Which component in a PC is responsible for disk operations?

The SATA or IDE controller is the component in a PC that is primarily responsible for managing disk operations. It serves as the interface between the motherboard and the storage devices, which can include hard drives and solid-state drives. This controller communicates with the storage devices using specific protocols (such as SATA for newer drives or IDE for older drives) to read from and write to these disks.

By managing the data flow to and from the disk, the SATA or IDE controller plays a crucial role in the overall performance of storage operations, including accessing files, loading applications, and saving data. Without this controller, the CPU would not be able to effectively interact with the storage media, making it essential for the functioning of any PC that relies on disk-based data storage.

The other components listed do not perform disk operations: the graphics card is dedicated to rendering graphics, the power supply unit provides electrical power to the system, and the CPU processes data but relies on the controller to facilitate communication with storage devices.