A computer system is a basic, complete and functional computer, including all the hardware and software

required to make it functional for any user.

It should have the ability to receive user input, process data and with the processed data, create information
for future storage and/or output.

A computer system consists of hardware components that have been carefully chosen so that they work well
together and software components or programs that run in the computer.

The main software component is itself an operating system that manages and provides services to other
programs that can be run in the computer.

Software Types
The term 'software' refers to the set of electronic program instructions or data a computer processor reads in
order to perform a task or operation. In contrast, the term 'hardware' refers to the physical components that
you can see and touch, such as the computer hard drive, mouse, and keyboard.

Software can be categorized according to what it is designed to accomplish. There are two main types of
software: systems software and application software.

Systems Software
Systems software includes the programs that are dedicated to managing the computer itself, such as the
operating system, file management utilities, and disk operating system (or DOS). The operating system
manages the computer hardware resources in addition to applications and data. Without systems software
installed in our computers we would have to type the instructions for everything we wanted the computer to
do!

Applications Software
Application software, or simply applications, are often called productivity programs or end-user programs
because they enable the user to complete tasks, such as creating documents, spreadsheets, databases and
publications, doing online research, sending email, designing graphics, running businesses, and even playing
games! Application software is specific to the task it is designed for and can be as simple as a calculator
application or as complex as a word processing application.

An input is data that a computer receives. An output is data that a computer sends.
An input device is something you connect to a computer that sends information into the computer. An output
device is something you connect to a computer that has information sent to it.

An interactive whiteboard is an input device that sends information about what is tapped or selected on a
screen.
A keyboard is an input device that sends information about the keys you press. This is received by the
computer and it displays the correct letter or number.

A webcam usually has a microphone built-in and both are input devices. More recent digital devices, like
smartphopnes, tablets and laptops have cameras and microphones built-in.

A monitor is an output device. It displays all the information that has been sent to it by input devices.

Speakers and headphones are output devices that can play sound. You can control the output by turning the
volume up or down.

A printer is an output device.

It receives information from a computer and prints out a physical copy onto paper or card.

The motherboard is a sheet of plastic that holds all the circuitry to connect the various components of a computer
system. Learn how the motherboard functions to make all the other components work together.

Motherboard: Definition
A motherboard is one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds together many of the crucial
components of a computer, including the central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors for input and
output devices. The base of a motherboard consists of a very firm sheet of non-conductive material, typically some
sort of rigid plastic. Thin layers of copper or aluminum foil, referred to as traces, are printed onto this sheet. These
traces are very narrow and form the circuits between the various components. In addition to circuits, a motherboard
contains a number of sockets and slots to connect the other components.

Parts of a Motherboard
  A CPU socket - the actual CPU is directly soldered onto the socket. Since high speed CPUs generate a lot
of heat, there are heat sinks and mounting points for fans right next to the CPU socket.
 A power connector to distribute power to the CPU and other components.
 Slots for the system's main memory, typically in the form of DRAM chips.
 A chip forms an interface between the CPU, the main memory and other components. On many types of
motherboards, this is referred to as the Northbridge. This chip also contains a large heat sink.
 A second chip controls the input and output (I/O) functions. It is not connected directly to the CPU but to the
Northbridge. This I/O controller is referred to as the Southbridge. The Northbridge and Southbridge
combined are referred to as the chipset.
 Several connectors, which provide the physical interface between input and output devices and the
motherboard. The Southbridge handles these connections.
 Slots for one or more hard drives to store files. The most common types of connections are Integrated Drive
Electronics (IDE) and Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA).
 A read-only memory (ROM) chip, which contains the firmware, or startup instructions for the computer
system. This is also called the BIOS.
 A slot for a video or graphics card. There are a number of different types of slots, including the Accelerated
Graphics Port (AGP) and Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe).
 Additional slots to connect hardware in the form of Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots.

The key is to remember that the motherboard contains the central processing unit, the memory, and all the
connectors to the rest of the hardware of the computer system. The board is the 'mother' of all components
- that's where it gets its name.

Definition
A typical desktop computer consists of a computer system unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor. The
computer system unit is the enclosure for all the other main interior components of a computer. It is also called the
computer case, computer chassis, or computer tower. Cases are typically made of steel or aluminum, but plastic
can also be used. While most computer cases are rather dull, black, metal boxes, some manufacturers try to give
the unit some flair with color and special design elements.

Functions
The primary function of the computer system unit is to hold all the other components together and protect the
sensitive electronic parts from the outside elements. A typical computer case is also large enough to allow for
upgrades, such as adding a second hard drive or a higher-quality video card. It is relatively easy to open up a
computer system unit to replace parts and install upgrades. In contrast, it is quite difficult to open up a laptop
computer, which is not designed with replacements and upgrades in mind.
In most computer system units, the front side contains the elements a user needs frequently, such as the power
button, an optical disk drive, an audio outlet for a pair of headphones, and a number of USB connections. The back
side contains all other connections - for power, monitor, keyboard, mouse, Internet connection, and any other
peripheral devices. There are typically more connections than the minimum necessary to allow for expansion.

Inside the Computer Case

Once you open up a computer case, it can initially be difficult to recognize the various components, especially all the
different wires. However, if you look closely, you will probably start to recognize a number of components.
Alternatively referred to as digital storage, storage, storage media, or storage medium, a storage device is
any hardware capable of holding information either temporarily or permanently. The picture shows an example of a Drobo,
an external secondary storage device.
There are two types of storage devices used with computers: a primary storage device, such as RAM, and a secondary
storage device, like a hard drive. Secondary storage can be removable, internal, or external storage.

What storage device has the largest capacity?

For most computers, the largest storage device is the hard drive or SSD. However, networked computers may also have
access to larger storage with large tape drives, cloud computing, or NAS devices.

Examples of computer storage

Magnetic storage devices
Today, magnetic storage is one of the most common types of storage used with computers and is the
technology that many computer hard drives use.
Floppy diskette
Hard drive
Magnetic strip
SuperDisk
Tape cassette
Zip diskette
Optical storage devices
Another common storage is optical storage, which uses lasers and lights as its method of reading and writing
data.
Blu-ray disc
CD-ROM disc
CD-R and CD-RW disc
DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW disc
Flash memory devices
Flash memory has started to replace magnetic media as it becomes cheaper as it is the more efficient and
reliable solution.
USB flash drive, jump drive, or thumb drive
Memory card
Memory stick
SD card
Online and cloud
Storing data online and in cloud storage is becoming popular as people need to access their data from more
than one device.
Cloud storage
Network media
Paper storage
Early computers had no method of using any of the above technologies for storing information and had to rely
on paper. Today, these forms of storage are rarely used or found. In the picture to the right is an example of a
woman entering data to a punch card using a punch card machine.
OMR
Punch card