Peripheral Devices

In the previous Lesson, we talked about the Parts of a computer and its functions. Now we
will talk about the Computer System. But you may ask, what is the difference between a
Computer and a Computer System?

As previously discussed, a Computer is a programmable electronic device designed to accept

data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the
results of these operations.

Whereas, a Computer System is a basic, complete and functional computer, including all the
hardware and software required to make it functional for a user. It should have the ability to
receive user input, process data, and with the processed data, create information for storage
and/or output.

So basically, a Computer System is the Whole Computer Set, with the Computer and its
Peripheral Devices. So, to understand more about the Computer System, we need to
understand its Peripheral Devices.

Computer Peripherals

A computer peripheral is a device that is connected to a computer but is not part of the core
computer architecture.

It is also a device that is used to put information into or get information out of the computer.

The core elements of a computer are the central processing unit, power supply, and
motherboard. Technically speaking, everything else is considered a peripheral device.
However, this is a somewhat narrow view, since various other elements are required for a
computer to actually function, such as a hard drive and random-access memory (or RAM).

Most people use the term peripheral more loosely to refer to a device external to the
computer case. You connect the device to the computer to expand the functionality of the
system.
Types of Peripheral Devices

There are many different peripheral devices, but they fall into three general categories:

1. Input Devices – Used to interact with or send data to the computer.

2. Output Devices – Provide output to the user from the computer.

3. Storage Devices – Stores data processed by the computer.

Do note that some devices can be in two or more types.

INPUT DEVICES

An input device is a piece of equipment that enables data to be entered into a computer.

Examples are:

Keyboard, mouse, scanner

OUTPUT DEVICES

Output devices takes information within your computer and present it to you in a form that
you can understand.

Examples are:

Monitor, speaker, printers

STORAGE DEVICES

Stores data processed by the computer.

Examples:

Flash Drives, CD Drives, DVD Drives