Computer - Components

Computer systems consist of three components: Central Processing Unit, Input devices
and Output devices. Input devices provide data to the processor (processing unit), which
processes it and generates useful information that’s displayed to the user through output
devices. Output devices are used to show the processed data to the user on computer
screen or in print form. Below figure depicts the major components of computer systems
−

Fig: Components of computer systems

Central Processing Unit

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is also known as "the brain of computer". It controls
operation of all components of a computer.
 Fig: Central Processing Unit

A CPU itself has three components which are as follows −

Control Unit (CU)

ALU(Arithmetic Logic Unit)

Memory or Storage Unit

Control Unit
As its name implies, a control unit acts as the "brain" of the CPU. It executes instructions
and manages the flow of data inside the CPU to perform the tasks specified by a computer
program. It plays a pivotal role in the fetch-decode-execute cycle, which is a fundamental
process by which a CPU runs program instructions.

Functions of Control Unit

Instruction Fetch − To run and execute a program; a CU fetches instructions

from RAM (Random Access Memory).

Instruction Decoding − It decodes the fetched instructions to determine the

operation to be performed.

Instruction Execution − A CU executes the instructions by sending control

signals to the appropriate functional units within the CPU, such as the ALU for
arithmetic and logical operations

Control Flow Management − The Control Unit is responsible for overseeing the
control flow of the programme. It accomplishes this by updating the programme
counter, which enables the CPU to go to the subsequent instruction in the sequence
based on conditional statements or jumps.
Exception Handling − The system effectively manages exceptions and
interruptions, including hardware failures, system calls, and external events, by
appropriately diverting the control flow of the central processing unit (CPU) to the
planned procedure for managing such exceptions.
Pipeline Control (in pipelined CPUs) − The modern CPU’s are available with
pipeline designs; a CU controls the steps of the pipeline and makes sure that
instructions are processed quickly and safely.

Synchronization − In the context of multi-core processors, a CU plays a crucial

role in facilitating the coordination of instruction execution across several cores,
hence guaranteeing the appropriate synchronisation and maintenance of data
consistency.
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) is a component that has been extensively optimised and
engineered to do multiple tasks concurrently. It is commonly built to execute operations
speedily. It works in conjunction with other CPU components, such as registers, memory,
and control units, to execute complex instructions.

Functions of an ALU

Arithmetic Operations − The ALU can perform basic arithmetic operations such
as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Logic Operations − The ALU can also perform logical operations like AND, OR,
NOT, XOR, and bit-shifting operations.
Comparison − The ALU can compare two binary values and determine whether
they are equal, greater than, or less than each other. This function is most widely
used in programming and sorting algorithms.

Memory Unit
A memory or storage unit is a hardware component which is used to store the data and
instructions and retrieve it whenever is required. Majorly computer memory has
categorised as temporary (RAM) and permanent memory (secondary memory). RAM is
used for short-term, fast data access and essential for active program execution. On the
other hand, storage or secondary memory provides permanent data storage. Hence,
memory and storage units both are critical components of a computer system.

Functions of memory

Memory (RAM - Random Access Memory)

RAM is also known as primary or temporary memory; it is a type of volatile

memory used for temporarily storing data.
The contents inside the RAM are erased when computer's power get off or
restarted.
 RAM is actively used for program or instructions execution.

Once we start the computer; systems necessary files, programs and the operating
system files are loaded into the RAM for smoothly running of computer.

The more RAM a computer has, the better it can handle multitasking and the faster
it can run applications since data can be accessed more quickly.

Storage (Hard Drives, SSDs, Flash Drives, etc.)

Storage devices are used to store the data permanently, even when the computer
is powered off.

They are non-volatile in nature; the data remains intact even when the power is
get off or system restarts.

The most popular and commonly used storage devices are Hard Disk (HDs), Solid-
State Drives (SSDs), USB flash drives, and optical disks (e.g., DVDs), pen drives.
 The data storage capacity varies of these devices are in gigabytes (GB) to
terabytes (TB) and more, depending on the type and size of the storage device.

Input devices
The devices which are used to give input to the computer system is known as input
devices.

Keyboard
Keyboard is a most common and very popular input device which helps to input data to
the computer. The layout of the keyboard is like a traditional typewriter, although there are
some additional keys provided for performing additional functions. There are different
types of keyboards; each one has designed for specific purposes.

QWERTY Keyboards − QWERTY is a most usable keyboard. It's named after the
first six letters in the top row of the keyboard.

QWERTY keyboards are commonly found in personal computers and are considered as
standard on typewriters. These devices are specifically designed for general typing tasks.

Mechanical Keyboards − Each key on mechanical keyboards has a mechanical

switch. Different types of switches offer varying levels of tactile feedback and
actuation force.
Typists and gamers who demand accurate and enjoyable typing love these switches
because they give tactile and aural feedback.

Membrane Keyboards − Laptops and cheap desktop keyboards have membrane

keyboards. When pushed, a key contacts a rubber or silicone membrane below the
keys to register a keystroke.

Ergonomic Keyboards − Typing for long periods of time can cause muscle strain
and discomfort; ergonomic keyboards are specifically designed to alleviate these
issues.

These include split keyboards and contoured keyboards, which are curved to fit the natural
hand posture.
 Gaming Keyboards − Gaming keyboards are optimized for gaming performance.

They usually have changeable illumination, programmable keys, and anti-ghosting

technology to prevent missed keypresses during fast gameplay. Some gaming keyboards
include mechanical switches for quicker responsiveness.

Wireless Keyboards − Wireless keyboards use Bluetooth or RF to connect to

computers and other devices without cords.

Laptops, tablets, and smart TVs utilise them for convenience and mobility.

Virtual Keyboards − Software-based virtual keyboards are utilised on

smartphones and tablets. Tap or swipe virtual keys to enter text or directions.
 Foldable Keyboards − Foldable keyboards are portable and convenient.

Travellers and people who require a small keyboard may fold or wrap them up for storage
and transport.

The keys on the keyboard

Below table describes different keys on the keyboard and their are as follows −

S.No. Keys & Description

Typing Keys − These keys include the letter keys (A-Z) and digit keys (0-9)
1
which generally give the same layout as that of typewriters.

Numeric Keypad − It is used to enter the numeric data or cursor movement.

2 Generally, it consists of a set of 17 keys that are laid out in the same
configuration used by most adding machines and calculators.

Function Keys − The twelve function keys are present on the keyboard which
3 is arranged in a row at the top of the keyboard. Each function key has a unique
meaning and is used for some specific purpose.

Control keys − These keys provide cursor and screen control. It includes four
4 directional arrow keys. Control keys also include Home, End, Insert, Delete,
Page Up, Page Down, Control(Ctrl), Alternate(Alt), Escape(Esc).

Special Purpose Keys − Keyboard also contains some special purpose keys
5
such as Enter, Shift, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Space bar, Tab, and Print Screen.

Mouse
Mouse is a most popular input device. It is also known as a pointing device. It is a very
famous cursor-control device having a small palm size box with a round ball at its base,
which senses the movement of the mouse and sends corresponding signals to the CPU
when the mouse buttons are pressed. Generally, it has two buttons called the left and the
right button and a wheel is present between the buttons. A mouse can be used to control
the position of the cursor on the screen, but it cannot be used to enter text into the
computer.

The most common types of mouse are as follows −

Optical Mouse − Movement is detected by LED lights and sensors in optical

mouse. They work on many surfaces and are the most common mouse.

Trackball Mouse − Trackball mice have a stationary ball on top that users may
roll with their fingers or thumbs.

Movement controls the screen cursor. Trackball mice are utilised when space or accuracy
are restricted.

Wireless Mouse − Bluetooth or USB receivers link wireless mice to computers

and devices. They're cable-free, so they move more freely.
Wireless mouse can be recharged or utilise disposable batteries.

Wired Mouse − They work without batteries or a wireless connection, making

them a good solution for those who don't want to worry about signal interference.
These are connected to computers using physical cables.

Gaming Mouse − Gaming mouse have configurable buttons, adjustable DPI, and
ergonomic ergonomics for long-term usage. Gaming is optimised for rapid,
accurate movements.

Joystick

Joystick is also a pointing device, which is used to move the cursor position on a monitor
screen. It is a stick having a spherical ball at its both lower and upper ends. The lower
spherical ball moves in a socket. The joystick can be moved in all four directions.
The function of the joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in Computer
Aided Designing (CAD) and playing computer games.

Light Pen

Light pen is a pointing device similar to a pen. It is used to select a displayed menu item
or draw pictures on the monitor screen. It consists of a photocell and an optical system
placed in a small tube.

When the tip of a light pen is moved over the monitor screen and the pen button is
pressed, its photocell sensing element detects the screen location and sends the
corresponding signal to the CPU.

Track Ball

Track ball is an input device that is mostly used in notebook or laptop computer, instead of
a mouse. This is a ball which is half inserted and by moving fingers on the ball, the pointer
can be moved.

Since the whole device is not moved, a track ball requires less space than a mouse. A
track ball comes in various shapes like a ball, a button, or a square.

Scanner
Scanner is an input device, which works more like a photocopy machine. It is used when
some information is available on paper and it is to be transferred to the hard disk of the
computer for further manipulation.
Scanner captures images from the source which are then converted into a digital form that
can be stored on the disk. These images can be edited before they are printed.

Digitizer
Digitizer is an input device which converts analog information into digital form. Digitizer
can convert a signal from the television or camera into a series of numbers that could be
stored in a computer. They can be used by the computer to create a picture of whatever
the camera had been pointed at.

Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics and pictorial
data into binary inputs. A graphic tablet as digitizer is used for fine works of drawing and
image manipulation applications.

Microphone
Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in a digital form.
The microphone is used for various applications such as adding sound to a multimedia
presentation or for mixing music.

Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

MICR input device is generally used in banks as there are large number of cheques to be
processed every day. The bank's code number and cheque number are printed on the
cheques with a special type of ink that contains particles of magnetic material that are
machine readable.

This reading process is called Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR). The main
advantages of MICR are that it is fast and less error prone.

Optical Character Reader (OCR)

OCR is an input device used to read a printed text.
OCR scans the text optically, character by character, converts them into a machine
readable code, and stores the text on the system memory.

Bar Code Readers

Bar Code Reader is a device used for reading bar coded data (data in the form of light and
dark lines). Bar coded data is generally used in labelling goods, numbering the books, etc.
It may be a handheld scanner or may be embedded in a stationary scanner.

Bar Code Reader scans a bar code image, converts it into an alphanumeric value, which is
then fed to the computer that the bar code reader is connected to.

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

OMR is a special type of optical scanner used to recognize the type of mark made by pen
or pencil. It is used where one out of a few alternatives is to be selected and marked.
It is specially used for checking the answer sheets of examinations having multiple choice
questions.

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Output Devices
Following are some of the important output devices used in a computer.

Monitors

Graphic Plotter

Printer

Monitors
Monitors, commonly called as Visual Display Unit (VDU), are the main output device of a
computer. It forms images from tiny dots, called pixels that are arranged in a rectangular
form. The sharpness of the image depends upon the number of pixels.

There are two kinds of viewing screen used for monitors.

Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT)

Flat-Panel Display

Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor

The CRT display is made up of small picture elements called pixels. The smaller the pixels,
the better the image clarity or resolution. It takes more than one illuminated pixel to form
a whole character, such as the letter 'e' in the word help.
A finite number of characters can be displayed on a screen at once. The screen can be
divided into a series of character boxes - fixed location on the screen where a standard
character can be placed. Most screens are capable of displaying 80 characters of data
horizontally and 25 lines vertically.

There are some disadvantages of CRT −

Large in Size

High power consumption

Flat-Panel Display Monitor

The flat-panel display refers to a class of video devices that have reduced volume, weight
and power requirement in comparison to the CRT. You can hang them on walls or wear
them on your wrists. Current uses of flat-panel displays include calculators, video games,
monitors, laptop computer, and graphics display.

The flat-panel display is divided into two categories −

 Emissive Displays − Emissive displays are devices that convert electrical energy
into light. For example, plasma panel and LED (Light-Emitting Diodes).

Non-Emissive Displays − Non-emissive displays use optical effects to convert

sunlight or light from some other source into graphics patterns. For example, LCD
(Liquid-Crystal Device).

Graphic Plotter
Computer graphics and engineering applications employ graphic plotters to create high-
quality, accurate, and detailed drawings or plots on paper or other media. It draws
continuous lines accurately and is suited for vector drawings, unlike a standard printer.
Key features of graphic plotters are as −

Vector Graphics − Vector graphics allow graphic plotters to create lines and
shapes precisely using continuous points instead of dots like raster printers.

Pen or Pen-Like Tool − A pen or similar instrument draws on paper for graphic
plotters. The pen may move X and Y on a moveable arm to draw complicated
shapes.

Applications − Graphic plotters are employed in engineering, architecture,

cartography, and textile design. They were popular for technical drawings and
diagrams before digital.

A vector graphics plotter outputs accurate and detailed drawings. They are still used in
sectors and applications that need accuracy and high-quality output, even if digital printing
has made them less widespread.

Printers
Printer is an output device, which is used to print information on paper.

There are two types of printers −

Impact Printers

Non-Impact Printers
Impact Printers
Impact printers print the characters by striking them on the ribbon, which is then pressed
on the paper.

Characteristics of Impact Printers are the following −

Very low consumable costs

Very noisy

Useful for bulk printing due to low cost

There is physical contact with the paper to produce an image

These printers are of two types −

Character printers

Line printers

Character Printers

Character printers are the printers which print one character at a time.

These are further divided into two types:

Dot Matrix Printer(DMP)

Daisy Wheel

Dot Matrix Printer

In the market, one of the most popular printers is Dot Matrix Printer. These printers are
popular because of their ease of printing and economical price. Each character printed is in
the form of pattern of dots and head consists of a Matrix of Pins of size (5*7, 7*9, 9*7 or
9*9) which come out to form a character which is why it is called Dot Matrix Printer.
Advantages

Inexpensive

Widely Used

Other language characters can be printed

Disadvantages

Slow Speed

Poor Quality

Daisy Wheel

Head is lying on a wheel and pins corresponding to characters are like petals of Daisy
(flower) which is why it is called Daisy Wheel Printer. These printers are generally used for
word-processing in offices that require a few letters to be sent here and there with very
nice quality.

Advantages
 More reliable than DMP

Better quality

Fonts of character can be easily changed

Disadvantages

Slower than DMP

Noisy

More expensive than DMP

Line Printers
Line printers are the printers which print one line at a time.

These are of two types −

Drum Printer

Chain Printer

Drum Printer

This printer is like a drum in shape hence it is called drum printer. The surface of the drum
is divided into a number of tracks. Total tracks are equal to the size of the paper, i.e. for a
paper width of 132 characters, drum will have 132 tracks. A character set is embossed on
the track. Different character sets available in the market are 48 character set, 64 and 96
characters set. One rotation of drum prints one line. Drum printers are fast in speed and
can print 300 to 2000 lines per minute.

Advantages
 Very high speed

Disadvantages

Very expensive

Characters fonts cannot be changed

Chain Printer

In this printer, a chain of character sets is used, hence it is called Chain Printer. A standard
character set may have 48, 64, or 96 characters.

Advantages

Character fonts can easily be changed.

Different languages can be used with the same printer.

Disadvantages

Noisy

Non-impact Printers
Non-impact printers print the characters without using the ribbon. These printers print a
complete page at a time, thus they are also called as Page Printers.

These printers are of two types −

Laser Printers

Inkjet Printers

Characteristics of Non-impact Printers

Faster than impact printers

They are not noisy

High quality

Supports many fonts and different character size

Laser Printers
These are non-impact page printers. They use laser lights to produce the dots needed to
form the characters to be printed on a page.

Advantages

Very high speed

Very high quality output

Good graphics quality

Supports many fonts and different character size

Disadvantages

Expensive

Cannot be used to produce multiple copies of a document in a single printing

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are non-impact character printers based on a relatively new technology.
They print characters by spraying small drops of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers produce
high quality output with presentable features.
They make less noise because no hammering is done and these have many styles of
printing modes available. Color printing is also possible. Some models of Inkjet printers
can produce multiple copies of printing also.

Advantages

High quality printing

More reliable

Disadvantages

Expensive as the cost per page is high

Slow as compared to laser printer