Module 3 Flashcards
Using Computer Hardware
1
Q
System Memory
A
RAM - temporary storage space for files and programs
2
Q
DRAM
A
Dynamic RAM - information is lost when power is lost
3
Q
SDRAM
A
Synchronous Dynamic RAM - The memory module is synchronized with the system clock
4
Q
DIMM
A
Dual Inline Memory Module - a “stick” of RAM
5
Q
SO-DIMM
A
Small-Outline DIMM - laptop memory
6
Q
DDR SDRAM
A
Double Data Rate SDRAM - Sends information more than once per clock cycle
7
Q
Volatile Storage
A
Storage that loses its information when the power is cut off
8
Q
Mass Storage Device
A
Used for long-term storage of data (hard drives, solid state drives, etc.)
9
Q
Optical Drive
A
Uses lasers to read/write information on removable optical discs (CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, etc.)
10
Q
motherboard
A
a large circuit board that most all of the other major components of the PC connect to
11
Q
printed circuit board
A
A sheet of material that has circuit pathways printed on its surface
12
Q
chipset
A
provides communication between different components (between the CPU and system memory, for instance)
13
Q
bus
A
The physical connections between components on the motherboard
14
Q
system bus
A
The connection between the CPU and the RAM
15
Q
expansion bus
A
Connects the CPU and add-on devices, such as the NIC, USB devices, etc.
16
Q
PCI
A
An older bus (1995) that was used to connect devices to a motherboard.
17
Q
AGP
A
A specialized bus that was used for graphics adapters.
18
Q
PCIe
A
The most current expansion bus standard.
19
Q
booting
A
The process a PC goes through when starting up.
20
Q
firmware
A
Software that is stored semi-permanently on hardware device
21
Q
BIOS
A
Basic Input Output System - Firmware that contains information on the basic operation of PC components; also contains specific instructions on how to boot the system.
22
Q
UEFI
A
A newer replacement for BIOS that adds support for more devices (network interface, mouse, etc.) and secure boot options.
23
Q
CPU
A
Central Processing Unit - the “brains” of the PC
24
Q
hard disk drive
A
A mass storage device that uses platters coated with a magnetic substance to store information.
25
solid state drive
A mass storage device that uses flash memory to store information. Much faster than a magnetic hard drive, but more expensive.
26
GPU
Graphics Processing Unit - a microprocessor that is used specifically to render graphics for display
27
NIC
Network Interface Card - enables the PC to send and receive information over a network.
28
microprocessor
a programmable integrated circuit
29
ARM
A type of processor that uses a reduced instruction set
30
control unit
The part of the CPU that gets the next instruction and decodes it, or sends it to the ALU or FPU for processing
31
pipeline
The queue of instructions
32
ALU
Arithmetic Logic Unit
33
FPU
Floating Point Unit
34
register
a temporary storage location located within a CPU
35
x86 instruction set
defines a PC as "IBM compatible" - variations of this instruction set are used on most modern desktop PCs
36
clock speed
a measure of how many operations per second a component is capable of performing
37
symmetric multiprocessing
when two or more physical processors are located on a motherboard
38
chip level multiprocessing
when two or more processor "cores" are located on a single chip
39
HDMI
High-definition video connector; can carry video and audio
40
DVI
Video adapter that can support both analog and digital video.
41
SATA
Interface for connecting hard drives. Most current version supports 6 Gbps of data transfer
42
USB
Universal Serial Bus - a standard for connecting peripheral devices to PCs. USB is hot-swappable.
43
RJ-45
Connector used for wired (Ethernet) networking. Looks like a standard phone jack but wider.
44
Audio Port
3.5mm jack for connecting audio components.
45
Human Interface Devices
Devices such as keyboard, mice, gamepads/joysticks
46
Plug-and-Play
A system that supports automatic installation of device drivers. When a user connects a Plug-and-Play device, the system will recognize it and automatically load the appropriate driver.
47
Driver
Software that allows a device to interface with an operating system.
48
Hot-Swappable
Devices can be disconnected and reconnected (or changed) without restarting the system.
49
USB Type A
The standard rectangular-shaped USB connector used to connect to a host machine.
50
USB Type B
The large square-ish shaped connector used to connect to a USB device (usually only found on larger devices, such as printers).
51
USB Type B Mini
A connector used to connect to smaller devices (smartphones, cameras). This is an older connector and is found mostly on older devices.
52
USB Type B Micro
A connector that is used to connect to small devices such as smartphones and digital cameras. This connector is still found on some inexpensive devices but is being replaced by Type C connectors.
53
USB Type C
A "rounded rectangle" shaped connector that can be inserted either way. This is the most current type of USB connector used to connect to devices.
54
FireWire
A type of connection that supports data rates of up to 800 Mbps. Can be daisy-chained. Was not widely used (except by Apple).
55
Pixel
A "dot" made of red, green, and blue "sub-pixels" that makes up part of an image on a screen.
56
Color Depth
The number of colors that can be displayed
57
VGA
An older video connection type that only supports analog signal.
58
Analog Video
Analog signals are represented by a wave that is recorded and replayed. They can degrade over time.
59
Digital Video
Digital signals are represented by numbers approximating a wave. The more times the wave is "sampled", the more accurate the recording. Digital signals have the advantage of not degrading over time.
60
DisplayPort
A digital audio/video technology that was developed as a more "open" alternative to HDMI.
61
Thunderbolt
A general peripheral interface (can be used to connect many different types of devices). Developed by Intel and used primarily by Apple.
62
Device Manager
Windows utility for managing hardware connected to a PC.
63
S/PDIF
A type of digital audio connector that supports high-definition audio signals
64
Capacitive Touchscreen
A type of touchscreen that uses the electrical conductivity of skin to sense input.
65
Multitouch
A type of touchscreen that can sense more than one touch at a time
66
Duplicate Display
A type of multi-display option in which the same display is shown on each monitor.
67
Extend Display
A type of multi-display option in which more than one monitor is used as one large display.
68
Partition
A basic division on a hard drive. A drive must be partitioned before it can be used for anything. A drive may contain one or more partitions.
69
Format
process of preparing a data storage device such as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, floppy disk or USB flash drive for initial use.
70
File System
determines how data is stored and retrieved on a drive.
71
System Partition
The partition that contains the files needed to boot the computer.
72
Boot Partition
The partition where the operating system is located.
73
FAT
File Allocation Table - an older file system. FAT32 is still used on some removable drives.
74
NTFS
New Technology File System - a file system used in Windows that supports various features including encryption, permissions, etc.
75
UDF
Universal Disc Format - a file system used in optical discs like DVDs
76
CDFS
CD File System - a file system used for Compact Discs
77
ext3/ext4
The file system primarily used in Linux
78
Compression
The ability of a file system to make file sizes smaller while stored on disk.
79
Encryption
A method of encoding information so that only someone with a key can read it.
80
Permissions
A file system feature that can be used to restrict access to certain files to certain users.
81
Journaling
A file system feature that keeps track of changes to files.
82
Root folder
the directory at the highest level of a hierarchy.
83
"System root"
The folder in which Windows is installed, usually C:\Windows
84
Program Files (folder)
The folder in which Windows applications are installed by default.
85
Users (folder)
The folder in which user profiles are stored in a Windows system.
86
Directory
The term used to describe folders in Linux
87
Mount
To make a drive available for use by an operating system.
88
File Explorer
The interface used to manage files and folders on a Windows machine.
89
User Profile
A folder in which a specific user's files are stored.
90
Library
A "virtual" folder that can provide access to all files in a collection at the same time, regardless of where they are stored on disk.
91
Read-only (File attribute)
A file with this attribute can be accessed but not modified.
92
Hidden (File attribute)
A file with this attribute is not visible in the default view.
93
System (File attribute)
Specifies that this file should not be accessible to standard users.
94
Archive (File attribute)
Shows whether a file has been changed since the last backup.
95
Full control (File permission)
Allows the user to do anything with the object, including change permissions and owner.
96
Modify (File permission)
The user may do most things with an object but not change its permissions or owner.
97
Read/list/execute (File permission)
The user may view the contents of a file or folder or start a program.
98
Write (File permission)
The user may read a file and change it, but not delete it.
99
.txt
text file
100
.rtf
Rich Text Format - a text file that supports formatting
101
.odf
Open Document Format - used with Open Office
102
.doc/.docx
Microsoft Word document
103
.xls/.xlsx
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
104
.jpg/.jpeg
Digital photo
105
.gif
graphic or small animation
106
.tiff
image file format
107
.png
image file format
108
.bmp
Windows-only image file format
109
.mpg
video format
110
.mp4
video format that supports extras (subtitles, etc.)
111
.flv
Flash video
112
.wmv
Windows media file
113
.avi
older Windows video file
114
.mp3
audio, usually music
115
.aac
audio file
116
.m4a
audio file
117
.flac
audio file
118
.wav
audio file
119
.exe
Windows executable (program) file
120
.msi
Windows installer program
121
.app
Mac OS executable programs
122
.bat/.cmd/.vbs
script files
123
.zip
compressed file
124
.tar
compressed file
125
.rar
compressed file
126
.7z
compressed file
127
.gz
compressed file
128
.iso
disk image file
129
.dmg
disk image file
