Introduction to the Main Components of Computers

The following are the five main parts of a computer: the central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), hard drive, video card and motherboard. There also tends to be a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

One can consider the CPU as the “brain”; it handles major processes related to such elements as memory and computation. The hard drive stores data whether the device is turned on or not, unlike RAM. Components are attached to the motherboard and the video card presents the monitor image.