Parts of a Computer
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
The CPU is the brain of the computer. The computing part of the computer. Also called the "processor," the CPU is made up of the control unit, which executes instructions, and the ALU, which performs calculations and logical operations. Today, the CPUs inside almost all computers are contained on a single microprocessor chip, having multiple processing units on one chip are common. In todays industry, there are only two major companies that produce CPUs, they are AMD and Intel. Both are great choices, but recently enthusiast have been favouring AMD. When purchasing or building your computer, the CPU is one of the componets that you definitetly do not want to cheap out on. We recommend getting at least a 4 core cpu as anything less is not efficient. Both Intel and AMD offer great options for 4 core CPU as well.
Motherboard
The motherbaord, also called the "system board," "main board" "base board" or "logic board," is the primary printed circuit board in a computer or other electronic device. In a modern desktop computer, the motherboard contains CPU and RAM sockets and the chipset, which houses the control circuits for all primary peripheral devices (drives, keyboard, mouse, etc.). A motherboard also has PCI-Express slots for a high-end graphics card or other peripherals. Every motherboard contains a specific chipset and a slot for one type of CPU chip. AMD and Intel both have different motherboards because each chipset caters to each CPU. Some motherboards even have additional features like built-in WIFI, compact form factor, and extra PCI slots. Depending on the size of your case/tower, you will want to find a matching size motherboard.
Storage
In todays industry, there are mainly two options for storage. They are SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard drive). Over the last couple of years, SSD have shown there superoirty in speed and effcicently over the hard drive making them the industry standard for storage. Hard drives are cheaper and can give you more storage, but they will run you some risks like mechanical failure. Many builds will still run both SSD and HDD as paired storage giving users the ability to take advantage of SSD speed and HDD size. Programs like games, or render files would be put on the SSD for easy access. Files like documents and videos would be put on the HDD for maximum storage capacity. If you are building a computer for a data center, fast storage is less of a priorty than storage size so hard drives would better fit your need.
Computer Case/Tower
The case houses the power supply, motherboard, memory, drives, and other peripheral control units. The most common case design in custom DIY builds, are tower cases. Towers stand up vertically and provide the most space for expansion and upgrades in comparison to other case designs which is the main reason it is so popular. Many cases come with coolering fans in the box, so purchasing extra isn't part of your budget. Case designing company NZXT integrates RGB and other aesthetic inhanceing features like side glass to see into your computer and make things colourful.. Though it is only aesthetic, these things can help make a setup complete.
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
The GPU is the component responsible for graphic processes. It is a programmable processor specialized for rendering all images on the computer's screen. A GPU provides the fastest graphics processing, and for gamers, the GPU is a stand-alone card plugged into the PCI Express (PCIe) bus. GPU circuitry can also be part of the motherboard chipset or on the CPU chip itself. A GPU performs parallel operations. Although it is used for 2D data as well as for zooming and panning the screen, a GPU is essential for smooth decoding and rendering of 3D animations and video. The more sophisticated the GPU, the higher the resolution and the faster and smoother the motion. GPUs on stand-alone cards include their own memory, while GPUs built into the chipset or CPU chip share main memory with the CPU.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Random Access Memory is the main memory in a computer, smartphone or tablet. RAM is the temporary workspace where instructions are executed and data are processed. What makes RAM "random access" is its capability of reading and writing any single byte. This "byte addressability" differs from storage devices such as hard drives and solid state drives (SSDs) that read and write many bytes (sectors or pages) at one time. In addition, RAM is used as a temporary space for the software, while storage is permanent until deleted by the user. Like some of the components on this list, aesthetic of your RAM can be improved by investing a little bit more money into RGB RAM (RAM sticks that have RGB colour lights).
PSU (Power Supply Unit)
A system that converts AC current from the wall outlet into the DC currents required by electronic circuits. A computer power supply converts AC into multiple DC voltages. For example, 12 volts is commonly used for drives, while 3.3v and 5v are used by the chips and other motherboard components. The power supply should not be cheaped out on because it is important to have good power flow through your computer and it is also a safety issue if you purchase one of cheaper quality. Depending on the price, power supplies can be modular, semi-modular, or not modular. This is referrecing the cables that connect power to the components throughout the computer. Usually cheaper PSU will have non-removeable cables. If something goes wrong with the cables, you will have to buy a whole new PSU. Additionally, the ability to remove you cables adds that extra bonus of putting in custom cables to not only makes things look better, but making cable management easier.
