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A Guide to Computer Hardware

Written on July 31, 2006 by

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Always look at the date when you read a hardware article. Some of the content in this article is most likely out of date, as it was written on July 31, 2006. For newer information, see our more recent articles.

Introduction

Today, computers are found in over 80% of American households. Nearly every mall and major electronics store makes computer shopping as accessible as buying a new toaster. However, a computer is significantly more complicated than your average toaster! I speak with a dozen people each day who are trying to make sense of Gigahertz, Wattages, Decibels, and everything in between.

Welcome to Computer Hardware 101, a basic overview of what-is-what in computers. Hopefully this article will leave you with a basic understanding of the nuts and bolts of your typical computer hardware, and equip you to make informed decisions about what you need in your next computer. Here's a short list of questions that I hope this article will help you answer:

What do all the part numbers mean?
What does each piece of hardware do? Which parts are right for you?
How can you figure out the bottlenecks in your current system?

Let's start by taking a look at all the major components that make up your standard computer. The first piece of hardware that we'll take a look at is the motherboard, Or you can jump directly to any page: