Basic Components of a Desktop Computer
PARTS:
- Motherboard
- Video Card
- Sound Card
- Network Card
- Memory
- Processor
- Hard Disk Drive
- CD / DVD ROM Drive
- Cables
- Power Supply Unit
I'm going to post pictures of these parts and describe how they are used in your every day computer.
The Motherboard
The Motherboard is the main component of the computer. Like it's name it's the mother of all the boards / cards that make up a computer. 
It ties the Processor (Brain of the Computer) to the Memory, RAM (Short Term Memory) or Hard Disk Drive(Long Term Memory), and other connected devices. Modern day Motherboards come with built in boards / cards like the Video Card or Sound Card, and Network Card. These boards also have many ports, which are plugs for external devices like a keyboard, mouse, or camera. Just like cars, there are many different brands of Motherboards out on the market, I usually stick with one brand in particular (Gigabyte), because the boards tend to be very reliable in my opinion.
It ties the Processor (Brain of the Computer) to the Memory, RAM (Short Term Memory) or Hard Disk Drive(Long Term Memory), and other connected devices. Modern day Motherboards come with built in boards / cards like the Video Card or Sound Card, and Network Card. These boards also have many ports, which are plugs for external devices like a keyboard, mouse, or camera. Just like cars, there are many different brands of Motherboards out on the market, I usually stick with one brand in particular (Gigabyte), because the boards tend to be very reliable in my opinion.Video Card
This component is in charge of delivering video input and output to a display device like a computer monitor, TV, or projector. Many video cards that are not integrated into the motherboard are morepowerful than the ones onboard. 
These cards are usually for 3D rendering of games, graphics, and now used to watch HD (High Definition) TV. The video card plugs into the motherboard via a long slot in the middle of the motherboard. Modern motherboard use a slow called the PCI Express (16x). Just like Motherboards these cards come in many different brands. The two major brands are nVidia and ATI.
These cards are usually for 3D rendering of games, graphics, and now used to watch HD (High Definition) TV. The video card plugs into the motherboard via a long slot in the middle of the motherboard. Modern motherboard use a slow called the PCI Express (16x). Just like Motherboards these cards come in many different brands. The two major brands are nVidia and ATI.Sound Card
This card is usually found onboard like the video card. This card can also be purchased as an additional card for the motherboard, but most onboard sound cards have sufficient power to output clear audio.
Network Card
This card is used to connect to other computers. Just like the two first cards, this one is usually found onboard the motherboard.
The most common type of network card is the Ethernet Card, which uses a large telephone like plug (RJ45) and a CAT 5 cable to send and receive information from other computers / devices. This card is responsible for connecting to the internet via high speed cable / DSL modem.
The most common type of network card is the Ethernet Card, which uses a large telephone like plug (RJ45) and a CAT 5 cable to send and receive information from other computers / devices. This card is responsible for connecting to the internet via high speed cable / DSL modem.Memory (RAM)
When people refer to computer memory they usually mean the RAM (Random Access Memory). This memory is considered to be the short term memory as it is constantly changing. Memory is measured in terms of speed (Hz) and capacity (Bytes). 
These memory modules are designed to be plugged into the motherboard in slots near the Processor. Modern motherboards use a type of Memory called DDR2 or DDR3 (Double Data Rate). DDR2 or 3 memory also can be configured to run in a mode called Dual Channel, which doubles the speed of the memory for more performance. But in order to achieve this, you must purchase 2 identical memory moduals for your motherboard. Memory is mostly sold as dual channel kits.
These memory modules are designed to be plugged into the motherboard in slots near the Processor. Modern motherboards use a type of Memory called DDR2 or DDR3 (Double Data Rate). DDR2 or 3 memory also can be configured to run in a mode called Dual Channel, which doubles the speed of the memory for more performance. But in order to achieve this, you must purchase 2 identical memory moduals for your motherboard. Memory is mostly sold as dual channel kits.Processor (CPU)
The Processor is the brain of your computer, it's what does all the thinking. The processor is locked in placed on the board in a socket where tiny pins connect it to the motherboard. Different processor models use different types of sockets.
Processor performance is measured in Hz, but most processors run thousands of times faster, so we use MHz (MegaHertz) or GHz (GigaHertz). When processors reached the 3.0 GHz speed range, they seemed to have reached a physical block. 
They electrons couldn't seem to run and faster through the circuitry, so processor manufacturing companies started producing Dual Core and even Quad Core processors, which are basically 2 or 4 separate processors under a single processor chip that share the workload to increase performance.
They electrons couldn't seem to run and faster through the circuitry, so processor manufacturing companies started producing Dual Core and even Quad Core processors, which are basically 2 or 4 separate processors under a single processor chip that share the workload to increase performance. There are many types of processors on the market, two major brands you may be familiar with are INTEL and AMD. I prefer INTEL processors to AMD as I believe that they run better. Most modern day processors are 32bit processors that run on the x86 platform. Most computers sold today including the new line of Apple computers utilize new x64 or 64bit processors which are backwards compatible with 32bit operating systems.
In 2009 Intel released it's new Intel i7 line of processors which contain 4 real processors and 3 virtual processors for a total of 7 processors on one chip. 
The virtual processors serve to organize the data before they process it. Intel has already been using this technology for a while now, it was used in Intel Pentium 4 processors and was called Hyper Threading. AMD has released similar products.
The virtual processors serve to organize the data before they process it. Intel has already been using this technology for a while now, it was used in Intel Pentium 4 processors and was called Hyper Threading. AMD has released similar products.Since the processor produces a fair amount of heat, it is cooled with a heat sink or a type of radiator for computers. This allows a fan, to blow cold air and remove heat from the processor. It is very important to keep your processor at acceptable temperature levels. If your computer fails to do so, you may experience computer lock ups or total system failure.
Hard Disk Drive
The Hard Disk Drive or Hard Drive, is the long term storage for your computer's data. This is where the operating system and all your saved files are located. When you turn off your computer this information is saved for a long period of time (maybe forever). 
Hard drives come in many different brands and are measured in capacity (Bytes), but we use thousands of times more than that so it is expressed in GB (GigaBytes). Many computers will soon use TeraBytes of data which is 1000 x 1 GB. The Hard drive is typically connected to the Motherboard and Power Supply Unit by means of SATA / IDE (Ribbon) or power Molex connector.
Hard drives come in many different brands and are measured in capacity (Bytes), but we use thousands of times more than that so it is expressed in GB (GigaBytes). Many computers will soon use TeraBytes of data which is 1000 x 1 GB. The Hard drive is typically connected to the Motherboard and Power Supply Unit by means of SATA / IDE (Ribbon) or power Molex connector.CD / DVD Rom drive
This is the optical drive where we can read and write CD's or DVD's. Many computers now come with DVD Burners, which usually double as CD burners as well.
They connect to the Motherboard and Power Supply Unit via SATA / IDE (Ribbon) or power Molex connector.
They connect to the Motherboard and Power Supply Unit via SATA / IDE (Ribbon) or power Molex connector.Cables
Inside a computer you will see about 3 types of cables connected to the motherboard. There are Power cables, Data cables, and external port cables.
Power cables connect the Power Supply Unit to all the components inside the computer like the Hard Disk Drive, DVD ROM Drive, or Motherboard. 
There are different types of end connectors but it's hard to mix them up as they can only connect a certain way.
There are different types of end connectors but it's hard to mix them up as they can only connect a certain way.
Data cables come in two different types of cables, older computers use the 40 / 80 pin PATA Ribbon cables, and the new SATA standard. PATA (Parallel ATA) cables are long ribbon like cables that have 3 connections on them. The first connection is to motherboard, and the other two can be used to connect two drives simultaneously. Each drive must be set to operate in Master / Slave mode or the system will not recognize the drives. These cables have maxed their speed at (133 Mbps)
SATA cables are called Serial ATA because they operate in a serial circuit, only one drive per cable.
Since the cables are so thin, you can have more plugs on the motherboard. These cables offer data transfer rates which are much faster than the traditional PATA cables (1.5 and 3.0 Gbps) (Gbps = Gigabits Per Seconds).
Since the cables are so thin, you can have more plugs on the motherboard. These cables offer data transfer rates which are much faster than the traditional PATA cables (1.5 and 3.0 Gbps) (Gbps = Gigabits Per Seconds).The other cables are usually not very important, they are connectors for front panel USB / DATA ports or sound card ports.
Not all motherboards come with support for these cables.
Not all motherboards come with support for these cables.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
The Power Supply Unit is a box which transforms electricity from the wall into 12V and 5V for all the connectors. They usually come with many different Molex plugs to plug into the motherboard and any drives / devices inside the computer. 
The power supply unit is the ground for all the parts in your computer. In most cases when a computer has received a power surge, the power supply takes the hit and is usually the only thing that needs to be replaced in the computer. Power Supplies come in many different brands, and it is important to get a good power supply for your computer. Don't try to save a few bucks by getting a cheap power supply, because you may burn out your motherboard or a drive. Power Supply Units are measured in terms of Watts.
The power supply unit is the ground for all the parts in your computer. In most cases when a computer has received a power surge, the power supply takes the hit and is usually the only thing that needs to be replaced in the computer. Power Supplies come in many different brands, and it is important to get a good power supply for your computer. Don't try to save a few bucks by getting a cheap power supply, because you may burn out your motherboard or a drive. Power Supply Units are measured in terms of Watts. This concludes my blog for today. I hope you found this informative and educating.
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