Computers are composed of hundreds of individual parts but they can be grouped into less than a dozen functional areas. Although desktops and laptops look different, they share many of the same basic parts. Because laptops must be portable and are limited by battery power, their parts must be smaller and designed with power saving features. That is really the extent of the differences between laptops and desktops.
The Motherboard
The motherboard is the main circuit board of the computer. The CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), hard drives, DVD (Digital Video Disk) and CD (Compact Disc) drives and every other component must report to and communicate with the motherboard. Through the motherboard all of the parts of the computer get their marching orders.
The CPU
The CPU has often been called the "brain" of the computer. In fact it does operate much like a brain. The CPU does most of the computation and processing for the computer. The CPU is mounted directly on the motherboard. The CPU is the primary component that determines how powerful a computer is.
CPU Speed
Many people refer to powerful computers by saying they are "faster." It is the speed of the CPU which determines how fast the computer is. Modern computer speeds are measured in GHZ (Gigahertz). The term gigahertz refers to the number of cycles a computer CPU makes in a second. For instance, your electricity goes through one complete cycle 50 or 60 times a second (50 or 60 "cycles per second"). In contrast, faster computers cycle at a rate of 3 gigahertz, or 3 billion cycles per second.
RAM
If the CPU is the brain of the computer, RAM is the short-term memory. RAM is inside of the computer and is plugged into the motherboard. When the power is turned off on the computer anything stored in the RAM is lost.
Hard Drives
The RAM is the short-term memory of the computer and the hard drive is the long-term memory. The hard drive is considered permanent storage; and barring accidental erasure or hard drive failure it is permanent. The hard drive is where the operating system, all of the programs and the data are stored. If you write a letter to your grandmother and save it, it is saved, by default, to the hard drive.
CD and DVD drives
CD and DVD drives are considered secondary storage devices, and are often used for data backup and recording and playing CD's and DVD movies.
Other parts
Your keyboard and mouse are considered input devices your as typing and mouse movements are input into the computer. Your Monitor and printer are considered output devices--the computer sends, or outputs data to them. The power supply provides power to the computer, and the video card sends information to your monitor so it can display images and text. The Ethernet port allows you to hook up to a network and the Internet. Peripheral devices are other things that plug into your computer like external drives, speakers or a scanner.
Tags: hard drive, brain computer, cycles second, short-term memory