Those in the know, such as pupils at Carisbrook School, realise when you have these things, you have all the necessary blocks to build a computer from scratch.
About a dozen pupils spent two hours on Tuesday doing just that.
They built nine computers for the South Island's first High Tech Youth Network (HTYN) Studio which will be based at Carisbrook School.
Unlike normal home computers, these will have advanced programs which young people in the community can access after school hours.
The studio is one of seven nationwide which target ''under-valued communities'' and help children learn project management and technical skills such as computer game design, robotics, electronic publishing, Photoshop, animation, and 3-D graphic design.
High Tech Youth director of learning Kane Milne said he wanted youth in the community to be involved in the whole set-up of the studio - from building the computers to naming the studio - so they could feel part of the facility.
He believed the studio would help the community's youth discover their creative capacity and ''change their paradigm'' about what was possible for them.
''The studio is all about youth using technology to facilitate their creativity, engineering and design skills.
''This is designed to push young people into more meaningful careers - especially in the high tech arena, where there is a huge number of employment opportunities.''
The HTYN officially opens next week and will provide free spaces for up to 30 young people aged between 8 and 25.
Volunteer mentors will run programmes between 3pm and 7pm each week day.
