.
A hard disk is necessary
because contains the installation directories and files of the operation system
(Windows, Mac etc.) and the programs. The more space you have the more you can
store. Also there are some techniques that we are going to see at a later time
to increase performance or security if you have two or more hard drives. This
is nothing else than implementing a RAID array. I am going to show you how to
create a RAID array in a future article.
7. Peripherals: Keyboard, Mouse and
Monitor
Importance
Peripherals are the least
important basic computer parts because their functionality does not affect the
stability or performance of the whole computer. For example if a mouse gets
broken your computer will not be harmed or stop working. You just replace your
mouse and everything returns back to normal. The same happens with the keyboard
and display parts.
Their importance though is
high because without these peripherals you cannot use the computer.
Role
The Role of these basic
computer parts is obvious. The mouse and keyboard are for interacting with the
computer. Both, especially the keyboard, consist of the interface between the
computer and the human. The computer display presents the results of this
communication between you and the computer.
In this article we discussed
the importance and the role of the basic computer parts. This classification is
only based according to my experience with the computers all these years. I
have come across many troubles. In my opinion the first thing a computer must ensure
is stability and then performance. Minimizing the possibility of the “blue
screens of death” is essential for every computer whatever its purpose is.
Posted by Gurneet Singh
on 18:41
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