Basic Desktop Hardware

By Kyle Little

Edited by Sarah

Most who people who use a desktop have, if any at all, a vague idea on how the parts inside work to give the user their awesome cat videos and funny pictures. However having a more in-depth understanding of the hardware behind the scenes in that mysterious box or laptop can lead you to saving money by knowing which parts to upgrade instead of just buying a new computer.

Computers really only have 13 parts, 6 of these being of major importance. We are going to cover only the 6 major parts that are inside the desktop; the processor (also known as the CPU), the motherboard, the graphics card (also known as GPU), the power supply (also known as PCU), the memory (or RAM), and finally the hard drive.

THE PROCESSOR

The brains of the machine, this amazing little chip runs your entire computer, taking in data given to it by the other components and interpreting it into some type of function, be it calculating numbers, turning binary into text, or giving commands to other components this is arguably the single most important part of the computer, without it we wouldn't be able to use any other component.

THE GRAPHICS CARD

This weird chunk of tech takes the data sent to it from the CPU and turns it into an image otherwise known as an user interface, UI for short. This is whatever you see pop up on your monitor or screen, anything at all. Varying in size and quality it is also usually built into the motherboard in case the buyer doesn't have an aftermarket one. Thanks to this invention entire generations can watch inspiring videos of people comedically falling down.

MEMORY/RAM

RAM, Random Access Memory, is used to store information regarding the operating system, applications, programs, and data currently being used in order to allow the processor to quickly interpret and give responses. Think of it like a notebook, you use it to access information on the fly in case you forget it. Don't confuse RAM with the hard drive, they are similar but have very different functions.

HARD DRIVE

The hard drive functions similar to the memory but instead of it being quick things to access, it stores long term data that needs to still be there even when the computer is shut off. It's similar to actual human memory, RAM being short term while the hard drive being long term. There are three types of hard drives that most people use, HDD, SSD, and hybrids of the two. HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive, it usually holds anywhere from 1TB to 5TB however is usually slower compared to an SSD. SSD's are usually smaller, going from 50GB to 250GB but being much faster than an HDD. Finally there are hybrids of the two that combine the best of both worlds, giving you the capacity of an HDD at the speed of an SSD.

POWER

The power supply unit, or PCU, does exactly what it says, it powers things. Yay!

MOTHERBOARD

Finally there is the motherboard. The motherboard connects everything into one nice unit, it is the glue that holds all the other components together. However it also collects input data. You know those outlets that you plug your mouse, keyboard, and monitor into? Those are connected to the motherboard which then sends information and signals sent from these devices to the processor.

That’s it! Those are all the major components necessary to run your desktop. Now other components like the monitor, keyboard, and mouse have not been included since they are not major components for the desktop but are required for computers in order to interact with the UI. So go forth with your newfound knowledge and take a peek inside that add tower, maybe you’ll even have a incline to tinker with it.

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