Computer Hardware

Computer Hardware, Parts, and Accessories

The last 30 years have seen unprecedented change in the way people work, live and play and this is almost exclusively due to the creation and continual adaptation and improvements happening to computer hardware, software, and interfaces. While computer parts such as the keyboard, casing and monitor have not evolved very much externally besides becoming smaller and more streamlined, internally they are incredibly different beasts from a computer that is only a few years old.

Desktop computers are the workhorses of the computing industry and are especially suited for performing the most intense applications and workloads. The beauty of these machines is their pure processing power, they are typically not pretty to look at and are often hidden under desks but looks are not important when a quad core processor, 24GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage space are necessary. With many graphic applications, especially film production programs, even these computers can be bogged down when rendering complex 3D scenes and would quickly bring a lesser computer to its knees begging to be shut down or frozen indefinitely.

A laptop computer, on the other hand, can almost anything a desktop can do but has the distinct advantage of being portable. Though the tradeoff for the ability to travel is often a higher price per processing power and the inability to easily expand hardware. These often contribute to a computer that is expensive and slow, at least compared with a desktop. Other factors that have to be taken into account are heat dissipation and battery size which can make or break a laptop. A powerful processor produces huge amounts of heat which has the tendency to make things slow down or stop working without a good cooling system. A powerful desktop often has a complex liquid cooled system but even adding a fan to a laptop can become a problem.

While both types of computers have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, one of the most exciting things to happen to computers recently has been the plethora of different hardware controllers and computer accessories that are being made. The keyboard is a good accessory for typing and has proven its versatility to the point where only Apple would consider making a computer without one, but a keyboard is not very useful for many other programs such as music production and performance software.

Now computers can have a variety of hardware add-ons that have knobs, faders, sliders, and touch pads that allow the user to work with the computer in a whole new way. Some are as simple as a USB powered knob/button that can be used for scrolling through playlists, selecting songs, as well as changing any number of parameters within many programs. Others controllers are bigger than a laptop, covered with an array of buttons, knobs and lights and are used for everything from music performance to video creation.

As these valuable pieces of digital machinery progress they are becoming smaller, more powerful and are finally beginning to change the way people interact with the digital, virtual world.

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Computer Hardware, Parts, and Accessories

The last 30 years have seen unprecedented change in the way people work, live and play and this is almost exclusively due to the creation and continual adaptation and improvements happening to computer hardware, software, and interfaces. While computer parts such as the keyboard, casing and monitor have not evolved very much externally besides becoming smaller and more streamlined, internally they are incredibly different beasts from a computer that is only a few years old.

Desktop computers are the workhorses of the computing industry and are especially suited for performing the most intense applications and workloads. The beauty of these machines is their pure processing power, they are typically not pretty to look at and are often hidden under desks but looks are not important when a quad core processor, 24GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage space are necessary. With many graphic applications, especially film production programs, even these computers can be bogged down when rendering complex 3D scenes and would quickly bring a lesser computer to its knees begging to be shut down or frozen indefinitely.

A laptop computer, on the other hand, can almost anything a desktop can do but has the distinct advantage of being portable. Though the tradeoff for the ability to travel is often a higher price per processing power and the inability to easily expand hardware. These often contribute to a computer that is expensive and slow, at least compared with a desktop. Other factors that have to be taken into account are heat dissipation and battery size which can make or break a laptop. A powerful processor produces huge amounts of heat which has the tendency to make things slow down or stop working without a good cooling system. A powerful desktop often has a complex liquid cooled system but even adding a fan to a laptop can become a problem.

While both types of computers have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, one of the most exciting things to happen to computers recently has been the plethora of different hardware controllers and computer accessories that are being made. The keyboard is a good accessory for typing and has proven its versatility to the point where only Apple would consider making a computer without one, but a keyboard is not very useful for many other programs such as music production and performance software.

Now computers can have a variety of hardware add-ons that have knobs, faders, sliders, and touch pads that allow the user to work with the computer in a whole new way. Some are as simple as a USB powered knob/button that can be used for scrolling through playlists, selecting songs, as well as changing any number of parameters within many programs. Others controllers are bigger than a laptop, covered with an array of buttons, knobs and lights and are used for everything from music performance to video creation.

As these valuable pieces of digital machinery progress they are becoming smaller, more powerful and are finally beginning to change the way people interact with the digital, virtual world.

Computer Hardware