The hardware of a computer consists of all the parts you can hold in your hand: the machine itself and any other machinery that is attached to it. But a computer by itself is simply a collection of components. In order to do anything at all, it must be programmed (given a set of instructions). Programs are what are known as software. They are written in a code that a computer can “understand” and act upon. The codes in which programs are written are sometimes called languages.
Computer hardware is any physical device used in or with your machine, whereas software is a collection of programming code installed on your computer’s hard drive. In other words, hardware is something you can hold in your hand, whereas software cannot be held in your hand. You can touch hardware, but you cannot touch software. Hardware is physical, and software is virtual.
For example, the computer monitor you are using to read this text, and the mouse you are using to navigate this web page are computer hardware. The Internet browser allowing you to view this page, and the operating system that the browser is running on are considered software. A video card is hardware, and a computer game is software. You can touch and feel the video card, and the computer uses it to play a computer game, but you cannot touch or feel the programming code that makes up the computer game.
All software utilizes at least one hardware device to operate. For example, a video game, which is software, uses the computer processor (CPU), memory (RAM), hard drive, and video card to run. Word processing software uses the computer processor, memory, and hard drive to create and save documents.
Hardware is what makes a computer work. A CPU processes information and that information can be stored in RAM or on a hard drive. A sound card provides sound to speakers, and a video card provides an image to a monitor. Each of these are examples of hardware components.
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