Sign In Sign-Up

Welcome!

Close

Would you like to make this site your homepage? It's fast and easy...

Yes, Please make this my home page!

No Thanks

  Don't show this to me again.

Close

Geek Speak is intended as a VERY basic guide to computer-related jargon. More detailed information can be found at PCwebopedia, an excellent reference for computer terminology on the Internet.
 

Click on the main categories below to view terms and definitions related to the subject.
 

Processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Memory or RAM (Random Access Memory)

Modem

Storage Devices

Multimedia

Output Devices


 

• The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the processor or central processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.
• Megahertz (Mhz)
• Measured clock speed of computer's processor chip. Example: 100mhz, 133mhz, 166mhz, etc.
• Processor Type
• Intel's Pentium is industry standard. Competitors include Cyrix and AMD's 6x86 series.
• Note: Some of the newest processors will have "with MMX Technology" tacked onto the name. MMX represents additions to the CPU programming that allow it to process multimedia tasks better and faster (such as graphics and sound).
• Cache
• Temporary holding area where the system stores frequently accessed information. This allows the processor to operate faster. Size is measured in Kilobytes (or "K").     Example: 256K or 512K.   Cache will be associated with the terms "L2" or "Pipeline Burst".

• The temporary holding area where the system stores documents (currently being worked on) and program instructions.
• Measured in Megabytes ( or "Mb"). Example: 8Mb, 16Mb, 32Mb. (Extra Geek Note: Often referred to as simply "Meg")

• Device that allows transfer of data over phone lines (Internet access, faxing, etc.).
• Baud (or Baud Rate) - Speed of modem measured in bits per second or bps. Example: 14.4K bps (or 14,400 bits per second), 28.8K bps, 33.6K bps, etc.
• Modems can be an internal component, or can be installed externally.
• Note: Modems that receive information at 56K (called X2 Technology) are now available, but actual speeds depend on the phone lines and the technology used by your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

• Hard Drive (or Hard Disk)- The computer's internal data storage device. All documents, program instructions, data, configuration information and operating system are stored on the hard drive. Unlike memory, information contained on the hard drive remains even after the computer is turned off, and must be manually deleted.
• Hard drives are measured by size and speed. Unless you are a serious power user, you should only be concerned with the size of your hard drive. Size is measured in megabytes (Mb or "Meg") for smaller hard drives and gigabytes (Gb or "Gig") for larger ones. A Gigabyte is equal to 1,000 megabytes. Example: 850Mb, 1Gb (or 1 "Gig"), 2.1Gb (or 2.1 "Gig").
• Floppy Drives - Device to allow for storage on portable floppy disks. A 3.5" floppy drive is standard on just about every computer currently manufactured. Despite portability, storage space is quite small (only 1.44Mb of information), but the floppy drive is extremely handy for transferring many types of files from computer to computer. (Note: Floppy drives are mostly an internal component, but can be installed externally also.)
• Tape Drives (or Tape Backup Systems) - Used primarily for backing up information contained on your hard drive as a precaution against system failure or crashes. Can also be used to archive large amounts of data.
• Large amounts of information can be stored conveniently, but accessing the archived data is much slower than accessing from a hard drive or floppy drive. (Note: Most tape drives are external, but can also be installed as an internal component.)
• Tape drives very greatly in speed just as the tapes themselves vary in capacity. There are many different options available to meet anyone's needs.
• Tape drives are not a necessary item for the average user, but invaluable if you wish to protect vital information you may have stored on your system.
• Zip™ or Jaz™ Drives - External disk drives manufactured by the Iomega Corporation (Iomega does offer internal models also).
• The Zip™ drive uses special high capacity disks (Zip™ disks) that can store up to 100Mb of information (nearly the capacity of 3.5" floppy disks). The drive itself operates about as fast as most standard hard drives. The Zip™ drive is extremely convenient for transferring or storing substantially large amounts of data.
• The Jaz™ drive is very similar to the Zip™ drive except for it's storage capacity. Jaz™ drives can store up to 1Gb of information on one special cartridge, and also operates about as fast as most standard hard drives. The Jaz™ drive can function as a second hard drive, or as an excellent alternative to tape drives for backing up vital information.
• Zip™ and Jaz™ drives aren't necessary components for the average user, but can prove to be very useful when storing, transferring or archiving large amounts of data.
• Note:   Although Iomega isn't the only manufacturer of high capacity disk drives, their pricing, reliability and ease of use make their products superior to most on the market.

• Having to do with graphic and sound capabilities of a home computer.
• More specifically, the video card, sound card, speakers, and CD-ROM drive.
• Video Card
• Terms associated with the video card are the internal speed of data transfers (either 32bit or 64bit) and the additional memory it reserves exclusively for video display (anywhere from 1Mb to 4Mb of RAM, either VRAM/Video Memory or DRAM/Dynamic Memory).
• Sound Card
• Sound cards will come in 8, 16 or 32 bit varieties. Bit refers to the rate of data transfer between the sound card and the CPU. Expect higher quality sound from the 32 bit cards. Sound Blaster by Creative Labs and compatibles are the most common.
• CD-ROM (Compact Disc - Read Only Memory) Drive
• Important multimedia device.   Many software applications are now sold on CD-ROM.   CD-ROM drives are described by their speed, for example: 4X (4 speed), 6X (6 speed), 8X (8 speed), etc.   8X is about the average speed today, but the newest CD-ROM drives are double that.

• Monitors - The video display. Monitors come in many sizes, resolutions and pitches.
• VGA - Abbreviation of video graphics array, a graphics display system for PCs developed by IBM. In graphics mode, the resolution is either 640 by 480 (with 16 colors) or 320 by 200 (with 256 colors). The total palette of colors is 262,144.
• SVGA - Short for Super VGA, a set of graphics standards designed to offer greater resolution than VGA. There are several varieties of SVGA, each providing a different resolution :
•800 by 600 pixels

•1024 by 768 pixels

•1280 by 1024 pixels

•1600 by 1200 pixels

All SVGA standards support a palette of 16 million colors, but the number of colors that can be displayed simultaneously is limited by the amount of video memory installed in a system. One SVGA system might display only 16 simultaneous colors while another displays the entire palette of 16 million colors. The SVGA standards are developed by a consortium of monitor and graphics manufacturers called VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association).
• Resolution - Signifies the number of dots ( pixels) on the entire screen. For example, a 640-by-480 pixel screen is capable of displaying 640 distinct dots on each of 480 lines, or about 300,000 pixels. This translates into different dpi (dots per inch) measurements depending on the size of the screen. For example, a 15-inch VGA monitor (640x480) displays about 50 dots per inch. Most mid to high-range monitors (SVGA) are capable of displaying in several different resolutions.
• Refresh Rate - The refresh rate for a monitor is measured in hertz (Hz) and is also called the vertical frequency or vertical refresh rate. The old standard for monitor refresh rates was 60Hz, but a new standard developed by VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) sets the refresh rate at 75Hz for VGA and SVGA monitors. The faster the refresh rate, the less the monitor flickers.
• Dot Pitch - A measurement that indicates the vertical distance between each pixel on a display screen. Measured in millimeters, the dot pitch is one of the principal characteristics that determines the quality of display monitors. The lower the number, the crisper the image. The dot pitch of color monitors for personal computers ranges from about 0.22 mm to 0.42 mm.
• Interlacing - A display technique that enables a monitor to provide more resolution inexpensively. Because an interlacing monitor refreshes only half the lines at one time, it can display twice as many lines per refresh cycle, giving it greater resolution. Another way of looking at it is that interlacing provides the same resolution as non-interlacing, but less expensively. A shortcoming of interlacing is that the reaction time is slower, so programs that depend on quick refresh rates (animation and video, for example), may experience flickering or streaking. Given two monitors that offer the same resolution, the non interlacing one will generally be better.
• Printers
• Ink Jet Printer - A type of printer that works by spraying ionized ink at a sheet of paper. Ink-jet printers are capable of producing high quality print approaching that produced by laser printers. They are also a relatively inexpensive way to print in color.
• Generally, ink jets are less expensive than laser printers, but you sacrifice speed and quality for your savings.
• Laser Printer A high quality printer that operates similarly to a copy machine. They are capable of high resolution printing as well as printing an almost unlimited variety of fonts. Laser printers are bulkier and generally more expensive than ink jet printers, but easily surpass the ink jets in speed and quality.




Some information contained under "Processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit)" and "Monitors" was derived from information contained at PCwebopaedia.
 





If you have questions  regarding purchasing a home computer?
If you need an answer for your question, the REAL experts in the department will gife you the answer!

Home

Last Updated
März 3, 1999