Computer hardware is the physical component that makes up a PC. Examples include a motherboard that connects all of your internal hardware, and the CMOS battery that keeps the date and time on your computer.
Other hardware components like a touchpad or a scanner can provide input to your computer. And your computer’s hard drives store the information that you use and want to keep.
Motherboard
A motherboard is the central hub that connects and enables interaction between the computer’s functional components, such as the CPU, RAM, and peripherals like the keyboard and mouse. It consists of a hard sheet of nonconductive material with thin lines of copper or aluminum, called “traces.” These traces lead to slots into which the CPU and random-access memory (RAM) are placed. They also have sockets for connecting to disk drives, system front panel ports, and expansion cards.
Motherboards are also equipped with voltage regulator modules that distribute power throughout the computer, as well as cooling features to prevent them from overheating. They also feature BIOS/UEFI firmware that enables system initialization and configuration, along with diagnostic features. Some motherboards also support overclocking, a process that increases CPU and RAM performance. Motherboards are available in various form factors to fit different computer cases.
RAM
RAM is what allows your computer to juggle multiple tasks at once, like opening web browser tabs and playing games. More RAM means that you can have more programs open at once, and you’ll have faster loading times.
However, more RAM doesn’t always improve PC performance. This is because a lot of the time, the data that’s in RAM is actually already in cache – a small pool of very fast memory actually built into your CPU itself.
This means that your computer isn’t having to pull information from slower storage, like a hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD) – but instead from the very fastest storage of all: your processor itself. RAM is composed of microchips grouped into modules that plug into slots on your motherboard, connected by a bus – or set of electrical paths. When choosing RAM for your PC, look for high capacity and low CAS Latency. These are the two factors that have a direct impact on speed and performance.
Hard Drives
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile device that stores data using magnetism. It consists of one or more rigid, rapidly rotating discs (or platters) coated with magnetic material and a set of actuator arms with read/write heads that scan the surface of each disk. The information is stored as a series of concentric circles, called tracks and sectors, with each sector representing a logical unit of data. When your computer requests data, the I/O controller tells the actuator arm which platter and track it is located on. The head then gathers the data by reading the presence or absence of a charge on the platters.
Typically, mechanical HDDs have a storage capacity in the terabyte range and are very cheap ($0.016-$0.04 per gigabyte at retail). However, they are slower than SSD and require the use of an external power supply. For these reasons, many people choose to use an SSD as their primary drive.
Power Supply Unit
The Power Supply Unit, or PSU, is the heart of your PC. It converts the alternating current (AC) from your wall outlet into the low-voltage direct current (DC) that the other components use. The PSU regulates the output voltage so that it stays within a safe range, which protects the components from damage caused by voltage fluctuations.
It also provides 3.3 V and 5 V rails for the digital circuits, as well as a -12 V rail to operate the disk drive motors and serial interfaces (which used linear chip audio power amplifiers).
The PSU is an essential piece of hardware because it directly connects with every other component in the system. It should be rated for the number of watts it supplies and have enough connectors to support all of your expansion cards. It should also have a form factor that fits in your case, like ATX, and offer the features you need. Choosing the right one can prevent system instability, reduce stress on components and increase their lifespans.