Components of a Computer System

Software is stored on hardware such as hard disks or tape. Monsters, Inc. can be recorded on a VCR tape. But the computer program (and the TV episode) is intangible. It is not the physical storage medium.

The hardware components of a computer system are the electronic and mechanical parts.

The software components of a computer system are the intangible parts: the data and the computer programs.

The major hardware components of a computer system are:

• Processor
• Main memory
• Secondary memory
• Input devices
• Output devices

You probably have a computer in front of you. The processor, main memory, and secondary memory devices are inside the systems unit. This is the metal box that is sometimes called "the computer." The monitor (the TV-like screen) is an output device.