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PC Part Terminology
Central Processing Unit or CPU
The "brain" of the PC
The CPU processes instructions from the operating system (Windows), programs, and the computers components. Usually, the more CPU cores you have, the faster the PC will complete multiple tasks made by the user.
Pictured: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU
Motherboard or Mobo
The "backbone" of the PC
The CPU, hard drives, RAM memory, GPU, and other devices connect directly, or via cables that attach directly to the motherboard.
Pictured: ROG Strix X570-E Gaming Mobo
Graphics Processing Unit "GPU"
Graphics Card
The graphics card renders 3D graphics to allow the CPU to focus on other tasks. Graphics cards are important for gaming or intensive video editing tasks, because they allow the PC to run more efficiently while outputting high resolution graphics and frame rates.
Pictured: Nvidia RTX 2080 Founders Edition
CPU Cooling
Necessity for any CPU
The CPU cooler allows your processor to stay cool under load and prevents overheating. There are air cooling or liquid cooling solutions available. Both offer a lot of choices for performance and visual touches
Pictured: Rosewill All-in-One Liquid Cooler & be quiet! Air cooler
Power Supply Unit or PSU
IT'S ALIVE :O
The PSU brings power to all of your PC components and peripherals (USB, hard drives, hubs, mouse, keyboard, etc.) Make sure you provide your system with enough power (Wattage) and efficiency (80+ Certified PSU), so that it will run reliable and stable for years.
Pictured: Cooler Master 750 Watt PSU
Random Access Memory "RAM"
Random, temporary storage
RAM determines how many programs can run simultaneously and how much data is available for a certain program at any time. Super fast, temporary storage space that is accessed right now or in following moments.
Pictured: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM
PC Case or Chassis
The Home of all the components
The case is where all of the parts are attached and stored for final assembly. Cases vary in size, shape, and color. Some do not accept the same size parts as others (motherboard, power supply, graphics card, and CPU cooling can all be affected by this)
Pictured: Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL
Storage
Long Term Storage
All of your data is stored here (games, documents, videos, programs etc.) Solid State Drives (SSD) are faster than Hard Drives (HDD), but cost more for larger amounts of storage. Hard Drives are cheaper alternatives for mass amounts of storage, but aren't as fast when compared to a SSD
Pictured: Crucial M.2 SSD & WD HDD
Case Fans
Don't Mess with the Flow
The PC case fan layout is important to maximize the intake of cool air and exhaust the hot air. The fan layout is also important for minimizing the amount of pressure inside the case. With these combined it will likely increase the longevity of your computer's components.
Power Supply Extension Cables
Primarily Cosmetic
Power supply extension cables are connected to the existing power supply cables to add another personal touch to your PC. Some even include addressable RGB lighting
Pictured: White Cables & Lian Li Strimer RGB cables
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