CPU

The brain of the computer. It is the thing that controls what hardware needs to to what task and determines overall response, quickness and capabilities

Model

2 of the main producers AMD and Intel will have a specific naming convention to quickly identify the capabilities of their CPU. Some goals may be budget-oriented, gaming, servers, enterprise or home use. Intel: AMD:

Pin Layout or Form Factor

Cores

How many 'hands' or tasks can be handled at once. Most computers now days come with 4 or 8 but you can get away with 4 for basic home use.

Processors

How many fingers per hand. Allows for more complex tasks to be handled by the same core before needing to outsource parts of the process to other cores.

Threads

How many individual things need to happen in order to complete a task.

GHz

How much electrical power goes into making the CPU work. The higher the Ghz, the faster the hands can potentially move. This is the thing people talk about increasing when they 'overclock' = give cpu more power than it was built for so it can be faster at processing tasks. 1.5 Ghz is weenie mode computers when 4 Ghz is good for quick daily stuff and moderate gaming but 6 is just overkill (for like servers and ai training and big complex stuff)

GPU(s)

Graphics Processing Unit = It acts as a mini-CPU that refers specifically the visual stuff on the computer. It's the thing that renders games, youtube, anything you see on the monitor outside of direct code. It has the physical GPU chip and VRAM (Video RAM) and serve the same roles when it concerns only visuals. Almost all motherboards will have an "onboard" GPU that is soldered down. The onboard GPU is weak compared to a dedicated Graphics Card and should not be used for intense computations like AI modeling or gaming but for basic computer navigation in files or apps.

• Model

  VRAM

  Video Random Access Memory = The RAM the only the GPU can access and use. This is used to cache and serve data directly to the GPU without any bottlenecks, generally increasing the effectiveness of the GPU.

  VRAM Capacity in GB

  The amount of data that can be stored for use. 8 GB is basic but 12 GB is the higher end of standard sized. AI uses much more with 16 GB as a minimum for larger models.

  VRAM types/Speeds

  Measured as GDDR6/6X/7 or HBM. How fast can the GPU find what it is looking for and how quick can it utilize it. 20 Gbps is overkill but what is "good" is based on the amount of VRAM capacity.

• PCIE Lanes

  RAM

  Random Access Memory= the thing that acts like short-term memory in people. This one is the thing that also determines how many apps you can have open at one time or how many browsers u can have before things start to lag (like trying to remember what was going on at one time).

  Capacity in GB

  How many things can be recalled ie how many apps and browsers and such. In today's terms 4 gigs is kinda small bare minimum stuff, 8 gigs is more than enough for typical people and 16 gigs is like computer engineer level.

  Generation or Type

  Speed at which that storage can be accessed and used. DDR3 is ol reliable and DDR4 is the typical Gen for modern computers. The new kid on the block is DDR5 and is stupid fast for the gamers with a bunch of tabs and stuff going on in the background of what they are doing

• GHz
• Channels

  Storage Volume(s)

  These are the "Hard drives" that are physically plugged in to the motherboard. "Local storage" can be much faster than Cloud based storage, can potentially hold much more and the data on them are completely yours. There are 3 major types of storage available with their own pros and cons. All storage have speed limits to the Read (retrieval of stored data) and Write ("saving" new data to storage) as well as a life expectancy in cycles (how many Reads/Writes can it do before breaking down)

  Storage Types

• Hard drive- price=lowest, speed= low, comparative capacity= large, connection type= SATA (standard stuff). This is what ur grandma probly has but is reliable enough to get things done.
• SSD - solid state drive price=middle, speed= fast, comparative capacity= big but not as much as hard drive, connection type=SATA(normal stuff). This is what most people have. This is a really good option for quickly being able to get things like movies or music without having to wait for it to load up.
• Connection type NVMe - non-volitile memory express price = expensive, speed=stupid fast(we talking a theoretical 7x faster than SSD) , comparative capacity= low. This is next generation type thing that people who need to write and recall large amounts of data go to (like youtubers and streamers). They sell these as SSD but look for the sticks that have little golden pins at the bottom or side. Those golden ones are the m.2 version that this is explaining, not the SATA (square lookin) kind
• Capacity
• Data Connection
• Form Factor
• Speed

  Software

  Operating System

  Motherboard

• NIC Mbps
• I/O
• DIMM slots
• PCIe Slots
• SATA Connections
• M.2 Connections

  PSU

  Power Supply Unit = Converts AC power from the wall to DC power that computers like. It also regulates how much power goes into the computer components like power hungry GPUs or lightweight fans. With computers having alot of sensitive circuits, you should NEVER skimp on a PSU. Bigger PSUs might have a few extra 'outlets' on the inside that can allow for greater growth down the line if needed for more storage, extra peripherals or upgraded parts.There will be a rating like 850 or 945 or whatever and those are the max amount of watts those can push.

  Wattage

  The number of watts the PSU can reliably and safely distribute. this number should be around +50% of the average potential draw of the entire system

  Efficiency Ratings

Cooling

• Fan size
• Liquid or AIO Radiator Size

Monitor

doesn't really matter as long as she's not gonna be gaming. Don't worry about getting a curved monitor (when looking dead on vs looking at the screen from the side, they appear similar) or anti-blue light since (alleged eye fatigue) the effects are minimal for just home browsing or easy use

Pixels

How high Def u want to get, 1920x1080 is enough but u can got like 4k and 8k for way more money.

Hertz

The refresh rate. Higher hertz allows for computers pushing faster frame rates to actually keep up with those frame rates. If the computer updates a picture 60 fps but the monitor can only update 30 hertz, the final picture is going to be at 30 hertz.