The internal architecture of all computers existing today is approximately the same. The possibilities of their use for solving certain problems are determined mainly by the list and characteristics of peripheral equipment. There are many peripheral devices for various purposes.
Technically, all computer devices are referred to as peripheral devices, with the exception of the central processor, memory and controllers that ensure their interaction. However, at the everyday level, this concept has a slightly different meaning. So, most users call peripheral devices designed in the form of complete modules that are connected to the computer's motherboard in one way or another. In any case, all such devices can be divided into large groups according to their purpose.
Port controllers (such as COM, PS / 2, USB, SATA, IDE, PCI / PCI-E) are an integral part of any computer today. They are needed to provide the ability to exchange data with all other peripheral devices, in particular, to control them. Port connectors located on the motherboard are used to connect both built-in system units and external devices.
The same group of hardware includes video cards, sound cards, printers, plotters (plotters), etc. All these peripheral devices have one thing in common - they are needed to output information from a computer in one form or another.
Another large group of peripherals includes input devices. They are needed both to provide the ability to control a person by a computer, and to directly enter information of various types. Such equipment includes keyboards, various positioning devices (mouse, ball, tablet), video cameras, microphones, etc.
Equipment such as network cards and various modems (telephone, ADSL, GPRS) are designed to exchange data between computers. One of the oldest devices of this type is a regular COM port.
Peripheral devices, which are drives of various kinds, are needed for long-term storage of information. These include hard disk drives (HDD), memory cards, CD / DVD drives, etc.