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Computer—Hardware



                    Components
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                         Learning Outcomes


                             Hardware                                  New Trends in Hardware






                 A computer system is made up of two types of components: hardware and software. Both these
                 components are equally important for the functioning of a computer system. Without software
                 the hardware is useless and vice-versa.
                 Software is a set of instructions that make the computer perform tasks. Software is another
                 term for a computer program. Software can be classified into two broad categories: system
                 software and application software. We have already learnt about different types of software in
                 the previous classes. In this chapter, we will learn more about hardware.


                  i +  HARDWARE

                 All the physical components of a computer system are called hardware. These are the parts that
                 we can see or touch. Hardware components are classified into two types: internal and external.
                 Let us learn about these in detail.

                 Internal Hardware Components

                 All the hardware components located inside the CPU box\Cabinet are known as internal hardware
                 components. Examples of the internal hardware components are the CPU, Motherboard, Switched
                 Mode Power Supply (SMPS), Disk Drives, Modem, Ports, etc. Let us learn about some of them in
                 detail.

                 CPU
                 The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a processor  and
                 sometimes called a microprocessor. It is the computer’s brain
                 as it performs all the calculations and runs programs, managing
                 operations  and  executing  the basic instructions that  control
                 the computer.




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