Hard Drive
An internal hard drive is a storage device inside a computer which is used to back up data. It contains the operating system which is needed for the computer to function. When data is being saved, it will be processed through the CPU and then transferred to the hard drive. They are also used by organisations when it comes to small scale back ups in case of damage or accidental removal.
Graphics Card
A graphics card is an expansion card which displays images. It can be placed in the motherboard of a computer but most modern computers provide an expansion port to which it can be connected. The price of a graphics card ranges from as little as £20, for a basic card, and as much as £400 for an advanced version.
Processor
The processor is the hardware inside the computer which carries out the instructions of a computer program. It is known as the computer’s “brain” because if it was not in the computer then the computer could not function. When the user opens an application on their computer, the processor takes the data which is stored in the computer’s memory and processes it so that it can be understood by the user. The diagram below shows how the CPU obtains this data.
RAM
RAM is an abbreviation of random access memory. RAM is volatile memory. This means that if the power is switched off on a computer, any unsaved data will be lost. When RAM is placed inside a computer, data can be accessed quicker as the RAM is closer to the CPU than the hard drive.
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