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What hard-core techies and companies like Dell and Compaq have been doing for years is what any computer user can learn how to do - build a computer from scratch.

Have you ever thought about building your own computer? Actually buying a motherboard and a case along with all the supporting components and assembling the whole thing yourself?

Here are three reasons why you might want to consider taking the plunge:

1. You will be able to create a custom machine that exactly matches your needs.
2. It will be much easier to upgrade your machine in the future because you will understand it completely.
3. You may be able to save some money.

And, if you have never done it before, you will definitely learn a lot about computers.

The computer is a programmable machine. The two principal characteristics of a computer are:

It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.
It can execute a pre-recorded list of instructions (a program).

Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery -- wires, transistors, and circuits -- is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software.

All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components:

Memory: Enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs.
Mass storage device: Allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include disk drives and tape drives.
Input device: Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.
Output device: A display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished.
Central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions.

In addition to these components, many others make it possible for the basic components to work together efficiently. For example, every computer requires a bus that transmits data from one part of the computer to another.

Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is considerable overlap:

Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information, and a storage device for saving data.
Workstation: A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-quality monitor.
Minicomputer: A multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously. Mainframe: A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously.
Supercomputer: An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second.