What is a Hardware Platform? – Definition, Types and More

What is a Hardware Platform? Hardware Platform is a generic term that is used to describe the underlying technology that a particular peripheral has. For instance, a digital camera has its own specific hardware platform (comparison) to run on the PC.

A hardware platform can refer to a computer architecture or microprocessor. For instance, the x86 CPU and x86-based systems constitute the two most popular computer platforms. It is probably the most popular open-source software platform, using as many components as possible including monitors, keyboards, touch screens, digital cameras, processors, expansion cards, fans, and other management capabilities. The term hardware platform therefore covers any component that manages or controls how a computer will function.

What is a Hardware Platform also refers to a collection of device drivers and microprocessors/machines that work together to provide a general purpose computer system. These components manage the operation of the CPU, keyboard, mouse, video card, sound card, hard disk, and others. Some examples of such specialized hardware are graphics card or motherboard. The operating system, also called the kernel, is embedded within the hardware. So, a hardware platform also refers to the kernel that controls the operation of the computer system.

Hardware Platforms have some specific characteristics. For instance, a Pentium processor has a fixed processing speed and maximum address bus bandwidth of 4 GB per second. Furthermore, it has fast memory access and an application programming interface with a dedicated memory interface for running applications. A graphics card, on the other hand, determines the type of display and associated actions that a user may perform such as playing video games or running various visual applications.

To create a Platform, a complete specification must be created. This will include not only the specifications of the hardware components but also their driver and operating system support. However, there are many manufacturers who offer ready-made platforms that may be downloaded from the Internet.

The Internet also offers several online stores that specialize in providing computer systems, software, and peripherals at low prices. To make the most of such offers, buyers should compare the specifications of different hardware components to ensure that they get the best deals. This way, they can ensure that they get the best hardware system for their needs at the lowest possible prices. To find out what a particular brand or model is selling at a specific price, users can visit a website that offers product comparisons. The comparison tools make it easy to identify which vendors offer the best deals in terms of price, technology, and features.