Definitions
- ATX
- See Form Factor
- BIOS
- Basic Input/Output System, It is the first program to run when a computer is turned on, it initializes the hardware, then hands control over to the operating system (OS). It also serves as an interface between the hardware and the OS. BIOS has been replaced with UEFI in most modern computers.
- See Also:
- Motherboard, UEFI, CMOS, OS
- Binary
- A number system based on two states, 1 or 0, on or off. Computers, at their most fundamental level, are collections of switches, controlled by other switches. Swiches can have two states, either on or off so the binary number system was devised to represent data within computers.
- See Also:
- Bit
- Bit
- The smallest unit of data, represented by a 1 or 0. It can also represent the states of being on or off as in a switch. The lower case "b" is used to indicate bits, whereas uppercase "B" indicates bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Byte, KB, MB, GB, TB, Mb, Gb
- Bus
- A communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.
- Byte
- A collection of 8 bits. A byte can represent a decimal number from 0 to 255. One byte is required to represent a single type-written character on a screen or page.
- See Also:
- Binary, Bit
- CMOS
- Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, It is a chip on the motherboard which can operate at low power and whose data is retained using a small coin cell battery. This chip is where the BIOS or UEFI is stored.
- See Also:
- Motherboard, BIOS, UEFI
- CPU
- Central Processing Unit, A chip installed directly onto the motherboard which executes the instructions that make up a program. These instructions include basic arithmetic, logic, control, input and output operations. In the past, some motherboards were designed to accomodate multiple CPUs, allowing powerful computers to execute two or more instructions simultaneously. Today, most CPUs contain multiple processing units called cores, which achieve the same function at much lower costs, both financial and practical (power consumption, heat generation).
- See Also:
- Motherboard
- Core
- A processing unit contained within a modern CPU.
- See Also:
- CPU
- DDR
- Double Data Rate, An advanced version of SDRAM, an older type of Random Access Memory (RAM), which, as its name implies, transfers data at double the speed of the older version. There have been several iterations of DDR (currently 4, with a 5th soon to be released), each roughly doubling the speed of its predecessor.
- See Also:
- RAM
- Ethernet
- A method of connecting computers to a netowork using specialized cables designed to transmit data while reducing interference from outside sources.
- See Also:
- LAN, WAN
- Flash Memory
- An electronic, non-volitile (retains data without power) storage medium that can be electrically erased and rewritten. Flash memory has been widely adopted because of its speed and immunity to mechanical failures.
- See Also:
- SSD
- Form Factor
- A specification of size, shape, and component placement on a motherboard. The most common form factors are ATX, mATX, and ITX.
- See Also:
- Motherboard
- GB
- Gigabyte, 1024 megabytes, 1,048,576 kilobytes, or 1,073,741,824 bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Byte, KB, MB
- GHz
- Gigaherts, A measure of speed in billions of cycles per second. CPU and WiFi frequencies are typically measured in GHz.
- See Also:
- CPU, WiFi
- GPU
- Graphics Processing Unit, An expansion card that connects to the motherboard via the PCIe slot and generates a video signal that is sent to a connected screen. GPUs are nearly computers unto themselves, as they contain processing units and RAM which are used to create the complex graphics required by games, computer aided design (CAD) programs, video and photo editors.
- See Also:
- Motherboard, PCIe, CPU, RAM
- Gb
- Gigabit, 1000 Mb, or 1,000,000 bits. Most often, gigabits per second (Gbps) are used to measure transfer rates over a network. The telecommunications industry uses 1000 rather than the binary 1024 multiplier. The lower case "b" is used to indicate bits, whereas uppercase "B" indicates bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Bit, Byte
- HDD
- Hard Disk Drive, An older type of storage device having spinning disks and moving parts which read and write data on them. Often referred to as simply hard drives, they are called "hard" to differentiate them from the obsolete floppy disk drives, which used disks of flexible magnetic material to store data. Hard drives are slowly being replaced by SSDs at present, but still remain prevailent because of their lower cost.
- See Also:
- SSD
- Heatsink
- A metal structure, typically made with fins to maximize its surface area and heat dissipation capability. Electronic devices such as those inside a computer are prone to failure when exposed to high temperatures, so heatsinks are attached to them to dissipate, or remove the heat. Fans are often used to further increase the heat dissipation capabilities of heatsinks.
- Hyper-Threading
- Intel's (CPU manufacturer) implementation of multi-threading.
- See Also:
- CPU, Multi-Threading, Thread
- ISP
- Internet Service Provider, A company which charges a subscription fee and typically provides the equipment necessary to access the internet.
- See Also:
- Modem, LAN, WAN
- ITX
- See Form Factor
- KB
- Kilobyte, or 1024 bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Byte
- LAN
- Local Area Network, A collection of computers and other devices connected to a network spanning a typically small geographic area, such as a single building or office.
- See Also:
- WAN
- M.2
- A specification for an interface used to connect expansion cards (SSDs in particular) to motherboards.
- See Also:
- SSD, Motherboard
- MB
- Megabyte, 1024 kilobytes, or 1,048,576 bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Byte, KB
- Mb
- Megabit, 1000 bits. Most often, megabits per second (Mbps) are used to measure transfer rates over a network. The telecommunications industry uses 1000 rather than the binary 1024 multiplier. The lower case "b" is used to indicate bits, whereas uppercase "B" indicates bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Bit, Byte
- Modem
- Modulator-Demodulator, A device that converts data from a form intended for direct transmission between devices to a form suitable for transmission over telecommunications mediums, such as phone lines, coaxial cable (same kind as used for TV) or radio (cell phone, microwave or satellite).
- See Also:
- ISP, LAN, WAN
- Motherboard
- The circuit board in a computer which connects and facilitates communication between the CPU, RAM, storage devices, expansion cards, etc. Motherboards are manufactured in many sizes and shapes known as form factors, which allow computers to be tailored to specific uses and environments, such as office servers, home desktops, and industrial applications.
- See Also:
- CPU, RAM, Form Factor
- Multi-Threading
- The ability of a CPU (or a single core in a CPU) to provide multiple threads of execution simultaneously. Instead of each thread executing on its own core, two or more threads share a single core's resources (very fast memory within the CPU that keeps track of things such as values carried during addition of numbers). Essentially the CPU (or single core thereof) is multi-tasking by literally doing two things at once.
- See Also:
- CPU, Thread
- NVMe
- Non-Volitile Memory Express, A protocol used to communicate with M.2 SSDs.
- See Also:
- M.2, SSD, Protocol
- OS
- Operating System, A program that serves as the interface between the user and the computer's hardware. Some of its functions include managing memory allocation, program scheduling and execution, input, output and storage of data.
- See Also:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system
- PCIe
- Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, A high-speed computer expansion bus standard, designed to replace the older PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), PCI-X (PCI Extended) and AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus standards.
- See Also:
- Bus
- Protocol
- A standard set of rules that govern how electronic devices communicate with each other. These rules include what type of data may be transmitted, what commands are used to send and receive data, and how data transfers are confirmed. A protocol can be thought of as a language or dialect.
- RAID
- Redundant Array of Independent Disks, A data storage technology that combines multiple physical disk drives into one or more logical units for the purposes of data redundancy, performance improvement, or both. RAID setups are most often seen in commercial or enterprise environments, where data integrity and speed are mission-critical. In some configurations, a drive failure is a mere inconvenience, rather than a disaster, since the failed drive can be replaced with a new one and the data can be restored from the other still functional drives.
- See Also:
- HDD, SSD
- RAM
- Random Access Memory, Chips on small circuit boards connected directly to the motherboard which provide fast, temporary storage while the computer is powered on. All data stored in RAM is lost upon powering down the computer.
- See Also:
- Motherboard
- SATA
- Serial Advanced Technology Attatchment, A computer bus interface that connects storage devices to the motherboard.
- See Also:
- Bus, Motherboard
- SSD
- Solid State Drive, A new type of storage device which uses flash memory instead of spinning disks and other moving parts used in hard disk drives (HDD). As such, they are virtually immune to mechanical failure and have much faster data transfer rates. Presently, two main types exist, M.2 and SATA. M.2 SSDs connect directly to the motherboard whereas SATA require separate data and power cables.
- See Also:
- Motherboard, SATA, M.2, HDD, Flash Memory
- TB
- Terabyte, 1024 GB, 1,048,576 MB, 1,073,741,824 KB, or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes.
- See Also:
- Binary, Byte, KB, MB, GB
- Thread
- In computer science, a thread of execution is the smallest sequence of programmed instructions that can be managed independently.
- See Also:
- CPU, Multi-Threading
- UEFI
- Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, UEFI has replaced BIOS in many modern computers. It is the first program to run when a computer is turned on, it initializes the hardware, then hands control over to the operating system (OS). It also serves as an interface between the hardware and the OS.
- See Also:
- Motherboard, BIOS, CMOS
- USB
- Universal Serial Bus, Presently the most common type of interface between computers and external peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, printers and external storage devices. There have been several versions of the interface, each providing an increase of the data transfer rate.
- See Also:
- Bus
- WAN
- Wide Area Network, A collection of LANs, computers and devices which typically span a large geographical area, such as a city or even larger place.
- See Also:
- LAN
- WiFi
- Wireless Fidelity, A method of connecting computers to networks using radio transmitters and recievers.
- See Also:
- Modem, LAN, WAN
- mATX
- See Form Factor