A desktop computer is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or near a desk due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuration has a case that houses the power supply, motherboard (a printed circuit board with a microprocessor as the central processing unit, memory, bus, certain peripherals and other electronic components), disk storage (usually one or more hard disk drives, solid state drives, optical disc drives, and in early models a floppy disk drive); a keyboard and mouse for input; and a computer monitor, speakers, and, often, a printer for output. The case may be oriented horizontally or vertically and placed either underneath, beside, or on top of a desk. History Origins Prior to the widespread use of microprocessors, a computer that could fit on a desk was considered remarkably small; the type of computers most commonly used were minicomputers, which were extremely large. Early computers took up the space of a whole room. Minicomputers generally fit into one or a few refrigerator
Un ordenador de escritorio es un ordenador personal diseñado para el uso regular en un solo lugar en o cerca de una mesa debido a su tamaño y requerimientos de potencia. La configuración más común tiene una caja que alberga el suministro de energía, placa madre (una placa de circuito impreso con un microprocesador como la unidad central de procesamiento, memoria, autobús, ciertos periféricos y otros componentes electrónicos), almacenamiento de discos (normalmente una o más unidades de disco duro, unidades de estado sólido, unidades de disco óptico, y en los primeros modelos una unidad de disco floppy); un teclado y ratón para la entrada; y un monitor de ordenador, altavoces, y, a menudo, una impresora para la salida. La caja puede estar orientada horizontalmente o verticalmente y colocada debajo, al lado o en la parte superior de una mesa.