Computer terms

This list of computer terms is by no means a complete list.  However, you should find the most common terms here.

Desktop- Also referred to as the Tower, this is the box that house’s the computer components. This does not include your keyboard, mouse or monitor.

Motherboard- Think of this as a distribution center. Everything that goes into or out of your computer is distributed by the motherboard. It also distributes power. Since the different parts of your computer require different voltages, your mother board makes sure the right power goes to the right place.

CPU- The CPU is short for Central Processing Unit. This is the brain of the computer. The CPU does the calculations and instructions to do what you request.  The CPU’s used today do several thousand calculations per second. The amount depends on the brand and speed of the CPU. It kind of boggles the mind to think that a processor running at 2.0 GHZ is doing 200,000 cycles per second, for each cycle it process’s anywhere from 6 to 9 or more instructions. That means every second your CPU is able to process 1,800.00 instructions. Interesting isn’t it.

Memory- Also known as RAM,DIMM,DDR, DDR2,SDRAM, or RDRAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory.  Memory is what is used to open and maintain programs running on your computer, including the operating system. The more memory you have, the faster, more reliable your computer is. Also having more memory will help when your multi-tasking. DDR, DDR2, SDRAM, and RDRAM are some of the types of memory used. DDR stands for Double Date Rate; DDR2 is the newer version of that. SDRAM is an older and slower type which stands for Synconis Random Access Memory. Almost every computer today use’s DDR2 or DDR. The other term you may here is Dual Channel DDR. This basically means that when you’re using two or four memory sticks in your computer, the memory shares the bandwidth between them.  All you really need to know is that Dual Chanel memory can about double your memory speed. This is a good thing.

Hard Drive- This device is what your operating system and programs are stored on. If it wasn’t for your hard drive, everything on your computer would no longer exist after you turn your computer off.

Optical Drive- This is the device that reads and/or records CD’s and DVD’s. Remember that a DVD player or Burner can record and play both CD and DVD.

Network Card- This is sometimes misleading label. A network card or wireless network card is what provides access to high speed internet services such as cable or DSL. The reason it is called a network card is because before high speed internet, these cards where used for networking computers in businesses. They are still used for that reason today in homes and businesses along with internet duties.

DSL- Digital Subscriber Line. This is high speed internet over your phone line. It uses the same phone line that you talk on, but it is converted to a different frequency that your voice communication so your able to use both at the same time.

High Speed Internet or Broadband- If you’re on a dial up connection the information you are trying to download from the web is traveling at about 4 kbs (kilobits per second). If you have a DSL or Cable connection your usually at about 3 MBBS or about 250 kilobits per second. Currently, depending on where you live 3 MBBS is on the slow side. In some areas Cable is running 10MBBS or more. I think you can see why high speed is so much better. Broadband is another term for this. It simple means that your internet is running at a high broad rate then dial up.

Take time when studying these computer terms.  If you are new to computers there is a learning curve that may take you a little while.

Graphics Card or Video Card- This device is what gives you your picture on the computer. Some computers have this built into the motherboard, but the better computers have dedicated cards. The advantages of dedicated cards are many.  The most important reasons are memory. Stand alone cards have more memory and also free up more memory in your computer. Cards that are onboard use system memory, which takes away from your computer can use. Also, system memory is slower then what is on most video cards. Dedicated video cards also use their own processors. For these reasons dedicated video cards can process much more frames per second. What does it mean to you? If your only using your computer for internet surfing and email, you probably wouldn’t benefit from a dedicated card. For user’s that are gamers, or multi-taskiers, you would probily need a dedicated card. The other benefit is being able using two monitors.

Power Supply- This provides power in multiply voltages to everything in your computer. It typically includes its own cooling fans.

Modem- This connects your computer to the internet using a dial up connection, but also provides faxing ability. If you have a high speed internet connection, you may still have a phone line hooked up to your computer so you can send and receive faxes.

Sound Card- This is almost always built into the motherboard, but you can also purchase more sophisticated cards to add. Gamers and musicians are usually the only people that add a sound card to their system. The computers made today have great onboard sound that meets most needs of the user.

VOIP- This stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. If you have a high speed internet connection, you can use that connection for all you home phone needs. This is a great option, and will save you a lot of money on your phone bill. I have VOIP, and I save at least $50.00 per month over my local phone company or the Digital Phone service offered thru my local cable company. There are a lot of advantages of using VOIP. I strongly recommend you check into it. Remember you can port your existing phone number if you switch.

I hope this article of computer terms has been helpful. If there are other terms you would like information on, please email me.

Kenneth J. Wheeler

Info@kenwheeler.com

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