COMPUTER COMPONENTS AND DEVICES

Learning objectives:

After reading this information sheet, you should be able to:

1. Classify of the hardware and software components of a computer with its

corresponding functions.

2. Determine the various computer components and peripherals.

A computer system is a special subsystem of an organizations overall information

system. It is an integrated assembly of devices, centered on at least one processing

mechanism utilizing digital electronic, which are used to input, process, store, and

output data and information.

Putting together computer system, however, is more involved than just connecting

computer devices. In an effective and efficient system, components are selected and

organized with an understanding of the inherent tradeoffs between overall system

performance and cost, control, and complexity.

Basic Hardware Components of a Computer System

Today, almost everyone in our information society has a basic understanding of

what a computer is and what it can do. A contemporary computer system consists of

central processing unit, primary storage, secondary storage, input devices,

output devices and communication devices that work together with software to

perform calculations, organize data, and communicate with other computers

A computer is an electronic machine, operating under the control of instruction

stored in its memory, that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it into

useful information (output), and store it away in a secondary storage device (store) for

safe keeping or later reuse. The processing of input into output is directed by the

software but performed by the hardware.

Common Computer Hardware Components

Computer system hardware components include devices that perform the function of

input, processing, data storage, output and communication. The device responsible

for these five areas are as follows:

• Input devices. Allow you to enter data or commands in a form that the

computer can use; they send the data or commands to the processing unit,

commonly-used input devices include keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner,

digital camera, and PC camera.

• Output devices. Show people the processed data and information in

understandable and useful form. Four commonly used output devices are

printer, a monitor, speakers, and portable media player. Input/output devices

are playing an increasingly significant role in our lives. The number and variety

of input/output devices are expanding.

• Processing devices. Processing devices are the computer electronic circuitry

housed in the system unit. The circuitry in the system unit is part of a circuit

board called the motherboard. The Major Components on the mother board are

the processor and memory. The processor, formally known as Central

Processing Unit (CPU), has electronic circuitry that manipulates input data

into the information people want. Computer instructions are actually are

executed in the central processing unit. Memory is a series of electronic

elements that temporarily holds data and program instructions while they are

being processed by the CPU. Both the processor and memory consist of chips.

A Chip is an electronic device that contains many microscopic pathways

designed to carry electrical current.

• Storage devices. Storage usually means secondary storage that can store

data and programs outside the computer itself. Storage devices hold data,

information, and programs permanently. These devices supplement memory

(also called primary storage) that can hold data and programs only

temporarily. Common storage devices include a hard disk, USB flash drives,

CDs, DVDs, and memory cards. A drive is a device that reads from and

writes onto a storage medium. A storage medium is the physical material

 on which data, information, and program are stored. Some portable devices,

such as digital cameras, use memory cards as the storage media.

• Communication devices. provide connections between the computer and

communications networks, and enable computer users to communicate and

to exchange data, information, and programs with other computers.

Communication devices transmit these items over transmission media such

as cables, telephone lines, satellites, and cellular radio. A widely used

communications device is a modem

In summary, we communicate with computers through input/output devices, Input

devices that translate our data and communications into a form that the computer

can understand. The computer then process these data, and an output device

translates them back into a form we can understand. The central processing unit

manipulates data and controls the other parts of the computer system. Memory

(primary storage) temporarily stores data and programs instructions during

processing, while secondary storage feeds data and instructions int the central

processor and stores data for the future use.

 EAST ASIA INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS COLLEGE INC.
MARTIN BLDG.,3rd & 4th FLOOR, ROXAS ST., DISTRICT II, CAUAYAN CITY, ISABELA

COMPUTER SYSTEM SERVICING NCII

1ST QUARTER – MODULE 4
COMPUTER COMPONENTS AND DEVICES