What is Computer Hardware?
Definition: Computer contains the combination of hardware and software. Computer hardware is group of the all physical (touchable) components that are easily manageable.
And all softwares are useless without implementing the computer hardware parts; because all softwares perform on the hardware.
With the using of input hardware components can insert the input to computer, and retrieve the useful output with the help of output hardware devices.
List of Computer Hardware Parts Name and Functions:
Every computer parts have own unique function, so we explain types of computer hardware and their functions.
Computer hardware devices are classified into four different categories such as
1.Input Devices
2. Processing Devices
3. Output Devices
4. Memory/Storage Devices
Types of Computer Hardware Input Devices
What is input devices of computer with example? These components are mostly to be using for recognized the input data that are given by users for solving their problems. Input instructions can be different types such as text, images, audio, and video. With the help of these components these data transfer from input devices to computer.
Function – Obtain all different types of data from various types of input devices such as keyboard can allows only alphanumeric information and tracking device feed spatial information, and convert all data into machine language like as 0, 1 form. Finally calculated data provide to computer memory.
List of basic computer hardware components (parts) name
Here, We are describing some 3, 4 main components(parts) of computer system, and many types of input devices of computer like as:
Pointing Device
Pointing devices create the input interface, with the help of this interface user help to control and feed the instructions to the PC using physical moving hand held devices like as mouse and more. Control the all positions of pointer on the screen of monitor with using pointing devices.
There are many examples of input devices of computer such as:
- Mouse: With the help of mouse of computer can be control a cursor, and select all types of text, files, icon on your computer screen.
2. Trackball: In the Trackball, one small movable ball places on the surface, and using this ball can move any direction on the computer screen.
3. Touchpad: Touchpad is best alternative to mouse device. In which all input give to computer by touching to touch pad, mostly this component get embed on the laptop.
4. Pointing Stick: This device shapes same as pencil eraser that placed between G,H and B key on the keyboard.
5. Graphics Tablet: Graphics tablet is also known as drawing tablet. The main purpose of this device is to draw any types of sketch on his surface with using digital pen.
6. Touch screen: In the touch screen, users can select any text, file, and file with own fingers, without any other components.
7. Light Pen: This shape like as pen, with using this input device to feed input directly by this pen on the computer screen with good accuracy.
8. Stylus: Stylus input device is look like as small type pen shaped, purpose of this component to give the input instructions to computer screen and graphics tablet.
9. Motion sensor: Motion sensors detect the motion input that given by user without any other input device.
10. Interactive smartboard: This is special digital smart white board, user can control the computer with smart board, when write any thing on the surface with the help to stylus and digital pen.
11. Fingerprint scanner: This device use for authenticate the user when they press their finger on the surface of fingerprint scanner.
12. Multi-touch screen: With the use of this technology, multiple uses can send input at the same time.
Game Controller
These types of devices designed for playing game with connect to a computer or other gaming system console. The main role of game controller devices is to all individual object, and character in your game.
Some examples are:
1.Game Pads: Game pad designed for playing game, and can handle by both hand.
2. Joysticks: Mainly, joysticks devices are developing for playing game, using this device can be control any character in the game.
3. Steering Wheels: Look like as car steering, and use for changing the direction the any object in the game.
4. Paddle: This device move up and down direction, this input component is also useful to game console.
5. Yoke: This yoke input devices are designed specially to flight simulation game.
6. Motion Sensing: Motion sensing devices are capable to detect the real life motion, and produce the optimal result.
7. Light Gun: Shape look like as real gun, main motive to design this device to shooting games.
8. Rhythm Game Controllers: These types of game controller devices are made for music types game, for controlling the rhythm.
Audio Input /Output Device
With the help of audio input devices, user can send audio instructions to computer for different tasks such as processing, recording, and more. Many audio input devices work with speech recognition programs, because this software helps to translate spoken words into text document.
There are some examples of audio input devices such as
1.Microphone: This device is able to convert sound waves into electrical waves.
2. Midi keyboard: This device looks like as piano that is connect to computer via USB cable.
Audio Output Devices
Some functionality require for audio and video convert into hear able voice that our ears can hear these voice. This functionality may be special hardware and processing system, and this task can be fulfill by “Audio output devices“.
Here few examples for Audio output devices are:
1. Sound Cards: This is external card which attached with motherboard for yielding the audio output information.
2. Speakers: This is output hardware component that used for the producing the sound.
3. Headphone: This device is wear on the head so its name is headphone, this device allow to user listen music without anyone.
4. Onboard Audio: This circuit embedded internal y in the motherboard that produce the output in the form of sound, after processed data.
Bluetooth Peripheral
Some devices connect to computer with Bluetooth mean wireless technology.
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Headset
- Gamepad
Visual and Imaging Devices
Such components help to provide input to computer in the form of images and visual.
Some examples are:
1. Webcam: This device uses for capture the real time image, and it connects to computer.
2. Digital Camera: This device is able to store all images and videos store in digital form (memory chip) instead film (reel).
3. Digital Camcorder: They are able to recording all video into real-motion.
4. Biometric Scanner: These devices design for security purpose, because these devices are capable to identify the persons.
5. Barcode Reader: Biometric scanner devices are designed for security purpose, because these devices are capable to identify the persons.
Network Devices
With the help of network devices, we can connect two or more computer, and other their hardware devices for making network.
Theses are
- Ethernet hardware
- Bluetooth/wireless hardware.
Processing Devices
Processing is most important function of computer, because in this phase has been done transformation to data into useful information using with many processing components of computer.
Function – The main function of processing devices are have to responsible for getting meaningful information from converted data with the help of various processing devices.
Processing device examples are:
1. Micro processors: Microprocessor is logically integrated chip that processed all logical instructions, and produce the output.
2. GPU: Graphics processing unit is also a processor that designed for rending the videos and images with good quality.
3. CPU: With the help of this Central processing unit can execute all instruction such as logically, arithmetically, and I/O operation which given by users.
4. Mother board: Motherboard is heart of the computer, because all processor and other components connected with the motherboard.
5. Network Card: Network card help to connect multiple computer and other devices of computer.
6. Sound Card: Execute the voice instructions and arise the output in the sound form.
7. Video Card: Use to process the all video instructions, and yield the good quality video.
Output Devices
Output devices received the processed information form processing components, and finally produce them into various form such text, audio, and video. These output devices might be connecting with computer via wireless or wired.
Function – Obtain all different types of data from various types of input devices such as keyboard can allows only alphanumeric information and tracking device feed spatial information, and convert all data into machine language like as 0, 1 form. Finally calculated data provide to computer memory.
There are many Examples of Output Devices of Computer like are
1. Monitor: Monitors use for showing the output in the visual shape, which is soft form.
2. Printer: Printer use for showing the output in the visual shape and text, which is hard form.
3.Projector: For projecting the computer screen data on the surface object such as wall or white board.
4. GPS: GPS device take the all information from GPS controller such as location and weather conditions, and releases the accurate output.
5. Braille Reader: These devices are designed for blind person, because Braille reader retrieves all output from computer which readable for blind people.
6. Plotter: This computer hardware device is used for producing the vector graphic output.
Memory/Storage Devices
The core task of the memory is storage and retrieval; this depend on the R/W operation of all types of memory.
Using storage devices, all data files and objects can be sorted, porting, and extracting. The information can be stored in temporarily and permanently. These devices are may be internal or external.
Function – The prime functions of memory and storage devices are storing all data in temporary and permanent nature. If we want to store data for long time then can be used the permanent storage devices such as hard disk etc. But some time computer store data in temporary nature for some time only for execution any task for some moments such as Ram etc.
There are two types of storage devices such as:
Primary Storage Devices:
Primary storage devices are designed for temporarily storage, but fastest to storage devices and small size as well.
Examples are:
1. RAM: RAM is volatile storage memory in which all data are gone while getting turn-off computer.
2. Cache Memory: Cache memory stores such data which use repeating frequently, so accessing speed of this memory is fastest to RAM.
Secondary Storage Devices
Secondary storage devices used for the permanently storage of data, because if further time require any data then can be retrieved easily. The sizes of these components have large compare to primary storage devices, and storage capacity much high also.
Examples are:
- Floppy diskette
- Hard drive
- Magnetic strip
- SuperDisk
- Tape cassette
- Zip diskette
- Blu-ray disc
- CD-ROM disc
- CD-R and CD-RW disc.
- DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW
- USB flash drive and jump drive
- CF (CompactFlash)
- Punch card
- M.2
- Memory card
- MMC
- NVMe
- SDHC Card
- SmartMedia Card
- Sony Memory Stick
- SD card
- SSD
- xD-Picture Card
- Cloud storage
- Network media
- OMR
