COMPONENTS OF A

COMPUTER SYSTEM
PREPARED BY: SANIE G. BAUTSITA
Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Understand computer components and operations.
• Differentiate between hardware, software and
peopleware.
• Identify the names and distinguishing features of
different kinds of input, output, and storage devices.
• Differentiate system software and application software.
Computer System

• Computer system is a collection of different parts that

are designed to receive, process, manage, and present
meaningful information format. It has 3 devices that make
a computer very useful and these elements are
Hardware, Software, and Peopleware.
HARDWARE
INPUT STORAGE
OUTPUT SYSTEM UNIT
Hardware

Computer hardware includes the physical parts of a

computer, such as the case, central processing unit, monitor,
mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, graphics card,
sound card, speakers and motherboard.
Input Devices

Input Devices - any hardware component that allows the

user to enter data, execute commands and user responses
into the computer. Basically, input devices are used for data
entry.
Example:
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Scanner
Keyboard – set of typewriter keys
that enables you to enter data in a
computer.
Mouse – invented by Douglas Engelbert
of Stanford Research Center in 1963, and
pioneered by Zerox in 1970s, the mouse is
a device that controls the movement of the
cursor or pointer on a display screen

Joystick – a device consisting of a hand held

stick that pivots about one end and transmits its
angle in two dimensions to a computer. It often
used to control games, and usually have one or
more push-buttons whose state can also be read
by the computer.
Light Pen – A small, photosensitive device
connected to a computer and moved by hand
over an output display in order to manipulate
information in the computer. Used in Personal
Digital Assistant and Smart Board.
Microphone – allows the computer to receive
and record sound. Necessary for voice
recognition software and any software that
needs to record sound.
Digital Camera – takes pictures without film, and
stores your snapshots as digital files in its memory.
Later, you can transfer your picture files to your
PC through cable.
Barcode readers – an optical scanning
device that reads texts which have been
converted into a special bar code or zebra
stripes.

Web Cam – a digital camera capable of

capturing images to a computer for
transmission over the Internet or other
network.
Drawing Tablet – is similar to a white board,
except you use a special pen to write on it
and it's connected to the computer. Then the
word or image you draw can be saved on
the computer.
Scanner – takes in an optical image and digitizes it into an
electronic image. This can be used to create a
computerized version of a photo or illustration.

1. Flat Bed Scanner – a scanner that provides

a flat, glass surface to hold pages of paper,
books and other objects for scanning. The
scan head is moved under the glass across
the page.

2. Sheet-fed Scanner – a scanner that allows

only paper to be scanned rather than books
or other thick objects. It moves the paper
across a stationary scan head.
3. Handheld Scanner – a scanner that is
moved across the image to be scanned by
hand. Handheld scanners are small and less
expensive than their desktop counterparts,
but rely on the dexterity of the user to move
the unit across the paper.

4. Drum Scanner – a type of scanner

used to capture the highest resolution
from an image. Photographs and
transparencies are taped, clamped or
fitted into a clear cylinder. A light
source that focuses on one pixel is
beamed onto the drum and moves
down the drum a line at a time.
Optical Mark Reader (OMR) is a
special type of optical scanner used to
recognize the type of mark made by
pen or pencil. It is used where one out
of a few alternatives is to be selected
and marked.

Tracker Balls is an alternative to the

traditional mouse and often used by
graphic designers.
Output Devices

Any hardware component that presents, displays, alters, or

record output after it has left a computer’s system unit.
Example:
• Monitor
• Speaker
• Printer
Monitor – it is the most popular output
device. It receive signals from video card
inside of the computer and gives the user
a graphical or textual display.

Speaker - are used to produce sounds, listen to

music, play music and watch movies.

Printer – create images on paper, plastic,

cloth and other print media using
technologies like ink transfer, heat transfer,
chemical reactions and physical force.
Types of Printer
1. Laser Printer – uses toner and an
internal laser to print.

2. Inkjet or Bubble Jet Printers – uses

ink to print. Usually available in
color.

3. Dot-Matrix Printer-creates characters by

striking pins against an ink ribbon.
Each pin makes a dot, and combinations
of dots form characters and illustrations.
Multimedia projectors are used to conduct presentations
and training sessions. A multimedia projector allows
information to be projected onto a larger screen so it can
easily be viewed by a group.
Storage Devices

Storage devices - these are important for keeping a

document for later retrieval and use.
• Primary Storage
• Secondary Storage
Primary Storage- is the main memory. In this
memory, the data used from processing and the
programs to be read are stored.

• ROM (Read Only Memory) - is a

permanent memory. The instructions stored
can be changed and will not get lost even
if the power is switched off.

• RAM (Random Access Memory) - is a

temporary memory. The information stored
in it will get lost once the computer is
switched off or the power is cut off.
Most common examples of external secondary storage
devices are the following.

Hard disks - it is a magnetic disk in the system

unit of a personal computer and is an external
hard disk device.
CD-ROM- is an optical disk format used to hold texts,
graphics and sounds that are pre-recorded. It stores
information by using a laser which creates pits on disc,
and is read by using another laser to read the light
reflected from the pins.
Flash drive – is a type of compact USB memory drive that
acts like a portable hard drive, letting you to store and transport
computer data.
System Unit

System Unit – part of the computer which is responsible for

accepting and processing the data brought in by the input
devices, passing resulting information to the users via the
output devices.
• Main Circuit Board
• Port
• Expansion
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Components of System Unit

1. Main Circuit Board – central nervous

system. Also called motherboard.

2. Port – is a connection from the main circuit

board to a peripheral device such as
keyboard, printer or a video monitor by
means of a special cable. Also called
interface.
3. Expansion Slots – they are used to
connect expansion cards to the main
circuit board. An expansion card is a
printed circuit card with circuitry that
gives the computer additional
capabilities.

4. Central Processing Unit (CPU) – is the

computer’s processing, control and internal
storage circuitry.
Unit of Measurements

Bytes- unit of measurement in measuring memory

Hertz- unit of measurement in measuring speed
Bit- stands for binary digits. It is the basic unit of data
recognized by the computer (0,1).

1 Byte= 8 bits
1 Kilobytes (KB) = 1024 bytes
1 Megabytes (MB) = one million bytes
1 Gigabytes (GB) = one billion bytes
1 Terabytes (TB) = one trillion bytes
SOFTWARE
• APPLICATION SOFTWARE
• SYSTEM SOFTWARE
• UTILITY SOFTWARE
Software

Software – is the programs and data that a computer uses.

The software provides the commands that tell the hardware
what task to perform, what to read and write, how to send
the end result (the output) to a monitor and/or printer.
• Application Software
• System Software
• Utility Software
Application Software

• Word Processor - is a computer application used for the production

(including composition, editing, formatting, and possibly printing) of
any sort of printable material.
Examples: MS-Word, MS-Publisher, PageMaker
• Spreadsheet Software – Presents business data in a grid of rows and
columns.
Example: MS-Excel
• Graphics and Presentation - is a computer software package used
to display information, normally in the form of a slide show.
Example: MS-PowerPoint
Database software – Databases are used to store
and organize large amounts of data. Typically,
database software can be used to manage various
types of information.
Example: MS Database, MariaDB

Games - involves interaction with a user interface to

generate visual feedback on a video device.
Example: Mario, Solitaire, FreeCell, Minesweeper,
DOTA (Defense of the ancient)
• Communication and organizational software – can cover a
broad range of tasks including videoconferencing and
telephony. However, applications within the productivity
category are most often used to send and receive e-mail.
System Software

System Software – The system software includes all

programs used to operate and maintain the computer
system. It controls all input/output functions and coordinates
the flow of operations during processing.

• Operating System
• Programming Languages
• Operating System - a set of computer programs that
manage the hardware and software resources of a
computer.
Example:
• Windows
• Linux
• Mac
• Programming Languages – A software used to write or
create other programs or software.
Example: FORTRAN (Formula Translator), COBOL, Pascal,
C/C++, Java, Visual Basic
Utility Software

• Utility Software (also known as service program, service

routine, tool, or utility routine) It is specifically designed to
help manage and tune the computer hardware, operating
system or application software, and perform a single task
or a small range of tasks.
Example:
• Disk Defragmenters
• System Profilers
• Virus Scanners (Disk doctors – fix disks, Antivirus – “kill” viruses)
PEOPLEWARE
Peopleware

Peopleware refers to the role people play in technology

and the development of hardware or software. It can
include various aspects of the process such as human
interaction, programming, productivity, teamwork, and
project management.
Example:
• Computer Engineers • Technicians
• Software Designers • Software Engineers
• Assemblers • Server Administrator
Famous Peopleware

• Charles Babbage - “Father of the Computer”

• Alan Turing - “Father of Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence”
• Philip Don Estridge - “Father of IBM Personal Computer”
• Lawrence "Larry" Page - Google Page
• Sir Timothy John "Tim" Berners-Lee -World Wide Web
• William Henry "Bill" Gates III - Windows
Thank You!