What is a computer?
A computer is a biological and/or mechanical device that computes or that performs computations. One of the earliest computers was in fact the human brain; the ultimate in biological computers (as far as we know). But for a very long period of time, a computer was simply a job description; one who computes.
A thermometer is also a computer. An analog computer. A mechanical device that serves a specific computational purpose. In this case, to accurately measure temperatures. Clockwork timepieces and slide-rules are also examples of analog computers. The list is endless. However, when we think of computers today we often think of digital computers. So let's begin there.
What is a digital computer?
A digital computer is a mechanical device not unlike an analog computer (they are both machines that compute), but they differ in one key area: they have a dynamic memory. That is, they can store data as incremental values, or digits, hence they are called digital computers. Moreover, unlike an analog computer, they can be programmed to perform many different computations, including computations that have yet to be conceived.
The parts of a computer
The basic components of a digital computer can be broadly broken down into two main categories: hardware and software. Hardware is the physical component while software is what brings the hardware to life and gives it purpose. You cannot have one without the other.
The hardware can be broken down into several key components: input devices, processing devices and output devices. The input and output devices are fairly self-explanatory, but usually consist of a keyboard and screen at the very least. With modern touch-screen technologies, however, the distinction is becoming less apparent but, suffice to say, they are both an input and an output device.
The processing devices consist of a central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM) and mass data storage devices (usually hard-drives). The CPU does all the real work, however all three work together. The hard-drives store all the software (programs and data) that is to be used or created by the processor. Programs and data that are currently required by the processor are loaded into RAM, and the processer executes the programs one instruction at a time, referring to the data stored in RAM. Depending upon the program, additional data can be loaded from the disk while new data can be written back to disk, as and when required.
RAM is an extremely volatile form of memory in that it requires electricity to maintain its state. However, it is extremely fast and can be modified at an extremely rapid rate. Mass storage devices like hard-drives are non-volatile however they are many times slower. They do fail from time to time, but they do not require a power source to maintain their state.
Although hard-drives can fail, multiple hard-drives can be combined such that data is duplicated automatically. Thus if one drive fails, another can be used until the faulty drive is replaced. This is known as a redundant array of inexpensive (or independent) drives, or RAID. There are various configurations depending on whether you want automatic backups or enhanced performance.
The processor, RAM, hard-drives and all other peripheral devices (screen, keyboard, printers, etc) are all connected together via a motherboard. The motherboard also has its own small non-volatile memory chips known as ROM (read-only memory). This contains a small program (the BIOS, or basic input/output system) that performs a series of quick tests to ensure the primary hardware (e.g., the CPU and memory) are all working, before passing control to the boot loader which is stored stored on disk.
Case: Holds all other parts and has power button (and sometimes other things).
Power supply: Provides electricity to computer parts, taking power from an outlet.
Motherboard: Connects other parts and contains chipsets and jacks/ports.
Processor: Does the math that allows a computer to work.
Memory: Holds information for a short time (like human short-term memory)
Hard drive: Holds information as files for a long time (like human long-term and factual memories)
Solid-state drive: Can be used instead of a hard drive, much faster, but MUCH more expensive.
Graphics card: Handles math having to do with video and images, to take some of the load off of the processor
Disk drives: Read Blu-ray disks, DVDs, CDs, and floppy disks.
A desktop computer system typically involves a monitor, printer, mouse, keyboard, and tower. The tower controls everything that goes on inside the computer. To hook everything up, one will need a variety of cables. Consult the internet to see all the hookups that are necessary.
There are many parts to a computer such as the motherboard which if broken makes your computer non-functional, the hard drive is the computer's storage when put simply, the CPU or central processing unit which is sort of the brain of the computer, the graphics card for graphics and RAM or random access memory is used in a computer which is used to store information.
There are many other parts which are very difficult to explain and there are accessories such as the keyboard and mouse which you most likely used to type up this post and webcams and such.
main parts of the computer are
CPU ,monitor, mouse,
You can recycle them, reuse them, sell them, or donate them.
Your computer could get viruses, become slow, or have broken parts if you use it improperly.
pictures of computer parts
All computer parts:
Division
what is hardware computer parts
There are many parts in a computer mouse. see the following site for full information.: http://www.computerhope.com/help/mouse.htm
Often recycling centers will pay you for various computer parts such as power supplies, motherboards and hard drives. If the hard drive is still functional, you could also add it to your new computer and have additional storage.
computer
a computer
If you really know about computers and have access to cheap computer parts and how to use it, it is not a bad idea. Otherwise, buy a new computer. In today's market, it's often cheaper to buy brand new parts, even just a brand new computer entirely. If you do buy used, then be sure to find a reputable dealer in your area that has tested the parts and stands behind them.
No. If your computer's motherboard cannot overclock and if you do not have enough power and cooling for overclocking, you won't be able to do it. At the worst, you will burn out your computer parts.