Computer hardware is quite simple and not as complicated as the software part. It is certainly not as difficult as the complicated software which never seems to get right. You should already be familiar with the different parts of the computer like the CPU, RAM, Hard Disk, Mother board, Processor, SMPS, etc. You can learn this much from just the configuration you choose for your computer while buying, unless you just bought a second hand computer from a thrift store. These are the major parts of a computer and are the areas where most problems arise.
Hardware and software work together in tandem. You will need both to work in perfect harmony if you want a fully functional computer. With a hardware failure, you will have problems mostly with the synchronization of the hardware and the software. If the problem is based in the hardware, it could be in any of the above mentioned hardware units. Repairing a hardware component that has become faulty is most of the times impossible because it is a concealed piece of silicon that has no way in. The only way to repair hardware is to find the component that is faulty and replacing it with a compatible part. In case of a RAM failure, the whole system does not boot up or you get the famous blue screen of death because of windows crashing. Most of the time it is the fault of the computer wiring that causes the entire system to go haywire. In these cases, you will have to check the wiring of the computer first and then the rest of the hardware units. A technician will charge you twice as much if you go to her without any knowledge about the computer hardware and the software, you will save a lot of money this way.