PC Hardware Glossary
A list of terms with their definitions frequently used to refer to various components or technologies behind PC computers compiled by the About PC hardware / Reviews Guide.
ACPI
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
AGP
Advanced Graphics Port
Advanced Graphics Port
ATA
Advanced Technology Attachment
Advanced Technology Attachment
ATAPI
Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface
Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface
ATX
Advanced Technology Extended
Advanced Technology Extended
BGA
Ball Grid Array
Ball Grid Array
BIOS
Basic Input Output System
Basic Input Output System
CD-R
Compact Disc Recordable
Compact Disc Recordable
CD-ROM
Compact Disc Read Only Memory
Compact Disc Read Only Memory
CD-RW
Compact Disc Rewritable
Compact Disc Rewritable
CMOS
Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
CPU
Central Processing Unit
Central Processing Unit
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube
Cathode Ray Tube
DDR
Double Data Rate
Double Data Rate
DDR2
Double Data Rate Two
Double Data Rate Two
DIMM
Dual Inline Memory Module
Dual Inline Memory Module
DIPSwitch
Dual Inline Package Switch
Dual Inline Package Switch
DL
Dual Layer or Double Layer
Dual Layer or Double Layer
DMA
Direct Memory Access
Direct Memory Access
Dock
Docking Station
Docking Station
DRAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory
Dynamic Random Access Memory
DVD
Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc
Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc
DVD+/-R
DVD Recordable
DVD Recordable
ECC
Error Correcting Code
Error Correcting Code
ECP
Extended Capability Port
Extended Capability Port
EPP
Enhanced Parallel Port
Enhanced Parallel Port
FireWire
IEEE1394
IEEE1394
Floppy Drive
FDD
FDD
GHz
Gigahertz
Gigahertz
GPU
Graphics Processing Unit
Graphics Processing Unit
Hard Drive
HDD
HDD
I/O
Input/Output
Input/Output
IDE
Integrated Device Electronics
Integrated Device Electronics
IRQ
Interrupt Request
Interrupt Request
ISA
Industry Standard Architecture
Industry Standard Architecture
Kilobit
Kb
Kb
Kilobyte
KB
KB
LAN
Local Area Network
Local Area Network
LCD
Liquid Crystal Display
Liquid Crystal Display
Megabit
Mb or Mbps
Mb or Mbps
Megabyte
MB
MB
Megahertz
MHz
MHz
Motherboard
Definition of Motherboard
Definition of Motherboard
NCQ
Native Command Queuing
Native Command Queuing
NIC
Network Interface Card
Network Interface Card
NTFS
New Technology File System
New Technology File System
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer
Original Equipment Manufacturer
PC Card
Cardbus
Cardbus
PCI Express
aka PCI-Express, PCI-E or PCIe
aka PCI-Express, PCI-E or PCIe
PCI
Personal Computer Interconnect
Personal Computer Interconnect
POST
Power On Self Test
Power On Self Test
RAID
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
RAM
Random Access Memory
Random Access Memory
ROM
Read Only Memory
Read Only Memory
SCSI
Small Computer Systems Interface
Small Computer Systems Interface
SDRAM
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
Seek
aka Access Times
aka Access Times
Serial ATA
SATA
SATA
SRAM
Static Random Access Memory
Static Random Access Memory
SSD
Solid State Drive
Solid State Drive
USB
Universal Serial Bus
Universal Serial Bus
Video RAM
VRAM
VRAM