A Beginner's Guide To Computers: Parts Of A Computer & How Computers Work
By Susan Ng
Parts of a Computer
A computer is made up of four essential parts: the system unit, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It would be very hard, if not impossible, to operate the computer if one of these were missing. You could, of course, still use the computer without a mouse if you memorized all the keyboard shortcuts, but the graphical nature of most programs nowadays has made the mouse an indispensable part of the computer.
The system unit is the main part of the computer where all the action takes place. It houses all the components that make your computer run. Many people mistakenly refer to it as the CPU when in reality the CPU is just a small chip inside the system unit.
Understanding The Parts Of Your Computer (For Kids)
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What's Inside Your Computer?
The term "computer" has also been loosely used to refer to the system unit. The system unit is composed of the following main components:
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- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The CPU or processor is the "brain" of the computer. It performs all the operations that the computer does, from simple encoding of text to complex rendering of video. So, the faster the speed of your processor, the faster your computer will run.
The most well-known processors are probably the Intel Celeron family, Intel Pentium family, and now the Intel Core family. To put it simply, the Celeron series is for those who use their computers mainly for word processing, using programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel; the Pentium series is for those who are into multimedia such as music and video; and the Core series is for computer users who do a lot of multitasking.
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- Random Access Memory (RAM)
Usually referred to as "memory", RAM is second to the CPU in determining your computer's performance. It temporarily stores your computer's activities until they are transferred and stored permanently in your hard disk when you shut down or restart.
Memory cards can be 128MB (rare nowadays), 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, or 2GB. A lot of older computers can hold up to 1GB of RAM only. Newer ones however, can have as much as 2GB and even 4GB (by using two 2GB memory cards). The more memory your computer has, the faster it will respond. But not all motherboards are equipped to hold large memory cards so read the manual first and check the maximum RAM your motherboard can support.
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- Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
The hard disk drive, more commonly known as the hard drive or hard disk, is where all data and programs are stored in your computer permanently, unless you delete them. Generally speaking, a hard disk with a higher capacity is always better.
The more common hard disk storage capacities are 40GB, 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 250GB, 400GB, and 500GB. It's always a good idea to choose a hard disk with a large capacity especially if you want to download and store movies - an average high quality DVD movie can take up more than 4GB of hard disk space!
- Motherboard
The motherboard is where all the other devices in your computer such as the processor, memory, hard disk, and CD/DVD drives are connected. To prevent problems that may lead to loss of data in the future, choose a good quality motherboard.
Motherboards usually have a LAN port for networking and internet, an internal modem for internet connectivity, and built-in USB ports for your USB devices such as printers and flash drives. Newer motherboards also have 4-6 SATA ports for your SATA devices such as hard drives and one IDE port for your CD/DVD drive.
Looking Inside A Computer
Take a tour inside the computer and see the main parts of the system unit.
Now that you know the parts that are inside your computer, it's time to learn how these parts interact with each other when you turn on your computer.
How Does Your Computer Work?
This video illustrates and explains in layman's terms what goes on inside your computer.
Learn More About Computers
- Howstuffworks "How PCs Work"
Learn everything about computer parts, operating systems and laptops and read expert reviews. - Computers - How To Information | eHow.com
Research scores of software, hardware and operating systems using eHow’s vast reservoir of computer knowledge.
Comments
Very very nice. A beautiful comprehensive overview of modern computer technology, put together so seamlessly and with such skill that I can only marvel at it's artifice. Excellent work!
You're welcome, William. Glad I could help. :)
Thanks, Earl. :)
Susan you are awesome. And your hub is great too! This is a great beginner's guide to a computer.
I'm so happy you think so, Pete. :) I was worried it would be too simple for grown ups. I'm actually in the process of making our school's computer handbook and it's going to be used by kindergarteners, so I tend to oversimplify things a bit. :P
Thank you, thank you. :)
This is a very precise and useful hub. Sometimes people get scared by the technology and jargon, but you have explained it beautifully. Great stuff.
On behalf of all computer dummies, I just want to assure you, Susan, that there's no such thing as "too simple." Please keep writing for us kindergarteners.
Haha! Welcome to my kindergarten class, William. :D
thanks for helping
susan I need information pictures of the parts of the computers but it has to be very modern with the web cam
Hi, liliam. Have you tried doing a search on Google Images? :-)
ur so awsome and ur hub is nice too,,,,good job
This is a very good hub! Perfect for anyone who wants to know more about computers without reading a novel about the PC.
Thanks, jhiivan and Computer_Nerd. :-)
Thanks for this hub, Susan Ng. I have bookmarked it for future use. Like you said you're a wonderful 'geek'. Wish I was....:-) And thanks for your nice words on my hub too!
Thanks, frogyfish. I'm glad my geeky-ness could be of service. Hehe. :D
Nice hubs, Teacher Susan, I have also hubs about cmoputer troubleshooting hope you liked it too....
Thanks, BadCo. You just made my day. :D
wow .... this is awesome hub .... very nicely explained ... very informative ..... well written ..... keep up the good work ..... god bless u ......
Thanks, Jonty. :)
wow! its so nice,,, this is my first time in this web sites but i am very appreciates,,,because the explanation is very clear,,,
how can i build a pc very suitable for making architectural design like those used by engineering student????
Hi, md. I'm guessing you would need a computer with high specs to run certain programs? :O I use a few resource-heavy programs such as Adobe Premiere CS3 and my Intel DG31PR motherboard, Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz processor, 3GB RAM with 1TB hard disk does just fine. :)
Thanks, klenn. Keep coming back. :)
THANK YOU FOR BEING HELPFUL
thankyou for makin the facebook
I guess laptops and notebooks are more convenient and practical to use rather than desktops that are bulky and have lots of wires and connections LOL... I would rather buy a laptop or notebook as replacement for my laptop than buying desktop computers which depreciates sharply as time goes by...
..,elow! Its been so niCe! goOd job susAn1
..,hi susAn!just want to say that hubpage contains valuable informations! ..,ahm'keep up the good work..!
Thanks, Elizabeth. Glad you found it helpful. :)
Nice ya,
Plz check out there is little confusion in RAM
2GB and 4MB u mentioned Its 4GB
Thanks, Rajkumar. It has been fixed. :)
Thanks this is like step by step of learning, Though we all use computer but most of us do not know about its components and how they work.
Your guided tour is surly gonna help people like me.
computer of parts
Great Hub very informational!
You have posted very helpful information for beginners.Now they can easily handle their computer's............
helped alot thanks :)
THAT COMPUTER IS THE GREAT INVENSION IN THE WORLD BECAUSE
so helpful, thanks!
this websit helped alot on my question
Hey Susan Great Post, I'm a techie myself, I stumbled upon your site and it caught my attention. I really respect your approach to your client's , it's rare to find this kind of service on the net. (I use the same ethics on my site) You mentioned (Negatively) that sometimes you oversimplify, I say "Oversimplifying is underated" Trust me, Keep doing what your doing, there's nothing wrong with simplifying. I love the Vids, Nice, simple, Easy to understand, This is truly and Excellent Post for the newbie learning computer basics. Good Work.
Thanks for the encouraging words, Martin K. Glad you stumbled upon my article. :)
I'm overwhelmed!
You have some very well put practical points made here. As you may see from my Hub I am interested in computers and one of the biggest barriers to getting people to use computers is the jargon and the complexity and this really helps.
thanks ..
Thank you for a great hub!
you people have helped people
You have done a fantastic job here for the beginner.... Keep Writing....
itz very useful for me to know the detailed xplanation abt the computer
thanx 4 help
its important 4 me to know d relevance of csc to human society
Thanks, everyone. :) And wizdom, what do you mean?
thanks verry much ..................... i would like to learn more about the computer............
i love you
You have some very well put practical points made here. As you may see from my Hub I am interested in computers and one of the biggest barriers to getting people to use computers is the jargon and the complexity and this really helps.
Thanks. I'm used to teaching kindergarteners hence the simple language. :)
nice hub! i wish that i met you someday.. i love you so much
thanks a lot
good job
computer is computing our mind ... :)
William F. Torpey 4 years ago
Thanks, Susan. I've used computers for a long time, but only for word processing. Since I joined HubPages I've been trying to learn the basics, but it's going very slowly. This basic information helps.