7.1 - Hardware

Personal computers are general‑purpose devices used by individuals for tasks such as office work, education, and entertainment. They include desktops and laptops.

Mobile devices include smartphones and tablets. They are portable, touch‑based systems designed for communication, media consumption, and mobile computing.

Servers are specialised computers designed to provide services such as file storage, applications, and network resources to other devices.

Embedded devices are dedicated systems built into other equipment. They perform specific tasks, often with limited processing power.

Input devices allow users to enter data (e.g. keyboard, mouse, scanner).

Output devices present information to users (e.g. monitor, printer, speakers).

Processors perform calculations and control operations. Their performance is influenced by:

• Number of cores
• Clock speed
• Cache size
• Design of mobile processors

RAM stores data temporarily while systems are running.

ROM stores permanent instructions needed to start the system.

Secondary storage is used for long‑term data storage and includes:

• Magnetic storage
• Solid‑state storage
• Optical storage
• RAID (1, 5, 10)
• NAS
• SAN

The motherboard connects all hardware components together and allows them to communicate.

GPUs process graphical data and are used for rendering visuals, video processing, and performance‑intensive tasks.

Network interface devices allow systems to connect to networks. They include:

• PCI network cards
• USB network adapters

Cooling systems remove excess heat from hardware.

• Air cooling
• Liquid cooling

Sensors detect environmental changes such as temperature, movement, or light and allow systems to respond automatically.