Hardware

The term hardware refers to the physical components of the computer system (as
opposed to the software). Your computer hardware will consist of the devices
within the case of the computer itself, and any peripheral devices that are
connected to the computer (such as the mouse and keyboard).

The primary component of the computer is the motherboard (also called the main
circuit board, main logic board, main board, or system-board). The motherboard
is a large printed circuit board with microchips, connectors, and other
components mounted on it, and with copper circuitry traces that connect the
components together.

Abbreviated as HW, Hardware is best described as any physical component of a

computer system. Most hardware contains a circuit board, ICs, and other
electronics. A perfect example of hardware is the screen on which you are
viewing this page. Whether it be a computer monitor, tablet orsmartphone; it's
hardware.

Without any hardware, your computer would not exist, and software would not
have a medium to run on. The picture is a Logitech webcam, an example of an
external hardware peripheral. This hardware device allows users to take videos or
pictures and transmit them over the Internet.

Below is a full list of external hardware and internal hardware you can have with a
computer.

External hardware examples

 Flat-panel, Monitor, and LCD

 Keyboard

 Mouse

 Printer
  Projector

 Scanner

 USB thumb drive

Internal hardware examples

 CPU

 Drive (e.g. Blu-Ray, CD-ROM, DVD, floppy drive, and hard drive)

 Fan (heatsink)

 Modem

 Motherboard

 Network card

 RAM

 Sound card

 Video card

A motherboard typically holds the following items:

 CPU (Central Processing Unit) where the actual processing of data takes
place.
 System clock circuitry (that keeps all of the digital chips in lockstep)
 Other controller chips that act as traffic cops directing data flow along the
system busses (the circuitry connecting the chips to the CPU) and I/O ports.
 RAM (the main memory, plus additional slots for adding more memory)
 ROM (containing the BIOS)
 “CMOS memory”
 Expansion slots (for adding expansion cards such as Video cards and Sound
cards)
Additional information about the parts listed above can be found in the other
sections of this tutorial. Along with the motherboard, the case of your computer
typically contains a power supply (to convert the AC line current from the wall
outlet to the low-voltage DC current used by the computer) and several storage
devices located in the expansion bays of the case (such as: hard drives, floppy
drives, Zip drives, and CD drives, and DVD drives).

What are hardware upgrades?

A hardware upgrade is any new hardware better than that which it replaced or
additional hardware that improves performance. A good example of a common
hardware upgrade is a RAM upgrade, where the user increases the computer's
total memory. Another good example is a video card upgrade, which is the act of
removing an old video card and replacing it with a newer, better one.