Computer hardware includes the electronic, mechanical, magnetic and electrical components which together form a computer system. Computer hardware is used together with computer software in order to create a working computer. There are a huge range of different types of computer hardware, which perform many different functions, and some of which are more common and familiar than others. The Boomeranghardware.com website is a good place to find more information about computer hardware and anyone who is interested in learning more about different types of hardware will benefit from an exploration of the rest of the site.
Computer hardware can come in many different forms, although most users will be most familiar with their hardware as a completed laptop or desktop computer, rather than as the internal components that make up these types of devices. Users who are more familiar with the technology may choose to upgrade their computer hardware by adding new components or replacing certain elements of the hardware with more powerful versions. Some users may also require special types of hardware in addition to the basic computer set up.
Most computers will contain a large number of different pieces of hardware, which will typically include a motherboard, a CPU or Central Processing Unit, RAM or Random Access Memory, a power supply, a video card, a hard drive, an optical drive which may be used with CDs or DVDs, a sound card, a NIC or Network Interface Card, a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor and speakers. Other types of computer hardware, such as a printer or scanner may also be used, and there are a wide range of other types of computer hardware that may be added to the basic hardware, including webcams, joysticks and microphones. New types of hardware, and improved versions of older hardware, are constantly being developed in order to add new functionality or to improve the experience of the computer user.
Computer hardware is used to run software. The basic difference between hardware and software is that you can touch hardware, but software is invisible and intangible. You can pick up a CD or DVD that contains a copy of a certain piece of software, but you cannot touch the software itself. Typically, you will not need to use the disk once you have installed the software on your computer. This is because the software has been transferred from the disk onto your computer. The software is the information contained in the disk, and not the disk itself. The physical components of the computer are the hardware. The software, which includes the operating system and any other system software that the user may wish to install, runs on the hardware.
It is the hardware that determines what software can do and how fast it can do it. This means that it is necessary for the hardware to be improved in order for computers to be able to support new types of software. It also means that older computers which are built of outdated hardware may not be able to support all of the new software, which is available on the market. This is one reason why people may need to update their hardware, or even to buy a whole new computer. Most software comes with recommendations for the minimum hardware requirements in order to run the software.
