A computer system is necessary to have a fully functional and operational computer. This interconnected computer system is responsible for transmitting electronic information and accomplishing a particular task. The computer system is made up of several components to completely function.
The six elements of a computer system is as follows:
• The motherboard is the passageway which connects the power and the components of the computer. It serves as the communication alley of the power supply, hard and other disk drives, RAM and the processor. It usually has expansion niches in order to connect secondary devices.
• The processor is the main component of the computer because it acts as its thinking cap. It is responsible for data interpretation from the user which it sends to the computer and correspondingly converts the electronic signals to a readable output. An example of which is, by typing on the keyboard, the processor is working out by sending it input to a word processing program, then to the monitor and finally, the display of the characters on the screen.
• The random access memory or RAM gives the computer its temporary memory capacity to store directions and data which will be accessed through the processor. It is important to note that computers made from 2002 and onwards uses the double date rate (DDR2) RAM. This is a modified version of the previous RAM systems and it quickly transfer and convey data without the necessity of decreasing the computer's performance. Furthermore, do remember that different types of RAM cannot be used simultaneously in the same computer.
• Hard disk drives and optical drives represent the storage media of a computer system. This storage media is primarily responsible for storing data in a long term basis and for later access. When accessing a particular file, the operating system will locate the setting or the site of the file on the hard drive and will thereafter launch a signal to the actuator arm which will scan and read the stored data. On the other hand, the optical drives make use of laser technology which in turn will read the surface of the CD or DVD drives where data can be found.
• The system software and application software is collectively known as the computer software. Examples of system software include Windows and DOS, while application software includes MS Office and PowerPoint.
• The peripherals are devices which links the computer on the outside. Examples of these devises are: Mouse, keyboards, video card, sound cards and USB drives among others.
