220-801 Terms Flashcards
active heat sink
Heat sink with attached fan.
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
A 32-bit I/O bus used for video, provides for a direct connection between the video card and memory.
AMR (Audio Modem Riser)
A riser card and slot designed to support surround audio and soft modem on some motherboards.
ATX (Advanced Technology Integrated)
Motherboard form factor with integrated port cluster at left rear of board, basis for most mid-size to full-size desktop systems.
bus speeds
Speeds of various buses on motherboards (PCI, PCIe, memory, and so on).
chip creep
Socketed chips working their way out of sockets over time due to heating/cooling.
chipset
Support chips on a motherboard (northbridge or memory controller hub; southbridge or I/O controller hub) that provide interface between onboard components and expansion slots and CPU.
CNR
Communications Network Riser. Riser slot and card for soft modem and network adapter on some motherboards
continuous reboots
Symptom of Power Good power supply problem or STOP (BSOD) error if system is configured to restart on BSOD.
CPU (central processing unit)
An electronic circuit that can process data and execute computer programs (Core i7, Phenom II, and so on).
CPU fan connector
Connection on motherboard to power CPU fan and monitor speed.
dead short
Short circuit on the motherboard that makes the system appear to be dead.
expansion slots
Slots in the motherboard for video, network, mass storage, and other types of cards. Types include PCIe, PCI, and others.
FlexATX
Small version of ATX motherboard designed for low-profile or small form factor systems.
form factor
Physical size and shape of motherboard, power supply. See www.formfactors.org for specifications for common motherboard and power supply standards
front-panel connectors
Connections on front or side of motherboard for power switch, indicator lights, reset, and other features from the front of the computer.
hardware-assisted virtualization
Features in CPU and BIOS that enable virtualization to perform faster.
heat sink
Device that draws heat away from a component (CPU, GPU, and memory).
hyperthreading (HT Technology)
Intel CPU technology that enables a single processor core to work with two execution threads at the same time.
integrated GPU
GPU (graphics processing unit) incorporated in the CPU
integrated I/O ports
Ports built in to the motherboard port cluster or internal headers such as parallel, serial, USB, and others
jumper
Group of two or three pins on a motherboard or card; used for configuration.
jumper block
Fits across two jumper pins to enable or disable a feature.
Land grid array (LGA)
Intel CPU socket technology that uses small metal lands in the CPU socket instead of pins on the CPU.
Level 1 (L1) cache
Cache memory read by CPU first when new memory information is needed; smallest cache size.
Level 2 (L2) cache
Cache memory read by CPU if L1 cache does not have wanted information; much larger than L1 cache.
Level 3 (L3) cache
Cache memory read by CPU if L2 cache does not have wanted information; much larger than L2 cache; used on high-performance CPUs.
Mini-ITX
VIA Tech-originated ultra-compact motherboard design; used in computing appliances (media servers, and so on).
motherboard
The logical foundation of the computer; all components connect to it.
Multicore
Processor with two or more cores; some desktop processors have as many as eight cores.
overclocking
Running CPU, memory, and other components at faster-thannormal speeds. May require adjustments to component voltage and improved air cooling or a switch to liquid cooling.
PCI Express (PCIe)
A high-speed set of serial bus communication channels used by adapter cards.
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
32-bit I/O bus providing a shared 33-MHz or 66-MHz data path between the CPU and peripheral controllers.
PCI-X
Workstation/server version of PCI used for network and mass storage cards; provides faster performance than PCI.
pin grid array (PGA)
CPU socket design in which pins in the rear of the CPU are inserted into holes in socket and clamped into place.
system fan connectors
Connectors on the motherboard that provide power and speed monitoring to case fans and sometimes the power supply fan.
system lockups
System is completely unresponsive; usually caused by overheating leading to corrupted memory contents.
x64
64-bit extension to x86 processor architecture; backward compatible; supports more than 4GB of RAM.
x86
32-bit processor architecture used by AMD and Intel CPUs.
passive heat sink
Heat sink that relies on outside air flow for cooling.
liquid cooling
Cooling system for CPU, GPU, and other components that replaces air cooling with heat blocks, a heat exchanger, and liquid-filled hoses; used for extreme overclocking.
BIOS
Basic Input Output System. It controls and tests basic computer hardware at the beginning of the boot procedure.
CMOS
Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor. Refers to low-power chip design; it’s also a common term for Real-Time-Clock/Non-Volatile RAM chip (RTC/NVRAM).
POST
Power-On Self Test. BIOS test of basic hardware performed during cold boot.
power supply
Converts high-voltage AC to low-voltage DC.
AC
Alternating current; the type of electrical current used to run homes and businesses.
DC
Direct current; the type of electrical current supplied by batteries or by a PC’s power supply.
multimeter
An electrical testing device that can test amperage, AC and DC voltage, continuity, and other items.
surge suppressor
A device that absorbs overvoltage conditions such as spikes and surges to prevent damage to connected devices.
battery backup
A device that provides temporary power to connected units until they can be shut down; UPS and SPS devices are two different types of battery backups.
thermal compound
A material sandwiched between a device and a heat sink to provide the best possible heat transfer from the device to the heat sink.
RAM
Random Access Memory. Volatile memory whose contents can be changed
paging file (virtual memory)
The file stored on the hard drive used by the paging process as virtual memory, also known as a swap file. In Windows it is a file called pagefile.sys.
SRAM
Static Random Access Memory. Static RAM. RAM based on transistors; requires electricity far less often; too expensive and bulky to use as main RAM but popular for use as Cache RAM
DRAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory. Dynamic RAM. The slowest type of RAM, which requires frequent electrical refreshes to keep contents valid.
SDRAM
Synchronous DRAM. Fast RAM synchronized to the motherboard’s clock speed; current types include 66MHz, 100MHz, and 133MHz.
DDR SDRAM
Double Data-Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. Double Data-Rate SDRAM. A faster form of SDRAM used by many highperformance video cards and motherboards.
DDR2 SDRAM
Double-Double Data-Rate SDRAM (DDR2 SDRAM) is the successor to DDR SDRAM. DDR2 SDRAM runs its external data bus at twice the speed of DDR SDRAM, enabling faster performance.
DDR3 SDRAM
Double Data-Rate Three SDRAM (DDR3 SDRAM) is the successor to DDR2 SDRAM. DDR3 SDRAM runs its external data bus at twice the speed of DDR2 SDRAM, enabling faster performance. DDR3 SDRAM also uses lower voltages than DDR2 and supports higher memory capacities.
Rambus
Also known as RDRAM, Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory. Rambus Dynamic RAM. A high-speed, narrow-channel (8-bit) wide memory technology designed to work with 1GHz+ processors, better than other memory technologies such as SDRAM or DDR SDRAM. RDRAM is supported by some Intel chipsets for the Pentium III and the first Intel Pentium 4 chipsets but is two to four times more expensive than DDR SDRAM. Most tests do not show a clear-cut practical advantage to RDRAM over DDR SDRAM. Rambus is now obsolete.
Rambus RDRAM Module
A memory module using Direct Rambus memory (RDRAM) chips. Kingston Technology has copyrighted the name RIMM for its Rambus RDRAM modules, but Rambus RDRAM modules are often referred to as RIMMs, regardless of their actual manufacturer.
SIMM
Single Inline Memory Module. Has a single row of 30 or 72 edge connectors on the bottom of the module. Single refers to both sides of the module having the same pinout
SODIMM
Small Outline DIMM. A compact version of the standard DIMM module, available in various pinouts for use in notebook computers and laser/LED printers
DIMM
Dual Inline Memory Module. These are available in 168-pin, 184-pin, and 240-pin versions. Dual refers to each side of the module having a different pinout.
Small Outline Rambus Module
A compact version of the standard Rambus module for use in notebook computers.
ECC
Error correction code. Advanced memory that can correct errors and requires special chipsets. It is used primarily in servers.
I/O port
A generic term for ports used for input or output, such as USB, parallel, serial, SCSI, PS/2 mouse and keyboard, and FireWire. Storage device ports (PATA, SATA, and eSATA) are not categorized as I/O ports.
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
High-speed replacement for older I/O ports USB 1.1 has a peak speed of 12Mbps. USB 2.0 has a peak speed of 480Mbps; USB 2.0 ports also support USB 1.1 devices. USB 2.0 devices can be plugged into USB 1.1 devices but run at only USB 1.1 speeds. USB 3.0 runs at 5Gbps; supports older USB devices at the native speeds of those devices.
Hi-Speed USB
USB 2.0 ports and devices.
SuperSpeed USB
USB 3.0 ports and devices
root hub
Hosts USB ports on a PC.
header cable
Connects to motherboard header pins connected to integrated I/O ports
generic hub
USB hub that plugs in to a USB port or USB root hub.
bus-powered hub
Receives power from upstream USB port; limits power to 100mA per device.
self-powered hub
Uses AC adapter; provides full power specified for USB port type(s) supported.
IEEE 1394
A high-speed serial connection. IEEE 1394a (FireWire 400) runs at 400Mbps and IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) runs at 800Mbps. i.LINK is Sony’s name for a four-wire version of IEEE-1394a.
i.LINK
See IEEE 1394.
FireWire 400
See IEEE 1394
FireWire 800
See IEEE 1394
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface. A flexible interface usable for hard and optical drives, scanners, and other devices. Narrow SCSI interfaces enables daisychaining of 7 devices to a single port. Wide SCSI enables daisy-chaining of up to 15 devices to a single port.
daisy-chaining
Connecting multiple devices through a single port; used by EPP and ECP parallel-port modes and SCSI.
device ID
Method of indicating different devices attached to a SCSI host adapter; each device must use a unique device ID#, which is set on each device.
termination
Device placed at the end of the SCSI daisy-chain or a switch setting on the last device on a SCSI daisy-chain.
serial port
A serial communication physical interface (also known as COM port) through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time. The RS-232 standard is commonly used to transmit data through DB-9 ports.
RS-232
See serial port.
COM
See serial port.