Personal computer hardware are component devices which are typically installed into or peripheral

Peripheral

A peripheral is a device attached to a host computer, but not part of it, and is more or less dependent on the host. It expands the host's capabilities, but does not form part of the core computer architecture....

 to a computer case

Computer case

A computer case is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer...

 to create a personal computer

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

 upon which system software

System software

System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software.The most basic types of system software are:...

 is installed including a firmware

Firmware

In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...

 interface such as a BIOS

BIOS

In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....

 and an operating system

Operating system

An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...

 which supports application software

Application software

Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...

 that performs the operator's desired functions. Operating systems usually communicate with devices through hardware buses by using software device driver

Device driver

In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....

s.

Mother board

The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large rectangular board with integrated circuitry that connects the other parts of the computer including the CPU, the RAM

Ram

-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...

, the disk drives (CD, DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

, hard disk

Hard disk

A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...

, or any others) as well as any peripherals connected via the ports or the expansion slots

Expansion slots

Expansion slots are specific slots on a PC motherboard that facilitate the placement of expansion cards.All such expansion slots are colour coded, and are built in such a way that only a specific type of card or device can interface with/ be inserted into the device.- Types :Common types of...

.

Components directly attached to the motherboard include:

• The central processing unit
  Central processing unit
  The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
  
  (CPU) performs most of the calculations which enable a computer to function, and is sometimes referred to as the "brain" of the computer. It is usually cooled by a heat sink and fan. Newer CPUs include an on-die Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
  Graphics processing unit
  A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
  
  .
• The chip set mediates communication between the CPU and the other components of the system, including main memory.
• RAM
  Random-access memory
  Random access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
  
  (random-access memory) stores resident part of the current running OS (OS core and so on) and all running processes (application parts, using CPU or input/output (I/O) channels or waiting for CPU or I/O channels).
• The BIOS
  BIOS
  In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
  
  includes boot firmware
  Firmware
  In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
  
   and power management. The Basic Input Output System tasks are handled by operating system
  Operating system
  An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
  
   drivers. Newer motherboards use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
  UEFI
  The Unified EFI Forum or UEFI Forum is an alliance between several leading technology companies to modernize the booting process...
  
   instead of BIOS.
• Internal buses connect the CPU to various internal components and to expansion cards for graphics and sound.
  • Current
    • The north bridge
      Northbridge (computing)
      The northbridge has historically been one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge. Increasingly these functions have migrated to the CPU chip itself, beginning with memory and graphics controllers. For Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Fusion...
      
       memory controller, for RAM and PCI Express
      • PCI Express
        PCI Express
        PCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
        
        , for expansion cards such as graphics, lannd and physics processors, and high-end network interfaces
    • PCI, for other expansion cards
    • SATA
      Serial ATA
      Serial ATA is a computer bus interface for connecting host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives...
      
      , for disk drives
    • ATA
  • Obsolete
    • AGP
      Accelerated Graphics Port
      The Accelerated Graphics Port is a high-speed point-to-point channel for attaching a video card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. Since 2004 AGP has been progressively phased out in favor of PCI Express...
      
       (superseded by PCI Express)
    • VLB
      VESA Local Bus
      The VESA Local Bus was mostly used in personal computers. VESA Local Bus worked alongside the ISA bus; it acted as a high-speed conduit for memory-mapped I/O and DMA, while the ISA bus handled interrupts and port-mapped I/O.-Historical overview:In the early 1990s, the I/O bandwidth of...
      
       VESA Local Bus (superseded by AGP)
    • ISA
      Industry Standard Architecture
      Industry Standard Architecture is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor...
      
       (expansion card slot format obsolete in PCs, but still used in industrial computers)
• External bus controllers support ports for external peripherals. These ports may be controlled directly by the south bridge
  Southbridge (computing)
  The southbridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a personal computer motherboard, the other being the northbridge. The southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset...
  
   I/O controller or based on expansion cards attached to the motherboard through the PCI bus.
  • USB
    Universal Serial Bus
    USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
    
    
  • FireWire
  • eSATA
    Serial ATA
    Serial ATA is a computer bus interface for connecting host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives...
    
    
  • SCSI
    SCSI
    Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
    
    

Power supply

A power supply unit (PSU) converts alternating current (AC) electric power to low-voltage DC power for the internal components of the computer. Some power supplies have a switch to change between 230 V and 115 V. Other models have automatic sensors that switch input voltage automatically, or are able to accept any voltage between those limits. Power supply units used in computers are nearly always switch mode power supplies (SMPS). The SMPS provides regulated direct current power at the several voltages required by the motherboard and accessories such as disk drives and cooling fans.

Removable media devices

• CD
  Compact Disc
  The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
  
   (compact disc) - the most common type of removable media, suitable for music and data.
  • CD-ROM Drive
    CD-ROM
    A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
    
     - a device used for reading data from a CD.
  • CD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a CD.
• DVD
  DVD
  A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
  
   (digital versatile disc) - a popular type of removable media that is the same dimensions as a CD but stores up to 12 times as much information. It is the most common way of transferring digital video, and is popular for data storage.
  • DVD-ROM Drive
    DVD
    A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
    
     - a device used for reading data from a DVD.
  • DVD Writer
    DVD
    A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
    
      - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a DVD.
  • DVD-RAM Drive
    DVD-RAM
    DVD-RAM is a disc specification presented in 1996 by the DVD Forum, which specifies rewritable DVD-RAM media and the appropriate DVD writers. DVD-RAM media have been used in computers as well as camcorders and personal video recorders since 1998.-Design:DVD-RAM is one of three competing...
    
     - a device used for rapid writing and reading of data from a special type of DVD.
• Blu-ray Disc
  Blu-ray Disc
  Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
  
   - a high-density optical disc format for data and high-definition video. Can store 70 times as much information as a CD.
  • BD-ROM Drive
    Blu-ray Disc
    Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
    
     - a device used for reading data from a Blu-ray disc.
  • BD Writer
    Blu-ray Disc recordable
    Blu-ray Disc recordable refers to two direct to disc optical disc recording technologies that can be recorded on to an optical disc with an optical disc recorder. BD-R discs can be written to once, whereas BD-RE can be erased and re-recorded multiple times...
    
     - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a Blu-ray disc.
• HD DVD
  HD DVD
  HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
  
   - a discontinued competitor to the Blu-ray format.
• Floppy disk
  Floppy disk
  A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
  
   - an outdated storage device consisting of a thin disk of a flexible magnetic storage medium. Floppies are used today mainly for loading device driver
  Device driver
  In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
  
  s not included with an operating system
  Operating system
  An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
  
   release (for example, RAID drivers).
• Iomega Zip drive - an outdated medium-capacity removable disk storage system, first introduced by Iomega in 1994.
• USB flash drive
  USB flash drive
  A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
  
   - a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB interface, typically small, lightweight, removable, and rewritable. Capacities vary, from hundreds of megabytes (in the same range as CDs) to tens of gigabytes (surpassing, at great expense, Blu-ray discs).
• Tape drive
  Tape drive
  A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and performs digital recording, writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.A tape drive provides...
  
   - a device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape, used for long term storage and backups.

Secondary storage

Hardware that keeps data inside the computer for later use and remains persistent even when the computer has no power.

• Hard disk
  Hard disk
  A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
  
   - for medium-term storage of data.
• Solid-state drive
  Solid-state drive
  A solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
  
   - a device similar to hard disk, but containing no moving parts and stores data in a digital format.
• RAID array controller
  Disk array controller
  A disk array controller is a device which manages the physical disk drives and presents them to the computer as logical units. It almost always implements hardware RAID, thus it is sometimes referred to as RAID controller. It also often provides additional disk cache.A disk array controller name is...
  
   - a device to manage several internal or external hard disks and optionally some peripherals in order to achieve performance or reliability improvement in what is called a RAID array.

Sound card

Enables the computer to output sound to audio devices, as well as accept input from a microphone

Microphone

A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...

. Most modern computers have sound cards built-in to the motherboard, though it is common for a user to install a separate sound card as an upgrade. Most sound cards, either built-in or added, have surround sound capabilities.

Input and output peripherals

Input

Input device

In computing, an input device is any peripheral used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other information appliance...

 and output

Output device

An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information processing system to the outside world....

 devices are typically housed externally to the main computer chassis. The following are either standard or very common to many computer systems.

Input

• Text
  Character (computing)
  In computer and machine-based telecommunications terminology, a character is a unit of information that roughly corresponds to a grapheme, grapheme-like unit, or symbol, such as in an alphabet or syllabary in the written form of a natural language....
  
   input devices
  • Keyboard
    Keyboard (computing)
    In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
    
     - a device to input text and characters by depressing buttons (referred to as keys or buttons).
• Pointing device
  Pointing device
  A pointing device is an input interface that allows a user to input spatial data to a computer...
  
  s
  • Mouse
    Mouse (computing)
    In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
    
     - a pointing device that detects two dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface.
    • Optical Mouse
      Optical mouse
      An optical computer mouse or "optic mouse" uses a light-emitting diode and photodiodes to detect movement relative to a surface, unlike a mechanical mouse which has a ball which rotates orthogonal shafts which drive chopper wheels for distance measurement.- Early optical mice :Early optical mice,...
      
       - uses light (laser technology) to determine mouse motion.
  • Trackball
    Trackball
    A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. The user rolls the ball with the thumb, fingers, or the palm of the hand to move a cursor...
    
     - a pointing device consisting of an exposed protruding ball housed in a socket that detects rotation about two axes.
  • Touchscreen
    Touchscreen
    A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
    
     - senses the user pressing directly on the monitor.

• Gaming
  Computer and video games
  A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
  
   devices
  • Joystick
    Joystick
    A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
    
     - a hand-operated pivoted stick whose position is transmitted to the computer.
  • Game pad - a hand held game controller that relies on the digits (especially thumbs) to provide input.
  • Game controller
    Game controller
    A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
    
     - a specific type of controller specialized for certain gaming purposes.
• Image
  Image
  An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
  
  , Video
  Video
  Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
  
   input devices
  • Image scanner
    Image scanner
    In computing, an image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop scanner where the document is placed on a glass...
    
     - a device that provides input by analyzing images, printed text, handwriting, or an object.
  • Web cam - a video camera used to provide visual input that can be easily transferred over the internet.
• Audio
  Sound recording and reproduction
  Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
  
   input devices
  • Microphone
    Microphone
    A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
    
     - an acoustic sensor that provides input by converting sound into electrical signals.

Output

• Printer - a device that produces a permanent human-readable text of graphic document.
  • Dot Matrix Printer
    Dot matrix printer
    A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer is a type of computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth, or in an up and down motion, on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like the print mechanism on a typewriter...
    
    
  • Laser Printer
    Laser printer
    A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced...
    
    
• Ciode display
  • OLED - Organic Light-Emitting Diode
• Monitors