Understanding Computers and Their Parts

There are thousands of computer parts that might be confusing to understand and understand which part does what for your use case scenario.

We're here to help resolve that issue so you can understand more about the computer your buying and you can talk to people you know about the computer you purchased!

Components in the Computer

Each computer requires 9 components.

  • CPU
  • Motherboard
  • RAM
  • GPU
  • Storage
  • Case
  • CPU Cooler
  • PSU
  • Operating System (OS)

Each component has their own process that talks with every other component in your system to make the computer do what it does.

CPU: A CPU is what does quick calculations and can process what info is required to make your computers Operating System talk with the rest of the components in your computer.

Motherboard: A motherboard is the bridge between each part of the computer and allows each part to communicate with one another.

RAM: RAM allows short term processes to stay on the screen and render what's happening for a short while.

GPU: The GPU is what does all of the heavy lifting of your computer, it will render YouTube videos, website UI, video games, 3D models and practically anything that appears on your screen.

Storage: Fairly self explanitory, if you download a game or file, it will stay there until your delete or remove the drive from your computer.

Case: A case is what your computer is stored in and what allows airflow to be present in your computer, allows cool air to be pulled in and warm air to leave which allows better cooling overall and more performance from your CPU, GPU and RAM.

CPU Cooler: A CPU cooler is what is used to cool your CPU, your CPU generates lots of heat (upwards of 150°F or 80°C) and the cooler that it runs, the better performance you will get, which will allow for more processes to be completed.

PSU: This delivers all of the power to your system and can also allow for better performance to each part, especially your GPU. Its not required to have a 'high performing' PSU but having enough extra wattage can increase the amount of performance your GPU will get (along with cooling).

OS: Your OS (Operating System) allows your computer to function properly with each part working simultaneously. There are many versions of operating systems, ones dedicated for phones, computers, laptops, and even "smart" devices (TV's, Thermostats, Digital watches, etc...)


Main Points to Focus On?

When buying a gaming oriented computer, you mostly want to look at things that will have an affect on your gaming performance. Many gamers look at what GPU and CPU they have along with how much storage and RAM is in the system.

Best part to look at for a GPU is how much VRAM is has, essentially VRAM is how much power your GPU can output. For instance, say you want to play Minecraft with Shader mods (make the game look better and realistic) you can go with a lower end graphics card such as a Radeon RX 6600XT but your game will not run as smooth as it would if you were to have a higher end graphics card like a Radeon RX 6800XT or an NVIDIA RTX 3080, these 2 cards both have lots of VRAM (12GB+) and can handle the higher workload that the mods will add to the game.

Making sure that you have the right CPU can be tough since there's a lot of different and confusing code names that they use for each brand. A quick understanding of "what model should I buy?" or "which CPU is better than xyz?" is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. The AMD Ryzen lineup is fairly self explanatory. It goes from Ryzen 3 to 5 to 7 to 9, the higher the number, the more cores and more processing power it can use to complete tasks more efficiently. For the Intel Core lineup, it gets a little bit more confusing but its also fairly easy to understand. They also have Intel Core i3, i5, i7, i9 but they also have a generation code as well. Those go from 11th, 12th, 13th and most recently 14th gen. The naming scheme for example a Core i7 12th gen CPU would be labeled as "Intel Core i7 12700" which means its a 12th gen CPU (12xxx) and the i7 is the model.

Pairing a good CPU and GPU together is great but if you want to be able to utilize it all, you need a good amount of RAM in your system, as mentioned in the information section, RAM allows background tasks to be stored on screen while the computer is powered on. It also allows for more clear communication between your CPU and GPU. Its like having a party with lots of people, if you have a smaller room then you can't move around as well as understand someone you'd be talking to but if you were in a big venue, you can move around freely, speak clearer and be able to understand what is being said. Not to mention that having more RAM allows you to have more applications open, so if you are trying to learn a new strategy to a video game and need a YouTube video open in the background to watch while you play, you'll be able to play them both at the same time without any buffering or lag.

Which Platform is Right For You?

  • Intel

    Intel offers lots of heavy duty work loads like video rendering or 3D modeling but is also great for gaming, all of the Intel CPU's listed on our website have Performance and Efficiency cores which dedicate parts of the CPU to do certain workloads that are either CPU demanding or can be completed with ease. Having all of this extra headroom can come at a price cost which makes Intel a little more expensive than its competitor AMD

  • AMD

    AMD offers lots of gaming and background performance, its a great CPU for high end video gaming and streaming. The Ryzen line-up of CPU's allow the CPU to talk directly with the GPU without any delay making game render speeds immaculate. The newest Ryzen line-up (Ryzen 7000 series) is more expensive than its predecessor the Ryzen 5000 series. Both of these generations of CPU's have great performance but also are fairly cheaper than the most of the Intel series CPU's.

It Might Be a Bit Much To Understand, But That's Okay!

If you don't understand, that's okay. We're here to remove the complicated process! We have a team of well versed and professional technicians to assemble and test the computer before we ship it to you! All you have to do is unbox the system and enjoy!

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