to the op and dolliver ----don't get discouraged, ED has a steep learning curve, but once you learn the basics it's a lot of fun. One of the hardest concepts I had to learn when I started was module size and class. Think of it this way, your ship is made up of different sized compartments. Each of these compartments hold a component of your ship. For example, the compartment in the cobra that holds the fsd is a size 4. You can put in anything up to a size 4, but not a size 5. Now if you put in a size 2 fsd your jump range will be very low. So, obviously, you want to put the largest module you can in any compartment. Then you have to consider class. Class A being the best and E being the worse. So for cobra fsd 4a will give the best jump range possible
ed shipyard is a great resource to check out different loadouts to see what effects they have on power usage and jump range.
One other thing to consider that affects jump range is the mass of your ship. The heavier your ship the less jump range you have. Each module has a weight, which contributes to the overall weight of the ship. A and D class modules are the lightest, while C, B, and E are the heaviest. So you might want to equip some D class modules , like life support and sensors to reduce the mass of the ship
I hope this makes sense and helps you out
