PC hardware is the physical components of a computer that make it work. This includes the central processing unit, random access memory, motherboard, computer data storage, and more.
Better Build Quality. Pre-built computers tend to use cheaper parts in less important areas. This can lead to more problems over time. Building a PC lets you choose higher quality components throughout.
Motherboard
The motherboard acts as the central hub that connects all of the other hardware components in your computer. It contains lots of pathways called traces that carry electrical signals between the different components, and it’s also where you install the CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory) and hard disk.
The CPU — also known as the main processor — executes instructions that are specified by desktop programs. The BIOS or UEFI is a chip on the motherboard that provides firmware-level instructions and settings for initializing your computer’s hardware. The motherboard also includes power connectors to receive electrical power from the PSU, and auxiliary connections for things like cooling fans.
CPU
The central processing unit, or CPU, is the brain of your computer. It performs the calculations that allow software to run your web browser, write emails and call friends.
It does this on a single integrated circuit chip with billions of tiny transistors. It’s also found in modern devices like tablets and smart washing machines.
The control unit receives input from the monitor display screen, keyboard, mouse and microphone. It then assigns instructions to the arithmetic-logic unit, which performs logical and math functionality, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The final result goes to memory for storage or to the output devices for delivery.
RAM
RAM (random access memory) is the temporary storage space for information that your computer needs to work with. It offers lightning-fast data access so that other components don’t have to wait to fetch it from slower, longer-term storage like hard drives or solid-state drives.
RAM isn’t permanent—it gets wiped when you shut down your computer. But you can improve your computer’s speed by closing programs that aren’t being used or changing the order in which they start when you boot up.
Modern RAM comes in modules about the size of a stick of gum that can be easily upgraded when your computing needs change. Current modules use a technology called double data rate SDRAM, which nearly doubles the bandwidth of legacy DRAM.
Hard Drive
A hard drive is the non-volatile storage that keeps data around after the computer shuts down. It contains a metal platter or stack of platters that are coated with magnetic oxide to store the information and an arm that scans each platter using read/write heads.
Today’s internal HDDs can hold anywhere from a few gigabytes to multiple terabytes of storage. Whether you’re an avid gamer or work in an office environment, choosing the right hard drive is essential to your system’s performance and capacity.
Like any hardware, hard drives can experience mechanical or logical failures. Mechanical failure can result in the read/write head hitting a rotating platter and irreparable physical damage, or logical failure can occur due to software corruption, malware or viruses, human error and more.
Optical Drive
An optical drive is a component that reads and writes data to CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. It contains lenses that project electromagnetic waves into a spinning plastic disc, detecting a series of bumps and pits on its underside that encode digital data. Optical drives are integral to standalone appliances such as CD players, DVD players, and video game consoles such as Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation.
An optical disk drive looks like a square box with an open/close button on the front that ejects and retracts its bay door for media insertion and removal. It’s still a common feature in home computers to install systems, software, and games; though the advent of internet streaming has diminished their usefulness as storage media.
Case
The case, also called a tower, is where all the electronics in your computer reside. It keeps them safe and secure, provides ventilation shafts for cooling the delicate electronics, and allows room for a power supply unit (PSU), which handles power conversion for all of the components. Most cases have fans to keep the computers cool, which is important since electronics get hot very quickly and can cause the entire system to shut down. The case is usually made from metal or plastic and may have an open design.