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Basic Parts of A Computer

The document discusses the basic parts of a computer. It explains that every computer has 5 essential parts: a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk drive or solid-state drive for storage. The motherboard contains the main electronic components and connects peripheral devices. The CPU processes data and executes instructions. The GPU enhances CPU performance for graphics. RAM is volatile memory that stores active programs and data, while storage devices like hard drives and solid-state drives permanently store installed programs and files.

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51 views2 pages

Basic Parts of A Computer

The document discusses the basic parts of a computer. It explains that every computer has 5 essential parts: a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk drive or solid-state drive for storage. The motherboard contains the main electronic components and connects peripheral devices. The CPU processes data and executes instructions. The GPU enhances CPU performance for graphics. RAM is volatile memory that stores active programs and data, while storage devices like hard drives and solid-state drives permanently store installed programs and files.

Uploaded by

Jovy Arellano
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic Parts of a Computer

What is a Computer?
A computer is a machine or an electronic device that stores, retrieves, and manipulates
data. It can perform arithmetic operations or logical functions automatically based on the
instructions and input data provided by users. Here, input data refers to the information
provided by the users. The input data can be numbers or words, and the instructions
refer to the codes or programs.

The components of a computer are classified into two categories, namely, hardware
and software. The physical parts of a computer are called hardware. The processor, the
input and output devices of a computer, for example, the keyboard, printer, mouse,
monitor, speakers are part of its hardware. The storage devices also constitute the
hardware of a computer. The set of instructions, and the programs installed on a
computer constitute its software. The computer software can be classified into two
categories, namely, the application software and the operating system. The application
software instructs the computer to perform specific tasks based on the input data. The
operating system controls the integrated working of the various parts of the computer
hardware.

What are the 5 Basic Parts of a Computer?


Every computer comprises 5 basic parts, namely, a motherboard, a central processing
unit, a graphics processing unit, a random access memory, and a hard disk or solid-
state drive. Be it a high-end gaming computer system or be it a basic desktop system
for kids, every computer consists of 5 parts. Various enhancements can be added for
the better performance of a computer system. All the integrated chips and circuits are
installed on the motherboards of computers. It is important to know about the parts of
computers for kids so that they can grasp the logic and reason for writing computer
programs to carry out various tasks.
Motherboard
The motherboard of a computer is the circuit board on which all the basic and high-end
chipsets are installed. All the circuits installed on the motherboard propel the working of
a computer. The motherboard is one of the main parts of a computer and is also known
as the printed circuit board. It is present in all computer systems, be it general-purpose
systems or expandable ones. The main electronic components of a computer such as
its central processor, interface connectors, memory controllers are all integrated into the
motherboard. The peripheral components, sound cards, hard drives, interface cards,
network cards, video cards, and cards for extra USB slots, are attached to the
motherboard.
CPU
CPU or the Central Processing Unit is among the basic parts of the computer and is often
referred to as the brain of the computer. All the data provided to a computer is processed in the
Central Processing Unit of the computer. The instructions given to a computer through various
computer programs are executed in this processor. The basic controlling, logical, arithmetic and
I/O operations are executed in the CPU. There are two components of a basic CPU, namely,
the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), and the Control Unit. All the arithmetic and logical operations
are carried out in the ALU. The results of the arithmetic operations are stored in the processor.
The Control Unit fetches the instructions from the memory and facilitates their execution.
In microprocessors, the processing unit is contained in one integrated circuit chip. In the modern
age of multi-core processors, one integrated circuit chip contains multiple CPUs. The multi-core
processors enhance the performance of the computer systems. For example, with a multi-core
processor, you can perform several tasks simultaneously, without any effect on the processor
speed.
GPU
The Graphics Processing Unit is used as a co-processor to enhance the performance of
the Central Processing Unit in engineering and scientific computing. It offloads some of
the time-consuming parts of program codes, to improve the performance of the CPU.
The Graphics Processing Unit boosts the CPU performance by providing a parallel
processing facility. A GPU may contain hundreds of cores, whereas a CPU contains a
maximum of 8 cores. The highly programmable feature of graphics chips led to the
invention of the Graphics Processing Unit.
The graphic cards produce high-quality visuals like the ones in 3D images and video
games. These graphics cards can render great visual effects when coupled with a high-
end monitor. These cards can directly communicate with the display monitors. A
graphics card comes with a processing unit, a cooling mechanism, connections to
display devices, and a memory.

RAM
Random Access Memory or RAM refers to the volatile memory of a computer. It is a very
common topic covered in the chapter on the parts of computers for kids. It is referred to as the
main memory of the computer. RAM is one of the main parts of a computer and it stores the
application programs, operating system, and the data that is currently used. It takes a shorter
time to read data from RAM and to write data in it. Therefore, the processor of a computer can
access the data stored in the Random Access Memory, in a short time. As stated above, RAM
is volatile, that is, all the data stored in it is lost when we turn off the computer. So, every time
we restart the computer the operating system along with the other programs is reloaded into
RAM from the hard disk drive. Also, RAM can hold less data than a hard disk, so it can be
stored in microchips. For example, RAM can hold 8 GB of data whereas a hard disk can hold 10
TB of data.

Storage
One of the basic parts of a computer is constituted by its storage components. The solid-state
drive and the hard disk drive are the key storage components of a computer. The hard disk
drive of a computer system stores data permanently. Therefore, even if you turn off the
computer, the data stored in the hard disk drive will be saved. All the important data, software
programs, and operating systems are stored in the hard disk drive of a computer. Hard disk
drives are secondary storage devices.
Solid-state storage devices can store data continuously on integrated circuit assemblies. The
SSD’s or solid-state devices contain semiconductor cells and store data on them. These storage
drives run silently. The semiconductor cells can store 1 to 4 bits of data. These storage devices
come with lower access times and lower latency. SSD’s facilitate better storage density, more
reliability, and high data-transfer rates. Also, the solid-state drives are highly shock-resistant as
compared to hard disk drives.

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