What is hardware?
What is hardware? Hardware is that part of the computer which we can see and touch. If we describe it in a correct way then it is the physical component of the computer, and this component consists of circuit boards, ICs, and other electronics. Without any hardware, your computer does not exist, and without it you cannot use any software. For example Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Printer, Motherboard, RAM etc. are all computer hardware. Hardware is usually instructed by software to execute any command or instructions.
Type of hardware
Computer hardware is divided into two main parts:
1, Internal Hardware –
Internal components which we usually do not see because they are present inside the computer case. To see them, we have to open the computer. The list of internal hardware is given below.
- Monitor
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Printer
- Speaker
- UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)
Computers have been divided into four categories
1) Input Device
Input devices are those hardware devices which send data to the computer. It is through these that users make contact with the computer and get their work done. Overall, by using them, you are able to control and interact with the computer. The simplest example of this is your keyboard, it allows the user to input alphanumeric data and commands into the computer. Imagine if the keyboard was not a part of it, would you have been able to use the computer. Many computer hardware come under input devices, some of their main examples are given below.
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Scanner
- Microphone
2) Output Device
This includes the computer hardware that works to deliver computer data to the user or adapt it. For example, the computer screen which we call monitor. Monitor is the main output device of the computer. It works to deliver any data to you. That is, whatever instruction you feed into the computer, its output is visible to you through these. It is through output devices that computers are able to communicate with the user and other hardware devices. Some examples of these are given below, by reading which you will understand the output device well.
- Monitor
- Printer
- Touch Screen
- Speaker
- Headphones
3) Processing device
When you send data to the computer through keyboard or any other input device, it passes through an intermediate stage before sending it to the data monitor or any output device. is. This is the stage where raw data is converted into information. Processing device is the hardware of the computer, which handles this intermediate stage. They are also called Internal Memory Devices.
- Motherboard
- CPU (Central processing unit)
- GPU (Graphics processing unit)
- Network Card
4) Storage device
These are computing hardware, which do the work of keeping and storing the data. Storage device is one of the core components of any computer device. It stores almost all the data and application on the computer. For example, a standard computer has many storage devices including RAM, Cache and Hard Disk.
Internal Hardware
Motherboard
This is the internal hardware, the main part of the computer. You need to open the computer to see it. This is a board which is called PCB (Printed Circuit Board). This board holds different components of the computer. And all those components are CPU, RAM, Hard Disk, SMPS Port, Graphics Card.
CPU (Microprocessor)
The full form of CPU is Central Processing Unit. It is not a hardware in itself, it has many small and big hardware inside it. It is also called the brain of the computer. It controls the computer. Like whatever our brain tells us, we do the same. Mainly it has 3 components ALU, CU and MU. ALU is called Arithmetic and Logical Unit. CU is Control Unit and MU is Memory Unit. ALU performs arithmetic calculations like Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division. LU performs Comparison Operations like Less than, Greater than, Equal to and Not Equal to. MU has Primary and Secondary Memory.
RAM
The full form of RAM is Random Access Memory. It is also called Direct Access Memory. This memory is usually smaller in size than the Secondary Memory in a computer. For example, in your mobile it is up to 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, 4GB. It is an Electromagnetic Disk. This internal hardware is in a rectangle shape.
Expansion cards:
Graphics Cards – It looks like an internal hardware card, it is inserted in the motherboard. Graphics card is used to render/produce images on the monitor. It converts the data and generates signals in a way that your monitor can easily understand.
Sound card –
Its other name is audio output device, sound board, or audio card. Sound card is an expansion card and IC. It helps in producing sound. Which we can hear through speakers and headphones.
SMPS
The full form of SMPS hardware is Switch Mode Power Supply. It is an electronic circuit. If you buy it separately for desktop, you will find a square shaped box which is SMPS. This device gives power to different parts of the computer like RAM, Motherboard, Fan. However, power is supplied to different parts from the Motherboard.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
HDD is a data storage hardware device. It is located inside a computer or laptop. All the files or data or computer programs are stored inside it. OS is also stored in this HDD. This memory is also known as C drive. After partition, C, D, E drives are also created. Hard drive retrieves data from hard disk, fixed drive, fixed disk, and fixed disOptical drives and stores the data in optical discs like CDs, DVDs, and BDs (Blue-ray discs). Their storage capacity is very high.
DVD DRIVE
DVD Drive is installed in the CPU of every Desktop and Laptop. These are also called Optical Drives. Some other names of DVD drive are Disc drive, Odd, CD Drive, DVD Drive. These are used to store digital data. These are used to play the data present in DVD and CD in the computer.
External Hardware
Keyboard
This is an input device. Without this hardware, we cannot even enter data in the computer. With its help, we can do all the writing work on the computer. What you are reading right now is also written from its keyboard. You can see and touch these electronic devices. This is one of the most used devices. There are other hardware components inside it as well. This device is installed in the USB port.
Mouse
It is also known as pointing device and Cursor Moving Device. A mouse can have 2 or 3 buttons. Such as right, left, and middle button (Left key, Right key, Middle key Roller). All these are hardware. The mouse is placed on a flat surface or on a mouse pad. It is used to control the cursor.
Scanner
This is the external hardware of a computer. Using a scanner, written documents and photographs can be converted into digital images and stored in memory. Documents can also be scanned using a scanner and stored in a computer. This is called external hardware.
Monitor
Computer monitor is an electronic device which is used to display the output of some computers. It looks just like a T.V. A large and good display resolution gives us a good picture. This hardware is of small size in LAPTOP and a little bigger in Desktop.
CRT Monitor :-
These are bulky and large and use a lot of deskspace and electricity. This is the oldest technology used. It is based on cathode ray tube technology which was developed for television. But these monitors are not used nowadays.
LCD Monitor: –
It is a type of flat panel display. This is a new technology compared to CRT. These monitors use less desk space. They are light in weight. These monitors use less electricity. These monitors have been used on laptops and notebook computers for a long time, they also work as touchscreens on tablet computers, mobile phones.
Speaker
This is also external hardware. Using this we can listen to sound. It gives output in the form of sound. Nowadays it is inbuilt in the system.
Printer
External hardware. Printer is an output device which prints the information received from the computer on paper. This copy of the output on paper is called hard copy. The output of information from the computer is very fast and the printer is not able to work that fast. Therefore, it was felt necessary to store the information in the printer itself, so the printer also has a memory from where it prints the results slowly.