Motherboard, CPU, RAM, video card, power supply and hard dsik are the main components of a computer. Here’s what their job is
Every day we use computers to accomplish many things. From work to fun. Using a PC is now quite simple. However, it is much more complex to understand how a computer works and what components are inside. There’s more to it than just the screen and keyboard.
You can’t start a guide to how a computer is made without starting with the motherboard. The motherboard is, as its name implies, a board of integrated circuits that connects the other components of the computer, putting them into communication. It is therefore the “heart” of the computer to which every other component refers. The motherboard uses a software, called BIOS (Basic Input Output System), which allows the management of all the various components installed. The BIOS software is located in a small chip installed on the motherboard.
CPU
The processor or central processing unit (CPU) is kind of like the legs and arms of the device. It is used to make the computer work. The CPU coordinates the other units that process data, performs mathematical calculations and incoming instructions from the various software installed on the machine. The CPU has the form of a square chip, on one side is characterized by a series of metal “feet” that serve to anchor with the motherboard. The processor then is located in the motherboard and usually above it is a heatsink. This is used to cool the CPU and avoid dangerous overheating.
Power Supply
The power supply is instead the element that allows the input of the right amount of current to run the computer. There are different models of power supplies on the market, generally the more stable the control of the voltage supplied, the more expensive the component. If you have to buy a power supply it is always advisable to buy one that is not too cheap, better a model with shielded cables and several outputs.
RAM
RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory, is a volatile memory that stores and retrieves in a very short time the data it needs to run the PC. The more efficient and larger the RAM, the greater the performance of the PC. However, size does matter to a certain extent, the best RAM is built by reliable and well-known brands, with low latency times and heat sinks.
Hard disk
The hard disk, or hard drive, is the magnetic type element for storing files, it allows you to perform writing and reading operations. They are generally made of aluminum or glass and covered with ferromagnetic material and two heads per disk. They are the physical places where each document is saved when we perform operations such as SAVE and SAVE AS. Their future is being threatened by the new solid state disks. Every computer can have one or more hard drives, either internal or external.
Video Card
The video card is one of the fundamental components of our computer. It allows us to see even the smallest dot on our screen. Without the video card, the screen would remain black. There are integrated or external video cards. The first are integrated into the motherboard, the others are components that are mounted inside the computer.
Peripherals
Other fundamental components are the peripherals. We are talking about mice, monitors, printers and keyboards. Among the most commonly used peripherals, there are also those designed to read DVDs and CDs.