A human computer interface is a fancy name for anything that lets you interact with the computer. HCI's can be anything from a mouse and keyboard, to the monitor, to a console controller, to the older joysticks and beyond. If it allows you to interact with the computer in any way, it's a HCI. HCI's originally started with punch-cards and, over time, evolved into keyboards, joysticks and controllers. New HCI's such as VR are starting to get more and more popular and seem to be the future.
Central Processing Unit
(CPU)
The Central Processing Unit handles most of the processing the computer does. The CPU sits in the middle of the motherboard and it's processing power varies based on the brand, model and how many cores it has (more cores = more processing at once). Due to all the processing it does, the CPU tends to generate a large amount of heat, as such it has a heat-sink attached directly to it to transfer away the heat. CPU's used to be huge room sized things until microprocessors were invented. The most common CPU is Intel as it comes with most PC computers.
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| CPU's usually have a protective cover with the brand name on it, this is what it looks like without the cover. |
Graphic Processors
Graphic Processing Units work similarly to CPUs as they do lots of processing, but the major difference is GPUs have 100s of smaller cores specialized in solving geometry and other graphical processes. Most larger GPUs (like Nvidia's GTX 1080) also create lots of heat and come with an inbuilt fan for cooling. Nvidia brand graphic cards tend to be very popular due to their high power and reliability.
Memory (RAM)
Random Access Memory is temporary storage space. This storage is useful for temporary files needed for running a game, once the data is no longer needed, the RAM automatically deletes it. Nothing stays on RAM, this is helpful because if there was no RAM, the information would have to be stored on the hard-drive, which takes more time to store, and extra time to delete non-essential data. There is also a drop in performance if the hard-drive saves or deletes something, while it is barely noticeable with RAM.
Display
The Display is the part of the computer that shows the visuals of what is happening. They vary in size and resolution. The visuals are displayed on 1000s to 100,000s to 100,000,00s of pixels. These pixels typicaly have 3 colours, Red Green and Blue, these RGB pixels combine to create the full range of colour.
Sound
The sound systems are any systems that handle audio input/output.
This includes things like speakers, headphones and microphones.
Most motherboards come with a built in sound-card to handle the processing of audio.
Game Storage Medium
Game storage mediums come in a wide range of variety. These variety's include cartridges, memory cards, hard-drives and the cloud (from oldest to newest). Game data HAS to be stored somewhere, weather it is on your own system like hard-drives, or on a computer somewhere else like the cloud.
Interface Devices
The interface is what you see and the software. You clicking on a file or shortcut on your desktop is you using the interface. Different brands of computer have their own interfaces, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. A simple and easy to use interface tends to make for a more successful product.
Connectivity
Connectivity refers to the ability to connect with other computers. This is done via the internet, which the computer connects to by either Wifi, Bluetooth or a Ethernet cable. All computers have a port for Ethernet cables and a wifi unit can be added to allow for wireless access to the internet.
Power Supply
The power supply is, as the name suggests, the part that supply's power to the computer. Power supplies come in multiple shapes and sizes, From batteries to power boxes that plug into the mains.
This is arguably a more important part than the CPU as the CPU can't process without power. Power supplies also vary in different countries, such as the 3 pin in England and the 2 pin in the USA.
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