Chapter-2 Hardware

Hardware: – The physical components which you can see touch and feel in the computer system are called hardware E.g. Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse etc.

Hardware Define-Basic component in a computer system Central Processing Unit (CPU), Memory, the input devices and output devices
Component of a PC: –
  •  input device
  •  output device
  • storage devices
  • processing devices
System Types: – we can classify systems into the following categories
8-bit example- 8085 microprocessor
16-bit example- 8086, 286, 386 processor
32-bit example- 486
64-bit example Pentium-II
This gives us to basic system types of classes of hardware
8-bit (PC/XT) class system
16/32/64 (AT) class system.
Input Device:- Input is all information put into a computer. Input can be supplied from a variety of sources:-
Primary Input Device:
keyboard most common input device; used to type up in commands and data.
The keyboard is how you will communicate with the computer most often. this is the typical keyboard you may look different


 Mouse:- Mouse is a primary input device that is used to point out or select any object or manipulate text images, used to enter data in the computer.
Different types are:-
keyboard
pointing devices
scanner
digital camera
How to use the mouse:-
A mouse is a device that moves a pointer on the computer screen.
It is like a finger allowing you to press buttons and the select objects
 Left-hand button – used to point and select
Right-handbutton– to open menu commands
Scroll Wheel– page up and down on the screen
Cord – Plugs Mouse into the computer
 moving the mouse:-
Keep Mouse flat on the surface
hold Mouse and move it around slowly
if you run out of room on the surface pick the
mouse up and put it back
keep your breast straight and your eyes on the screen
how to click- lightly press and release the left mouse button with your index finger try to keep the mouse is still while you are clicking.
Where to click-  the white Arrow points to object on the screen
output devices- monitors are the most commonly used output device. most monitors use a bitmap display.
used to display or produce processed data
monitors and printers used to display output
different types of output devices are
  •  display system
  • display card
  • sound card
  • printers
  • fax
Storage Devices:- Used to store data in the computers.,
Different types of storage devices are:
  • Magnetic Devices- Floppy, Zip Drive
  • Optical Devices- CD, DVD
  • Solid-State Storage devices- Flash memory, memory cards
  • Digital Audio Tape
Processing Devices:- Computer main function is to process data
Various types of processing devices are:
  • MicroProcessor
  • Chipset
  • BIOS
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT:-  Also called “Chip”, “CPU”, “Processor”, “Microprocessor”
  • Memory(RAM)
  • Storage Devices
  • Input Devices
  • Output Devices
  • Storage Technology Electronic devices that store, retrieve and save instructions and data.
  • Today’s microcomputers or PCs include several types of storage devices
  • Capacity and speed are important considerations when selecting a new storage device for a PC.
RAM- RAM stands for Random Access Memory
  • “Waiting Room” for computer’s CPU
  • Holds instructions for processing data, processed data, and raw data.
  • RAM is Measured by:
    •  Capacity (in Megabytes or Gigabytes)
    • Speed (in NanoSeconds)
Hard Disk Drives- 
  • Capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB or billions of bytes).
  • Typically permanently installed.
  • Used to Store operating system, application software, utilities,and data.
  • Magnetic Storage Devices.
Floppy Disk Drives- 
  • Capacity is 1.44 to 2.0 megabytes (MB or millions of bytes).
    • Storage device with the smallest capacity
  • Most Portable storage media.
CD-DVD Drives-
  • Typically installed on all new computer systems. (were add-on device until the mid-1990’s)
  • Capacity is 600 to 750 megabytes (MB or millions of bytes)
  • The most mass-produced commercial software is packaged on a CD.
  • A CD-ROM drive used to be an optional extra in computers it is no longer so. Most software packages come in CD format, so you must have a CD-ROM drive to read them. Typically, CD-ROM drives today need to be at least 24x speed to keep up with the newer software applications out there.