Introduction

The basic parts of a desktop computer are the computer case, monitor, keyboard,
mouse, and power cord. Each part plays an important role whenever you use a
computer.

Watch the video to learn about the basic parts of a desktop computer.

Computer case

The computer case is the metal and plastic box that contains the main components of
the computer. It houses the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), power supply,
and more.

Computer cases come in different shapes and sizes. A desktop case lies flat on a desk,
and the monitor usually sits on top of it. A tower case is tall and sits next to the monitor
or on the floor. The front of the case usually has an on/off switch and one or more
optical drives.

Most of the personal computers you can purchase today include tower cases rather than
desktop cases; however, some computers are being made with all of the internal
components built into the monitor, which eliminates the need for a tower.

Monitor

The monitor works

with a video card,
located inside the
computer case, to
display images and
text on the screen.
Newer monitors
usually have LCD
(liquid crystal
display) or LED
(light-emitting diode)
displays. These can
be made very thin,
and they are often
called flat-panel displays. Older monitors use CRT (cathode ray tube) displays. CRT
monitors are much larger and heavier, and they take up more desk space.
Most monitors have control buttons that allow you to change your monitor's display
settings, and some monitors also have built-in speakers.

LED displays are actually LCDs that are backlit with light-emitting diodes. This allows
for greater contrast than a traditional LCD.

Power cord

The power cord is the link between the power outlet and the power supply unit in the
computer casing. If the power cord is not plugged in, the computer will not power on. To
protect your computer from voltage spikes, you can plug the power cord in to a surge
protector. You can also use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), which acts as a
surge protector and provides temporary power if there is a blackout.

Keyboard

The keyboard is one of the primary ways we communicate with the computer and enter
data. There are many different types of computer keyboards, including wired, wireless,
ergonomic, and multimedia. Although there may be differences in the location of some
keys or features, keyboards are very similar and allow you to accomplish basically the
same tasks.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about the different parts of the
keyboard.

Mouse

The mouse is a peripheral that is known as a pointing device. It lets you point to
objects on the screen, click on them, and move them.

There are two main types of mice: optical and mechanical. The optical mouse uses an
electronic eye to detect movement and is easier to clean. The mechanical mouse uses a
rolling ball to detect movement. Generally, a mechanical mouse is less expensive,
although it may require regular cleaning to keep it working properly.

Traditionally, a mouse connects to the computer using a USB or PS/2 connection.

However, you can also buy a wireless mouse, which can reduce clutter on your desktop.

To learn the basics of using a mouse, check out our interactive Mouse Tutorial.

Mouse alternatives
There are other devices that can do the same thing as a mouse but that have a different
look and feel. Many people find them to be easier to use, and they also require less desk
space than a mouse. The most common mouse alternatives include:

 Trackball: A trackball has a ball on top that can rotate freely. Instead of moving
the device like a mouse, you can roll the ball with your fingers to move the
pointer. Some mobile devices have miniature trackballs that can be controlled
with your thumb.
 Touchpad: A touchpad—also called a trackpad—is a touch-sensitive pad that
lets you control the pointer by making a drawing motion with your finger.
Touchpads are common on laptop computers.

A peripheral device connects to a computer system to add functionality.

Examples are a mouse, keyboard, monitor, printer and scanner. Learn
about the different types of peripheral devices and how they allow you
to do more with your computer.

Definition
Say you just bought a new computer and, with excitement, you unpack it and set it all up.
The first thing you want to do is print out some photographs of the last family party. So
it's time to head back to the store to buy a printer. A printer is known as a peripheral
device.

A computer peripheral is a device that is connected to a computer but is not part of the
core computer architecture. The core elements of a computer are the central processing
unit, power supply, motherboard and the computer case that contains those three
components. Technically speaking, everything else is considered a peripheral device.
However, this is a somewhat narrow view, since various other elements are required for a
computer to actually function, such as a hard drive and random-access memory (or
RAM).

Most people use the term peripheral more loosely to refer to a device external to the
computer case. You connect the device to the computer to expand the functionality of the
system. For example, consider a printer. Once the printer is connected to a computer, you
can print out documents. Another way to look at peripheral devices is that they are
dependent on the computer system. For example, most printers can't do much on their
own, and they only become functional when connected to a computer system.

Types of Peripheral Devices

There are many different peripheral devices, but they fall into three general categories:

1. Input devices, such as a mouse and a keyboard

2. Output devices, such as a monitor and a printer
3. Storage devices, such as a hard drive or flash drive

Some devices fall into more than one category. Consider a CD-ROM drive; you can use it
to read data or music (input), and you can use it to write data to a CD (output).

Peripheral devices can be external or internal. For example, a printer is an external device
that you connect using a cable, while an optical disc drive is typically located inside the
computer case. Internal peripheral devices are also referred to as integrated peripherals.
When most people refer to peripherals, they typically mean external ones.

The concept of what exactly is 'peripheral' is therefore somewhat fluid. For a desktop
computer, a keyboard and a monitor are considered peripherals - you can easily connect
and disconnect them and replace them if needed. For a laptop computer, these
components are built into the computer system and can't be easily removed.

The term 'peripheral' also does not mean it is not essential for the function of the
computer. Some devices, such as a printer, can be disconnected and the computer will
keep on working just fine. However, remove the monitor of a desktop computer and it
becomes pretty much useless.

Examples of Peripheral Devices

Here you can see a typical desktop computer system with a number of common
peripheral devices. The central processing unit (#2), motherboard (#8) and power supply
are the core computer system. Expansion slots (#4) on the motherboard make it possible
to connect internal peripherals, such as a video card or sound card (not shown). Other
internal peripherals shown are a hard disk drive (#7) and an optical disc drive (#6).
External input peripherals are a scanner (#1), display monitor (#10), keyboard (#13) and
mouse (#14). External output peripherals are a set of speakers (#9) and a printer (#16).
Note that labels 11 and 12 in the figure refer to software and are not peripherals.

Description
A computer keyboard is an input device used to enter characters and functions into the
computer system by pressing buttons, or keys. It is the primary device used to enter text.
A keyboard typically contains keys for individual letters, numbers and special characters,
as well as keys for specific functions. A keyboard is connected to a computer system
using a cable or a wireless connection.
 Typical keyboard for a desktop computer

Most keyboards have a very similar layout. The individual keys for letters, numbers and
special characters are collectively called the character keys. The layout of these keys is
derived from the original layout of keys on a typewriter. The most widely used layout in
the English language is called QWERTY, named after the sequence of the first six letters
from the top left.

Other sets of keys common to almost all keyboards are entering and editing keys (e.g.,
Enter, Delete, Insert), modifier keys (e.g., Control, Shift), navigation keys (e.g., arrows
for up, down, left, right) and lock keys (e.g., Caps Lock). Additional keys are very
operating system specific (such as the Windows and Apple keys).

Most keyboards also include a set of function keys at the top (F1, F2, etc.). The function
keys typically perform a very specific task within a particular software application. So,
what they do may depend on what you are doing on your computer at the time.

Most keyboards for desktop computers also contain a separate numeric keypad to the
right. Even though there are numeric keys already in a row near the top, having them all
close together makes it faster to enter numeric data. On smaller keyboards, like those on
most laptops, these numeric keypads are typically no longer present due to space
constraints.

Here you can see a typical keyboard layout. Keep in mind that there are many different
variations on this layout, although most manufacturers follow this general pattern:

Standard layout of keys

However, this general layout has remained remarkably unchanging over the years. This
has made it easy for users to transition from one computer system to the next and to use
their typing skills on multiple devices.

For many tasks, you need to press more than one key at the same time. For example, to
get a capital letter 'A' you need to press the Shift key and the A key at the same time.
When reading or writing instructions for how to accomplish a particular task, this would
be described as 'Shift + A.' As another example, in most software applications, Ctrl + S
means to save the current document. If you have been using computers for some time,
you are probably familiar with a number of such combinations.

Want to know the most famous combination of all? Ctrl + Alt + Del, also referred to as
Control-Alt-Delete. In older computer systems, this actually rebooted your computer.
Sort of like pulling the power cord and plugging it back in again. In more modern
versions of the Windows operating system, the combination brings up options to log off
or shut down, as well as options to force a particular software application to quit. This is
useful if you are not able to exit an application in a regular fashion.

Working With Different Languages

Keyboards are language specific. While most keyboards around the world will also
contain regular English characters, they may contain separate keys for commonly used
characters in their local language that are not used in English, such as the accented letters
in French. In addition, languages like Japanese that use a totally different set of characters
need unique keys for those characters. Users can then switch between their own language
and English characters.