Thisglossary of computer hardware terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts related tocomputer hardware, i.e. the physical and structural components of computers, architectural issues, and peripheral devices.
A dedicated video bus standard introduced by INTEL enabling 3D graphics capabilities; commonly present on an AGP slot on the motherboard. (Presently a historicalexpansion card standard, designed for attaching avideo card to a computer'smotherboard (and considered high-speed at launch, one of the last off-chipparallel communication standards), primarily to assist in the acceleration of3D computer graphics). Has largely been replaced by PCI Express since the mid 2000s.
Anoptical discstorage medium designed to supersede theDVD format. Blu-ray Disc is capable of storing about 5 times as much data as a standard DVD. Most computers do not come shipped with Blu-ray drives, however they can be purchased and added as a separate upgrade. Blu-ray won aformat war againstHD DVD and for a time drives offering both formats were sold.
A common path shared by multiple subsystems or components to send / receive signals. It is a low cost option in mini and micro computers compared to multiple dedicated non- shared paths in main frame computers.
The process of keeping data in multiplecaches synchronised in amultiprocessorshared memory system, also required whenDMA modifies the underlying memory.
Not findingdata in a localcache, requiring use of thecache policy toallocate and fill this data, and possibly performingevicting other data to make room.
A generic term that refers to a high-performance input/output (I/O) architecture that is implemented in various forms on a number of computer architectures, especially on mainframe computers.
The portion of theCPU which actually performsarithmetic andlogical operations; nearly all CPUs produced since the late 2000s decade have multiple cores (e.g. "a quad-core processor").
In modern usage, a synonym formain memory, dating back from the pre-semiconductor-chip times when the dominant main memory technology wasmagnetic core memory.
A technology consisting of computer components andrecording media used to retain digitaldata. It is a core function and fundamental component of computers.[1]
An optical compact disc - of the same dimensions as compact discs (CDs), but store more than six times as much data. Primarily used for storingmovies and computer games, however, the rise of services such asSteam have largely rendered physical game discs obsolete.
A video display interface developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). The digital interface is used to connect a video source to a display device, such as a computer monitor.
Acache where eachphysical address may only be mapped to onecache line, indexed using the low bits of theaddress. Simple but highly prone to allocation conflicts.
A digital display interface developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). The interface is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor, though it can also be used to transmit audio, USB, and other forms of data. UnlineHDMI, DisplayPort is open source.
A series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers. ContrastSIMM.
dual issue
Asuperscalar pipeline capable of executing two instructions simultaneously.
A type of random-access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit and which must be periodically refreshed to retain the stored data.
Acomputer bus which moves information between the internal hardware of a computer system (including the CPU and RAM) and peripheral devices. It is a collection of wires andprotocols that allows for the expansion of a computer.
A data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. Historically floppy disks came in 8-inch, 5.25-inch, and 3.5-inch sizes, with the latter being by far the most ubiquitous.
A specialized processor designed for the purpose of creating images and animations and displaying them on a computer screen, independent of the CPU and onboard video memory.
A compact interface for transferring encrypted uncompressed digital audio and video data to a device such as a computer monitor, video projector or digital television. Motherboard and graphics card manufacturers must pay a licensing fee to incorporate HDMI into their products.
An especially powerful computer used mainly by large organizations for bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.
The pattern with whichsoftware or some other system (such as anaccelerator orDMA channel) accesses, reads, and writesmemory on secondary storage. These patterns have implications forlocality of reference,parallelism, and the distribution of workload in shared memory systems.
A small electronic data storage device consisting of a flat piece of plastic no larger than a thumbnail that can be inserted into a special socket in a computer or a portable electronic device such as a camera or a cell phone in order to provide instant access to removable memory, typicallyflash memory.
A typical portablememory card providing 32 megabytes of storage space
A layer of hardware-level instructions involved in the implementation of higher level machine code instructions in many computers and other processors.
A device that enables two distant computer systems to communicate with one another. In the past, modems connected to a phone line, however, since the mid 2000s broadband modems have been the predominant type seen.
The centralprinted circuit board (PCB) in many modern computers which provides a physical platform for attaching and arranging many of the crucial components of the system, usually while also providing connection space forperipherals.[5]
Anygeneral-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator.
Convertsmains AC to low-voltage regulatedDC power for the internal components of a computer. Modern personal computers universally useswitched-mode power supplies. Somepower supplies have a manual switch for selecting input voltage, while others automatically adapt to the mains voltage.
Aperipheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually onphysical print media such as paper or transparencies. The two most common types of printers available areinkjet, which uses ink cartridges, andlaser, which uses toner.
Any of various data storage schemes that can divide and replicate data across multiple hard disk drives in order to increase reliability, allow faster access, or both.
A type of computer data storage that allows data items to be accessed (read or written) in almost the same amount of time irrespective of the physical location of data inside the memory. RAM containsmultiplexing anddemultiplexing circuitry to connect the data lines to the addressed storage for reading or writing the entry. Usually, more than one bit of storage is accessed by the same address, and RAM devices often have multiple data lines and are said to be '8-bit' or '16-bit' etc. devices. In today's technology, random-access memory takes the form ofintegrated circuits.
Any data storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data persistently. Though they are sometimes referred to as solid-state disks, these devices contain neither an actual disk nor a drive motor to spin a disk. On average, solid-state drives cost about four times as much as conventional hard drives of the same capacity, but can provide significantly faster boot times.
A type ofsemiconductormemory that uses bistable latching circuitry to store each bit. The term static differentiates it fromDRAM, which must be periodically refreshed.
A high-speed, high-capacity alternative to the 90 mm (3.5 in), 1.44MB floppy disk. The SuperDisk hardware was created by 3M's storage products groupImation in 1997.
Apointing device consisting of specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user'sfingers or astylus to a relative position on a screen.[7]
A specification to establish communication between devices and a host controller (usually apersonal computer). The USB standard was first finalized in 1996, and has undergone many revisions since then, enabling faster data transfer speeds.
The third revision of USB, introduced in 2008. It provides transfer rates of up to 5 Gbit/s (gigabits per second), more than 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
First released in 1987, this was the last graphical standard introduced byIBM to which the majority ofPC clone manufacturers conformed. Today, it has largely been supplanted byDisplayPort andHDMI, however, it can still be found as an integrated graphics option in some motherboards.
The Zip drive is a removable floppy disk storage system that was introduced by Iomega in late 1994. Considered medium-to-high-capacity at the time of its release, Zip disks were originally launched with capacities of 100 MB.
