Computer System Hardware Components

Computer System Hardware Components
Part	Image	Function/Purpose
Case		It is a container which holds and protects the inner components of a computer system.
Power Supply		Its function is to convert AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current) in order to supply it to the internal computer components.
Optical Disk Drive		An optical disk drive uses laser technology to write data to and read data from any optical disks such as CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays.
Hard Disk Drive		A hard disk drive is a storage device that is used to store large amounts of data and files in a computer system.
Floppy Disk Drive		A floppy disk drive is used to access small amounts of data stored on removable diskettes called floppy disks.
Motherboard		The motherboard is a part of the computer that connects some hardware components and allows communication to be established between them.
RAM		Random Access Memory (RAM) is the computer's main memory where programs, application software, and data are temporarily stored.
Heat Sink		Heat sink is used to dissipate the heat from the processor (CPU), preventing it from overheating. Cooling fans are used as well to cool the air surrounding the heat sink.
Cooling Fan		Cooling fans are very widely used to reduce temperature by actively exhausting cool air to prevent the CPU and heat sink from overheating.
CPU		Central Processing Unit (CPU) is basically the brain of the computer. The processor is responsible for processing and calculating data inputs to provide a meaningful output to the user.
North Bridge		The north bridge is a chip inside a computer that connects the CPU to other primary components in the system including RAM, PCI Express cards, and the AGP card. The north bridge also connects to the south bridge, which controls the remaining components of the computer.
South Bridge		The south bridge is a chip that connects the north bridge to other components inside the computer, including hard drives, network connections, USB, system clock, and standard PCI cards. The south bridge sends and receives data from the CPU through the north bridge chip, which is connected directly to the computer's processor.
Battery		It is a small circle-shaped battery located on the computer's motherboard. It is used to maintain important system settings, date and time information.
BIOS chip		The Basic Input Output System (BIOS) is the software (firmware) stored on a small memory chip on the motherboard. The BIOS instructs the computer on how to perform a number of basic functions such as booting and keyboard control. BIOS is also used to identify and configure the hardware in a computer such as the hard drive, floppy drive, optical drive, CPU, memory, etc.
Sound Card		The sound card is a component inside the computer that provides audio input and output capabilities.
Graphics Card		A graphics card is a piece of hardware installed in a computer that is responsible for processing data and displaying the output on the computer’s monitor or display screen.
Network Interface Card (NIC)		NIC is the card that physically makes the connection between the computer and the network cable. These cards typically use an Ethernet connection.
PATA Cable		A PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment) cable is used to connect devices such as floppy drive to the motherboard socket.
SATA Cable		A SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) cable is used to connect devices such as optical drives or hard drives to the motherboard socket.