CPU
These two brands make up the DIY CPU market.
What are AMD and Intel?
These two brands make up the majority of the DIY GPU market.
What are AMD and NVIDIA?
The name for the size of a motherboard.
What is Form Factor?
A PSU is rated by the maximum number of these that it can deliver to components.
What are Watts?
If a component is not sufficiently cooled this can occur.
What is Thermal Throttling?
AMD uses this naming convention for its mainstream CPU lineup.
What is Ryzen 3, 5, 7, 9?
The name of the location in which the CPU is placed on the motherboard.
What is Socket?
The name of the efficiency scoring system used for PSUs.
What is 80 Plus?
These are the two main variations of cooling a PC.
What are Air and Water Cooling?
Intel uses this naming convention for their mainstream CPU lineup.
What is core i3, i5, i7, i9?
The naming convention used by NVIDIA for their mainstream GPU.
What is 3050, 3060, 3070, 3080, 3090? Other answers are also acceptable. 1650, 1660, 2060, etc.
The term for the external output and input ports on the motherboard.
What is I/O?
PSUs where the cables are separately plugged into the PSU as needed.
What is Modular?
The CPU cooler's cooling capacity is compared to this specification from the CPU.
What is TDP?
The thermal envelope in which the CPU is designed to operate.
This is the name of a GPU that is built into a CPU.
What is Integrated GPU?
The name for the special locations on the motherboard where fans, pumps, USB and similar connectors are plugged into.
What are Headers?
What are capacitors?
These components are located on the motherboard and are used to cool it as it transfers information between the various components.
What are VRMs?
The general name for a CPU design that has the connector pins on the bottom of the CPU.
What is PGA?
What is VRAM?
The name for a set of specifications for a motherboard layout by the manufacturer of the compatible CPU.
What is Chipset?
The term for the amount of electricity that a complete computer system needs.
What is Power Draw?
These are the two main varieties of water cooling a PC.
What are AIO and Custom Loops?