A Central Processing Unit (CPU, and henceforth referred to as processor) is the "brain" of a computer. It determines how quickly your computer can process data and run programs. Processor specs revolve around two things: clock speed and number of cores.  

Clock speed refers to the speed at which the CPU executes instructions. It is measured in gigahertz (GHz) and represents the number of cycles per second that the processor can execute. Higher clock speeds generally mean that a computer can process more data in less time, resulting in faster performance.

CPU cores, on the other hand, refers to the number of processing units within a processor. Each core is essentially a separate processor, capable of executing instructions independently of the other cores. Having more cores allows a computer to perform more tasks simultaneously, increasing its overall speed and efficiency.

Finding a balance between clock speed and the amount of cores in a processor is important, especially when processor-intensive tasks are involved. In general, tasks related to recording and manipulating audio or video, such as using a DAW, will run faster and more efficiently when using more cores as opposed to higher clock speeds. This is due to the program being able to do more tasks at once, including playing audio, recording new audio, and processing audio.

RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory that is used to temporarily store data and instructions for a computer. Its capacity is measured in Gigabytes. RAM, unlike your computer's internal hard drive, is volatile memory, meaning it is constantly being read, written, and deleted. 

When a program is opened on your computer, it is loaded into RAM so that the processor can quickly access the instructions and data needed to run the program. The more RAM your computer has, the more programs it can run simultaneously without slowing down.

When using audio-based programs like DAWs, having a healthy amount of RAM (16 GB or more) is crucial for a smooth experience. DAWs can store audio files or samples from a sample library into RAM; this limits the amount of data the DAW needs to read off a hard drive, vastly improving the speed at which the DAW can run.

A GPU (graphics processing unit) determines how well your computer can handle visual tasks like gaming, video editing, and 3D modeling. Similar to a CPU, GPUs also have their own graphics memory and clock speed, as well as multiple cores.

Most modern computers come with a lower-end, built-in GPU, and offer the ability to add on an additional GPU. For most audio purposes, the built-in GPU is sufficient. Adding an additional GPU becomes important when editing video.

Shared memory (referred to as Unified Memory by Apple) refers to a common pool of memory that is shared by both the CPU and GPU of a computer. This architecture has become more common in modern computers, especially with Apple's M-series chips. These new chips are described as “systems-on-a-chip”, and contain a CPU, GPU, and a shared memory pool on a single chip. These chips can execute tasks faster than separate CPU/GPUs due to the increased data bandwidth that results from having all the components close in proximity and sharing resources.

For all intents and purposes, when deciding on specs for a machine, this can be thought of as RAM.

The storage of a computer refers to how much data it can store. There are two main types of storage drives: Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD). HDDs are cheaper and provide more storage, while SSDs are faster. The storage capacity of any drive is measured in Gigabytes or Terabytes (GB or TB, respectively). Most modern computers come with SSDs, and it is recommended that they be used for optimal computer performance. 

Storage drives come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 128 Gigabytes to multiple Terabytes (1 Terabyte = 1024 Gigabytes). For most applications, a 512 GB hard drive is sufficient; for a user doing audio or video work, at least a Terabyte is recommended.