Parts of Computer The printer is used to develop a hard copy or

paper copy of a document or picture. The

Mouse printer connects to the computer and
requires the use of its own power cord.
Used for making selections. There are two
buttons on a mouse. Most actions are
performed using the left mouse button.
Some mice have cords and some do not.

Keyboard

Used for entering data, generating

commands. The keyboard layout is similar
to a typewriter with additional keys for other
functions. There is a number keypad to the
right of the main alphabetical keypad.

Monitor

The monitor is the visual component of the

computer. It displays information to the user.
This is a required part of the computer. This
part requires electricity so it will have its
own power cord to plug into an outlet.

Speakers

The speakers are the audio component of the

computer.

Computer System Unit

This is where everything comes together to

work. The system box holds the central
processing unit to act as the brains of the
computer. The unit contains the motherboard
which is the main circuitry for the system.
The power supply for the main computer is
located in the unit. All the other parts
including the monitor, mouse, keyboard,
speakers, and others join at the unit to
become a functional system.

Printer
History of Computers: A Brief 1946: Mauchly and Presper leave the University of Pennsylvania
and receive funding from the Census Bureau to build the UNIVAC,
Timeline the first commercial computer for business and government
applications.

Famed mathematician Charles Babbage designed a

1947: William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain of Bell
Victorian-era computer called the Analytical Engine.
Laboratories invent the transistor. They discovered how to make an
This is a portion of the mill with a printing
electric switch with solid materials and no need for a vacuum.
mechanism.

Credit: Science Museum | Science & Society Picture 1953: Grace Hopper develops the first computer language, which
Library eventually becomes known as COBOL. Thomas Johnson Watson
Jr., son of IBM CEO Thomas Johnson Watson Sr., conceives the
The computer was born not for entertainment or email but out of a IBM 701 EDPM to help the United Nations keep tabs on Korea
need to solve a serious number-crunching crisis. By 1880, the U.S. during the war.
population had grown so large that it took more than seven years to
tabulate the U.S. Census results. The government sought a faster
way to get the job done, giving rise to punch-card based computers 1954: The FORTRAN programming language is born.
that took up entire rooms.
1958: Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce unveil the integrated circuit,
Today, we carry more computing power on our smartphones than known as the computer chip. Kilby was awarded the Nobel Prize in
was available in these early models. The following brief history of Physics in 2000 for his work.
computing is a timeline of how computers evolved from their
humble beginnings to the machines of today that surf the Internet, 1964: Douglas Engelbart shows a prototype of the modern
play games and stream multimedia in addition to crunching computer, with a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI). This
numbers. marks the evolution of the computer from a specialized machine
for scientists and mathematicians to technology that is more
1801: In France, Joseph Marie Jacquard invents a loom that uses accessible to the general public.
punched wooden cards to automatically weave fabric designs.
Early computers would use similar punch cards. 1969: A group of developers at Bell Labs produce UNIX, an
operating system that addressed compatibility issues. Written in the
1822: English mathematician Charles Babbage conceives of a C programming language, UNIX was portable across multiple
steam-driven calculating machine that would be able to compute platforms and became the operating system of choice among
tables of numbers. The project, funded by the English government, mainframes at large companies and government entities. Due to the
is a failure. More than a century later, however, the worlds first slow nature of the system, it never quite gained traction among
computer was actually built. home PC users.

1890: Herman Hollerith designs a punch card system to calculate 1970: The newly formed Intel unveils the Intel 1103, the first
the 1880 census, accomplishing the task in just three years and Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) chip.
saving the government $5 million. He establishes a company that
would ultimately become IBM. 1971: Alan Shugart leads a team of IBM engineers who invent the
floppy disk, allowing data to be shared among computers.
1936: Alan Turing presents the notion of a universal machine, later
called the Turing machine, capable of computing anything that is 1973: Robert Metcalfe, a member of the research staff for Xerox,
computable. The central concept of the modern computer was develops Ethernet for connecting multiple computers and other
based on his ideas. hardware.

1937: J.V. Atanasoff, a professor of physics and mathematics at 1974-1977: A number of personal computers hit the market,
Iowa State University, attempts to build the first computer without including Scelbi & Mark-8 Altair, IBM 5100, RadioShacks TRS-
gears, cams, belts or shafts. 80 affectionately known as the Trash 80 and the
Commodore PET.
1941: Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, design a
computer that can solve 29 equations simultaneously. This marks 1975: The January issue of Popular Electronics magazine features
the first time a computer is able to store information on its main the Altair 8080, described as the "world's first minicomputer kit to
memory. rival commercial models." Two "computer geeks," Paul Allen and
Bill Gates, offer to write software for the Altair, using the new
1943-1944: Two University of Pennsylvania professors, John BASIC language. On April 4, after the success of this first
Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, build the Electronic Numerical endeavor, the two childhood friends form their own software
Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). Considered the grandfather of company, Microsoft.
digital computers, it fills a 20-foot by 40-foot room and has 18,000
vacuum tubes. 1976: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak start Apple Computers on
April Fools Day and roll out the Apple I, the first computer with a
single-circuit board.
The TRS-80, introduced in 1977, was one of the first "Descent" and "Little Big Adventure" are among the games to hit
machines whose documentation was intended for the market.
non-geeks
1996: Sergey Brin and Larry Page develop the Google search
1977: Radio Shack's initial production run of the TRS-80 was just
engine at Stanford University.
3,000. It sold like crazy. For the first time, non-geeks could write
programs and make a computer do what they wished.
1997: Microsoft invests $150 million in Apple, which was
struggling at the time, ending Apples court case against Microsoft
1977: Jobs and Wozniak incorporate Apple and show the Apple II
in which it alleged that Microsoft copied the look and feel of its
at the first West Coast Computer Faire. It offers color graphics and
operating system.
incorporates an audio cassette drive for storage.

1999: The term Wi-Fi becomes part of the computing language and
1978: Accountants rejoice at the introduction of VisiCalc, the first
users begin connecting to the Internet without wires.
computerized spreadsheet program.

2001: Apple unveils the Mac OS X operating system, which

1979: Word processing becomes a reality as MicroPro
provides protected memory architecture and pre-emptive multi-
International releases WordStar.
tasking, among other benefits. Not to be outdone, Microsoft rolls
out Windows XP, which has a significantly redesigned GUI.

The first IBM personal computer, introduced on Aug. 2003: The first 64-bit processor, AMDs Athlon 64, becomes
12, 1981, used the MS-DOS operating system. available to the consumer market.

Credit: IBM 2004: Mozillas Firefox 1.0 challenges Microsofts Internet

Explorer, the dominant Web browsers. Facebook, a social
1981: The first IBM personal computer, code-named Acorn, is
networking site, launches.
introduced. It uses Microsofts MS-DOS operating system. It has
an Intel chip, two floppy disks and an optional color monitor. Sears
& Roebuck and Computerland sell the machines, marking the first 2005: YouTube, a video sharing service, is founded. Google
time a computer is available through outside distributors. It also acquires Android, a Linux-based mobile phone operating system.
popularizes the term PC.
2006: Apple introduces the MacBook Pro, its first Intel-based,
1983: Apples Lisa is the first personal computer with a GUI. It dual-core mobile computer, as well as an Intel-based iMac.
also features a drop-down menu and icons. It flops but eventually Nintendos Wii game console hits the market.
evolves into the Macintosh. The Gavilan SC is the first portable
computer with the familiar flip form factor and the first to be 2007: The iPhone brings many computer functions to the
marketed as a laptop. smartphone.

1985: Microsoft announces Windows, its response to Apples GUI. 2009: Microsoft launches Windows 7, which offers the ability to
Commodore unveils the Amiga 1000, which features advanced pin applications to the taskbar and advances in touch and
audio and video capabilities. handwriting recognition, among other features.

1985: The first dot-com domain name is registered on March 15, 2010: Apple unveils the iPad, changing the way consumers view
years before the World Wide Web would mark the formal media and jumpstarting the dormant tablet computer segment.
beginning of Internet history. The Symbolics Computer Company,
a small Massachusetts computer manufacturer, registers
Symbolics.com. More than two years later, only 100 dot-coms had 2011: Google releases the Chromebook, a laptop that runs the
been registered. Google Chrome OS.

1986: Compaq brings the Deskpro 386 to market. Its 32-bit 2012: Facebook gains 1 billion users on October 4.
architecture provides as speed comparable to mainframes.
2015: Apple releases the Apple Watch. Microsoft releases
1990: Tim Berners-Lee, a researcher at CERN, the high-energy Windows 10.
physics laboratory in Geneva, develops HyperText Markup
Language (HTML), giving rise to the World Wide Web.

1993: The Pentium microprocessor advances the use of graphics

and music on PCs.

1994: PCs become gaming machines as "Command & Conquer,"

"Alone in the Dark 2," "Theme Park," "Magic Carpet,"
 Major Motherboard Components and Their
Functions

The Parts of a Computer

Motherboard

A labeled ASRock K7VT4A Pro Mainboard. |

Source

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Also known as the microprocessor or the processor, the
CPU is the computer's brain. It is responsible for fetching,
decoding, and executing program instructions as well as
performing mathematical and logical calculations.

The processor chip is identified by the processor type and

the manufacturer. This information is usually inscribed on
the chip itself. For example, Intel 386, Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD) 386, Cyrix 486, Pentium MMX, Intel Core
2Duo, or iCore7.

If the processor chip is not on the motherboard, you can

identify the processor socket as socket 1 to Socket 8, LGA
Some of the major components of a 775 among others. This can help you identify the processor
motherboard. that fits in the socket. For example, a 486DX processor fits
into Socket 3.
The main printed circuit board in a computer is known as
the motherboard. Other names for this central computer
Random Access Memory (RAM)
unit are system board, main board, or printed wired board
Random Access Memory, or RAM, usually refers to
(PWB). Motherboard is sometimes shortened to Mobo.
computer chips that temporarily store dynamic data to
enhance computer performance while you are working.
Numerous major components, crucial in the functioning of
the computer, are attached to the motherboard. These
In other words, it is the working place of your computer,
include the processor, memory, and expansion slots. The
where active programs and data are loaded so that any time
motherboard connects directly or indirectly to every part of
time the processor requires them, it doesn't have to fetch
the PC.
them from the hard disk.

The type of motherboard installed in a PC has a great effect

Random access memory is volatile, meaning it loses its
on a computer's system speed and expansion capabilities.
contents once power is turned off. This is different from
non-volatile memory, such as hard disks and flash memory,
which do not require a power source to retain data.

When a computer shuts down properly, all data located in

RAM is returned back to permanent storage on the hard
drive or flash drive. At the next boot-up, RAM begins to fill
with programs automatically loaded at startup, a process Floppy disk and hard disk drive types
called booting. Later on, the user opens other files and
programs that are still loaded in the memory. Information about CPU

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

RAM size
BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. BIOS is a
"read only" memory, which consists of low-level software
that controls the system hardware and acts as an interface Date and time
between the operating system and the hardware. Most
people know the term BIOS by another namedevice Serial and parallel port information
drivers, or just drivers. BIOS is essentially the link between
the computer hardware and software in a system. Plug and Play information

All motherboards include a small block of Read Only

Power Saving settings
Memory (ROM) which is separate from the main system
memory used for loading and running software. On PCs,
the BIOS contains all the code required to control the Other Important data kept in CMOS memory is the time
keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial and date, which is updated by a Real Time Clock (RTC).
communications, and a number of miscellaneous functions.
Cache Memory
The system BIOS is a ROM chip on the motherboard used
during the startup routine (boot process) to check out the
system and prepare to run the hardware. The BIOS is stored
on a ROM chip because ROM retains information even
when no power is being supplied to the computer.

Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

Random Access Memory (CMOS RAM)

L2 cache on an old motherboard.

Cache memory is a small block of high-speed memory

(RAM) that enhances PC performance by pre-loading
information from the (relatively slow) main memory and
passing it to the processor on demand.
A CMOS battery.

Motherboards also include a small separate block of Most CPUs have an internal cache memory (built into the
memory made from CMOS RAM chips which is kept alive processor) which is referred to as Level 1 or primary cache
by a battery (known as a CMOS battery) even when the memory. This can be supplemented by external cache
PCs power is off. This prevents reconfiguration when the memory fitted on the motherboard. This is the Level 2 or
PC is powered on. secondary cache.

CMOS devices require very little power to operate. In modern computers, Levels 1 and 2 cache memory are
built into the processor die. If a third cache is implemented
The CMOS RAM is used to store basic Information about outside the die, it is referred to as the Level 3 (L3) cache.
the PCs configuration for instance:-
Expansion Bus The SouthBridge (also called the
input/output controller or expansion
controller) handles communications
between slower peripheral devices. It is
also called the ICH (I/O Controller Hub).
The term "bridge" is generally used to
designate a component which connects
two buses.

Chipset manufacturers include SIS, VIA, ALI, and OPTI.

CPU Clock
The CPU clock synchronizes the operation of all parts of
the PC and provides the basic timing signal for the CPU.
Using a quartz crystal, the CPU clock breathes life into the
microprocessor by feeding it a constant flow of pulses.

For example, a 200 MHz CPU receives 200 million pulses

per second from the clock. A 2 GHz CPU gets two billion
pulses per second. Similarly, in any communications device
a clock may be used to synchronize the data pulses between
sender and receiver.

A "real-time clock," also called the "system clock," keeps

PCI slots. track of the time of day and makes this data available to the
software. A "time-sharing clock" interrupts the CPU at
An expansion bus is an input/output pathway from the CPU
regular intervals and allows the operating system to divide
to peripheral devices and it is typically made up of a series
its time between active users and/or applications.
of slots on the motherboard. Expansion boards (cards) plug
into the bus. PCI is the most common expansion bus in a
PC and other hardware platforms. Buses carry signals such Switches and Jumpers
as data, memory addresses, power, and control signals from
component to component. Other types of buses include ISA DIP (Dual In-line Package) switches are
and EISA. small electronic switches found on the
circuit board that can be turned on or
Expansion buses enhance the PCs capabilities by allowing off just like a normal switch. They are
users to add missing features in their computers by slotting very small and so are usually flipped
adapter cards into expansion slots. with a pointed object, such as the tip of
a screwdriver, a bent paper clip, or a
pen top. Take care when cleaning near
Chipsets DIP switches, as some solvents may
A chipset is a group of small circuits that coordinate the destroy them. Dip switches are
flow of data to and from a PC's key components. These key obsolete and you will not find them in
components include the CPU itself, the main memory, the modern systems.
secondary cache, and any devices situated on the buses. A
chipset also controls data flow to and from hard disks and Jumper pins are small protruding pins
other devices connected to the IDE channels. on the motherboard. A jumper cap or
bridge is used to connect or short a
A computer has got two main chipsets: pair of jumper pins. When the bridge is
connected to any two pins, via a
shorting link, it completes the circuit
The NorthBridge (also called the
and a certain configuration has been
memory controller) is in charge of
achieved.
controlling transfers between the
processor and the RAM, which is why it
is located physically near the Jumper caps are metal bridges that
processor. It is sometimes called the close an electrical circuit. Typically, a
GMCH, for Graphic and Memory jumper consists of a plastic plug that
Controller Hub. fits over a pair of protruding pins.
 Jumpers are sometimes used to DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory." A type of
configure expansion boards. By placing RAM that stores each bit of data on separate capacitors.
a jumper plug over a different set of
pins, you can change a board's
DV: Digital Video. A protocol for the storage and transfer
parameters.
of audio-visual information, often used to transfer
information from a camcorder to a computer, usually over a
Computer Hardware-Related Firewire interface.
Acronyms
AGP: Accelerated Graphics Port. A type of video interface DVD: Digital Versatile Disc. A type of optical media that
introduced in 1996 as an improvement to PCI. It has now allows far more storage than a CD.
been largely replaced by PCI-e.
DVD+R: Digital Versatile Disc Recordable. A type of
BIOS: Basic Input-Output Services. This information is DVD that can be recorded, but from which information
stored on a chip commonly referred to as the CMOS chip, cannot be deleted and the space it occupied re-used.
which really isn't a CMOS chip at all. Usually it's a Flash-
ROM chip. But they used to be CMOS chips back in the DVD+RW: Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable. A DVD that
old days, and the name stuck. By whatever name, the BIOS can be recorded, and from which information can be
contains the most basic information needed by the deleted and the space it occupied re-used.
computer at the hardware level to let it know that it's a
computer (rather than, for example, a weed-whacker), how DVD-R: Digital Versatile Disc Recordable. A type of DVD
to boot up, and how to find the rest of its parts. that can be recorded, but from which information cannot be
deleted and the space it occupied re-used.
CD: Compact Disc. A type of optical media, so called
because it uses light to read the data stored on the disk. DVD-RAM: Digital Versatile Disc Random Access
Memory. A DVD that can be written, erased, and re-
CD-R: Compact Disc Recordable. A CD that can be written, and which also are capable of error-checking and
recorded, but from which data cannot be deleted so the other advanced sorts of stuff that RAM can do, making
space can be re-used. You can record on a CD-R multiple them suitable for us as RAM. They are much slower than
times, but the remaining space will be reduced by real RAM, however, and are starting to fade from use.
whatever's already occupying space on the disk.
DVD-RW: Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable. A DVD that
CD-ROM: Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. Basically can be recorded, and from which information can be
the same as any other CD, except referring specifically to a deleted and the space it occupied re-used.
disk that contains computer data rather than music.
DVI: Digital Video Interface. A type of digital video
CD-RW: Compact Disc Re-Writable. A CD that can be interface that can be used by computers and other video
recorded multiple times, and from which data can be devices. It was an improvement over VGA, but is starting
deleted and the space re-used. to be obsolesced by HDMI.

CPU: The Central Processing Unit, Microprocessor, or ECC: Error Correction Code. ECC Memory uses a parity
simply Processor. bit to insure that data has been transmitted correctly. It is
both slower and more expensive than non-ECC memory,
DDR: Double Data Rate. A type of memory that sends and but it's more reliable. In order to use ECC memory, your
receives data twice every clock cycle, and therefore is motherboard must support it, and all of the memory on-
capable of twice the data transfer rate of standard SDRAM. board must be ECC. It's mainly used in high-end servers.

DDR2: Double Data Rate 2. EIDE: Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics. EIDE was
an improvement over IDE, which used to be the standard
protocol for hard drive communications in most computers
DDR3: Double Data Rate Type 3.
intended as workstations (as opposed to servers). EIDE
supported data transfer rates of up to 16.6 Mbps, which was
DIMM: Dual In-Line Memory Module. A type of memory twice as fast as IDE, and required an 80-conductor cable
chip that uses a 64-bit bus, as compared to SIMM chips, (as opposed to the 40-conductor cables used for IDE).
which used a 32-bit bus. EIDE drives are being obsolesced by SATA, but there are
still a bunch of them in service.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. LAN: Local Area Network. Network cards are sometimes
referred to as "LAN cards" or "LAN interfaces."
FSB: Front Side Bus. The part of a computer motherboard
that allows the computer's processor to communicate with LCD: Liquid Crystal Display. A type of solid-state display
the RAM and the other components on the motherboard. technology used in computer monitors and other electronic
displays.
GPU: Graphics Processing Unit. The chip on a video card
that processes graphics and video. Sometimes integrated on LED: Light-Emitting Diode. A semiconductor that emits
the motherboard, and sometimes on the CPU itself. light. Often used for indicator lights, panel lights, and to
illuminate LED computer monitors.

HDD: Hard Disk Drive. An array of magnetic disks that

LUN: Logical Unit Number. Used to identify SCSI
store data until it is intentionally deleted by the user, the
devices. Each device is assigned LUN ranging from 0 to 7,
system, or a program. which identifies the device within the particular computer.
Can also be used as an address for a virtual hard drive
HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface. A digital partition in a RAID array.
standard for transmitting high-definition video and audio
using a single cable. HDMI is rapidly becoming the MAC Address: Media Access Control Address. The
standard interface for computers and home entertainment unique identification of any network connection device,
devices. such as a network card or modem.

HDTV: High-Definition Television. The over-the-air MBR: Master Boot Record. The section of the hard drive
television standard that replaced NTSC in the United located in the boot sector, which contains (at a minimum)
States. Tuners are available that allow HDTV signals to be the partition table and the bootstrap code.
captured and processed on a computer, enabling the user to
watch TV on his or her computer. MCA: Micro Channel Architecture. An obsolete, IBM-
proprietary expansion interface. Few devices were
I/O: Input/Output. Kind of a generic term for data moving manufactured for the MCA interface because of its
into or out of a computer or component. proprietary nature.

NIC: Network Interface Card.

IDE: Integrated Device Electronics. See EIDE above.

NTFS: New Technology File System. The preferred file

IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
system for Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7.
The highly-educated geeks who came up with most of these
standards and acronyms.
NVRAM: Non-Volatile Random Access Memory.
NVRAM retains its data even when the computer is
IGP: Integrated Graphics Processor. A video processing powered down.
unit or video "card" that's integrated onto a computer
motherboard, or sometimes onto the CPU.
OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. The company
that manufactures a computer (or some other thing). If you
IRQ: Interrupt Request. This gets complicated, but build your own computer, then YOU are the OEM.
basically it's a way for a component of a computer to get
the processor's attention. Back in the old days, we had to OSD: On Screen Display. Information that is outputted via
assign each component an IRQ. Although there were the computer's monitor, such as the settings for the monitor
standards that were used by default, sometimes conflicts itself.
would arise when two or more devices tried to share the
same IRQ, and we'd have to reassign IRQs to eliminate the PCB: Printed Circuit Board. Generic term for any printed
conflicts. Nowadays, it's all pretty much automatic and circuit board, not just one in a computer.
pretty much reliable; so unless you're an engineer, knowing
about IRQs is mainly a nice way to impress people.
PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect. One of the
expansion interfaces that replaced ISA. Many devices are
ISA: Industry Standard Architecture. An obsolete still available for PCI, and most motherboards still contain
expansion interface, which began to be replaced by PCI and at least one or two PCI slots. But slowly, PCI is being
AGP in the mid-1990's. replaced by PCIe.
PCIe: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express. A SCSI: Small Computer System Interface. Pronounced
newer expansion interface designed to replace the PCI, "skuzzy." A very fast, very reliable interface used to
PCI-X, and AGP interfaces. Not to be confused with PCI- connect hard drives to a computer's motherboard. Usually
Extended (PCI-X). used only in high-end servers.

PCI-X: Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended. A SIMM: Single In-Line Memory Module. An obsolete type
higher-bandwidth, 64-bit version of PCI used mainly in of memory chip that used a 32-bit bus, as compared to
servers. Not to be confused with PCI-Express (PCIe). DIMM chips, which use a 64-bit bus.

PCMCIA: Personal Computer Memory Card International SMART: Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting
Association. In practice, defines the interface for laptop Technology. A technology to monitor a hard drive's
expansion cards. In theory, was supposed to set many other performance and warn the user of any problems.
standards for portable computers, but never got around to
most of them. SO-DIMM: Small Outline Dual In-Line Memory Module.
The form-factor standard for memory used in laptops and
PMU: Power Management Unit. The circuitry on a other small form-factor computers.
Macintosh computer than controls power-related functions.
SRAM: Static Random Access Memory. Pronounced
PROM: Programmable Read-Only Memory. Read-only "ESS-ram." A type of RAM that holds data statically rather
memory that is programmed after manufacture. than dynamically. Faster and much more expensive than
DRAM, SRAM is used mainly as cache memory on hard
PS/2: Personal System/2. An historical IBM designation drives and processors.
that still defines certain computer hardware, most notable
the familiar purple and green mouse and keyboard sRGB: Standard Red Green Blue. The color standard now
connectors. used by most image-related hardware, such as monitors,
scanners, printers, and so forth.
RAID: Redundant Array of Independent Disks. An array of
disk drives that are arranged to increase data access speed SSD: Solid State Drive. A mass-storage device with no
(striping) and/or improve fault tolerance (mirroring). moving parts, which stores data in arrays of flash memory.
Better-quality ones have better data access speed than hard
RAM: Random-Access Memory. This is memory that's disk drives. In addition, because they are not sequential
writable by the system and by programs, that stores devices, there is no degradation of access speed when the
information while it is needed for running the system and drives become fragmented. However, SSDs are more
for the execution of programs. expensive the HDDs, have a limited duty life, and may be
difficult to recover data from in the event of failure.
RDRAM: Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory. A
very fast, very expensive, proprietary type of RAM UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply.
manufactured by a company named Rambus. (See? Some
things do make sense.) VGA: Video Graphics Array. The analog interface standard
for attachment of monitors and other VDUs to a computer.
ROM: Read-Only Memory. This memory is not easily
writable. It consists of information that is necessary for the VDU: Visual Display Unit. A monitor, projector, or other
system or component to operate, which is usually called an device used to display or project a computer's visual data.
"instruction set." Some types of ROM can be "flashed" by
the user to change or update the instruction set, but it must VRAM: Video Random Access Memory. Memory used by
be done deliberately. the video processor to store image data being processed and
sent to the monitor.
SATA: Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. A faster,
more reliable interface designed to replace the older PATA
technology used to connect ATA hard drives to the
computer's motherboard.