Input/output (I/O)

I/O would be the means by which a computer exchanges information with the outside world. [68] Devices that provide input or output to the computer are called peripherals . [69] On a typical personal computer, peripherals include input devices like the keyboard and mouse , and output devices such as the present and printer . Hard disk drives , floppy disk drives and optical disc drives serve as both input and output devices. Computer networking is another form of I/O.
I/O devices are often complex computers in their own right, with their own CPU and memory. A graphics processing unit might contain fifty and up tiny computers that perform the calculations necessary to display 3D graphics . [citation needed ] Modern desktop computers contain many smaller computers that assist the main CPU in performing I/O.