Computer terms and definitions. If you have one or two to add post here.
EEPROM = Electrically Erasable, Programmable Read-only Memory Atype of ROM that can be erased electronically and reprogrammedin-circuit (or with a device programmer). Short for ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read Only Memory. From the programmer'sperspective, EEPROM is very similar to flash memory. The biggestdifference is that the bytes (words) of an EEPROM can be erasedindividually.
sdram = Synchronous dynamic random access memory deliversbursts of data at high speeds using a synchronous interface. Its isactually SDR SDRAM (single data rate SDRAM) but is usually used toreferred to as just "SDRAM."
ddr = Double Data Rate ram Doubledata rate is a type of SDRAM in which data is sent on both the risingand falling edges of clock cycles in a data burst. It is usuallyreferred to as DDR as opposed to DDR SDRAM.
cpu = Abbreviation of central processing unit Pronouncedas separate letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimesreferred to simply as the processor or central processor, the CPU iswhere most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, theCPU is the most important element of a computer system.
Bios = Basic Input/Output System TheBIOS runs at the startup sequence where it configures devices and thenboots the operating system. The function of the BIOS is so vital thatthe information on the BIOS is stored on a ROM chip separate from thehard drive to protect it from potential crashes.
psu = Power Supply Unit Thisis the box which supplies power to the rest of your computer. A PSU israted to a certain number of watts. If your PSU dosent supply enoughwatts, your computer may become instable
Comment:
The amountof watts a PSU has is the amount it can deliver on a peak like whenyour pc starts up or does something very big. so even if you have aSweex(Never ever buy that brand) 1000Watt PSU It may deliver 600Wattsat startup but when you would play a game and it wouldn't stop askingfor 600Watts the PSU would kick the bucket.
So don't always look at the Watts, but look at the amount of amps on the back of the box to
i/o = input/output Reception(read) or transmission (write) of computer signals; the entireconnection path between the CPU bus and the disk drives. describes anyoperation, program, or device that transfers data to or from acomputer. Typical I/O devices are printers, hard disks, keyboards, andmouses. In fact, some devices are basically input-only devices(keyboards and mouses); others are primarily output-only devices(printers); and others provide both input and output of data (harddisks, diskettes, writable CD-ROMs).
Floppy = 3.5 inch computer disk Oneof several types of magnetic storage media. The term "floppy" refers toany disk that is made of a flexible material, such as Mylar, instead ofsome type of metal. Almost all floppy disks used now are 3 ? inch(which hold a maximum of 1.44 megabytes). The smaller, higher capacitydisks have become the industry standard, with their older, largercounterparts disappearing into obscurity.
pci = Peripheral Component Interconnect Ahigh-speed connection for devices including SCSI cards, video cards,sound cards, modems, video capture cards, etc. This is the primary wayof adding devices to your computer. It is faster than ISA, so ispreferred for devices such as sound cards and SCSI cards. It is slowerthan AGP which is for graphics cards only, so AGP graphics cards tendto be better than PCI ones. Default PCI speed is 33 MHz.
isa = Industry Standard Architecture ISAis an older technology for connecting computer peripherals (stands forIndustry Standard Architecture). Common current devices include modemsand sound cards. ISA is much slower than PCI, so PCI devices aregenerally better if you have a choice. ISA is starting to fade andeventually will be removed entirely. Most motherboards still come withat least one or two ISA slots on them.
vga = Video Graphics Array Ananalog computer video signal format or equipment to produce or displaysame, using 480 visible scan lines each normally representing 640pixels. The significance of this format is that the video signal ismade up of the same total number of scan lines (525) transmitted at thesame rate (scan rate) as NTSC video converted to a progressive scanformat. If not confined to a broadcast channel, an (interlaced) NTSCvideo signal can also hold the detail of 640 or more pixels across.
agp = Accelerated Graphics Port Shortfor Accelerated Graphics Port, an interface specification developed byIntel Corporation. AGP is based on PCI, but is designed especially forthe throughput demands of 3-D graphics. Rather than using the PCI busfor graphics data, AGP introduces a dedicated point-to-point channel sothat the graphics controller can directly access main memory. The AGPchannel is 32 bits wide and runs at 66 MHz
fsb = Front Side Bus whichdenotes the speed at which your processor interacts with the componentson the motherboard. Typically the FSB is 100Mhz or 133Mhz, butoverclockers often manipulate this value to increase the speed at whichtheir processor runs. ie 100Mhz FSB X 5.0 clock multiplier = 500Mhzprocessor.
Multiplier The multiplier together with the fsb makes up the speed of a processor.
A multipler is a constant usualy between 5 and 20 that is multiplied with the fsb to get the processor speed.
As described at fsb
If you have a fsb of 266 and a multiplier of 10 (Thats with an amd 3800+) you'd get a 2,6 Ghz processor.
You used to be able to change the processor but AMD and Intel locked them.
Sometimes you stil can change it by drawing a pencil line on a certain circuit.
PCI-E = PCI Express
Ahigh-speed peripheral interconnect from Intel introduced in 2002. Notethat although sometimes abbreviated "PCX," PCI Express is not the sameas "PCI-X". As a result of the confusion, "PCI-E" or "PCIE" is theaccepted abbreviation.
Initially used for high-speed displayadapters, and intending to eventually replace the PCI and AGP busesentirely, PCI Express was designed to match the higher speeds oftoday's CPUs. It can accommodate Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet andeven support chip-to-chip transfers.
