Key Terms Flashcards
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
Standard firmware interface for PC
first thing run when the PC is powered on
Bit (Binary digit)
Basic unit of Information
either 0 or 1
Byte
Unit of digital information
consists of 8 bits (values 0 - 255)
encodes a single text character
CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing)
A CPU design where a single instruction can execute many low-level operations
capable of multi-step operations or addressing modes within single instructions
DDR (Double Data Rate)
A computer bus that transfers data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal
DDR RAM
A class of memory integrated circuits that offers higher transfer rates by more strict control of the timing of the electrical data and clock signals
DIMM (dual in-line memory module)
A series of dynamic RAM integrated circuits
Gb (Gigabit)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^9 (1 billion) bits
GB (Gigabyte)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^9 (1 billion) bytes
GHz (GigaHertz)
A unit of frequency defined as 10^9 (1 billion) cycles per second
Heat sink
A passive heat conductor that cools a device by dissipating heat into the surrounding medium
Hertz (Hz)
A unit of frequency defined as one cycle per second
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
The original name for ATA / ATAPI / PATA interface standard for the connection of computer storage devices
Kb (Kilobit)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^3 (1 thousand) bits
KB (Kilobyte)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^3 (1 thousand) bytes
Mac (Macintosh)
Apple computers, running OS X
Mb (Megabit)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^6 (1 million) bits
MB (Megabyte)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^6 (1 million) bytes
MHz (MegaHertz)
A unit of frequency equal to 10^6 (1 million) cycles per second
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
refers to either:
- a company that makes a part or subsystem used in another company’s end product
all of the various manufacturers involved in the final assembly of a product
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
A local computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer (replaced ISA and VESA)
PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect express)
A high-speed serial computer extension (replaced PCI)
PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended)
Enhances the 32-bit PCI Local bus for higher bandwidth
POST (Power-On Self-Test)
A process performed by firmware or software routines immediately after a computer or other digital device is powered on
RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)
A CPU design strategy that states that a simplified instruction set can provide higher performance when combined with a microprocessor architecture capable of executing those instructions using fewer cycles per second
SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
A computer bus that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices
TB (Terabyte)
A unit of digital information equal to 10^12 (1 trillion) bytes
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
A specification that defines a software interface between an OS and platform firmware
meant to replace the BIOS
