computers

BIOS

A basic input/output system (BIOS) is a preinstalled program used during startup on Windows-based computers. The CPU initially accesses the BIOS, after which the operating system is loaded.

motherboard

A motherboard is a computer's main circuit board, and it includes the following attached to a fixed planar surface:

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The central processing unit (CPU) is the unit which performs most of the processing inside a computer. To control instructions and data flow to and from other parts of the computer, the CPU relies heavily on a chipset, which is a group of microchips located on the motherboard. The CPU has two components:

expansion card

An expansion card is an electronic card/board that is used to add extra functionality to a computer. It is inserted into an expansion slot on the motherboard of a computer. Expansion cards contain edge connectors that are used to create an electronic link between motherboard and card, thus enabling these two to communicate.

expansion card slot

An expansion slot is a socket on the motherboard that is used to insert an expansion card (or circuit board), which provides additional features to a computer such as video, sound, advanced graphics, Ethernet or memory. The expansion card has an edge connector that fits precisely into the expansion slot as well as a row of contacts that is designed to establish an electrical connection between the motherboard and the electronics on the card, which are mostly integrated circuits. Depending on the form factor of the case and motherboard, a computer system generally can have anywhere from one to seven expansion slots. With a backplane system, up to 19 expansion cards can be installed.

exabyte

Definition - What does Exabyte (EB) mean? An exabyte (EB) is a unit of digital information storage used to denote the size of data. It is equivalent to 1 billion gigabytes (GB), 1,000 petabytes (PB) or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (B).

gigabyte

Gigabyte (GB or GByte) is a data measurement unit for digital computer or media storage. One GB equals one billion (1,000,000,000) bytes or one-thousand (1,000) megabytes (MB).

hard drive

Hard drive recovery is the process of recovering data and restoring a hard drive to its last known good configuration, after a system/hard drive crashes or is corrupted/damaged. It enables a hard drive to recover from a temporary failure and restore it to normal working condition along with data that was deleted, lost or inaccessible.

megabyte

Megabyte (MB) is a data measurement unit applied to digital computer or media storage. One MB equals one million (106 or 1,000,000) bytes. The International System of Units (SI) defines the mega prefix as a 10 multiplier or one million (1,000,000) bits. The binary mega prefix is 1,048,576 bits or 1,024 Kb. The SI and binary differential is approximately 4.86 percent.

petabyte

Petabyte Age refers to a futuristic age where the measurement of digital storage is available in petabytes (PB), each of which is equal to 1,024 terabytes (TB). Many experts consider that during the age of the PB, scientific researchers will refrain from creating hypotheses or models and theory testing. Rather, advanced data mining will be used with PBs of data, available for reference.

Battery

A battery is a device that produces electrons through electrochemical reactions, and contains positive (+) and negative (-) terminals. A battery consists of one or more electrochemical cells, which transform stored chemical energy directly into electrical energy. When an external load connects to a battery, electrons cross from the negative to the positive terminal, creating an electrical current. This current may power a motor, a light bulb, a clock, a computer, a cellphone, and other electronic devices or equipment. Battery flow speed is determined by the battery's internal resistance and outside load.

heat sink with cooling fan

A heat sink is a thermal conductive metal device designed to absorb and disperse heat away from a high temperature object such as a computer processor. Usually heat sinks are outfitted with built-in fans to help keep both the CPU and the heat sink at an appropriate temperature. Heat sinks are made out of metal, such as a copper or aluminum alloy, and are attached to the processor. Most heat sinks have fins, thin slices of metal connected to the base of the heat sink, which help spread heat over a large area. The combination of a heat sink and fan (HSF) is referred to as an active heat sink, while a heat sink without a fan is a passive heat sink. In addition to the HSF, a heat sink compound is sometimes used. This is a coating between the device and the heat sink to improve thermal conduction. Heat sinks are commonly used in all CPUs and are also used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, GPUs and video card processors.

kilobyte

A kilobyte (KB) is a multiple unit used for binary data. Although "kilo" generally refers to 1,000, in computer science, one kilobyte often refers to 1,024 (2^10) bytes. It may also be used to refer to 1,000 bytes depending on the context. This measure is often used to describe memory capacity and disk storage.

Power Supply

A power supply is a component that supplies power to at least one electric load. Typically, it converts one type of electrical power to another, but it may also convert a a different form of energy - such as solar, mechanical, or chemical - into electrical energy. A power supply provides components with electric power. The term usually pertains to devices integrated within the component being powered. For example, computer power supplies convert AC current to DC current and are generally located at the rear of the computer case, along with at least one fan. A power supply is also known as a power supply unit, power brick or power adapter.

terabyte

A terabyte (TB) is a unit of digital information storage used to denote the size of data. It is equivalent to 1,000 gigabytes, or 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, using the SI standard.