- Before going into your computer and replacing components, you'll want to identify the motherboard.

- If your computer was built to purchase, you may be able to look up your computer name online to find the motherboard specs.

- If your computer was custom built, you can usually find the motherboard's manufacturer and model number stenciled to the side.

- One of the most important things you should do before touching the inside of the computer is to ground yourself by touching metal, like the computer case, or by wearing an anti-static wrist strap.

- Grounding removes static electricity from your body so that it won't cause any harm to your computer components.

- You should be able to see your computer's processor covered by a fan. This fan is often attached to the processor so use caution removing it.

- The processor itself is generally modular and can be replaced easily. Look up your motherboard online beforehand to learn what processors are compatible.

- You should also see your motherboard's chipset, which can't be replaced but is integral to its operation.

- On the rear of the computer, you should see ports which connect external devices to the motherboard.

- Inside on the motherboard, you will see slots for both expansion cards and for RAM.

- You will also see ports for either IDE or SATA cables to hook up your hard drives and disk drives.

- IDE cables are becoming antiquated and are gradually being replaced by SATA as the norm.

- You should also see power cords coming from the power supply, which distribute power throughout the computer.