Computer Components (Basic) 1 of 2

Port

A physical or virtual connection on a computer that connects peripherals. E.g. printer port.

Chip

A piece of silicon with an electronic circuit embedded in it. A CPU or graphics card may contain many chips.

Laptop Computer

A portable, personal computer often designed to fit on your lap. See also notebook computer.

All-In-One Printer

A printer that combines printing, scanning, copying, and faxing capabilities.

Flash Drive/Thumb Drive

Portable storage device that plugs into a USB port.

RAM

Random Access Memory. A temporary type of storage that changes and is erased when the computer is turned off. Computer short-term memory.

Software

Set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. It is what guides the hardware and tells it how to accomplish each task.

Sound Card

A circuit board or chip connected to the motherboard that produces sound generated by the computer.

Graphics/Video Card

A circuit board or chip connected to the motherboard that sends visual information to a monitor/display.

Network Card

A circuit board or chip connected to the motherboard used to connect one computer to another over a phone line, data line or wireless network.

Disk Drive

A peripheral device that reads and/or writes information on a disk.

Modem

A peripheral device used to connect one computer to another over a phone or data line.

Desktop Computer

A computer designed so the system unit, monitor, input devices, output devices, and any other devices fit entirely on or under a desk or table and are not intended to move to other locations.

Keyboard

A computer input device that uses a set of keys to put data into the computer.

All-In-One Computer

A computer that has all of the hardware integrated with the monitor.

Workstation

A computer that runs a desktop operating system and connects to a network.

Scanner

A device that converts printed documents or photos into digital file formats.

Power Supply

A device that provides power to a computer and its internal components, including the motherboard, video card, hard drive, etc.

Monitor

A device used to display computer information visually.

Optical Drive

A disk drive that uses lasers to write information on CDs and DVDs.

Wireless

A form of computer networking or other communication that uses radio signals and microwaves (instead of wires) to transmit data.

Mouse

A hand-operated electronic device that controls the coordinates of a cursor on your computer screen as you move it around.

Router

A hardware device that routes/forwards data between computer networks, including computer to computer and computer to internet.

Printer

A machine that converts output from a computer and prints characters or images on paper.

Diskette

A small flexible disk used for storing computer data.

Circuit Board

A thin plate or board that contains electronic components.

Tablet

A thin, lighter-weight mobile computer that has a touch screen. E.g. iPad.

WiFi

A wireless network that uses high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet.

Speakers

An output device that allows you to hear voice, music, and other sounds from your computer.

Output

Any computer-generated information displayed on a screen, printed on a piece of paper, or stored on media or in the cloud.

Input

Any data and instructions entered into the memory of a computer.

Memory

Any device that holds computer data.

Peripheral

Any kind of hardware device connected to a CPU.

Wireless Network

Any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind.

User-Friendly

Anything that can be easily operated with little experience or instruction.

CPU

Central Processing Unit (or Processor); the brain of the computer; controls the other elements of the computer.

Wireless Network Card

Like a standard NIC, but without the use of wires, it has a transmitter/receiver for sending signals via radio waves

Microcomputer

Often used synonymously with the term "desktop computer," but it may refer to a server or laptop as well.

Hard Drive

Storage device that stores digital data on rapidly rotating rigid disks with magnetic surfaces. It reads and writes information, including the operating system, program files, and data files.

Motherboard

The central/main circuit board that provides electrical connections to other internal computer parts.

Web Server

The computer the web pages are stored on. The web server will transmit the web pages across the network/internet to the client computer which is running a web browser.

Operating System (OS)

The main computer program that allows the user to control the computer, such as Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS, Apple iOS and Linux. The OS allows the hardware to communicate with the software.

Hardware

The physical components of a computer or peripheral.

QWERTY

This is the most common keyboard arrangement. It is called this because those are the first 6 letters on a qwerty keyboard.

UPS

Uninterruptible Power Supply. A type of power supply that uses battery backup to maintain power during unexpected power outages.

USB

Universal Serial Bus. A type of connection used to attach devices such as flash drives, scanners, cameras, and printers to a computer.