What Is This? Windows Basics

2. Computer Hardware Basics

A personal computer can be made of several large pieces of equipment that sit on or near your desk or it can be a self-contained unit such as a laptop.  The basic elements remain the same.  Even a mobile device such as a smart phone or a tablet will consist of a computer, a viewing screen and a keyboard.  The keyboard may be similar to a typewriter or it may be a touchscreen version of a standard keyboard.

Inside the computer case there is a power supply, a motherboard that contains the central processing unit (CPU), the random-access memory (RAM) and a built-in data storage area as well as other circuitry to keep the computer functioning.

To run a computer it must be connected to a source of electricity or run off a built-in battery (which is recharged via electrical connection).