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A personal computer, often referred to as a PC or simply computer, is a computer designed for individual use. [1] It is typically used for tasks such as word processing, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and gaming. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or technician.
While popular usage of the word "computer" is synonymous with a personal electronic computer, [l] a typical modern definition of a computer is: "A device that computes, especially a programmable [usually] electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes ...
The history of the personal computer as a mass-market consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. A personal computer is one intended for interactive individual use, as opposed to a mainframe computer where the end user's requests are filtered through operating staff, or a time-sharing system in which one large processor is shared by many individuals.
PC—Personal Computer; PCB—Printed Circuit Board; PCB—Process Control Block; PC DOS—Personal Computer Disc Operating System; PCI—Peripheral Component Interconnect; PCIe—PCI Express; PCI-X—PCI Extended; PCL—Printer Command Language; PCMCIA—Personal Computer Memory Card International Association; PCM—Pulse-Code Modulation
An all-in-one computer (also called an AIO or all-in-one PC) is a type of personal computer that integrates the computer components, such as the CPU, monitor, and speakers, into a single unit. It occupies a smaller footprint than a desktop computer with a tower form factor , and also uses fewer cables.
A desktop computer, often abbreviated as desktop, [1] is a personal computer designed for regular use at a stationary location on or near a desk (as opposed to a portable computer) due to its size and power requirements.
Desktop personal computers have a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and a computer case. The computer case holds the motherboard, fixed or removable disk drives for data storage, the power supply, and may contain other peripheral devices such as modems or network interfaces. Some models of desktop computers integrated the monitor and keyboard into ...
An early use of the term "personal computer" in 1962 predates microprocessor-based designs. (See "Personal Computer: Computers at Companies" reference below). A "microcomputer" used as an embedded control system may have no human-readable input and output devices. "Personal computer" may be used generically or may denote an IBM PC compatible ...