Computer Hardware introduction. Learn components of personal computer hardware including input devices, output devices, storage devices and hardware connections.Home SystemCooling Computer PartsMotherboard Input DevicesKeyboard Mouse Output DevicesMonitor Printers Sound Card Storage DevicesHard Drives Memory Flash Drives Solid State Drive NetworkingComputer Modem Power Supply NewsPC Monitor News Computer Storage News Keyboard and Mouse Computer Memory News Computer Modem News Motherboard News Contact Search Search Web Forum
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Computer Parts Networking Computer
Storage Devices
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Storage hardware provides permanent storage of information and programs for retrieval by the computer. The two main types of storage devices are disk drives and memory.
There are several types of disk drives: hard, floppy, magneto-optical, and compact.
Hard disk drive
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Hard disk drives store information in magnetic particles embedded in a disk. Usually a permanent part of the computer, hard disk drives can store large amounts of information and retrieve that information very quickly.
Floppy disk drive
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Floppy disk drives also store information in magnetic particles embedded in removable disks that may be floppy or rigid. Floppy disks store less information than a hard disk drive and retrieve the information at a much slower rate.
Magneto-optical disc drive
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Magneto-optical disc drives store information on removable discs that are sensitive to both laser light and magnetic fields. They can typically store as much information as hard disks, but they have slightly slower retrieval speeds.
Compact disc drive
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Compact disc drives store information on pits burned into the surface of a disc of reflective material. CD-ROMs can store about as much information as a hard drive but have a slower rate of information retrieval. A digital video disc (DVD) looks and works like a CD-ROM but can store more than 7 times as much information.
Memory
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Memory refers to the computer chips that store information for quick retrieval by the CPU. Random access memory RAM is used to store the information and instructions that operate the computer's programs.
Typically, programs are transferred from storage on a disk drive to RAM. RAM is also known as volatile memory because the information within the computer chips is lost when power to the computer is turned off.
Read-only memory (ROM) contains critical information and software that must be permanently available for computer operation, such as the operating system that directs the computer's actions from start up to shut down. ROM is called nonvolatile memory because the memory chips do not lose their information when power to the computer is turned off.
Some devices serve more than one purpose. For example, floppy disks may also be used as input devices if they contain information to be used and processed by the computer user. In addition, they can be used as output devices if the user wants to store the results of computations on them.
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A modem is a device that converts digital signals from a computer's serial port to the analog signals required for transmission over traditional telephone lines, and vice versa. Modem stands for modulator/demodulator.
Conversion is necessary because telephone lines were initially designed to handle the analog nature of the human voice, not data. Modems provide remote access to machines in the field to eliminate unnecessary site visits and provide fast access to information in the machine.
The speed of a modem is measured by the rate at which it sends and receives data. This is expressed as bits per second (bps), thousands of bits per second (Kbps) and/or Megabits per second (Mbps). The term baud is approximately equivalent to bps.
Some modems have a V number on them to express their speed and features. V32bis modems run up to 14.4 kbps, V34 modems up to 28.8 kbps, and V34plus modems up to 33.6 kbps. The most recently-adopted standard is the V.90 standard for 56 kbps modems.
Telephone lines are the cheapest way of connecting to the Net, allowing connection speeds up to about 56 kbps. No matter what your modem speed is, actual connection speed may be less than the modem's rated speed depending on the quality of the line.
Connection speed may also vary from connection to connection. You can run your Internet connection from your existing telephone line but if you do, be aware that when you are online you cannot receive or make telephone calls using that line.
You might want to get a separate line for the Internet connection or, if you have a fax line already and you don't use it a lot, you can probably utilise this connection. If you want faster connections to allow you to spend less time online, or to make your time online more interesting and more immediately interactive, you can get connected through ISDN, DSL lines or cables.
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