Image of career: Computer Hardware Engineer

Computer Hardware Engineer

Overview

Computer hardware engineers research, design and develop different computers and their hardware.

Description

  • Create schematics (technical drawings) showing computer equipment parts to be built.
  • Plan and test new computer hardware for further improvement.
  • Review test results and change designs based on findings.
  • Update current computer equipment with new software.
  • Oversee the manufacturing process of computer hardware.

Entry requirements

  • A diploma or bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering or a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering & Information Technology is preferred.

Salary

$5,400 – 9,300

/mo

Salary ranges are estimated based on public information found on Singaporean job portals, including MyCareersFuture, MySkillsFuture. Updated as of 2026.

Trivia

When engineers shrink transistors to 2nm (just a few atoms wide), they battle something called quantum tunnelling, where electrons actually "teleport" through solid materials and cause power leaks.

What to expect

You might work at computer workstations or be involved in installing and testing equipment.

Soft
skills

Collaboration

Able to work well in different teams including software engineers and product designers.

Communication

Able to explain technical concepts clearly to people without technical backgrounds.

Creative Thinking

Possess innovative mindset to design new hardware technologies and solve challenging problems.

Troubleshooting

Ability to identify and fix hardware problems in computers and related systems.

Programming

Familiarity with programming languages like C++ or Python.

System Evaluation

Ability to evaluate computer system performance and recommend improvements.

Hard
skills

Frequently asked questions

Computer engineering focuses on both computer hardware and software, while computer science deals with computing theory, programming, and algorithms.

Not everything. But you should have a basic understanding of computer components like microprocessors, motherboards, and SMPS wire colour coding.

They commonly use stress testing to check reliability. This involves running the computer system under intense workloads and extreme conditions to see how well it performs and whether it remains stable.

As technology keeps advancing, there's growing need for professionals who can design and develop new computer hardware components and systems.

One major trend is the Internet of Things (IoT). As IoT devices become more common, computer hardware engineers are needed to create the embedded systems, sensors, and microcontrollers that help devices connect and exchange information.