The world has seen somewhat of a revolution in the last few decades. A computer, which was once a luxury, is now the basic necessity of every household, office, business, or any other institution, for that matter. Despite that, people’s basic computer knowledge is subpar at best. If you survey a ton of people and ask them how much basic computer knowledge they have, we are pretty sure the answer will be, “not a lot”. Now, why’s that? Because we, as humans, don’t look beyond what concerns us, if that makes sense.
When we went on the internet to listen to people’s queries, it was shocking, to say the least. People were asking questions about things so basic that it’ll make you sick to your stomach. Yeah, we are not joking. Many people who have been using computers for years don’t know the difference between ROM and RAM. Can you believe it? It’s borderline absurd.
But getting bent out of shape ain’t no answer to this. It’s our job, those who know about it, to teach people who don’t. On that note, we will share the basic computer general knowledge for students, children, or adults who lack the knowledge they need to succeed in this world. We will be your crutches, don’t worry.
Table of Contents
1. Understanding the Basics
Computers are complex machines composed of different components that work in conjunction. They are made of various moving and static parts, with each having its own set of roles to perform. For years now, these components have been designed with specific roles in mind. Your average office computer hard drive will be a lot different from the one in a gaming PC.
We’ll go over the most basic hardware components of a computer and tell you exactly what each one of them does.
MotherBoard
The motherboard is the foundation of your PC and where the basic computer knowledge starts. This is where all the necessary components go. Whether it’s your memory, storage, CPU, or GPU. It is home to your BIOS, which is the basic input/ output system. BIOS is firmware that basically tells your operating system how to operate.
All these words might sound like mumble jumble right now, but we promise you, all of it will make sense by the time you are done with this write-up. Now that we have covered the spine of your PC, let’s talk about the components we attach to it.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The Central Processing Unit, or CPU, is like the brain of your system. When you input something, the CPU registers it and, based on the input, performs functions that give the desired output. Intel’s i5, i7, and i9, and AMD’s Ryzen 5, 7, and 9 are some of the top examples of CPUs, although there are tons of other options as well. Since the CPU is responsible for pretty much every processing task there is, the heat it dissipates is a lot. And this is why most CPUs come with a heat sink and fan.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Another part of the basic computer knowledge is the graphics processing unit, or GPU. This is the part of your computer that generates graphics, images, videos, or games. Most CPUs and Motherboards come with an onboard, integrated video card.
This won’t let you play AAA titles, though. If you want to play the best game money can buy, you need a dedicated GPU. Companies like Nvidia, Intel, and AMD are some of the best companies that make baseline graphics cards.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
You don’t run your car without fuel, now do you? Now, even if you have fuel in your car, it wouldn’t matter unless you find a way to feed your engine that fuel. This is exactly what a power unit does. It’s like your computer’s fuel injector or carburetor. Meaning, it provides power to important components. This includes your motherboard, graphics card, cooling system, and RGB, if you fancy it.
Hard Drive or SSD
This is where you store your data. Whether it’s files, system data, videos, or anything else, all of it goes to the Read Only Memory (ROM). Now, there are two types of memories today. One is your basic hard drive, which stores your data just like a CD. Second is the solid-state drive or SSD. They are flash storage, like your memory cards and pen drives.
Which one you select depends solely on your needs. Gamers always go for SSD, while a hard disk would suffice for normal office work.
2. Software
Unlike hardware, software is a virtual product that resides on your SSD or HDD. From Microsoft Windows to the built-in calculator, all fall under the software category. Pretty much everything that you run on your system is software. This is just as important as your hardware.
To help your software and hardware work in conjunction, you need a driver, which allows the software to talk directly with the hardware and use it as needed. Neat, innit?
3. Peripherals
If you remember your old school textbooks, you must know something we used to call output/input devices. Now, we call it peripherals. Yeah, this keeps happening. So, you gotta stay updated with the nomenclature of these things. Tiresome? We know.
The question now is, what are input/output devices or peripherals? Well, they are the devices you use to interact with your computer. Just like you use your senses to interact with the world around you, peripherals are your computer’s senses.
Mice, keyboards, speakers, headphones, monitors (single or dual), and many other such devices are perfect examples of peripherals. This is more than the basic computer knowledge you need to keep up with the world.
The Basics are Covered, Now Let’s Aim for Deeper Understanding
Now that you have the most basic computer knowledge, understanding more complex stuff might be a little easier. If this is what you want, join a computer class. Because today, you can’t survive in the world if you are not technically literate. You gotta move with the times.
Or else you’d remain a boomer living in the body of a millennial or Gen Z. I reckon you dont want it that way.
The components we explained above are more than enough to help you understand the basics of computers and their world. All you have to do is start; the rest will come on its own. We hope you learned something today because that is what we strive for.
