Computer external hardware is important. It works together with software, such as word processing systems, to provide the user with programs to use. While virtually all software can be used on computers as long as they are compatible, not every computer has the same external hardware.

There are many elements to a computer’s external hardware. These are the items that get touched are needed to operate the software. A computer’s external hardware often includes:

*keyboard

*monitor

*screen

*system unit

*speakers

*mouse

*microphone

These are the most common components of a computer’s external hardware for a desktop computer. A laptop or notebook computer has most of these items as well, but they are incorporated into the computer.

When it comes to the system unit it is the main part of the computer even though it would be worthless without a monitor. The other external hardware is peripheral devices while the system unit is the computer. These have a disk drive, DVD/CD drive and internal hard drive. The programs on the computer are stored on the hard drive disk. This includes the location of the random access memory (RAM), which is the computer’s memory.

Now the mouse has a primary button on the left and the secondary button on the right. The left button is what is used most often is pushed down to make a selection. A wheel is commonly found on the middle of a mouse and a major function allows the user to scroll up and down the page without moving their hand. They just use the wheel.