1. A mother board is the main circuit board for the computer system (hence the name mother board ) The mother board holds all of the other components of a computer together

2. The motherboard is the easiest to find of all the components the motherboard is mounted on the side of the case. The central processing unit CPU, Random Access Memory RAM, hard drives, disk drives and optical drives are all plugged into interfaces on the motherboard. A video interface and sound card can be optionally built-in or added via PCI slots.

3. A CPU or central processing unit, also known as a "processor", is the brain of a computer. It does all the calculations to make programs run. The CPU is the single most important chip in the computer without it the computer wouldn’t function properly.

4. The CPU is a silicon chip when your computer is running the CPU heats up to high temperatures so it is placed directly underneath the a cooling fan.

5. A computer system's components produce large amounts of heat during operation, including CPUs, chipset and graphics cards, along with hard drives. This heat must be dissipated in order to keep these components within their safe operating temperatures, and both manufacturing methods and additional parts are used to keep the heat at a safe level.

6. This is done mainly using heat sinks to increase the surface area which dissipates heat, fans to speed up the exchange of air heated by the computer parts for cooler ambient air, and in some cases soft cooling, the throttling of computer parts in order to decrease heat generation.

7. RAM temporarily stores data to enhance computer performance. By storing frequently used or active files in random access memory, the computer can access the data faster than if to retrieve it from the far-larger hard drive. Random access memory is volatile memory, meaning it loses its contents once power is cut. This is different from non-volatile memory such as hard disks and flash memory, which do not require a power source to retain data

8. RAM is pretty easy to find RAM is usually a long thin silicon chip. Most computers have 2 to 4 RAM slot.

9. The hard disk drive is the main, and usually largest, data storage device in a computer. The operating system, software titles and most other files are stored in the hard disk drive.

10. A hard drive is usually the size of a paperback book but much heavier. The sides of the hard drive have pre drilled, threaded holes for easy mounting in the 3.5 inch drive bay in the computer case. Mounting is also possible in a larger 5.25 inch drive bay with an adapter available at computer supply stores. The hard drive is mounted so the end with the connections faces inside the computer.

11. The back end of the hard drive contains a port for a cable that connects to the motherboard. The type of cable used will depend on the type of drive. Also here is a connection for power from the power supply. Most hard drives also have jumper settings on the back end that define how the motherboard is to recognize the drive when more than one is present. These settings vary from drive to drive

12. The power supply's job is to convert the power provided from the outlet into usable power for the many parts inside the computer case.

13. Motherboards, cases and power supplies all come in different sizes called form factors. All three must be compatible to work properly together. Power supplies are not typically user serviceable.

14. The power supply is mounted just inside the back of the case. The side facing outside the case has a male, three pronged port that a power cable, connected to a power source, plugs into. There is also often a power switch and a power supply voltage switch.

15. Large bundles of coloured wires extend from the opposite side of the power supply into the computer. Connectors at the opposite ends of the wires connect to various components inside the computer. Some are specifically designed to plug in to the motherboard while others have connectors that fit into fans, floppy drives, hard drives, optical drives, and even some high powered video cards.

16. The monitor displays the video and graphics information generated by the computer through the video card. Monitors are very similar to televisions but display information at a much higher quality

17. A monitor, no matter the type, connects to either a VGA Monitors come in two major types CRT and LCD. CRT monitors look much like traditional televisions and are very deep in size. LCD monitors are much thinner while still offering equivalent, if not better, graphics quality. LCD monitors are beginning to obsolete CRT monitors due to their smaller "footprint" on the desk and decreasing price. Most monitors range in size from 15" to 21" or more. This size is a diagonal measurement from one corner of the screen to the other. or DVI port on a video card.

18. The keyboard is an input device designed to enter text, characters and other commands into the computer. Keyboards may be wired or wireless but they always communicate with the computer via PS2 or USB connections, usually located on the motherboard. Even though the keyboard sits outside the main computer housing, it is an essential part of the complete system.

19. Modern computer keyboards were modelled after and are still very similar to classic typewriter keyboards. Many different layouts are available around the world but most keyboards are of the QWERTY type.

20. The mouse is an input device designed to manipulate objects on the computer screen. Computer mice come in many shapes and sizes but are all designed to fit either the left or right hand. Anywhere from one to six or more buttons and often a scroll wheel are integrated onto the mouse to provide a wide variety of functions.

21. Mice may be wired or wireless but they always communicate with the computer via PS2 or USB ports, usually located on the motherboard. Even though the mouse sits outside the main computer housing, it is an essential part of the complete system.