Computer is a device that can be instructed to carry out arbitrary sequences of arithmetic

or logical operations automatically. The ability of computers to follow generalized sets of

operations, called programs, enables them to perform an extremely wide range of tasks.
Such computers are used as control systems for a very wide variety of industrial and
consumer devices. This includes simple special purpose devices like microwave ovens and
remote controls, factory devices such as industrial robots and computer assisted design, but
also in general purpose devices like personal computers and mobile devices such as
smartphones. The Internet is run on computers and it connects millions of other computers.

A computer system consists of both hardware and information stored on hardware.

Information stored on computer hardware is often called software.

The Hardware components of a computer system are the electronic and

mechanical parts.

The Software components of a computer system are the data and the
computer programs.

Case/System Unit
The computer case encloses most of the components of the system. It provides
mechanical support and protection for internal elements such as the motherboard, disk drives,
and power supplies, and controls and directs the flow of cooling air over internal components.
The case is also part of the system to control electromagnetic interference radiated by the
computer, and protects internal parts from electrostatic discharge. Large tower cases provide
extra internal space for multiple disk drives or other peripherals and usually stand on the floor,
while desktop cases provide less expansion room. All-in-one style designs from Apple, namely
the iMac, and similar types, include a video display built into the same case. Portable and
laptop computers require cases that provide impact protection for the unit. A current
development in laptop computers is a detachable keyboard, which allows the system to be
configured as a touch-screen tablet. Hobbyists may decorate the cases with colored lights,
paint, or other features, in an activity called case modding.

Power supply
A power supply unit (PSU) converts alternating current (AC) electric power to low-
voltage DC power for the internal components of the computer. Laptops are capable of
running from a built-in battery, normally for a period of hours.[5]

Motherboard
The motherboard is the main component of a computer. It is a board with integrated
circuitry that connects the other parts of the computer including the CPU, the RAM, the disk
drives (CD, DVD, hard disk, or any others) as well as any peripherals connected via the ports or
the expansion slots.
Components directly attached to or to part of the motherboard include:

The CPU (central processing unit), which performs most of the calculations which enable
a computer to function, and is sometimes referred to as the brain of the computer. It is
usually cooled by a heatsink and fan, or water-cooling system. Most newer CPUs
include an on-die Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The clock speed of CPUs governs
how fast it executes instructions, and is measured in GHz; typical values lie between 1
GHz and 5 GHz. Many modern computers have the option to overclock the CPU which
enhances performance at the expense of greater thermal output and thus a need for
improved cooling.

The chipset, which includes the north bridge, mediates communication between the
CPU and the other components of the system, including main memory.

Random-access memory (RAM), which stores the code and data that are being actively
accessed by the CPU. For example, when a web browser is opened on the computer it
takes up memory; this is stored in the RAM until the web browser is closed. RAM
usually comes on DIMMs in the sizes 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB, but can be much larger.

Read-only memory (ROM), which stores the BIOS that runs when the computer is
powered on or otherwise begins execution, a process known as Bootstrapping, or
"booting" or "booting up". The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) includes boot
firmware and power management firmware. Newer motherboards use Unified
Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) instead of BIOS.

Buses that connect the CPU to various internal components and to expand cards for
graphics and sound.

The CMOS battery, which powers the memory for date and time in the BIOS chip. This
battery is generally a watch battery.

The video card (also known as the graphics card), which processes computer graphics.
More powerful graphics cards are better suited to handle strenuous tasks, such as
playing intensive video games.

Expansion cards
An expansion card in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an
expansion slot of a computer motherboard or backplane to add functionality to a computer
system via the expansion bus. Expansions cards can be used to obtain or expand on features
not offered by the motherboard.
Storage devices
A storage device is any computing hardware and digital media that is used for storing,
porting and extracting data files and objects. It can hold and store information both
temporarily and permanently, and can be internal or external to a computer, server or any
similar computing device. Data storage is a core function and fundamental component of
computers.

Fixed media
Data is stored by a computer using a variety of media. Hard disk drives are found in
virtually all older computers, due to their high capacity and low cost, but solid-state drives are
faster and more power efficient, although currently more expensive than hard drives in terms
of dollar per gigabyte,[6] so are often found in personal computers built post-2007.[7] Some
systems may use a disk array controller for greater performance or reliability.

Removable media
To transfer data between computers, a USB flash drive or optical disc may be used.
Their usefulness depends on being readable by other systems; the majority of machines have
an optical disk drive, and virtually all have at least one USB port.

Input and output peripherals

Input and output devices are typically housed externally to the main computer chassis.
The following are either standard or very common to many computer systems.

Input
Input devices allow the user to enter information into the system, or control its
operation. Most personal computers have a mouse and keyboard, but laptop systems typically
use a touchpad instead of a mouse. Other input devices include webcams, microphones,
joysticks, and image scanners.

Output device
Output devices display information in a human readable form. Such devices could
include printers, speakers, monitors or a Braille embosser.

Communication device
Hardware device capable of transmitting an analog or digital signal over the telephone,
other communication wire, or wirelessly. The best example of a communication device is a
computer Modem, which is capable of sending and receiving a signal to allow computers to talk
to other computers over the telephone. Other examples of communication devices include a
network interface card (NIC), Wi-Fi devices, and an access point.
Different types of communications devices you may encounter when dealing with a
computer:
Bluetooth devices Modem (over phone line) Smartphone
Network card (using Ethernet) Wi-Fi Devices(Using a Wi-Fi Router
Infrared devices
Today, the computer is used in every field and has made our day to day tasks
very easy but there are some advantages and disadvantages of computers.

Advantages of Computer
Computer has made a very vital impact on society. It has changed the way of
life. The use of computer technology has affected every field of life. People are
using computers to perform different tasks quickly and easily. The use of
computers makes different task easier. It also saves time and effort and reduces
the overall cost to complete a particular task.

Many organizations are using computers for keeping the records of their
customers. Banks are using computers for maintaining accounts and managing
financial transactions. The banks are also providing the facility of online
banking. The customers can check their account balance from using the
internet. They can also make financial transaction online. The transactions are
handled easily and quickly with computerized systems.

People are using computers for paying their bills, managing their home budgets
or simply having some break and watching a movie, listening to songs or
playing computer games. Online services like skype or social media websites
are used for communication and information sharing purposes.

Computer can be used as a great educational tool. Students can have access to
all sort of information on the internet. Some great websites like Wikipedia,
Khan’s Academy, Code Academy, Byte-Notes provides free resources for
students & professionals.

Moreover, the computer is being used in every field of life such as medical,
business, industry, airline and weather forecasting.
Disadvantages of computer
The use of computer has also created some problems in society which are as follows.

Unemployment
Different tasks are performed automatically by using computers. It reduces the need of
people and increases unemployment in society.

Wastage of time and energy

Many people use computers without positive purpose. They play games and chat for a
long period of time. It causes wastage of time and energy. Young generation is now
spending more time on the social media websites like Facebook, Twitter etc or texting
their friends all night through smartphones which is bad for both studies and their
health. And it also has adverse effects on the social life.

Data Security
The data stored on a computer can be accessed by unauthorized persons through
networks. It has created serious problems for the data security.

Computer Crimes
People use the computer for negative activities. They hack the credit card numbers of
the people and misuse them or they can steal important data from big organizations.

Privacy violation
The computers are used to store personal data of the people. The privacy of a person
can be violated if the personal and confidential records are not protected properly.

Health risks
The improper and prolonged use of computer can results in injuries or disorders of
hands, wrists, elbows, eyes, necks and back. The users can avoid health risks by using
the computer in proper position. They must also take regular breaks while using the
computer for longer period of time. It is recommended to take a couple of minutes
break after 30 minutes of computer usage.
Impact on Environment
The computer manufacturing processes and computer waste are polluting the
environment. The wasted parts of computer can release dangerous toxic materials.
Green computer is a method to reduce the electricity consumed and environmental
waste generated when using a computer. It includes recycling and regulating
manufacturing processes. The used computers must be donated or disposed off
properly.

When people think “computers,” usually it’s something like a laptop or your office computer that
comes to mind. Computers are actually all around us, and can be broken down into separate
categories depending on their size and processing power. Certain definitions have changed over
time with the speedy advances in technology – we have computers that can fit in the palm of our
hands now that have as much processing power as a computer that was the size of a whole room
half a century ago! Still, most of the general qualifications for each category are the same, along
with the many subcategories that might fit into each one.

So what are these categories of computer types? There are five main ones:
Supercomputers
A supercomputer is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It’s a term used to describe
computers that have the most capable processing power of its time. Early supercomputers in the
60s and 70s used just a couple processors, while the 90s saw supercomputers with thousands of
processors at a time. Today, modern supercomputers run hundreds of thousands of processors,
capable of computing quadrillions of calculations in just a few nanoseconds. You probably won’t
be needing that kind of power to access Facebook… Actually, supercomputers are used in
computational science to calculate and carry out a plethora of complex tasks. Modeling
molecular structures, weather forecasting, and the field of quantum mechanics, among others,
rely on supercomputers and their intense processing power to solve their equations.
Mainframe Computers
Like supercomputers, mainframe computers are huge, towering machines with lots of processing
power. Mainframe computers are mostly used by corporations, government agencies, and banks
– organizations that need a way to store large quantities of information. They are not the same as
supercomputers. The processing capabilities of mainframe computers are measured in MIPS, or
millions of instructions per second. Supercomputers, on the other hand, are measured in FLOPS,
or floating point operations per seconds.
Minicomputers
A minicomputer is a multiprocessing machine that can support up to about 200 users at the same
time. It’s like a less powerful mainframe computer, and is about the size of a refrigerator. A
server can be an example of a minicomputer, but not all servers are minicomputers. Despite their
name, a minicomputer is not a personal computer like the desktop machine you might have at
home or work. They are much larger than that. Because of the ways microcomputers – which
we’ll cover next – have excelled in processing power even beyond minicomputers, and at a much
smaller size, minicomputers have become pretty much obsolete.

Microcomputers
Microcomputers are the ones people are most familiar with on a daily, non-professional basis,
but of course that doesn’t mean they’re exclusive to the home. Microcomputers are smaller
computers that run on microprocessors in their central processing units. They are much, much
cheaper than supercomputers, mainframe computers and even minicomputers, because they’re
meant for everyday uses that are more practical than professional. The range of capabilities for
microcomputers are still vast, though. A film editor might use a microcomputer to run many
intensive editing programs at once, while a student might use a microcomputer for Facebook and
word processing. Need help with the basic functionality of microcomputers? Check out this basic
computer skills guide for some tips.
The term microcomputer itself is pretty outdated, in this sense. Most people use what they would
call personal computers, and even within this definition there are several variations. These
include:
Desktop computers: Desktop computers are not as dated as the non-computer savvy
might think. They are still popular for the user’s ability to customize them, replace parts
and fix them with much more ease than they would a laptop. It’s also more convenient to
be able to connect peripherals like screens and keyboard and computer mice that fit your
needs. In this sense, desktop computers could be used at the office for professional tasks,
or at the home. Desktop computers can be specialized for things like gaming as well,
equipped with high-end graphics cards and more RAM. Learn how to build your own
gaming computer with this guide.
Video game consoles: Some people don’t think of video game consoles as computers, but
they are. They have many of the same hardware components as computers, but are
usually less advanced, which is why they’re able to cost much less than a top-notch
gaming computer.
Miscellaneous: Other examples of microcomputers include video game arcade cabinets
and smart TVs.
Mobile Computers
These are exactly what they sound like – computers that are super small and mobile. You could
argue that a desktop computer is mobile if you need it to be, but mobile computers usually
describe computers that are meant to be carried around and taken from place to place. If a
desktop computer is a microcomputer, then a laptop is a mobile computer.
There are so many different types of mobile computers though, even beyond laptop-like devices.
Below is a list of devices that could be categorized as mobile computers.

Laptops: Portable computers designed to be carried from place to place. All of its
components are contained inside a panel that functions also as the keyboard, with an
attached screen that can be folded over. Because of their size and convenience, these are
some of the most popular computers for everyday use. However, despite the convenience
and ease of use, they aren’t without problems, as outlined in this guide to laptop problems
and possible solutions.
Netbooks: Much smaller laptops.
Tablet: A flat, keyboard-less screen (though some of them come with keyboard
attachments) that utilizes touch-screen functionality for navigation and use. Learn more
about the history and function of tablet computers in this course.
Handheld game console: Devices like the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy
Advance, Sega Nomad, PlayStation Portable (PSP), and PlayStation Vita are handheld
game consoles. Just like regular consoles, these are tiny computers that let people play
games on the go.
Calculators: Calculators are computers that carry out computers’ most basic tasks –
calculations! There are many different types of calculators. Basic calculators, graphic
calculators, scientific calculators, programmable calculators, and calculators used for
accounting and other financial purposes.
Portable media players: Also known as MP3 players. That’s right – your iPod is a mobile
computer too.
Cellphones and smartphones: The iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy are examples of
powerful smartphones that are also mobile computers. Thinking of getting a smartphone?
Find the best smartphone for you with this detailed guide.