What are the components of a computer?

Software components

These are the programs that instruct the physical components on how to do their work. These programs operate under their own operating systems. A program may be compatible to work within a certain operating system while it does not work within another operating system. Programs can perform more than one function, using the same mechanical devices. The computer software components are divided into two main parts: system programs and application programs.

System software

It is one of the types of computer programs designated for the computer to operate through. This type of program acts as an intermediary between the physical parts that make up the computer and the applications that the user interacts with directly. The system program is the program that controls other programs, as it is the one that manages them. Examples of this include: The type of program is the BIOS program that starts the system in which the computer operates.

Application software

These are programs that are used by people who use computers, and they are also called productivity programs, as they are programs that allow the user to perform tasks via the computer, such as creating spreadsheets or documents or even browsing online and playing games. It is worth noting that these programs include: It is as easy and simple as a calculator application, and some is as complex as a word processing program.

physical components

It is known as equipment, which is the tangible and material parts of the components of a computer, which are divided into external components that are visible to the user so that he can enter and extract data from the computer through them, such as the screen, mouse, keyboard, etc. The other type of this equipment is the internal components that exist inside the computer, Such as the motherboard, central processing unit, etc.

Internal components

The internal components of a computer are called the system unit, and it includes many important parts of the computer, the most important of which are:

Motherboard

The motherboard is known as the main board or system board in a computer, as it contains many electrical circuits and ports that vary in number depending on the type of motherboard, so that they combine the other physical components of the computer, allowing They have the ability to communicate and communicate with each other, and the motherboard in the computer is considered a distinctive component that is designed to work with specific types of memory or processor.

CPU

The central processing unit (in English: Central processing unit), or what is known as the processor (in English: Processor), is considered the brain of the computer. This unit, referred to by the abbreviation CPU, is responsible for processing and implementing every command that is delivered to the computer, whether this command is simple or It is complex, and the speed of the central processing unit is directly proportional to the speed of the computer. The more advanced the technical specifications of the processor, the faster the execution and processing of commands.

The central processing unit consists of several parts, such as the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), which is entrusted with the task of performing the arithmetic and logical operations required by the processor, and the control unit (CU), which manages the other components of the device, in addition to the cache memory. In which commands are copied and placed in it so that they can be recalled when needed, it is considered a type of high-speed memory.

RAM

Random access memory (in English: Random access memory), which is referred to as RAM for short, is defined as memory units made up of a huge number of transistors (in English: Transistors) and capacitors (in English: Capacitors), and installed on the motherboard of the computer. RAM is a memory Volatile, meaning that its contents disappear when the device is turned off. It is a temporary storage location through which the central processing unit is provided with the information it needs in a very fast time of up to a few parts of a million per second. This memory is divided into two types: dynamic random access memory. (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM).

power supply

The power supply is the part responsible for converting alternating current into a low-voltage constant current in proportion to the contents in the computer. The power supply also generates varying amounts of voltage, which are -5, +5, and 3.3. and 12 volts. It is also entrusted with the task of supplying electrical power to the components of the computer, including the motherboard. The power supply is often located in the upper or lower back part of the computer. It should be noted that opening this part should be avoided even if the device is turned off, because It may contain strong electrical charges that may be stored in capacitors.

Hard Disk

The hard disk is known as one of the components of the computer that allows storing large amounts of data on it, which may reach hundreds of gigabytes. This part of the computer is referred to as HDD, and the hard disk memory is considered fixed memory. Its contents do not disappear when the power is cut off from it. This magnetic disk stores data through magnetic rotating disks. There are many different types of hard disks that range in size and speed. The speed of the hard disk depends on the number of revolutions it makes during one minute. It is considered Solid State Drive (SSD), also known as SSD, is the fastest type of hard disk.

Screen card

The display card or video card (in English: Video Card) is defined as the component that sends graphics data to one of the visual output devices such as a monitor, projector, or even a television. The video card is installed on the motherboard so that it has multiple external ports such as an HDMI, VGA, or DVI. It should be noted that each computer motherboard is compatible with specific types of display cards that can be installed on it.

External components

input units

Input devices in a computer are defined as devices that allow the user to interact with the device, deal with it, and add any new information to it by sending data and information to it. This data is sent either through a wired connection or via wireless signals. Here are some of the input units in the computer:

• keyboard: (In English: Keyboards), through the keyboard, texts are entered using numbers, alphabets, or even special symbols.
• Mouse: (English: Mouse), which is used to point to a specific part on the computer screen, or to choose any of the various menu commands, and to enlarge and reduce windows.
• Scanner: (In English: Scanner), the scanner allows the user to enter data directly from a paper document into the computer, by taking a picture of this document and converting it to digital form.
• touch screen: (English: Touch Screen), which is a screen that is interacted with by the user through the sense of touch, such as those screens found on bank tellers.
• Digital camera: (English: Digital camera), a large number of pictures can be taken using a digital camera, then transferred and inserted into the computer by connecting the camera to the device.

output units

Output devices are defined as devices that display the output of data and information from a computer. Some of the output units in a computer are as follows:

• the screen: (English: Monitor), which is the main output device in a computer. There are two main types of monitors: the flat screen and the cathode tube screen, or what is known as the CRT screen.
• Headphones: (English: Speakers), which is the device for outputting sound via a computer.
• Inkjet printers: (In English: inkjet printer), these printers print different pages using a bottle of special ink.
• 3D printers: (in English: 3D printer), which are printers that output data from the computer in the form of three-dimensional physical objects.