Hardware

Hardware

Tipical Hardware of a PC:

1. Monitor.

2. Main board.

3. Microprocessor (CPU) and socket.

4. One RAM module and three slots.

5. Two expansion cards and three slots.

6. Power supply.

7. Optical Disc Drive (CD; DVD; BD).

8. Hard disk drive or solid state drive.

9. Keyboard.

10. Mouse.

The word hardware refers to the tangible physical parts of a computer system; Its electrical, electronic, electromechanical and mechanical components.1 Cables, cabinets or boxes, peripherals of all kinds and any other physical element involved make up the hardware; Conversely, software and intangible software is called.

                                                           History

The evolutionary classification of electronic computer hardware is divided into generations, where each represents a remarkable technological change. The origin of the former is simple to establish, since in them the hardware underwent radical changes.5 The essential components that make up the computer electronics were totally replaced in the first three generations, causing changes that were transcendental. In the last decades it is more difficult to distinguish the new generations, since the changes have been gradual and there is some continuity in the technologies used. In principle, we can distinguish:

1st Generation (1945-1956): electronics implemented with vacuum tubes. They were the first machines that displaced the electromechanical components (relays).

2nd Generation (1957-1963): electronics developed with transistors. The discrete logic was very similar to the previous one, but the implementation was much smaller, reducing, among other factors, the size of a computer on a remarkable scale.

3rd Generation (1964-today): electronics based on integrated circuits. This technology allowed the integration of hundreds of transistors and other electronic components into a single integrated circuit printed on a silicon wafer. Computers thus considerably reduced their cost, consumption and size, increasing their capacity, speed and reliability, to produce machines as they exist today.

4th Generation (future): likely to originate when high-scale integrated silicon circuits are replaced by a new type of material or technology.6

The emergence of the microprocessor marks a significant milestone, and for many authors it constitutes the beginning of the fourth generation.7 Unlike the previous technological changes, its invention did not suppose the radical disappearance of the computers that did not use it. Thus, although the microprocessor 4004 was launched in 1971, computers in the early 1980s, such as the PDP-11 / 44.8 with microprocessor-free logic, were still successfully on the market; That is to say, in this case the displacement has been very gradual.

Hardware classification

One of the ways to classify hardware is in two categories: on the one hand, the basic one, which encompasses the set of indispensable components necessary to give the minimum functionality to a computer; And on the other hand, the complementary hardware, which, as its name indicates, is the one used to perform specific (beyond basic) functions, not strictly necessary for the operation of the computer.

Computers are electronic devices capable of interpreting and executing programmed and stored instructions in their memory; Consist mainly of arithmetic-logic and input / output operations.9 Inputs (data) are received, processed and stored (processing), and finally outputs (processing results) are produced. Therefore, every computer system has at least hardware components and devices dedicated to one of the above functions, 10 namely:

Processing: central processing unit

- Storage: Memory

- Input: Input Peripherals (E)

- Output: Output peripherals (S)

- Input / Output: Mixed Peripherals (I / O)

Central processing unit

Dual-core 64-bit microprocessor, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600.

The Central Processing Unit, known as the CPU, is the fundamental component of the computer, responsible for interpreting and executing instructions and processing data.12 In modern computers, the CPU function is performed by one or more microprocessors. A microprocessor is known as a CPU which is manufactured as a single integrated circuit.

Central processing units (CPUs) in the form of a single microprocessor are not only present in personal computers (PCs), but also in other types of devices that incorporate a certain capacity of process or "electronic intelligence", as can be : Industrial process controllers, televisions, automobiles, calculators, airplanes, mobile phones, appliances, toys and many more. Currently the most popular designers and manufacturers of PC microprocessors are Intel and AMD; And the market for mobile and low-power devices, the main ones are Samsung, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, MediaTek, NVIDIA and Intel.

The vast majority of electronic and integrated circuits that make up the computer hardware are mounted on the motherboard.

Main board, motherboard or motherboard

The motherboard, also known as motherboard or mainboard or with the Anglicisms motherboard or mainboard, 13 is a large printed circuit board on which the chipset, the expansion slots (slots), the sockets, connectors, various integrated, etc. are soldered. . It is the fundamental support that houses and communicates to all other components: Processor, RAM modules, graphics cards, expansion cards, input and output peripherals. To communicate these components, the motherboard has a series of buses through which data is transmitted in and out of the system.

The main functions of a motherboard are:

- Physical connection

-Management, control and distribution of electricity

- Data communication

- Timing

- Synchronization

- Control and monitoring

-RAM

RAM

RAM stands for Random Access Memory, literally means random access memory. The term is related to the characteristic of presenting equal access times to any of its positions (either for reading or for writing). This particularity is also known as "direct access", as opposed to sequential access.

RAM is the memory used in a computer for transient and working (non-massive) storage. In the RAM, the information, data and programs that the Processing Unit (CPU) reads, processes and executes is stored temporarily. RAM is known as the main memory of the computer, also as "Central or Working"; 14 unlike so-called auxiliary, secondary or mass storage memories (such as hard disks, solid state drives, magnetic tapes or other memories ).

Peripherals

Peripheral means the units or devices that allow the computer to communicate with the outside, that is, to enter or display information and data.10 Peripherals are those that allow to perform the operations known as input / output (I / O ).

Information input devices (E)

Of this category are those that allow the entry of information, generally from an external source or by the user. Input devices provide the fundamental means for transferring information from a source, either local or remote, to the computer (more properly the processor). They also allow you to fulfill the essential task of reading and loading in memory the operating system and the applications or computer programs, which in turn make the computer operative and make it possible to perform the most diverse tasks.

Information output devices (S)

They are those that allow to emit or output the information resulting from the operations performed by the CPU (processing). The output devices provide the fundamental means for externalizing and communicating the information and data processed; Whether to the user or to another external, local or remote source. The most common devices of this group are the classic monitors (non-touch screen), the printers, the consoles.

While the pendrive (flash memory stick), flash memory or USB memory or solid state drives in the memory category can be classified, they are usually used as mass storage devices.

Graphic hardware

The graphics hardware is basically the graphics cards. These components have their own memory and processing unit, the latter called a graphics processing unit (GPU). The basic objective of the GPU is to perform calculations associated with graphical operations, mainly in floating point, 16 thus releasing the main processor (CPU) from this expensive task (in time) so that it can perform other functions more efficiently. Before those video cards with hardware accelerators, the main processor was responsible for constructing the image while the video section (either card or motherboard) was simply a translator of the binary signals to the signals required by the monitor; And much of the computer's main memory (RAM) was also used for these purposes.

Bibliography

Wikipedia. ( 21 November 2016). Computer hardware. 5 december 2016, de Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Sitio web: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_hardware

Julián Pérez Porto y María Merino. (2008). DEFINICIÓN DE HARDWARE. 2016, de Definicion.de Sitio web: http://definicion.de/hardware/