Random-access memory (RAM /rm/) is a form of computer data storage.

A random-access device
allows stored data to be accessed directly in any random order. In contrast, other data storage media
such as hard disks, CDs, DVDs and magnetic tape, as well as early primary memory types such as drum
memory, read and write data only in a predetermined order, consecutively, because of mechanical design
limitations. Therefore, the time to access a given data location varies significantly depending on its
physical location.

A video card (also called a video adapter, display card, graphics card, graphics board, display
adapter or graphics adapter and sometimes preceded by the word discrete or dedicated to emphasize
the distinction between this implementation and integrated graphics) is anexpansion card which
generates a feed of output images to a display (such as a computer monitor). Within the industry, video
cards are sometimes called graphics add-in-boards, abbreviated as AIBs,[1] with the word "graphics"
usually omitted. Virtually all current video cards are built with eitherAMD-sourced or Nvidia-sourced
graphics chips.[1] Most video cards offer various functions such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes
and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors (multimonitor).

Dedicated vs integrated graphics

As an alternative to the use of a video card, video hardware can be integrated into the motherboard or
the CPU. Both approaches can be called integrated graphics. Motherboard-based implementations are
sometimes called "on-board video" while CPU-based implementations are called accelerated processing
units or APUs. Almost all desktop computer motherboards with integrated graphics allow the disabling of
the integrated graphics chip in BIOS, and have a PCI, or PCI Express(PCI-E) slot for adding a higherperformance graphics card in place of the integrated graphics. The ability to disable the integrated
graphics sometimes also allows the continued use of a motherboard on which the on-board video has
failed. Sometimes both the integrated graphics and a dedicated graphics card can be used
simultaneously to feed separate displays. The main advantages of integrated graphics include cost,
compactness, simplicity and low energy consumption. The performance disadvantage of integrated
graphics arises because the graphics processor shares system resources with the CPU. A dedicated
graphics card has its own random access memory (RAM), its own cooling system, and dedicated power
regulators, with all components designed specifically for processing video images. Upgrading to a
dedicated graphics card offloads work from the CPU and system RAM, so not only will graphics
processing be faster, but the computer's overall performance may also improve.
Both of the dominant CPU makers, AMD and Intel, are moving to APUs. One of the reasons is that
graphics processors are powerful parallel processors, and placing them on the CPU die allows their
parallel processing ability to be harnessed for various computing tasks in addition to graphics processing.
(See Heterogeneous System Architecture, which discusses AMD's implementation.) APUs are the newer
integrated graphics technology and, as costs decline, will probably be used instead of integrated graphics
on the motherboard in most future low and mid-priced home and business computers. As of late 2013, the
best APUs provide graphics processing approaching mid-range mobile video cards [2] and are adequate for
casual gaming. Users seeking the highest video performance for gaming or other graphics-intensive uses
should still choose computers with dedicated graphics cards. (See Size of market and impact of
accelerated processing units on video card sales, below.)

A hard disk drive (HDD)[note 2] is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information
using rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. An HDD retains its data even when
powered off. Data is read in a random-access manner, meaning individual blocksof data can be stored or
retrieved in any order rather than sequentially. An HDD consists of one or more rigid ("hard") rapidly

rotating disks (platters) with magnetic heads arranged on a moving actuator arm to read and write data to
the surfaces.

A power supply is a device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. The term is most commonly
applied to electric power converters that convert one form of electrical energy to another, though it may
also refer to devices that convert another form of energy (mechanical, chemical, solar) to electrical
energy. A regulated power supply is one that controls the output voltage or current to a specific value; the
controlled value is held nearly constant despite variations in either load current or the voltage supplied by
the power supply's energy source.

heat sink is a passive heat exchanger that cools a device by dissipating heat into the surrounding
medium. In computers, heat sinks are used to cool central processing units or graphics processors. Heat
sinks are used with high-power semiconductor devices such as power transistors and optoelectronics
such as lasers and light emitting diodes (LEDs), where the heat dissipation ability of the basic device is
insufficient to moderate its temperature.
A heat sink is designed to maximize its surface area in contact with the cooling medium surrounding it,
such as the air. Air velocity, choice of material, protrusion design and surface treatment are factors that

affect the performance of a heat sink. Heat sink attachment methods and thermal interface materials also
affect the die temperature of the integrated circuit. Thermal adhesive or thermal grease improve the heat
sink's performance by filling air gaps between the heat sink and the device.

Lan card
A network interface controller (NIC, also known as a network interface card, network adapter, LAN
adapter, and by similar terms) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to
a computer network

A sound card (also known as an audio card) is an internal computer expansion card that facilitates the
input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. The
term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces that use software to generate sound, as
opposed to using hardware inside the PC. Typical uses of sound cards include providing the audio
component for multimedia applications such as music composition, editing video or audio, presentation,
education and entertainment (games) and video projection.
Sound functionality can also be integrated onto the motherboard, using basically the same components
as a plug-in card. The best plug-in cards, which use better and more expensive components, can achieve
higher quality than integrated sound. The integrated sound system is often still referred to as a "sound
card".

Central Processing Unit (CPU) / Processor

A central processing unit (CPU) (formerly also referred to as a central processor unit[1]) is the
hardware within a computer that carries out theinstructions of a computer program by performing the
basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The term has been in use in the
computer industry at least since the early 1960s.[2] The form, design, and implementation of CPUs have
changed over the course of their history, but their fundamental operation remains much the same.
A computer can have more than one CPU; this is called multiprocessing. All modern CPUs
are microprocessors, meaning contained on a single chip. Some integrated circuits (ICs) can contain
multiple CPUs on a single chip; those ICs are called multi-core processors. An IC containing a CPU can
also contain peripheral devices, and other components of a computer system; this is called a system on a
chip (SoC).