| OneZeroOne |
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Terms that you will see often when using computers:
================================Glossary===============================
Last updated 8-20-03
*Arranged alphabetically by abbreviations
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
-A rectangluar slot on the motherboard for the graphics card.
Unlike PCI or ISA, there is only 1 on each motherboard.
Runs at: original(66MHz), 2x (133MHz), 4x (266MHz), or 8x (533MHz), allowing up
to 2,133MBps. PCI-Xpress has superceded AGP.
AMR (Audio Modem Riser)
-See "CNR".
AT
-Old Motherboard form factor.
ATA (AT Attachment)
-A specific type of IDE interface for drive data transfer. The cable
is a 40-pin ribbon that can be up to 18 inches long. The bandwith depends
on the version: Ultra-ATA66 (66MBps), Ultra-ATA100 (100MBps),
Ultra-ATA133 (133MBps).
ATA-6 is the latest version and "SATA" will be continuing where ATA left off.
ATX
-Most common motherboard form factor in use today. Dimensions: 12" x 9.6",
uses P1 Power connection. Many newer models require extra power connections.
Bandwidth
-Term for the amount of data transferable per unit of time (Ex. MBps, KBps)
BIOS (Basic I/O System)
-The bridge between hardware and software. The BIOS is a small program that
stores all the settings for a computer. Each motherboard has a BIOS chip
that runs POST and loads operating systems into memory at startup. The BIOS
connects all of the computer's components together and lets the operating
system use them.
Bit
-Smallest measure of memory, represents a 1 or 0.
Byte
-8 bits. Can store a Base-10 numeric value up to 256 (2^8 = 256).
Cache
-Fastest and most expensive memory, currently up to only 2-4MB.
This memory is "on-die" which means it is connected directly to
the processor and runs at the same speed. Anticipated data is
sent to the cache to be used by the processor. 99% of the time the
correct data will be available in one of the levels of cache,
otherwise the slower RAM is used.
(See L1 and L2 for more details)
CD (Compact Disk)
-A round thin shiny disk used to store information.
640MB/75Min. or 700MB/80Min.
Be sure that CD write speed is greater than or equal to the
CD Drive writing speed. You cannot write a 48x CD at 52x speed.
You should be able to select the speed you want using the CD
burning software.
CDRW (CD Read-Write)
-Can be used to reading and writing, either a CD or CD drive.
See "CD" for more details.
CNR (Communications and Networking Riser)
-This is a small bus slot on some motherboards that is used for
installing motherboard-specific communication cards like modems or
NIC's. It looks like a PCI slot except about half the length and
is usally at the bottom of the board, below all the PCI slots.
Cold Boot
-Term for restarting the computer by pressing the reset or power button.
POST is performed for cold boots.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
-See "Procesor".
DDR RAM (Double Data Rate RAM)
-Ram that is faster and more expensive that SDRAM.
DDR2 RAM
-Ram that has 2x the bandwith of DDR.
DIMM (Dual Input Memory Module)
-RAM slot that is longer than SIMM and has 168pin or 184pin
sticks.
DMA (Direct Memory Access)
-Allows devices to read/write to memory, bypassing the processor(IRQ).
This will speed up a system because devices won't have to wait for
a turn with the processor, they can acces memory by themselves.
Each device must have a different DMA channel.
EIDE (Enhanced IDE)
-An unofficial term for ATA-2.
EISA (Enhanced ISA)
-An upgrade of the old ISA buses, it doubled the bandwidth by adding
extra pins to the slot. Commonly referred to as ISA because the
original ISA is no longer used. Speed: 8MHz, Bandwidth: 16bit.
EISA is now obsolete, PCI has replaced it completely.
Flash Memory
-This type of memory stores data in microchips, unlike CD's or HD's
which use magnets or holes. These chips are very small and portable,
but expensive. USB Flash sticks are available now, they can store
around 256MB in a small 2cm x 5cm stick.
Floppy
-The term for small removable storage disks, 3.25" holds up
to 1.44MB. IRQ: 6.
FSB (Front Side Bus)
-This is the core bus that the motherboard uses to send data
to the North Bridge or the Memory Controller Hub. The speed
of the FSB should match the RAM speed.
GB (GigaByte)
-1000MB
GiB (GibiByte)
-1024MB.
GHz (GigaHertz)
-1000MHz
GPU (Grpahics Processing Unit)
-The processor chip located on a graphics card for 3D acceleration.
(ATI and NVIDIA are popular manufacturers)
HD (Hard Drive)
-The large storage area for saved data. This is the slowest
but largest memory storage device. IRQ: 5.
Hertz (Hz)
Cycles per second.
IDE (Integrated Drive Eletronics)
-Any type of drive that uses a cable connection. Because ATA is
pretty much the only IDE used, the terms are interchangeble.
See "ATA" for more details.
I/O (input/Output)
-Abbreviation for input/output.
I/O Ports
-This is the address of a device/peripheral that identifies them,
(0000-FFFF) written in hexadecimal.
IRQ (Interrupt Request)
-This allows devices to divert the attention of the processor, allowing
it to perform tasks for the device. Each device has an IRQ number, the
lower the number, the higher priority it has over other devices:
IRQ0: System Timer
IRQ1: Keyboard
IRQ2: (Links to IRQ9 - IRQ15)
IRQ3: COM2
IRQ4: COM1
IRQ5: Hard Drive
IRQ6: Floppy Drive
IRQ7: LPT1
ISA (Indusrty Standard Architecture)
-Old PnP slots, Very long and black. Speed: 8MHz, bandwidth: 8bit
Have been replaced by the better EISA slots.
Kb (Kilo bit)
-1024 bits
KB (kilo Byte)
-1000 Bytes.
KiB (KibiByte)
-1024 Bytes.
KHz (Kilo Hertz)
-1000Hz
L1 (Level 1)
-First level of cache, runs at processor speed (On-die). Processor
reads directly from it; 90% of the time the correct data
is available for the processor to calculate. The other 10% of the
time it must search the L2 for the data.
-See also: "Cache"
L2 (Level 2)
-Second Level of cahce, also runs at processor speed.
Only used if L1 cache didn't have data. 90% of the time
the correct data is available for the processor to calculate.
The other 10% of the time it must search the slower RAM for
the data.
LAN (Local Area Network)
-The term for a group of computers connected using NIC's.
Mb (Mega bit)
-1024Kb
MB (Mega Byte)
-1000KB.
MiB (MebiByte)
-1024 KB.
Mbps (Megabits per second)
-Used when dealing with transfer rates (EX: NIC's).
MBps (MegaBytes per second)
-Used when dealing with transfer rates for cards.
MHz (MegaHertz)
-1000KHz
NIC (Network Interface Card)
-Card that has Cat5 cable connector and allows mutiple
computers to connect to each other.
North Bridge
See "FSB".
Paging File
-Large file on HD,
See "Virtual Memory".
Parrallel Port
-Port used for printers, shaped as a trapazoid with many pins.
Known as LPT1 port, IRQ: 7.
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
-A short, very light brown slot on motherboard for PnP devices.
Speed: 66MHz, Bandwidth: 32bit.
Latest technology for PnP slots.
PGA (Pin Grid Array)
-The term used to describe processors or chips that use multiple
pins arranged in rows and columbs.
PnP (Plug and PLay)
-A device that can be attached to a system via a port or slot,
such as a sound card, modem, or graphics card. The name suggests
that it is fast and easy compared to older devices which
require manual configuration.
POST (Pre Operation Self Test)
-A self diagnostic that is run everytime a cold boot is performed.
Processor
-This is the main chip on the motherboard that does all of the
calcualtions. The speed of a processor is measured in Hz.
(Intel and AMD are popular manufacturers)
PS/2
-A round connector with 5 pins. Used for mouse and/or keyboard.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
-Storage area for programs that are running on a computer.
RAM runs at the speed of the motherboard, it's slower than cache
but faster than the HD's "page file". Be sure that when purchasing
RAM, that it is the correct speed needed by the motherboard.
The more RAM, the less the computer will have to use virtual
memory (page file).
ROM (Read-Only Memory)
Memory that cannot be written over. CD-ROM's and some motherboard
chips are examples of read-only memory.
SATA (Serial ATA)
-Newer type of ATA, which uses a cable instead of a ribbon and
allows a higher data transfer rate. See "ATA" for more detals.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
-Another type of controller for peripherals. Operates much faster
than ATA, up to 320MBps (Ultra 4/Ultra320). Allows up to 7 devices
connected on one host adapter (PCI card), some can allow 15.
With 4 host adapters installed and 15 devices on each one, a
system could support 60 devices! These devices include HD's, CD
Drives, Scanners, External drives, etc. SCSI uses a 68 pin
ribbon cable which is called a "P-cable".
SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)
-RAM that is synchronized with the motherboard speed.
Serial Port
-A port that is shaped like a trapazoid and has 9 pins.
Most older computers have 2 serial ports which use COM1 (IRQ4)
and COM2 (IRQ3).
Swapfile
-See "Virtual memory".
TB (Tera Byte)
-1000 GB.
TiB (TibiByte)
-1024 GB.
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
-A PnP device that can be plugged/unplugged while the computer
is on. Has very fast transfer rate (480Mbps with v2.0) and has
become the new PnP connector for the computer standards. Works
for almost any device (EX: HD's, keyboards, cameras, and ZIP's) .
VGA (Video Grahics Accelerator)
-A PnP card that goes into the AGP slot and connects to the
monitor. Some newer cards support 8x speeds (see AGP) and can
have 256MB of RAM on the card! Most cards are backward-
compatible so dont worry about putting an old VGA card in a new
AGP slot.
Virtual Memory
-This is the slowest, yet most abundant source of memory, the
Hard Drive. It is used as memory for programs that need more
than RAM can supply. Virtual memory can be around 5GB big!
The drawback is that it is very slow. Often, data is swapped
to RAM just before the processor needs it to allow faster
access.
Warm boot
-Restarting the computer by pressing ctrl-alt-delete or using the
windows restart method. The POST is not performed again at startup.
ZIP
-A floppy disk that can hold up to 30GB of data. Much larger than
the old 1.44MB floppies.
Thanks for providing this Dennis. So i could post this information. |
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