A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating rigid platters with magnetic surfaces. Hard disk drives are used to store computer programs and data. The most common types of hard drive interfaces are SATA and IDE. A typical desktop hard drive stores between 160GB to 2TB of data.

Removable drives refers to storage media which is designed to be removed from the computer without powering the computer off. Examples include: USB floppy drives, USB/ESATA hard drives and USB flash drives. External DVD writers 4.7GB & 8.5GB are also available. Removable drives are a convenient option to transport data from one system to another.

Random-access memory (RAM) is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order (i.e., at random). "Random" refers to the idea that any piece of data can be returned in a constant time, regardless of its physical location and whether or not it is related to the previous piece of data. Memory module sizes range from 128MB to 4GB and can quickly be replaced should they become damaged or when changing needs demand more storage capacity.

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or the processor is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, and is the primary element carrying out the computer's functions. The CPU is the primary factor in system performance.

A motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB) in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, while providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the main board or system board.