PC ME
A computer designed for general use by a single person
Personal Computer (PC)
A thin, light electronic display which employs the light modulating properties of liquid crystals
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
computer pointing device which takes advantage of a tactile sensor to detect a user’s finger movement
Touchpad
An interface designed to connect computer and peripheral devices, such as printers, mouses, keyboards, USB flash drives and external hard drives
Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector
common measurement of CPU speed; tells how fast the CPU can process data; the higher the level of this , the faster the CPU
Clock Rate
output device which displays graphics and images from the computer
Monitor
type of computer memory which stores the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS); data stored in this area cannot be changed
ROM
software maintenance process which reduces the amount of fragmentation between files
Defragmentation
cord connecting the computer to the Internet
Ethernet Cable
unit of measurement of CPU clock rate; one of these refers to a clock rate of one million cycles per second
Megahertz (MHz)
microprocessor which calculates all the data going through a personal computer
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
A semiconductor light source used in various applications; in the world of computers, LED technology is used to make optical mouses and LED displays
Light-Emitting Diode (LED)
set of computer programs designed to enable computers to accomplish certain tasks;
Software
cable connecting the computer to the electrical supply; aids in delivering electrical power to the main computer
Power Cord
unit of measurement of CPU clock rate; one of these refers to a clock rate of one billion cycles per second
Gigahertz (GHz)
main circuit board inside personal computers which holds the majority of computer components and provides connectors for peripherals
Motherboard
pre-pressed storage in which data can only be accessed, not modified
Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)
physical parts of a computer, such as the hard drive, video card, monitor and other substantial computer parts
Hardware
cable inside the computer connecting the power supply to the internal devices
Power Connector
type of computer memory, which temporarily stores computer information such as the operating system, application programs and data so they can be immediately accessed by the CPU
Random Access Memory (RAM)
A removable hard drive located outside of the main computer tower
External Hard Drive
digital interface used to connect a video source to a display device
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
type of cable inside the computer connecting the mother board and internal storage devices, such as the hard drive, CD- or DVD-ROM
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
A cable inside the computer transferring data between the mother board and storage devices
Storage Device Cable
video and audio interface transmitting digital data between the high-definition monitors and the computer
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)