Let’s start with Apple computers (or other brands with embedded processors) that permit you the change a very small number of components, because most of them are soldered onto the mainboard, except for the Mac Pro that lets you change the processor, memory modules, hard disks, optical drives and graphics card(s). The latest Mac Pros are based on Intel’s fastest Xeon server processors built on Nehalem technology, which don’t leave much room for improvement, but still can be replaced with future models that perhaps come with a higher clock speed.

The CPU (aka the processor) has the biggest influence on the computer’s speed, so this would be the first component we want to upgrade to achieve higher computing speeds.

Depending on the type of tasks we usually run on our computer, loading times may prove to be very long. Loading usually refers to the process that reads data from a storage unit and puts it into the RAM (random access memory) for fast access. Usually the speed of this process can be improved by adding more memory or upgrading the hard disk to a higher RPM mechanical drive or SSD (solid state drive) that is basically one big flash memory with very high read and write speeds.

These two components can be upgraded in almost all computer systems available today. Memory speed also depends on the number of channels, so we have to make sure that the right number and size of memory modules is installed in the right slots (according to information found in the mainboard’s manual). Basically the same strategy can be applied to the hard disk by putting more drives in RAID mode that multiplies the hard drive’s read/write speeds (just like the multi-channel RAM vs. single channel).

The hard disk and the system memory are in another strange relationship on the level of operating systems. Something called the swap file, page file or swap partition is created by default on the hard drive for dumping less frequently used data from the memory (or any least used data when the system memory is almost full). Considering the fact that the hard disk is hundreds of times slower than the system memory it’s easy to deduce that this data dumping process takes time and drastically reduces overall system performance.

The best solution is to simply disable the page file or swap partition and/or install more than sufficient system memory to reduce the number of unnecessary data dumping and (re)loads. This way all programs will only use the system memory for operations.

3D performance depends on both the processor and graphics card. There are different 3D game/application engines that use these two components in different proportions, so it’s hard to say which will improve the overall system performance. The only way to give a correct answer is to try out the software while monitoring the CPU and GPU (graphics processing unit) loads. One will always be close to 100% use while the other at a lower percentage. Needless to say that the component closer to 100% needs to be upgraded to improve the performance of that specific application.

Another way to speed up your computer is to overclock the CPU and/or GPU. Today most mainboards permit at least a 10% overclock, while a few go as far as 100% in some situations. By overclocking we increase the clock speed of the CPU or GPU, and usually voltage has to be increased too. Overclocking is not recommended, because with these increases components may permanently be damaged.

On the other side, the input devices let you enter information on the computer and generally, the information flow for this kind of devices is user-> computer. This range of computer parts is much wider than the output category and it includes the standard well known keyboard, the mouse, scanners, microphones, light pens or joysticks.

On the inside, the classic computer has a lot of parts, which work of course as a system. These parts are usually hosted by the computer case (in the case of a desktop computer, the big box hosts all these parts). For iMacs, all the inside parts are built into the monitor case,and the most important of them is the motherboard. It is like the backbone of a computer. All the other individual pieces connect somehow to this central motherboard. The most important elements of the motherboard are the processor chip, the memory and the PCI slots. Everything inside the central unit is connected to the motherboard through sockets which are set up for low-level programming(usually via BIOS). The computer memory is also connected to the motherboard and they work in some sort of symbiosis. All the add-on cards, video, audio, and all the other cards, for printers and for other devices are also connected to the motherboard. A modem can usually be found on the inside of an add-on card.

The memory is another essential part of the computer, of the hardware components and it is used to store the information temporarily, before it is manipulated by the processor. It is known as the Random Access Memory and abbreviated, everybody heard about RAM. This kind of memory is available only when the computer is turned on and it is measured in Megabytes (don’t confuse with MHz, which represent speed).

PCI slots are some outlets on the motherboard and they allow you to install extra components like sound cards, modems, video cards, and other kind of devices.

In the storage category we have the hard drive and the floppy drive, and the storage solutions have developed very fast in the last years. The hard disk is a device which has as main role information storage. This kind of memory is permanent and it exists even if the computer is turned off.

The floppy drive is available for a portable storage solution, the floppy disk. This disk can store data from one computer and you can move it on another computer. If you own an iMac, you will not have such a drive. Floppy disks, which nowadays have been successfully replaced by CD’s and other innovative storage solutions, were 3 1/4 inches in size and they could store 1.44 Mb of data.

Hope you made an idea about computer parts and which are their main roles in a computer’s functioning!

The computers today come in many shapes and sizes. Probably the most familiar is the personal computer and it’s portable version called laptop, notebook or netbook; but the most widespread form is the embedded computer.

Inside any computer there are many parts such as:

The processor: or the microprocessor is the central unit of information processing of a computer, which coordinates the system and which physically presents as an electronic chip. It controls the activities of the whole system and can process the user’s data. It’s the main element of a computer system; the chip, that is placed on the motherboard is very complex, and can reach up to millions of transistors. The microprocessor insures the data and instruction processing, both from the operating system as the ones from inside the user’s applications; it reads, process and control the applications and executes or supervises the information transfer and controls the general activity of the other components that make up the system.

The RAM: or the Random Access Memory, is the generic name for any type of memory that can be:

- random accessed, offering direct access to any of its location or address in any order, even randomly;

- usually implemented on electronic chips (and not on magnetic or optical devices as the hard disks or CDs).

The sound card: or the audio card, is a computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs.

The video card: or graphics accelerator card, is an expansion card whose function is to generate and output images to a display

The network interface card:  or LAN adapter, is an expansion card designed for allowing the computers to connect to a network of computers.

The hard drive: or hard disc, is an electro-mechanical device for data storage or saving. Data saving is done on a magnetic surface on the rounded metalically cups.

The CD-ROM: or the Compact Disc Read-Only Memory: is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains accessible data to a computer for data storage and music playback. The CD-ROM doesn’t allow the computer to write anything to a CD.

Hardware comprises all of the physical part of the computer such as Monitor, CPU, motherboard, ram, CD-Rom, printer, scanner, hard disk, flash drive (AKA pen drive), processor, pci buses, floppy disk, power supply, VGA card, sound card, network interface card, peripherals, joystick, mouse, keyboard, foot pedal, computer fan, camera, headset and others.

Memory – Memory is the one of the important piece of the hardware. Sometimes memory chip memory is confused with the hard disk memory. Sometimes unallocated space of the hard disk is used as virtual memory also known as page file. This type of memory is a temporary memory and is used actual memory is less and requires some additional memory to perform a specific task.