You need several different elements to assemble a computer.
Your computer needs certain essential components, such as a motherboard, a processor, RAM or a power supply, to function properly. You can also add non-essential components if you want to be able to perform certain actions, such as listen to a CD, play video games or watch television on your computer monitor.
Case
The computer case, also sometimes called the system unit, is a metal box that contains the other components of your computer. Computer cases have specific features, from their size to the number of fans they contain to cool the motherboard and CPU down. There are three main formats of computer cases: ATX, microATX and FlexATX. While most desktop computers use the ATX format, media centers or mini PCs use the smaller microATX or FlexATX formats.
Processor
The processor, or computer processing unit (CPU), is the central part of a computer. This microchip processes the instructions that programs send to it. Manufacturers, such as AMD or Intel, express the speed of a processor in MegaHertz (MHz) and GigaHertz (Ghz). The higher the speed of a processor, the faster it can process instructions.
Motherboard
The motherboard is a printed circuit board that coordinates the information flow between the different components of your computer. In recent years, several manufacturers have started integrating essential components such as graphics, sound or network chips to motherboards, reducing the need for consumers to buy those products separately.
RAM
Random access Memory (RAM) stores temporary data. When your computer needs to store information for a very short period of time, it does so on the RAM. Reading and writing memory on the RAM is much faster than doing so on a hard drive. RAM comes in modules which you have to insert in RAM slots on your motherboard. Those modules can hold different amounts of memory. The more RAM on a module, the more expensive it will be. The main RAM format class is the DDR SDRAM one, which you can find in most modern computers. As of March, 2011, there were four formats included in that class: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 and DDR4. DDR1 is the slowest format, while DDR4 is the fastest. It is also worth noting that those RAM formats are incompatible with each other. In other words, a DDR2 RAM module will not work on a motherboard which only has DDR3 RAM slots.
Power Supply
At the back of your computer is the power supply unit. It converts the AC electrical current which you receive from your electrical company to DC current which your computer needs to function properly. The amount of electrical current that a power supply unit can deliver to the computer is expressed in watts. Computers containing many power-hungry components usually need a power supply which can deliver a fair amount of watts.
Optional Components
You can also add several optional components to a computer to suit your particular needs. For example, if you play video games, you might want to add a dedicated graphics card and sound card since dedicated cards are usually more powerful than chips integrated on the motherboard. You can also add a separate network card, a TV tuner card or a CD/DVD drive, amongst many other potential computer components.
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