Personal computers consist of various physical parts of computer hardware that can be installed on operating systems. All types of personal computers contain hardware that is located in the monitor itself or in a tower-shaped piece of equipment.
Motherboard
- The motherboard is the main part of computer hardware. It is generally a large rectangular board with assimilated circuits that connect the other computer parts such as the RAM, CPU, disk drives and peripheral equipment.
- The central processing unit (CPU) performs majority of the calculations that permit function of a personal computer. It is often referred to as the computer’s brain and it typically cooled by a fan and heat sink.
- Random Access Memory (RAM) stores the components of the current operating system and all the operating processes.
- The chip set manages communication between the CPU and other parts of the system.
- The Basic Input Output System activities (BIOS) include power management and boot firmware and is maintained by drivers of the operating system.
Power Supply
- A power supply unit (PSU) alters alternating current (AC) electric power to low-voltage direct current (DC) for the internal parts of the computer.
- Some PSUs have a switch to change between 115 volts and 230 volts. Others have automatic sensors that automatically change the voltage or have the ability to accept any voltage between specific limits.
- Nearly all PSUs used in computers are switch mode power supplies (SMPS). These types of units provide regulated direct current power at various voltages needed by the motherboard and related parts such as cooling fans and disk drives.
Secondary Storage
- Secondary storage hardware is used for storing information for future use. It stays persistent even when the power is turned off.
- Hard disks contain movable parts that store data. Solid-state drivers are similar to hard disks, but store data in digital formats.
- RAID array controllers manage various internal and external hard disks and some peripherals.