system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How the basic components of a PC (RAM, CPU, etc) work together and function

I know the CPU executes bits of 1's and 0's, binary, as it processes info but how it all actually breaks down and works together with the other components is beyond me.
gpt
Think of the computer as an office you're working in.

You're the CPU. You're the one doing the thinking and getting stuff done.

When you're working, it's a lot faster to get stuff done with whatever you can hold in your head, but your short-term memory only stretches so far, so you need somewhere to keep your notes, and whatever books you're using, which is why you have a desk. The bigger your desk, the more books you can keep open and near you. Likewise, CPUs have really  really fast, but small, caches built-in, and then you have RAM where the computer keeps the data it's working with. The more RAM, the more stuff you can have open.

You probably own a lot more books than you're likely to be using at any one time, which is why you have bookshelves. You'll just go to the bookshelves and get whatever books you need for whatever piece of work you're doing right now, and plop them on your desk. Your computer's hard drive fulfils the same task as your bookshelves. When you open a file, it copies stuff from hdd to ram, just the same as you'd get a book onto your desk when you're working with it. Ever noticed how your computer gets slow if you have tons of programs open? Just imagine having your desk overflowing with stuff, and you making constant trips between your desk and your bookshelf because you don't have enough space for all the stuff you need, so you keep having to switch.

Your graphics card is sort of like having a smaller desk in the office, with another guy sitting there who's a brilliant artist, but does absolutely nothing else. Any time you need a drawing, you can just grab your sketches and drop them on his desk, and he'll turn that into some nice artwork. The sound card is like having your own private musician at the office.

The motherboard is kind of like the office itself, if a somewhat special kind of office. For one,the chairs are welded to the floor and can't be moved. For another, the chairs are a bit... specific. Only specific-shaped arses fit in, and you'll need to match the office to the person who'll be sitting at the desk. This is to say, each CPU family only fits a certain socket type, and your motherboard needs to have that sort of socket. Also, the motherboard has a chipset that handles much of the actual hardware interaction. Think of it as the office giving you an assistant that'll get books and documents for you, or have them delivered to the right people in the office.

USB and display ports are kind of like the doors and windows of your office. They're the way people deliver you the documents you're supposed to work on, or how you get new books delivered, etc.

Hope that helps.