The main subject of this paper is a comparison of the instrumentation of the Overhauser imager (OI) and the MRI scanner. After introducing the OI system architecture we concentrate on different chains of the OI scanner hardware system. For each chain an overview of the typical requirements, designs and specifications of chain components is given. We compare each OI chain with the corresponding MRI chain and draw conclusions about what makes OI design easier and what are the typical OI problems. In the final conclusion we summarize the main benefits and the main drawbacks of the OI.