Computer Hardware

A personal computer is made up of multiple physical components of computer hardware, upon which can be installed a system software called operating system and a multitude of software applications to perform the operator's desired functions.
Though a PC comes in many different forms, a typical personal computer consists of a case or chassis in a tower shape (desktop), containing components such as a motherboard.
All the elements that go together to make up a PC fall into one of two categories, hardware or software. This section is about hardware, the stuff upon which software runs.

One of the definitions of 'hardware' according to Webster's dictionary is 'major items of equipment or their components used for a particular purpose'.

Everything you can see and touch in your PC is hardware. Complete PCs can be purchased for about $300 today, and the prices keep falling! All the items listed below that make up a PC can be purchased individually at computer or web supply stores.

This following list represents a basic set of hardware found in most PCs.
For more information on these components just click one.

1. PC Case
2. Motherboard
3. Power Supply
4. Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
5. Floppy Disk Drive (FDD)
6. Compact Disk Drive (CDD)
7. Digital Video Disk drive (DVD)
8. Monitors (CRT and LCD)
9. Keyboard
10. Mouse
11. Audio
12. Cables & Wires