I'll split this answer up into several parts: core components and suggested (additional) components for a computer suited to general usage, and a third category for possible upgrade choices. THE Core component of any and every computer: * Motherboard (to host all of the peripherals, other components and CPU). There are two types of motherboard you can buy, I recommend buying a CPU and motherboard bundled together, as you can then make the simpler choice of "AMD or Intel?" and not worry about compatibility (Intel processors don't work on AMD boards, and vice versa). Apart from the motherboard, you'll need: * A PSU (or Power Supply Unit) (with prices as they are today, you'd be silly really not to go for anything under 350watts. Enermax and Antec are both very good brands, though there's a plethora of makes out there, just like anywhere else in the world of computing.) * Memory (in the form of stick(s) of RAM that you slot into the motherboard - If you want 100% smooth operation from your PC, then 512mb of RAM is recommended, especially if you're going to be running Windows XP... It also eases up on the swap file usage, which is a big file that Windows uses as virtual RAM when it doesn't have enough RAM in the machine to do everything you want it to do at once. You can run with less, though you'll have less flexibility as to the amount of programmes you can run simultaneously.) * Graphics card / a motherboard with an onboard graphics output (though I personally think having a separate AGP graphics card is better in the long run) * A decent size hard drive (a 60 gigabyte hard drive is considered fairly average these days, and won't cost you that much compared to even a year or so ago - once you start doing things like backups, storing audio and video, or installing big games the space will quickly start to disappear, so choose wisely. It's possible to add more hard drives to the machine at a later date should you choose to.) * A 3.5" floppy disk drive (while this technology is somewhat archaic now, it's not to be underestimated... My boot disks have often gotten me out of trouble, and they're still useful for quickly transferring small files.) * An optical disc drive (everything comes on CD these days. An optical drive isn't a luxury, it's a necessity these days. At least they aren't expensive.) * A sound card to me is an essential - everything uses sounds, I feel lost without having some music coming out of my speakers at all times. Using a PC these days is all about the multimedia experience - especially if you're on broadband, the wealth of audiovisual delights available for free certainly merits buying a soundcard. Many motherboards these days have soundcards on the motherboard, but I still prefer buying a separate one (if something goes wrong with it, it's easier to swap a small soundcard than take out the entire motherboard and replace it...) I have a 5.1 channel sound card too, so I can watch DVD movies on my PC and hear the gunshots fly all around me :) Those to me are the essential components. Of course, common sense prevails here - you'll need a monitor of some description, as you will need a mouse and a keyboard to boot - I recommend getting an optical mouse, you have no mouse ball to lose and the rollers won't get clogged up with desk grime from continuous usage, and the definition is superior. A keyboard is a keyboard is a keyboard - I have one of those MS Natural keyboards, with the keys split into three sections and curving slighty outwards and upwards - I find that I can type faster on one of these keyboards than with a normal straight rectangular keyboard, in fact I have a fair deal of trouble getting used to the regular keyboards when I have to use them. You can also get these kind of keyboards with "hotkeys" to launch programmes, check your mail, open your media player etc... You can buy them if you want, I don't really bother with things like that. I use the keyboard to navigate my way through Windows, I can do it without buttons. :) Don't forget to get a case either, to put your computer stuff in. If you're going to buy from a shop, as opposed to a big store chain, usually you can buy a "barebones" unit, which comes with the bare essentials, and upgrade it as you see fit to match your specifications more closely. If you're buying from a big store chain, all these details will be sorted out for you - but you can't always be sure that you're getting exactly what you want in terms of components, as you have little or no choice over the brands or models - it's there, you take it or leave it. Some like that, some don't. Personally I prefer to know exactly what's in my machine and how much each little bit cost. Moving onto things that'd be nice, but aren't essential... * A DVD drive (I bought my first game that comes on a DVD the other week, expect more and more games to ship on DVD in the future - plus the ability to watch your favourite movies on your computer - in 5.1 sound if you have the right sound card and speaker system! - is certainly something not to be sniffed at. Combo drives, which are both a DVD drive and CD writer/rewriter in one unit are fairly popular, though your ability to do things like copy CDs is restricted this way, as both features in one unit = one disc at once. However, if you already have a standard CD drive from prior to this upgrade, you're sorted. I prefer separate units for each purpose though - but it's horses for courses on this one. If you're feeling adventurous, you could always splash out and buy one of the many types of DVD burner that are making their way onto the market - I have an Optorite DD0201, which is made by Sanyo, and I cannot fault it. It's only 4x, but Optorite have 8x models out now. The one thing you have to be cautious about with DVD burners is that some of them are EXTREMELY picky about what brands of blank media you use in them. From reviews, comparisons and experience, I can say that the latest Lite-On and Pioneer (THE best) drives are the champions of the market at the moment - and they're very competititively priced all things considered. The option to burn close to 5 GIGABYTES of data onto one disc, as opposed to 700-780mb onto one CD (using Overburn to achieve higher than 700mb) certainly appealed to me, and I've not regretted the upgrade. Other upgrades which could be beneficial to the running of your computer include: * Another, larger hard drive can come in VERY useful for storing large amounts of audio and video... If you decide to investigate with home movie editing, the video files can easily become 20 gigabytes for an hour or so - just bear that in mind if you decide to venture into the A/V or multimedia fields. * An upgraded graphics card with more oomph for doing things like rendering LOTS of high-detail graphics on-screen (a more specific 3D Accelerator graphics card as opposed to a regular graphics card), for things like playing recent games, would also be strongly recommended if you or a member of your family is into their gaming. A good computer can be totally let down by a sub-par graphics card - Excellent value for money cards are cards from the ATI Radeon 9600 range - go for something like the ATI Radeon SE if you want longevity, a fair amount of futureproofness and compatibility with all of your old games. You can also buy a card from the NVidia Geforce 5xxx range, but they are more expensive and have shown in testing to be inferior to the ATI cards in several areas - so your best bet is an ATI Radeon card if you ever consider upgrading for gaming. * Extra connectivity can sometimes come in useful, things like Firewire ports for Digital Video cameras... This ties in with the larger hard drives thing as well, as Firewire is mainly used for video editing... Something to bear in mind. You can upgrade your machine to include a Firewire port by either buying a small PCI card to install into the machine on the motherboard, or if your motherboard includes support for onboard Firewire, then you already have it - and it might be a case of simply turning it on in the motherboard settings. A lot of people don't consider this final point, but a larger monitor can sometimes pay dividends to both the readability of the screen and your eyesight in the long run. Something to remember is that many retailers will list a monitor as "a 17" CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, 16" viewable" - this is because they measure the diagonal size of the monitor from one edge of the plastic casing to the other, not just the screen size. So, sometimes you can feel a little cheated. LCD monitors on the flipside of all this are nearly always measured in just terms of screen width - so when you buy a 17" LCD screen, you really are getting 17" viewable. The bezel size may vary, but the screen will be what the guidance text says. Do always check sizes before you buy. LCD screens aren't also quite as sharp as CRT monitors yet, but the technology is progressing leaps and bounds - if you're short of desk space, there's many budget LCD screens out there that perform very satisfactorily for the price, though all LCD technology is a bit more expensive than comparative CRT technology. I couldn't go back to a CRT monitor though now I have my 17" LCD, it's so much easier when I'm transporting my computer back and forth every month (I go to "lan parties", where people bring their computers, network them together and play games head-to-head in realtime, like a smaller version of internet play - it's ace fun, but lugging a BIG CRT monitor AND your computer AND all your cables and other things you need can be a hassle... a smaller, lighter, more portable LCD screen can at least alleviate some of the hassle). This list is by no means conclusive as to everything you could possibly encounter in terms of setting up a computer, and it's not meant to be THE authoritative source of information, I'm just trying to give you the facts in an as unbiased way as possible, using my personal experience to help you as well. I think I've covered the most important things in the scope of general computing, and the first main things to think about - if you have any more queries then don't hesitate to ask again! :) Do spend a fair while researching components though if you're going to be either making this computer yourself or buying it from a smaller shop - it can be good, as you can get a custom PC and more personal service, but buying a PC is a fair investment and if you're like me, you want to get it as right as possible the first time. Hope this helps you get on your way...

You can save a lot of time, money and effort by getting a used or second hand machine rather than a new one. It also means that no pollution is created from converting the raw materials into a new machine. You didn't mention whether you were interested in getting a desktop or a laptop machine. Laptops are more efficient (lower bills), space-saving and more fun but generally more expensive than desktops. (Comparatively, they also save on the environment too!) Since most users nowadays do pretty much the same things - surf the Web, do emailing, use office software, play a movie, listen to music - the hardware requirements really aren't as much as the PC vendors would like you to believe! You could buy a refurbished laptop with an 800 megahertz processor, 128 megabytes of memory, a 20 gigabyte hard drive and DVD reader. Here's an example being sold on eBay for $190: http://tinyurl.com/ynxypm If you continue this idea along, free software is a good candidate for replacing the costly Microsoft Windows and Office. Ubuntu (see http://ubuntu.com/) is a free operating system that includes an Office-like suite and everything you need to get going for a decent price: absolutely nothing. Zilch. Free!