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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
components, the hardware components are 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. Let us learn more about hardware in this chapter.
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 that are located inside the CPU Box (System Cabinet) are called
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 Memory Unit
CPU (Central Processing Unit) is a processor,
sometimes called a microprocessor. It is
Control Unit
the brain of the computer that does all the
calculations and runs all the programs. It
manages all the operations and carries out the
ALU
basic instructions that operate a computer.
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Computer—Hardware Components

