Computer hardware consists of everything in the computer and everything that’s connected to it. The CPU “central processing unit” is the actual brain of the computer. It determines how fast and how well the computer will perform. Another thing that determines performance is the amount of RAM “random access memory” the computer has.

The CPU and motherboard are inside the computer case. All peripheral devices share data with the computer by plugging them directly into the ports of the motherboard or to the rest of the ports inside the computer casing. These devices includes; a monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer and other devices.

The monitor is the screen that allows us to “see” what were doing on the computer. There is also a graphic card installed, allowing the computer to print the graphics onto the monitor. It is considered an output device because the computer outputs information to the screen.

Printers are also output devices. When users tell the computer to print a file, it outputs that file to the printer, which prints that file on to paper. This creates what’s known as a “hard copy” of the file, not to be confused with “hardware”.
Examples of input devices are the keyboard and mouse because they allow users to input information into the computer. Mouse inputs by pointing & clicking and keyboard’s input by typing the information in.

Hard drives are either internal (located inside the computer) or external (connected as a peripheral device). Hard drives allow users to save large amount of files and information into the computer. Most computers also have floppy disk drives and CD / DVD disk drives to store information separately.

A sound card is also installed in the computer to allow users to hear sounds and warnings from computer software. Without a sound card, the computer is unable to make any sounds. The modem is another type of hardware. It allows the computer to communicate with other computers via telephone lines and it also connects home computers to the internet.

As you can see, there are lots of different types of hardware. Each type has it’s own important little tasks to do. Together they make up what’s commonly referred to as a computer system.