Not all computers are created equal

Computers are built from components which each have a separate functions but work together.

The Processor

The Processor (CPU) is the ‘brain’ of your computer, the thing that carries out the tasks you give it. Better CPUs can perform more tasks at once, and perform them faster.


The Motherboard


The Case

The case holds all of your computer’s parts together. For the most part, a case is less about features that affect how your computer runs and more about features that affect you and your home.  How quiet it is, how large it is, and of course, how it looks in your home or office.


RAM, or Random Access Memory, is like your computer’s short-term memory. It stores data your computer needs quick access to help your programs run faster, and help you run more programs at one time. Thus, if you run a lot of programs at once, you’ll want a computer with more RAM.  If you use virtual machines, you’ll want even more RAM, since it has to run its own programs in addition to yours.

The Graphics Card

The Graphics card, or GPU, is a processor specifically designed to handle graphics. It’s what you hook your monitor up to, and it’s what draws your desktop and your windows on the screen. Some motherboards come with a GPU already integrated, which is enough to manage your desktop, but usually not enough for playing 3D games or high grade graphic design, for those, you’ll need a dedicated graphics card.

The Hard Drive(s)

Your hard drive, not to be confused with memory (RAM), stores all of your data, ranging from your operating system to your documents, music, and movies. If the RAM is your computer’s short-term memory, your hard drive is the long-term memory. It stores the things you want to keep around for a while. The kind of hard drive you choose will be determined mainly by how much data you need to store and the programs you need to load on your hard drive, but certain kinds of hard drives (like solid state drives) can also affect your computer’s speed.

The Optical Drive

An optical drive, more commonly known as a CD or DVD drive, is what you’ll use to read CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-Ray discs. Not everyone needs an optical drive in their computer these days, but since you can buy one for about $30, there’s little reason not to have one.

The Power Supply


Other Parts to Consider
