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AGP – Accelerated Graphics Port (strictly for video cards)
ATA – Advanced Technology Attachment
BIOS – Basic Input / Output System (on bootup you can access it usually with the “del” key or F10 key)
CACHE – A special high-speed storage mechanism. It can be either a reserved section of main memory or an independent high-speed storage device. Two types of caching are commonly used in personal computers: memory caching and disk caching.
cBO – The stepping of P3 that failed to reach 1Ghz
cCO – The embarrasment of the decade when Intel had to remove it’s 1.13Ghz chips from the market place as they weren’t fit for the speed.
COLD BOOT – The reboot of a computer by electrical switch. (actually shutting off the power).
CPU – Central Processing Unit (main processor for your system)
DIMM – Dual Inline Memory Module.
EB – Denotes a Coppermine processor running on a 133Mhz bus. E meant coppermine and B meant Bus!
ECC Error – Correcting Code memory, a type of memory that includes special circuitry for testing the accuracy of data as it passes in and out of memory.
FC – Flip Chip.
FCPGA – Flip Chip Pin Grid Array. Intel named it the “flip chip” because because the chip is upside down on the socket compared to earlier chips.
FSB – Front Side Bus.
FPS (not the games) Floating Point Scheduler.
FPS (the games) Frames per second.
FPS (also the Games) – First Person Shooter.
FPU – Floating Point Unit a specially designed chip that performs floating-point calculations. Computers equipped with an FPU perform certain types of applications much faster than computers that lack one. In particular, graphics applications are faster with an FPU.
GHZ Gigahertz = 1000 Megahertz.
GPU – Graphical Processing Unit (processor on your video card)
HD – Hard Drive.
HSF – Heat Sink & Fan.
ISA – Industry Standard Architechture (old school and runs at 1/2 the speed of PCI).
LNK = Lovely New Kit – New hardware that enhances a user’s computer, life and brag factor!
MHZ – MegaHertz.
MOBO – Motherboard.
MTBF = Mean Time Before Failure – The average time (in hours usually) you can expect a hard-disk/Cd-Rom drive to work before it dies.
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer destined – a chip or component is OEM when it doesn’t come in fancy retail packaging and is usually in a white box. Usually cheaper as a consequence. These articles aren’t meant for retail sale – but they end up there.
OS – Operating System.
PARITY – Comparing data for odd or even numbers. Used for error correction.
PCI – Peripheral Component Interface.
PSU or PS – Power Supply Unit.
PS2 – Not a Playstation2 – but relates to a range of IBM PCs from the early nineties that used their own kind of connectors instead of AT type connectors for keyboards and serial connectors for mice.
PPGA – Plastic Pin Grid Array.
RAID – Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (system to use several disk to secure against data loss and speed data access).
Retail – This is the fancy box and full mfg warranty. Intel chips have a 3 year warranty where OEM is anywhere from a week to a year.
SCSI – Small Computer System Interface. Much faster and more expensive. Replaces IDE but usually is only commercially used.
SIMM – Single Inline Memory Module.
Soft Boot – To force a reboot of the computer by software command – this may be by Ctrl+Alt+Del or by a command or simply Start….Shutdown….Restart. Rebooting w/o actually shutting down power to the system.
Socket 370 – The Intel socket that originated as home for the Celeron PGA and is now home for coppermine celerons and P3’s. Will soon become home to Tualatin.
Socket A – The socket of the Duron, Thunderbird and soon the Morgan, Palamino and Mustang.
Slocket – An adapter to enable the use of socket 370 PPGA or FCPGA chips in a slot 1 motherboard environment.
Slot 1 – A 242pin slot adapter for Celerons, Pentium 2’s and 3’s.
Socket 7 – A 321 pin socket that formed the home of chips from Pentium classics, Cyrix UDMA – Ultra Direct Memory Access
6×86 chips, Winchips and AMD K6 series chips. Now obsoleted officially.
Vcore – Core Voltage of the CPU.
USB – Universal Serial Bus.
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