Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems have seen a rapid technological advance in response to increased requirements from both clinical as well as research applications. In this presentation we will cover the main subsystems of an MRI system and attempt to cover important requirements put on the various subsystems for state of the art results. We will attempt to go through the different steps considered during the selection of subsystems and associated specifications and discuss the impact thereof on systems and imaging performance. Whenever applicable we will point out industry as well as research trends impacting the design moving forward.

Main subsystems of an MRI system are presented and discussed as follows:

- Magnet

- Gradient Coil

- Gradient Drivers & Power Supplies

- RF Body Coil

- RF Transmit Chain

- RF Surface Coils

- RF Receive Chain

- Sequencing

- Patient Handling

- Reconstruction Engine/Computing Platform

Interactions, trade-offs between subsystems are discussed in the context of the system design. The intent of the presentation is not to discuss specifications on a unique system design, but provide a general introduction and discussion on important attributes of subsystems making up an MRI system.