Parts of a Computer and Their Functions

Going over the parts of a computer and their functions will help you understand all the vital
components that make up a computer.
It’s a great place to start if you want to begin learning about computers. Not only is it a good entry
point, but it’s also something good to know for curiosity’s sake.
Knowing what the part is, is good, but we are going to explain each part’s function which will give you
a firmer understanding of them.

1. The computer case

This is the part that holds all of the internal components to
make up the computer itself.
It is usually designed in such a manner to make fitting a
motherboard, wiring, and drives as easy as possible. Some
are designed so well that it is easy to make everything look
tidy and presentable too.
Cases come in all different shapes and sizes to
accommodate various types of computer components and
to satisfy the needs of the consumer. Design elements can
vary from being plain to extremely elaborate. You can get a
plain grey case or one that has colored lighting everywhere
to make it looks spectacular. Cases, like most things, vary
in quality. You can get them made from cheap metals or
from good quality materials that provide you with a sturdy
design.
List of computer case sizes (known as form factor):
 Very small form factor: Supports Mini ITX motherboards
 Small form factor: Supports micro ATX motherboards.
 Standard form factor: Supports standard ATX motherboards.
 Larger form factors: Supports ATX and XL-ATX motherboards.

2. Motherboard
The motherboard is the main board that is screwed
directly inside the computer case.
All other cards and everything else plugs directly into
the motherboard, hence its name.
The CPU, RAM, drives, power supply and more all get
connected to it.
Its function is to integrate all the components with
each other so they can communicate and operate
together.
A good motherboard offers a wide amount of
connectivity options. It also has the least amount of
bottlenecks as possible. This allows all the
components to operate efficiently and to fulfill their
maximum potential as they were designed to do.
Obviously, as the physical size of a motherboard is
reduced, it begins to limit connectivity options and
functionality.
Motherboards come in the following sizes:
 Motherboard Dimensions

Pico-ITX 3.9 inch x 2.9 inch | 100mm x 72mm

Nano-ITX 4.7 inch x 4.7 inch | 120mm x 120mm

Mini-ITX 6.7 inch x 6.7 inch | 170mm x 170mm

Micro-ATX 9.6 inch x 9.6 inch | 244mm x 244mm

Standard-ATX 12 inch x 9.6 inch | 305mm x 244mm

EVGA: 13.5 inch x 10.3 inch | 343mm x 262mm

XL-ATX Gigabyte: 13.58 inch x 10.31 inch | 345mm x 262mm
Micro-Star: 13.6 inch x 10.4 inch | 345mm x 264mm

3. CPU: Central Processing Unit

The CPU is basically like the brain of a computer. It

processes all the information on a computational level.
It takes information from the RAM and processes it to
perform the tasks required from the computer.
It is usually seated in a socket that utilizes a lever or a
latch with a hinged plate with a cut out in the center to
secure it onto the motherboard.
It has many copper pads underneath it for the contacts of
the socket to push up against them to make electrical
contact.
There are other ways CPU’s can be attached to the motherboard.
Here are some common examples:
 ZIF (Zero Insertion Force): Although this a more desirable socket, they are mostly found on
older computer motherboards. A lever-operated a mechanism to clamp the pins of the
processor.
 PGA (Pin Grid Array): It is also a ZIF socket but has a different pin pitch and contains a
different pin count.
 LGA (Land Grid Array): More commonly found on motherboards today. A levered hinged
plate with a center cut out clamps down on the processor.
 BGA (Ball Grid Array): The CPU is soldered directly onto the motherboard. This makes it a
non-user swappable part. It is susceptible to bad connectivity.
A processor generates a decent amount of heat, especially when it is working under high loads.
It will run even hotter when it is set to a higher clock speed in order to make it run faster. This is
called overclocking.
This is why a heatsink and fan assembly is required in order to draw the heat away from the
processor and distribute it to thin sheets or fins of metal for the fan to cool down.
There are so many different types of processors. The top manufacturers for computers are Intel,
AMD, and NVidia.
 4. RAM: Random Access Memory
RAM is a data storage device that can provide fast
read and write access. RAM is also volatile which
means that it loses all the stored data the moment
power is lost.
The RAM keeps data ready for the CPU to process.
The speed of the RAM is a big contributor to the
overall speed of a computer.
It plugs directly into a long slot which has contacts on
either side of the slot.
It too has a clock speed, just like a processor. So, it
can also be overclocked to deliver increased
performance beyond the intended specification.
Certain RAM modules are sold with a heat spreader. It helps dissipate the heat from the individual
memory IC’s, keeping them cooler.
RAM has evolved like any other component. RAM used on the motherboard often makes use of DDR
(Double Data Rate) SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) type memory.

5. Graphics Card

A graphics card processes the data from the

motherboard and sends the appropriate information to
the monitor in order for it to be displayed.
It can do so using an HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, or VGA
connector.
A graphics card can also be referred to as a video card
or a display card.
It takes the burden of all the video processing from the
main CPU. This gives a computer a big boost in
performance.
Because of the large processing requirements for a
gaming graphics card, fans are almost a given.
A graphics card plugs into a PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) slot on the
motherboard. It is a serial expansion bus slot that is capable of a high amount of bandwidth, in two
directions.
A graphics card has a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which is the main component that requires
cooling.
A GPU is slower than a CPU, but it is designed to deal with mathematical operations required for
video rendering.
The amount of memory on the card varies depending on the manufacturer’s design.
Graphics cards use GDDR (Graphics Double Data Rate) SDRAM which is specially designed to be
optimized for graphics performance.
GDDR is built to handle a higher bandwidth compared to plain DDR ram.
6. Sound Card

Most of the time the sound chip built into the

motherboard is used for audio output.
But, if you are a sound enthusiast or prefer higher
detailed audio while playing a game, you might be
inclined to use a sound card.
Sound cards plug into a computer in multiple
ways. It can be through USB, PCI slot, or PCI
Express x 1 slot.
A sound processing chip on the card does all of
the audio processing and is usually not a very powerful processor.
A sound card can offer a wide range of connectivity with various audio equipment.
A few examples could be optical audio, 1/4 inch jack, or RCA connectors.

7. Hard Drive

A hard drive is found in most computers. It’s usually a

mechanical drive that stores all the data.
Apart from storing data, it can also be used as a boot drive in
order to run the operating system from it.
An operating system is a software program that makes a
computer useable. Like Microsoft Windows for example.
The biggest vulnerability of a mechanical drive is the physically
fragile nature of it.
One bump the wrong way can destroy a whole drive.
A mechanical hard drive contains one or more platters that spin anywhere between 5200 to 10000
RPM (revolutions per minute). The read and write heads are spaced only about 0.002 (51 micro M) of
an inch away from the platter.
This gives you an idea about the physical limitations regarding its fragile nature.
Small areas on the platter can be arranged to represent a 1 or a 0. It can be changed using the drive
head to magnetically alter the material to represent the correct value.

8. SSD: Solid State Drive

An SSD is also a type of hard drive, but it doesn’t have any

moving parts. It consists of a bank of flash memory that can
hold a reasonable amount of data.
While SSD’s are increasing in size all the time, they aren’t
cost-effective for storing large amounts of data.
A mechanical drive has a cheaper gigabyte to dollar ratio.
However, the SSD is a high-performance drive. It’s fast and
cannot be as easily damaged by dropping it or taking a few
knocks.
That’s why I always recommend SSD’s for portable type
computers where possible.
9. PSU: Power Supply Unit

A power supply mounts inside the computer case. This

converts the AC mains supply from the wall socket and
supplies the correct DC voltages to all the components
inside the computer.
A computer power supply supplies the following
voltages:
 +3.3v: This voltage is supplied to the
motherboard.
 +5V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard
and other internal components.
 +12V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard and other internal components.
 -12V: This voltage is supplied to the motherboard.
You get different wattage ratings for power supplies. The higher the wattage, the higher the amount
of electrical current can be made available to parts that need it.
The higher you go in Watts, the more the power supply will be likely to cost.
A power supply also comes with its own cooling fan. This helps all the internal components to stay
cool when the power supply is subjected to bigger loads.

10. Monitor

A monitor is what you use to see a visual

representation of the graphics data sent
from the graphics card of the computer.
There are various types of monitors on the
market. The most commonly used is a
LED-backlit LCD monitor.
There are also a variety of different sizes
with different aspect ratios. The aspect
ratio is simply the ratio between height and
width.
For example, a 16:9 aspect ratio monitor
will have 16 parts wide to 9 parts in height.
There are also curved monitors, but they
are more expensive.
Monitors also have a fast response time in order to keep up with the high demands required to
eliminate delays with user input for gaming.

11. Keyboard

A keyboard is one of the

ways to communicate with a
computer. By typing a key
from the keyboard, it sends a
small portion of data to tell
the computer which key was
pressed.
The computer can use this
information in many ways. An
example could be a
command or a character that can be used in a document.
I talk about my personal favorite keyboard over here.
There are two main different types of keyboards. Mechanical and membrane types.

12. Mouse

A mouse allows the user to move a pointer displayed

on the monitor and experience a more intuitive
interaction with the computer.
These days mice have more buttons than the common
three.
The three main buttons, however, allows the user to
select, grab, scroll and access extra menus and
options.
A computer mouse can be wired or wireless. The latter
obviously requires batteries.
You can take a look at my favorite mouse right here.
Optical mice of today allow for very accurate precision
and smooth movement.

Common external peripherals

Here are some common peripherals that get connected to a computer and extends its usefulness.

1. Printer

A printer can take an image sent by a computer

and deliver it onto a sheet of paper.
It does this by using the data from the computer
and by either using toner or ink, it deposits one
of these in a controlled and accurate manner to
form the image.

2. Scanner

A scanner can take anything on a piece of paper and

scan it to produce a replicated digital image.
This is also very handy for saving physical photos
that you want to preserve.
Once the photo is stored digitally, it won’t decay as a
physical photo does over time.
3. Computer Speakers

Computer speakers can connect up to

the sound card at the rear of the
computer.
Another way they can be connected is by
a monitor that already has built-in
speakers.
Generally, the sound quality is poor from
a monitor’ speakers. That’s why most
people buy a set of computer speakers
to have on their computer desk.
You can even connect up a 7.1 surround
speaker system to certain sound cards.
This can add a nicer experience when it
comes to gaming, playing music, or
watching a film.

Conclusion
That covers the basic components of a computer. All of these parts play a vital function in order for a
computer to work.
Once you understand these components to a basic level, it probably won’t be long until you are
repairing or building computers yourself.