This guide is put together to inform users more about basic components inside a computer and what they do. This guide also shows some of the major brands and what to look for when deciding on what to get.
List of basic computer hardware:
-Motherboard
-CPU (Central Processing Unit)
-RAM (Random Access Memory)
-Hard Drive
-Sound Card
-Video Card
-Network Card
-PSU (Power Supply Unit)
-CD/DVD Drive
-Heatsinks & Fans


Motherboard
The Motherboard, also known as the mobo, mb, mainboard or system board, is a printed circuit board that is the foundation of a computer that allows other hardware such as RAM and the CPU to communicate with each other. Notable features on a mother board are the South Bridge, North Bridge, expansion slots and CMOS.
-South Bridge controls the hard disk controller, I/O controller and integrated hardware (if any), such as sound and video.
-North Bridge controls the interaction of the CPU, AGP/PCI/PCIe and memory.
-Expansion slots is an area on the board that allows for additional cards to be installed such as sound and video.
-CMOS, short for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor, is an onboard chip that stores basic information such as system time and system settings, that the motherboard checks on boot up of your system also called POST, or Power on Self Test.

Things to consider when deciding on a Motherboard
-Form Factor and size
-Power Pin count (20 or 24)
-CPUs Supported
-CPU Socket Type
-FSB (Frost Side Bus) speed
-North Bridge
-South Bridge
-Memory Standard
-Maximum memory supported
-Number of memory slots
-Dual channel memory support
-Expansion Slots
-Onboard hardware (sound, network, video, USB, etc.)
-Rear Panel Ports
-Warranty

Major Brands
-ASUS www.asus.com
-MSI www.msi.com
-BIOSTAR www.biostar.com.tw
-GIGABYTE www.gigabyte.com.tw


CPU (Central Processing Unit)
What does it do and why do I need it?
The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, can be thought of as the "brain" of the computer. The CPU is sent instructions from other components of the computer and essentially "processes" or performs calculations on the information and sends the information back out to whatever component needed the information processed. Without the CPU your computer wouldn't be able to take a mouse movement and interpet it as you moving the cursor to a desired location or allow a user to browse the internet, by processing the clicking of the go button as wanting to send out information dispayed in the URL address bar out to a server in California, and visa versa.

Things to consider when deciding on a CPU
-Socket Type
-Number of cores
-Operating Frequency
-L1, L2, L3 (if supported) cache size
-Manufacturing Tech
-32 or 64 Bit
-Thermal Power
-Warranty

Major Brands
-Intel www.intel.com
-AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) www.amd.com


RAM (Random Access Memory)
What does it do and why do I need it?
RAM, or Random Access Memory, is storage that your computer uses to store information that it wants to access fast, such a commonly used files/programs. RAM is a volatile storage, which means only stores information while power is being supplied to it, and loses all it's information when power is turned off.

Things to consider when deciding on RAM
-Capacity or Size
-Speed or Form factor
-Cas Latency
-Voltage (not critical)
-Warranty

Major Brands
-Kingston www.kingston.com
-Corsair www.corsairmemory.com
-OCZ www.ocztechnology.com
-Crucial www.crucial.com


Hard Drive
What does it do and why do I need it?
Hard drives, also known as hard disk drives, is another form of storage that a computer uses to store information. Only it stores information on this that it does not use repeatidly or want fast access to, or in some cases where it stores information when your RAM is full. Hard drives are a non-volatile storage device, which means is if you store information on it and you turn off power to it, it still retains the information, unlike RAM.

Things to consider when deciding on a hard drive
-Interface (IDE, SATA, SCSI)
-Capacity or size
-RPM or Revolutions Per Minute
-Cache
-Average Latency
-Form Factor
-Warranty

Major Brands
-Seagate www.seagate.com
-Western Digital www.wdc.com
-Fujitsu http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/storage/hdd/

Sound Card
What does it do and why do I need it?
The sound card controls the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer. The sound card can either be integrated or an expansion card.

Things to consider when deciding on a sound card
-Audio Chipset
-Channels
-Ports (Line in/out, SPDIF in/out, Mic, CD/Aux in)
-Interface
-Signal to Noise Ratio
-Warranty (if applicable)

Major Brands
-Creative Labs www.creative.com
-HT Omega www.htomega.com
-ASUS www.asus.com

Video Card
What does it do and why do I need it?
The video card, also known as display adapter or graphics card, gernally handles anything to do with graphics and video. It's main role is to create and output images onto a display.

Things to consider when deciding on a video card
-Interface (Integrated, PCI, AGP, PCI-e)
-Chipset Manufacturer
-Core Clock speed
-Stream Processors
-Memory size
-Memory Clock
-Memory Interface
-Memory Type
-DirectX version
-OpenGL version
-Max Resolution
-SLI or Crossfire support
-HDCP support
-Heat Dispersion (heatsink and/or fan)
-Connector type (DVI or VGA)
-Warranty

Major Brands
Chipset Manufacturers
-NVidia www.nvidia.com
-ATI www.amd.com
Card Manufacturers
-EVGA www.evga.com
-XFX www.xfxforce.com
-ASUS www.asus.com
-MSI www.msi.com
-Sapphire www.sapphiretech.com
-HIS http://www.hisdigital.com/

Network Card
What does it do and why do I need it?
The Network Card, also known as NIC, network interface card or network adapter, allws computers to communicate with each other on a network. Network cards can be wired or wireless. The newest wireless standard is 802.11n.

Things to consider when deciding on a Network Card
-Type (wired or wireless)
-Interface (PCI, PCMIA, etc)
-Speed
-Range (wireless has limitations depending on the standard, as does wired)
-Modulcation support (802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, etc)
-Encryption support (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc)

Major Brands
-Linksys www.linksysbycisco.com
-Netgear www.netgear.com
-Belkin www.belkin.com
-D-Link www.dlink.com
-3Com www.3com.com

PSU (Power Supply Unit)
What does it do and why do I need it?
The PSU, power supply unit, is what powers all of the hardware in your computer.

Things to consider when deciding on a PSU
-Form Factor Type
-Continuous Wattage (not peak wattage)
-Heat Dispersion (fans)
-Main Conntector (20 or 24 pin)
-Number of connectors (Molex, PCI-e, SATA, etc)
-Input Current
-Outputs on each voltage (+3.3v, +5v, +12v, -12v, etc)
-SLI or Crossfire support
-Efficiency
-Overload protection
-Active PFC (power factor correction)
-Warranty

Major Brands
-COOLER MASTER www.coolermaster.com
-CORSAIR www.corsairmemory.com
-Thermaltake www.thermaltakeusa.com
-Siverstone www.silverstonetek.com
-Seasonic www.seasonic.com
-PC Power and Cooling www.pcpower.com
-OCZ www.ocztechnology.com
-Antec www.antec.com


Optical drive Drive
What does it do and why do I need it?
The optical disc drive, also known as CD or CD/DVD drive, is an disc drive that uses a laser or electromagnetic waves to read or write data on optical drives. Some drives can read and write others can only read. Some drives can read and/or write both CD and DVD formats, these are called combo drives. A newer technology of Blu-Ray is also available on optical drives.

Things to consider when deciding on a CD/DVD Drive
-Interface or Form factor (IDE or SATA)
-CD/DVD/Blu-Ray ROM Speeds
-Load Type
-Cache

Major Brands
-Plextor www.plextor.com
-LG www.lge.com
-Sony www.sony.com
-Lite-On www.liteonit.com
-Pioneeer www.pioneerelectronics.com


Cooling devices
What does it do and why do I need it?
As hardware in your computer run they generate heat. Heatsinks and/or fans are what keep the hardware inside of computers running at lower tempteratures. Some components such as CPUs or video cards generate more heat then others. There is a newer technology known as water cooling, which uses a solution that runs through a series of pipes or tubes to keep your hardware running at lower temperatures, this technology is similiar to the radiator on a vehicle. There is also another component that is nessicary to help connect some devices together to allow maximum flow of heat from your hot devices to cooling devies. This is component is known as thermal compound, thermal paste or thermal grease.

Note: When spreading thermal compound, do not use your fingers. Your fingers have oil on them, no matter how clean they are, and can reduce the effectiveness of the thermal compound. "The preferred way to remove typical silicone oil-based thermal grease from a component or heat sink is by using isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)."

Things to consider when deciding on a cooling device
Heatsinks
-Heatsink material
-Compatibility (such as socket types on CPUs)
-Dimensions
-Weight
Fans
-Type
-Compatibility (such as socket types on CPUs)
-Bearing Type
-RPM (Revolutions per minute)
-Air Flow
-Noise Level
-Power Connector
Thermal Compound
-Thermal Conductance
-Thermal Resistance
-Composition (what it's made of)

Major Brands
Heatsinks
-Zalman www.zalman.com
-Thermaltake www.thermaltakeusa.com
-Arctic Cooling www.arctic-cooling.com
Fans
-VANTEC www.vantecusa.com
-COOLER MASTER www.coolermaster.com
Thermal Compound
Arctic Silver www.arcticsilver.com


Resources:
Wikipedia
Computer Hope

Updated: April 23, 2009

This post has been edited by bayp: Apr 23 2009, 09:32 PM

Changelog:

dwhittle - 4/23/2009
Forgot to add network card.

bayp - 4/23/2009
Made some small terminology changes to be more clear, also added a few more "major brands" to be more comprehensive.

This post has been edited by bayp: Apr 23 2009, 09:33 PM

I was thinking about doing this you beat me to it!

Might want to mention on power supplies the importance of Active PFC and having a PSU rated at a continuous wattage and not peak.

Also, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, OCZ, and Antec are all good brands.

This post has been edited by BrandonW: Apr 23 2009, 02:29 PM

Well if you or anyone else feels they can add to it or if they feel I made any errors, please add to it!

I don't want to change your post but don't mind offering my suggestions

Nice work dwhittle, this looks beautiful is so perfect I understand it very clear (I am very hardheaded ), has room for more ideas, like everything else. The whole guide, the concepts, and the references are well done, thank you we can now count on a good guide, to base our computer purchase in the future THANKS A LOT!!!

Thanks.
You wen't really in depth.

Very indepth guide,Sure it will help alot of new people

It's very detail, even for a pro to read. I think the newbie will find it difficult to understand those terms. Perhaps.. Adding in some layman terms would be good.

For example
Like mainboard is the thing link up all the parts that allow the computer to function.

CPU is the thing that determines how fast your computer is gonna be

RAMs.. Basically, the more the better, it is how fat your wallet is.

Hard disk - Where you are going to store your stuff

PSU - The power supply, generally, cheap stuff always bluff

Graphic card - Crossfire and SLI means buying 2 or 3 video cards of the same engine and combine forces
Graphic card - All the Open GL , direct X and stuff. Based on one thing. [ how much $$ you willing to pay ]

Optical Drives - Known as CD Drives- Except how complex you want it to be

Cooling devices - Extra fans and things to give your system a even better cooler enviroment.

Network card - For you to get online. [ Most mobos come with one Wired type included on board. ]

Sound card - So that the computer can Haz sound. [ Most mobos have one lousy one ]

This is the laymans guide to easy understanding.

Maybe I have missed out some.. But I guess this is quite adequate

This is not 100% true. How fast your computer is going to be does matter as to what the clock speed is of your CPU but also your FSB, any technology built into your CPU (such as HT) also the speed of your memory, the amount of memory, the specs of your graphics card (to a certain extent), along with types of programs you want to run or have running.

Also not entirely true. Memory could be a bottle neck in some senarios but this is not always the case.


I could have made this less detailed or more detailed, it all depends on how in depth someone wants to go as to how and why computer parts do what they do. I tried to keep it as basic as possible. Granted I could have maybe explained things a little better but this was just a rough draft that I pulled from my head to get something on record since a lot of people usually ask about building themselves a new PC and are looking for guidance.

This post has been edited by dwhittle: Jun 14 2009, 01:32 PM

Nice tutorial, really helpfull thanks

nice guide, this might help me when rebuilding a computer