Abbreviations

 AGP: Accelerated Graphics Port.

 BIOS: Basic Input-Output Services.
 CD: Compact Disc.
 CD-R: Compact Disc Recordable.
 CD-ROM: Compact Disc Read-Only Memory.
 CD-RW: Compact Disc Re-Writable.
 DVD: Digital Versatile Disc. A type of optical media that allows far more storage than a
CD.
 CPU: The Central Processing Unit, Microprocessor, or simply Processor.
 DDR: Double Data Rate. A type of memory that sends and receives data twice every
clock cycle, and therefore is capable of twice the data transfer rate of standard SDRAM.
 DDR2: Double Data Rate 2.
 DDR3: Double Data Rate Type 3.
 I/O: Input/Output. Kind of a generic term for data moving into or out of a computer or
component.
 SIMM: Single In-Line Memory Module. An obsolete type of memory chip that used a
32-bit bus, as compared to DIMM chips, which use a 64-bit bus.
 DIMM: Dual In-Line Memory Module. A type of memory chip that uses a 64-bit bus, as
compared to SIMM chips, which used a 32-bit bus.
 DVD-R: Digital Versatile Disc Recordable. A type of DVD that can be recorded, but
from which information cannot be deleted and the space it occupied re-used.
 DVD-RW: Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable. A DVD that can be recorded, and from
which information can be deleted and the space it occupied re-used.
 DVI: Digital Video Interface. A type of digital video interface that can be used by
computers and other video devices. It was an improvement over VGA, but is starting
to be obsolesced by HDMI.
 HDMI: HDMI Stands for "High-Definition Multimedia Interface." HDMI is a digital
interface for transmitting audio and video data in a single cable. It is supported by
most HDTVs and related components, such as DVD and video game systems.
 LAN: Local Area Network. Network cards are sometimes referred to as "LAN cards" or
"LAN interfaces.“
 ISA: Industry Standard Architecture. An obsolete expansion interface, which began to be
replaced by PCI and AGP in the mid-1990's.
 IDE: IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is a standard electronic interface used between a
computer motherboard’s data paths or bus and the computer's disk storage devices. The
IDE interface is based on the IBM PC Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) 16-bit bus
standard, but it is also used in computers that use other bus standards. IDE is more
commonly known as ATA or Parallel ATA (PATA).
 IDE and SATA are different types of interfaces to connect storage devices (like hard
drives) to a computer's system bus. SATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment (or Serial ATA) and IDE is also called Parallel ATA or PATA. SATA is the
newer standard and SATA drives are faster than PATA (IDE) drives.
 LCD: Liquid Crystal Display. A type of solid-state display technology used in computer
monitors and other electronic displays.
 LED: Light-Emitting Diode. A semiconductor that emits light. Often used for indicator
lights, panel lights, and to illuminate LED computer monitors.
 MAC Address: Media Access Control Address. The unique identification of any network
connection device, such as a network card or modem.
 NIC: Network Interface Card.
 NTFS: New Technology File System. The preferred file system for Windows NT, 2000,
XP, Vista, and 7.
 NVRAM: Non-Volatile Random Access Memory. NVRAM retains its data even when
the computer is powered down.
 PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect. One of the expansion interfaces that replaced
ISA. Many devices are still available for PCI, and most motherboards still contain at least
one or two PCI slots. But slowly, PCI is being replaced by PCIe.
 PCIe: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express. A newer expansion interface
designed to replace the PCI, PCI-X, and AGP interfaces. Not to be confused with PCI-
Extended (PCI-X).
 PCI-X: Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended. A higher-bandwidth, 64-bit
version of PCI used mainly in servers. Not to be confused with PCI-Express (PCIe).
 PS/2: Personal System/2. An historical IBM designation that still defines certain
computer hardware, most notable the familiar purple and green mouse and keyboard
connectors.
 RAM: Random-Access Memory. This is memory that's writable by the system and by
programs, that stores information while it is needed for running the system and for the
execution of programs.
 RDRAM: Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory. A very fast, very expensive,
proprietary type of RAM manufactured by a company named Rambus.
 ROM: Read-Only Memory. This memory is not easily writable. It consists of information
that is necessary for the system or component to operate, which is usually called an
"instruction set." Some types of ROM can be "flashed" by the user to change or update
the instruction set, but it must be done deliberately.
 RAID: Redundant Array of Independent Disks. An array of disk drives that are arranged
to increase data access speed (striping) and/or improve fault tolerance (mirroring).
 SCSI: Small Computer System Interface. Pronounced "skuzzy." A very fast, very reliable
interface used to connect hard drives to a computer's motherboard. Usually used only in
high-end servers.
 UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply.
 VGA: Video Graphics Array. The analog interface standard for attachment of monitors
and other VDUs to a computer.
 VDU: Visual Display Unit. A monitor, projector, or other device used to display or project
a computer's visual data.