Hardware components

• Hardware are the physical parts of a computer
• Computers need hardware to carry out processes such as:

  • accepting input
  • processing input
  • Producing output
  • Storing data
• Input process: the act of accepting data from the outside world
• Processing: the act of transforming data into information that will be useful to the user
• Output process: the act of presenting information to the user
• storage process: the act of holding data in memory, or in a file, for later use
• processing is done by the microprocessor
• Multiple microprocessors are called cores
• A CPU is made up of a control unit (CU) and the arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
• A CPU fetches program instructions stored in memory and executes instructions by performing arithmetic and logic operations
• The ALU performs calculations on numbers and logical operations on bits
• RAM stores programs that are currently being used
• RAM stands for- Random Access Memory
• ROM stands for - Read Only Memory
• ROM stores start-up functions for a computer, such as the boot loader.
• RAM stores:

  • program instructions that are awaiting execution
  • data ready to be processed by the CPU
  • stores data that is being transferred in and out of input and output devices
• Secondary devices stores data and programs and holds files permanently
• Input devices accept digital data and analogue data from the user and convert it into a form that the computer can use.
• Output devices present visual and audio information to the user, via devices such as a monitor or a printer.
• A port is a physical docking point by which an external device can be connected to a computer.