Chapter 1 - First Look at Computer Parts and Tools (Key Terms)

SATA power connector

A 15-pin flat power connector that provides power to SATA drives.

Molex connector

A 4-pin power connector used to provide power to a PATA hard drive or optical drive.

ExpressCard

A PCMCIA standard for laptop I/O cards that uses the PCI Express and USB 2.0 data transfer standards. Two types of ExpressCards are ExpressCard/34 (34mm wide) and ExpressCard/54 (54mm wide). ExpressCards have been replaced by USB ports on today's laptops.

power supply

A box inside the computer case that supplies power to the motherboard and other installed devices. Power supplies provide 3.3, 5, and 12 volts DC. Also called a power supply unit (PSU).

power supply unit (PSU)

A box inside the computer case that supplies power to the motherboard and other installed devices. Power supplies provide 3.3, 5, and 12 volts DC. Also called a power supply.

smart phone

A cell phone that includes abilites to send text messages, text messages with photos, videos , or other multimedia content, surf the web, manage email, play games, take photos and videos, and download and use apps.

expansion card

A circuit board inserted into a slot on the motherboard to enhance the capability of the computer.

chassis

A computer case for any type of computer.

desktop case

A computer case that lies flat and sometimes serves double-duty as a monitor stand.

all-in-one computer

A computer that has the monitor and computer case build together and uses components that are common to both a laptop and a desktop computer.

docking port

A connector on a laptop to connect to a port replicator or docking station.

optical connector

A connector used with a fiberoptic cable.

analog

A continuous signal with infinite variations.

power supply tester

A device that can test the output of each power cord coming from a power supply.

gyroscope

A device that contains a disc that is free to move and can respond to gravity as the device is moved.

docking station

A device that receives a laptop computer and provides additional secondary storage and easy connection to peripheral devices.

multimeter

A device used to measure the various attributes of an electrical circuit. The most common measurements are voltage, current, and resistance.

loopback plug

A device used to test a port in a computer or other device to make sure the port is working and might also test the throughput or speed of the port.

smart camera

A digital camera that has embedded computing power to make decisions about the content of the photos or video it records, including transmitting alerts over a wired or wireless network when it records certain content. See vision

keyboard backlight

A feature on some keyboards where the keys light up on the keyboard.

base station

A fixed transceiver and antenna used to create one cell within a cellular network.

netbook

A low-end, inexpensive laptop with a small 9- or 10-inch screen and no optical drive that is generally used for web browsing, email, and word processing by users on the go.

serial port

A male 9-pin or 25-pin port on a computer system used by slower I/O devices such as mouse or modem. Data travels serially, one bit at a time, through the port. Serial ports are sometimes configured as COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.

geotracking

A mobile device routinely reports its position to Apple, Google, or Microsoft at least twice a day, which makes it possible for these companies to track your device's whereabouts.

phablet

A mobile device that has the same capabilities of a smart phone or tablet and is smaller than a tablet and larger than a smart phone.

e-reader

A mobile device that holds digital versions of books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed documents, which are usually downloaded to the device from the web.

cellular network

A network that can be used when a wireless network must cover a wide area. The network is made up of cells, each controlled by a base station. Also called a cellular WAN.

RJ-11 port

A phone line connection or port found on modems, telephones, and house phone outlets. It looks much like an RJ-45 but is noticeably smaller.

heat sink

A piece of metal, with cooling fins, that can be attached to or mounted on an integrated chip package (Such as the CPU) to dissipate heat.

audio port

A port that can be used by a microphone audio in, audio out, and stereo audio out.

RJ-45 port

A port that looks like a large phone jack and is used by twisted-pair cable to connect to a weird network adapter or other hardware devices. RJ stands for registered jack. Also called Ethernet port.

DisplayPort

A port that transmits digital video and audio (not analog transmissions) and is slowly replacing VGA and DVI ports on personal computers. Also see Thunderbolt port.

Ethernet port

A port used by a network cable to connect to the wired network. Also called a network port or RJ-45 port.

network port

A port used by a network cable to connect to the wired network. Also called an Ethernet port or RJ-45 port.

FireWire port

A port used for high-speed multimedia devices such as camcorders. Also called an IEEE 1394 port.

IEEE1394 port

A port used for high-speed multimedia devices such as camcorders. Also called an IEEE 1394 port.

modem port

A port used to connect dial-up phone lines to computers.

laptop

A portable computer that is designed for travel and mobility. Laptops use the same technology as desktop computers, with modifications for conserving voltage, taking up less space, and operating while on the move. Also called a notebook.

notebook

A portable computer that is designed for travel and mobility. Notebooks/laptops use the same technology as desktop computers, with modifications for conserving voltage, taking up less space, and operating while on the move. Also called a laptops.

PCIe 6/8-pin connector

A power cord connector used by high-end video cards using PCIe x16 slots to provide extra voltage to the card and can accommodate a 6-hole or 8-hole port.

PS/2 port

A round 6-pin port used by a keyboard or mouse.

form factor

A set of specifications on the size, shape, and configuration of a computer hardware component such as a case, power supply, or motherboard.

airplane mode

A setting within a mobile device that disables the cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth antennas so the device cannot transmit signals.

Bluetooth

A short-range wireless technology used to connect two devices in a small personal network.

digital

A signal consisting of a series of binary values—1s and 0s.

hotspot

A small area that offers connectivity to a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network.

miniUSB

A smaller version of the regular USB connector and is smaller than microUSB.

microUSB

A smaller version of the regular USB connector.

external SATA (eSATA) port

A standard for external drives based on SATA that uses a special external shielded SATA cable up to 2 meters long.

dual-voltage selector switch

A switch on the back of the computer case where you can switch the input voltage to the power supply to 115 V used in the United States or 220 V used in other countries.

POST diagnostic card

A test card installed in a slot on the motherboard or plugged in to a USB port that is used to help discover and report computer errors and conflicts that occur when a computer is first turned on a and before the operating system is launched. Also know as POST card.

POST card

A test card installed in a slot on the motherboard or plugged in to a USB port that is used to help discover and report computer errors and conflicts that occur when a computer is first turned on a and before the operating system is launched. Also know as POST diagnostic card.

ExpressCard/34

A type of ExpressCard that is 34mm wide. An ExpressCard/34 can fit into an ExpressCard/54 slot.

ExpressCard/54

A type of ExpressCard that is 54mm wide.

fitness monitor

A wearable computer device that can measure heart rate, count pool laps or miles jogged or biked, and a host of other activities.

ATX

Advanced Technology Extended: The most common form factor for computer systems presently in use, originally introduced by intel in 1995. ATX motherboards and cases make better use of space and resources than did the earlier AT form factor.

microprocessor

Also called a CPU or processor. The component where almost all processing of data and instructions takes place. The CPU receives data input, processes information, and executes instructions.

processor

Also called a microprocessor or CPU. The component where almost all processing of data and instructions takes place. The CPU receives data input, processes information, and executes instructions.

DB9 port

Also known as a serial port. A male 9-pin or 25-pin port on a computer system used by slower I/O devices such as a mouse or modem. Data travels serially, one bit at a time, through the port. Serial ports are sometimes configured as COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.

serial ATA (SATA)

An ATAPI (Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface) for hard-drives, optical drives, and other drives that uses a narrower and more reliable cable than the 80-connector cable and is easier to configure than PATA (Parallel ATA) system.

ATX12V power supply

An ATX Version 2.1 power supply that provides an extra 12-V power cord with a 4-pin connector to be used by the auxiliary 4-pin power connector on motherboards used to provide extra power for processors.

4-pin 12-V connector

An auxiliary motherboard connector used for extra 12-V power to the processor.

8-pin 12-V connector

An auxiliary motherboard connector used for extra 12-v power to the processor, providing more power than the older 4-pin auxiliary connector. It's used for high-end video cards using PCI express

BIOS

BIOS (basic input/output system): Firmware that can control much of a computer's input/output functions, such as communication with the keyboard and the monitor. Compare with UEFI.

CPU

Central Processing Unit: Also called a microprocessor or processor. The component where almost all processing of data and instructions takes place. The CPU receives data input, processes information, and executes instructions.

CMOS

Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor: The technology used to manufacture microchips. CMOS chips require less electricity, hold data longer after the electricity is turned off, and produce less heat than earlier technologies. The configuration or setup chip is a CMOS chip.

DVI port

Digital Video Interface: A port that transmits digital or analog video. DVI-A (analog signals), DVI-D (digital signals), DVI-I (digital and analog in single connector)

DIMM

Dual Inline Memory Module: A miniature circuit board installed on a motherboard to hold memory. DIMMS can hold up to 4 GB of RAM on a single module.

ESD

Electrostatic Discharge: Another name for static electricity, which can damage chips and destroy motherboards, even though it might not be felt or seen with the naked eye.

FRU

Field Replaceable Unit: A component in a computer or device that can be replaced with a new component without sending the computer or device back to the manufacturer. Examples: power supply, DIMM, motherboard, hard disk drive.

GPS

Global Positioning System: A receiver that uses the system of 24 or more satellites orbiting the Earth. The receiver locates four or more of these satellites, and from these four locations, calculates its own position in a process called triangulation.

HDD

Hard Disk Drive: The main secondary storage device of a computer. Two technologies are currently used by hard drives: magnetic and solid state. Also called hard drive.

HDMI port

High Definition Multimedia Interface port: A digital audio and video port currently used on televisions and other home theater equipment and is often used to connect a computer to home theater equipment.

IR

Infrared (IR) An outdated wireless technology that has been mostly replaced by Bluetooth to connect personal computing devices.

LPT port

Line Printer Terminal or Parallel Port: An outdated female 25-pin port on a computer that transmitted data in parallel, 8 bits at a time, and was usually used with a printer. Parallel ports have been replaced by USB ports. Also called a parallel, LPT1 port, LPT2 port, and LPT port.

parallel port

Line Printer Terminal or Parallel Port: An outdated female 25-pin port on a computer that transmitted data in parallel, 8 bits at a time, and was usually used with a printer. Parallel ports have been replaced by USB ports. Also called a parallel, LPT1 port, LPT2 port, and LPT port.

RAM (random access memory)

Memory modules on the motherboard containing microchips used to temporarily hold data and programs while the CPU processes both. Information in RAM is volatile which means lost when the computer is turned off

NFC

Near Field Communication (NFC): A wireless technology that establishes a communication link between two NFC devices (for example, two smart phones or a smart phone and an NFC tag) that are within 4 inches of each other.

PCIe

PCI Express (PCIe): The latest evolution of PCI, which is not backward compatible with earlier PCI slots and cards. PCIe slots come in several sizes, including PCIe x1, PCIe x4, PCIe x8, and PCIe x16.

PCI

Peripheral Component Interconnect: A bus common to personal computers that uses a 32-bit wide or a 64-bit data path. Several variations of PCI exist. On desktop systems, one or more notches on a PCI slot keep the wrong PCI cards from being inserted in the PCI slot.

PCMCIA card

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association: A card used with older laptops that was one or more variations of a PC card to add memory to a laptop or provide ports for peripheral devices. For example, modem cards, network cards, for wired or wireless network, sound cards, SCSI host adapters, FireWire controllers, USB controllers, flash memory adapter, TV tuner, and hard disks.

POST

Power-On Self-Test: A self-diagnostic program used to perform a simple test of the CPU, RAM, and various I/O devices. The POST is performed by startup UEFI/BIOS when the computer is first turned on.

SIM card

SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card: A small flash memory card that contains all the information a device needs to connect to a GSM or LTE cellular network, including a password and other authentication information needed to access the network, encryption standards used, and the services that a subscription includes

S/PDIF

SPDIF, also written as S/PDIF, stands for Sony/Phillips Digital Interface, and is an interface to transmit digital audio.

firmware

Software that is permanently stored in a chip. The BIOS on a motherboard is an example of firmware.

Lightning port

The connector used on newer Apple iPhones, iPods, and iPads for power and communication.

screen orientation

The layout or orientation of the screen that is either portrait or landscape

main board

The main board in the computer, also called the system board. The CPU, ROM chips, DIMMs, RIMMs, and interface cards are plugged into the motherboard.

motherboard

The main board in the computer, also called the system board. The CPU, ROM chips, DIMMs, RIMMs, and interface cards are plugged into the motherboard.

internal components

The main components installed in a computer case.

20-pin P1 connector

The main motherboard power connector used in the early ATX systems.

hard drive

The main secondary storage device of a PC. Two technologies are currently used by hard drives: magnetic and solid state. Also called HDD.

BIOS setup

The program in system BIOS that can change the values in CMOS RAM.

CMOS setup

The program in system BIOS that can change the values in CMOS RAM. Also called BIOS setup.

accelerometer

Type of gyroscope used in mobile devices to sense the physical position of the device.

24-pin P1 connector

Used by the ATX Versions 2.2 power supply and motherboard and provides additional power for PCI Express slots.

DB15 port

Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port A 15-pin analog video port popular for many years. Also called DB15 port, DE15 port, or HD15 port.

DE15 port

Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port A 15-pin analog video port popular for many years. Also called DB15 port, DE15 port, or HD15 port.

HD15 port

Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) port A 15-pin analog video port popular for many years. Also called DB15 port, DE15 port, or HD15 port.

micro-ATX (MATX)

microATX (MATX) A smaller version of the ATX form factor. MicroATX addresses some new technologies that were developed after the original introduction of ATX.