Computer Basics (CONT)

Aside from your mouse, keyboard and monitor, the last two common and small parts of your computer are your speakers and printer. These two are usually not referred to by any other names, and both do exactly what you think they would. Your speakers output any sounds from your computer so that you can hear them including music and other sound effects. Most computers bought from a major retailer come with two speakers, though it is quite easy to upgrade your computer for more than that if you need something more resembling surround sound or the like. Your printer will reproduce data from your computer onto some sort of tangible item. For instance, you can print out this article on to a piece of paper, including all the images contained herein. Printers don't always come with new computers though if you look hard enough, you can find some decent deals.

The biggest faux pas
Now the hardest part of your computer to talk about is...your computer. Let me explain. When people say "computer", they could be talking about a number of things usually depending on their knowledge of computing technology. In it's "truest" form, when speaking about your computer, you're usually speaking about your entire system, the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer, and everything that's inside of it including memory, hard drives, and cd drives, and the like. So when someone says, "My computer isn't working", that's why it leaves computer professionals scratching their heads. They could be talking about many, many things.

You may also hear people referring to their computer as a "CPU". CPU stands for central processing unit and really refers to a small chip that sits on the motherboard inside of your computer's case. Microchip, motherboard...It gets better and better huh? We'll get into the latter stuff later, but know that when some people want to sound smart, you'll hear them say stuff like, "My CPU has been acting funny", or "I have a really slow CPU, I should upgrade". In actuality, they just sound like they're trying to make up for their lack of computer knowledge. Because the term CPU refers to a very specific part of your computer, it sounds better and is more accurate to say "My computer has been acting funny" or "I have a really slow computer" since both symptoms can be attributed to a multitude of sources.

So I know what you're asking..."That box that has my CD/DVD drive in it, my hard drive, and that everything's connected to...What do I call that?" Well that's the million dollar question. Even though the term "computer" really refers to everything we've previously discussed, people quite often mean "that box" when they say "computer". For instance, if you have a problem with your computer shutting off and you want to take it to a technician, he'll ask you to bring in your computer. Is he asking for your monitor, keyboard and mouse? Nope. 99% of the time, he's just asking for "the box", which is what most "in the know" mean when they say "computer". In truth, everything happens in "the box". (Actually that box is really a case, and inside/underneath it is where all the magic happens). That's where your computer stores data, processes instructions, outputs graphics to the screen and outputs sound to your speakers. So to further iterate, when someone in the know is talking about your computer, they're usually referring to your case and everything inside of it. (On a side note, to get to the insides of your computer, you have to remove the case or at least part of it).

What have we learned?
We've covered a lot in a short time here, and if you didn't know we've been discussing parts that would be found on what's called a desktop, or a computer that goes on your desk. The converse of that is a notebook/laptop which is a portable computer that is much lighter and more adept to travel (since it is relatively light and can run without being plugged in on batteries). So you now know about your monitor, printer, mouse, speakers, keyboard, and most importantly the "computer". And we've learned that the word computer can be used and is used to convey so many different things and really doesn't specify any one thing.

Continue on to and read our Inside Your Computer article to learn about the innards of your computer, (including RAM, your motherboard and video cards), so you can really sound like you know what you're talking about!

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