Name: ________________________________ Date: ____________________ Period: ______
Computer Hardware Scavenger Hunt
Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer – those components that can be
touched. Visit the website https://www.lifewire.com/computer-hardware-2625895. Read about
the given components, and then use what you find to fill out the table below.
Component Description Important Facts to Know (2-3 per
component)
Motherboard The Motherboard is
hub/backbone of the PC
where RAM, CPU/Cooler and
GPU plug into.
The CPU and Cooler lay on the
Motherboard.
Some brands that make Motherboard
are ASUS and NZXT
CPU The CPU or the Central
Processing Unit is the brain of
the PC.
The CPU also sometimes has a Video
Card built inside it called Integrated
Graphics
Some brands are Intel and AMD
RAM RAM or Random-Access
Memory is the memory that
works with your PC and is not
storage that clears itself when
your PC.
RAM is not for long time storage,
and it will not save what you’re
doing.
Some companies that make RAM are
NZXT and HyperX
Power Supply The Power Supply or the PSU
is the power to your PC where
your external power comes
through.
The Power Supply is plugged into
your motherboard, and it also powers
the motherboard.
Some brands that make PSUs are
Cooler Master and EVGA
Video Card Video Cards or GPUs are
cards that provide the
graphics power to you PC.
GPUs have this thing called VRAM
that is GBs in your GPU.
Some brands that make GPUs are
Nvidia and AMD.
Hard Drive Your hard drive is the storage
for your PC where you save
stuff.
There are different types of Hard
Drives, External Storage and Internal
Storage.
Some brands that make Storage is
Seagate and Toshiba.
SSD A Solid State Drive or SSD is
another hard drive that you
can use for storage.
Some people use their SSD as a boot
drive to put their OS on so they can
make their PC’s run faster.
Some brands that make SSD’s are
same Samsung and Western Digital.
Expansion Card A hub that adds more slots to On an Expansion Card you can use it
Name: ________________________________ Date: ____________________ Period: ______
a Motherboard. to add more USB or slots for
Peripherals.
Are cards or ports being usually at
the rear of the case.
Sound Card A Sound Card is a card that
allows you to send audio
information to an audio
device
Some audio devices that the card can
send info to are Headphones or
Speakers
NIC
Peripherals
Peripherals are common hardware that we might find connected to the outside of a computer,
although some computers, tablets and laptops have them build into their housings. Read about
them again at the LifeWire site and complete the chart below.
Monitor The monitor is the display for
your computer.
Monitors have different ports such
HDMI, DVI and Display Port.
Some brands that make monitors are
Acer and HP.
Keyboard The keyboard is the device
used to make actions and type
characters on to a computer.
There are a couple different types of
keyboards such as 60%, TKL and
Full Size.
Some brands that make keyboards
are Logitech and Razer.
Mouse The mouse is device that is
used to move the cursor
around from task to task.
An alternative to a mouse is a
trackpad which you can use with you
finger.
Some brands that make mouses are
Logitech and Alienware.
Router The router is device that your
ISP gives you so can have
bandwidth and connect to the
internet.
Without a router you would not be
able to make a connection to the
internet.
Some ISP’s that you can get a router
from are Verizon/Fios and Xfinity
Computer Software
Software includes the apps, programs and operating systems used by a computer, tablet, laptop,
etc. Complete the chart below using any site you can find to help you.
Name: ________________________________ Date: ____________________ Period: ______
Software Examples Purpose/What it can be used for
Word Processing Microsoft Word and Google
Docs
These word processing programs can
be used to type documents on the
computer.
Spreadsheet Microsoft Xcel and Google
Sheets
These spreadsheet programs can be
used for making a spreadsheet on the
computer.
Presentation Microsoft PowerPoint and
Google Slides
These presentation programs can be
used to make a presentation on the
computer.
Database Microsoft Access and MySQL A software that makes tables to help
with storing, manipulating, and
managing data.
Graphic Software Photoshop and Paint3D These software’s can be used to make
digital graphics and edit them.
Operating System Windows and MacOS The OS’s is what manages computer
hardware, software resources, and
provides common services for
computer programs.
Antivirus Malwarebytes and MacAfee Antivirus is used to keep your
computer safe and help it so it
doesn’t get infected with a virus.
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