Technical jargon cheat sheet

By Times staff

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 12, 2001

CPU: Central processing unit. The computer's main processing chip. Its speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).

Hard drive: Or hard disk. The "filing cabinet" where the computer stores software and data. Storage capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB).

RAM: Random access memory. Where your computer keeps the programs and files that are in use. Measured in megabytes (MB).

Video adapter: Or video or graphics card. Controls the video display on your monitor. Has its own RAM.

CD-ROM: Compact disc, read-only memory. Plays audio or computer CDs. Measured by "spin rate" times a base speed (typically 17X to 44X).

CD-RW: Compact disc-rewriteable. It plays CD-ROMs, but also allows users to make compact discs for everything from data backup to music to photos. CD-R discs can be recorded on once, while CD-RW discs can be re-recorded on up to 1,000 times. But CD-RW discs are good mainly for computer use, not recording music to use in other CD devices.

DVD-ROM: Digital versatile disk, read-only memory. DVDs contain more data than CD-ROMs and usually are used for high-quality video. DVD drives also can handle CD-ROMs.

Modem: Connects a computer to the Internet or another computer through a phone connection. Connection speed is measured in kilobits per second (Kbps).

Ethernet card: Or Network Interface Card (NIC). A device that allows a computer to link to a network. It's necessary if people want to use a high-speed connection to the Internet, such as a cable modem or digital subscriber line. Connection speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).

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