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Computer—Hardware                                                             1


                                 Components











                     Goal Glimpse

                         Hardware                                        New Trends in Hardware








                 A computer system consists of two  main components:  hardware and  software.  Both are
                 essential  for the computer to work.  Without software,  the hardware  can’t do anything,  and
                 without hardware, the software can’t run.
                 Software includes the instructions that allow a computer to perform tasks and is also known as a
                 computer program. It can be divided into two main categories: system software and application
                 software. We have covered various types of software in previous classes. Now, let us focus on
                 learning more about hardware in this chapter.

                    HARDWARE

                 All the physical parts of a computer system are known as hardware. These are the components
                 you  can  see or  touch.  Hardware  is divided  into  two  categories:  internal  and  external.  Let’s
                 explore these in detail.
                 Internal Hardware Components

                 Internal hardware components are located inside the CPU box\cabinet. Examples include the
                 CPU, Motherboard, Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS), Disk Drives, Modem, Ports, etc. Let us
                 learn more about some of them in detail.

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





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