Microcomp Hardware

Front 1

ASCII

Back 1

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. An encoding scheme by which characters are represented by numbers. For example, "A" is represented in decimal as 65. 7-bit ASCII supports 128 different characters; extended ASCII supports 256.

Front 2

bank

Back 2

A slot into which RAM is inserted.

Front 3

base-10

Back 3

A system for representing numbers with sequences of digits, each of which can take on one of ten possible values 0-9.

Front 4

base-2

Back 4

A system for representing numbers with sequences of digits, each of which can take on one of two possible values 0 or 1.

Front 5

binary

Back 5

See base-2. :)

Front 6

BIOS

Back 6

Basic Input Output System. Software burned into ROM that enables a computer to bootstrap itself. Passes contorl of computer to an OS after checking RAM, etc. Handles low-level communication with drives, keyboard, printer, etc.

Front 7

bit

Back 7

A 0 or 1 :)

Front 8

bus

Back 8

A pathway for data.

Front 9

byte

Back 9

Eight bits.

Front 10

chassis

Back 10

The case (sides top and bottom) and structural support of a computer.

Front 11

CMOS

Back 11

Refers to hardware that stores BIOS settings liek date, time, boot sequence, etc.

Front 12

Computation

Back 12

Calculation like determining something through mathematical means.

Front 13

Computer

Back 13

Something that calculates (produces output from input via mathematical means).

Front 14

Connector

Back 14

Something that attaches to something else.

Front 15

Cookie

Back 15

Floppy, circular material inside of a floppy disk.

Front 16

CPU

Back 16

Central Processing Unit. The brains of a computer. Speed measured in mhz or ghz.

Front 17

daughterboard

Back 17

A logic board that plugs into a motherboard. A printed circuit board that plugs into another circuit board (usually the motherboard). A daughtercard is similar to an expansion board, but it accesses the motherboard components (memory and CPU) directly instead of sending data through the slower expansion bus.

Front 18

decimal

Back 18

See base-10.

Front 19

DIMM

Back 19

Dual Inline Memory Module. Type of RAM found in newer computers. Has 168 pins.

Front 20

flash

Back 20

To flash a computer's BIOS is to upgrade it with manufacture-provided software.

Front 21

game port

Back 21

Serial port on the back of a PC into which a joystick or the like can be plugged in.

Front 22

giga

Back 22

A prefix denoting a billion.

Front 23

hardware

Back 23

Computer equipment.

Front 24

heat sink

Back 24

A metallic construct designed to absorb and dissipate excess heat, most commonly from a processor

Front 25

kilo

Back 25

Prefix denoting thousand.

Front 26

L1 cache

Back 26

Very fast memory usually found "on die" (inside of the CPU). Found in such quantities as 16KB, 32KB, etc. Enables CPU to retrieve instructions quickly, avoiding relatively slower RAM.

Front 27

L2 cache

Back 27

Pretty fast memory sometimes found "on die" (inside CPU), else in the CPU's packaging or on the motherboard.

Front 28

level-1 cache

Back 28

L1 cache.

Front 29

level-2 cache

Back 29

L2 cache.

Front 30

logic board

Back 30

A plastic (and often green) board with circuits, chips and other hardware.

Front 31

mega

Back 31

A prefix denoting million.

Front 32

motherboard

Back 32

Main logic board of a computer. "Central artery system" through which almost all hardware communicates.

Front 33

non-volatile memory

Back 33

Electronic storage that doesn't require power for preservation.

Front 34

overclocking

Back 34

Process by which a computers CPU is made to run at a higher speed (clock frequency) than intended by the manufacturer.

Front 35

parallel port

Back 35

Port on the back of a PC through which bits travel in parallel (8 at a time). Often used to connect printers. (Before USB, scanners, Zip drives, and more were often connected via the parallel port)

Front 36

port

Back 36

A connector on the back of a computer.

Front 37

POST

Back 37

Power On Self Test. Sequence of steps performed by a BIOS upon startup (memory check, keyboard check, etc).

Front 38

processor

Back 38

See CPU.

Front 39

RAM

Back 39

Random Access Memory.

Front 40

RIMM

Back 40

Rambus Inline Memory Module. Type or RAM found in new computers. Smaller than DIMMs. Can be installed singly.

Front 41

ROM

Back 41

Read only memory. Type of memory found on a computers motherboard that stores the BIOS. Can be "flashed" with updates.

Front 42

SDRAM

Back 42

Synchronous dynamic random access memory. Called synchronous because it is synchronized with the CPU's bus speed.

Front 43

secondary storage

Back 43

Non-volatile, writable storage like hard disks, floppy disks, CD-Rs, etc.

Front 44

serial port

Back 44

Port on the back of a PC through which bits travel serially (one at a time). Used to connect mice and modems on older comps.

Front 45

SIMM

Back 45

Single Inline Memory Module. Type of RAM found in older computers. Oldest version had 30 pins; newer (but now old) version had 72. Has to be installed in pairs.

Front 46

slot

Back 46

Fairly long, narrow connector found on some motherboards for CPUs.

Front 47

socket

Back 47

Connector found on some motherboards for CPUs. Usually a square containing many, tiny holes for CPU's pins.

Front 48

system bus

Back 48

Main pathway on a motherboard along which data travels.

Front 49

tera

Back 49

A prefix denoting trillion.

Front 50

USB

Back 50

Universal Serial Bus. Relatively new, fast bus to which peripherals (digital cameras, printers, keyboards, mice, etc.) can be connected.

Front 51

virtual memory

Back 51

Hard disk space used as though it were RAM.

Front 52

volatile memory

Back 52

Electronic storage that requires power for preservation.