computer hardware

hardware

Computer Hardware:

What is Computer Hardware?

Hardware, in the computer world, refers to the physical components that make up a computer system.
There are many different kinds of hardware that can be installed inside, and connected to the outside, of a computer.
In information technology, hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other devices. The term arose as a way to distinguish the "box" and the electronic circuitry and components of a computer from the program you put in it to make it do things.
A computer system consists of two major elements: hardware and software. Computer hardware is the collection of all the parts you can physically touch. Computer software, on the other hand, is not something you can touch. Software is a set of instructions for a computer to perform specific operations. You need both hardware and software for a computer system to work.

Some hardware components are easy to recognize, such as the computer case, keyboard, and monitor. However, there are many different types of hardware components. In this lesson, you will learn how to recognize the different components and what they do.

Types of Computers
Before looking at the various components, it is useful to distinguish between two different types of computers: desktop computers and laptop computers. A desktop computer consists of a computer case and a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse. As the name suggests, this type of computer is typically placed on a desk and is not very portable.

Typical desktop computer with a separate computer case, monitor, keyboard, and mouse
desktop computer
A laptop computer has the same components but integrated into a single, portable unit.

Typical laptop computer with integrated hardware components
laptop computer
While these two types of computers look quite different, they have the same general hardware components.