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BASICS
Computer Shopper's Glossary

Use this primer on common high-tech terms to help you shop smarter.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

AMD processor: A brand of computer processor; sells units under the Athlon name.

Athlon: Brand name of a processor made by AMD. A standard Athlon processor computes information at speeds between 850 MHz and 1.2 GHz. An Athlon XP CPU typically reaches speeds of 1.67 GHz.

Bit: The most basic unit of digital information -- a 0 or 1. Eight bits make up a byte -- enough information to create a letter or number on the screen. Bits are frequently used to measure transmission speed through a modem or over the Internet.

Byte: A unit of digital information typically used as a measurement of storage capacity. Often represented in thousands (kilobytes, KB), millions (megabytes, MB) and billions (gigabytes, GB).

Celeron: Brand name of a processor made by Intel. Computes information at speeds between 1.06 GHz and 2 GHz.

CD burner: Also known as a CD-R/RW drive. This drive will read and record CD-ROMs, as well as audio and video CDs.

CD-R and CD-RW: Formats used on CD-ROM discs. CD-R discs enable users to record information on them once. CD-RW, short for CD-Rewritable, allows users to reuse the same disc multiple times.

CD-ROM: A compact disk on which you can store large amounts of computer data. A single CD-ROM has the storage capacity of about 700 floppy disks. This makes them ideal for saving large files such as graphics, sound and video.

CD-ROM drive: A drive that only allows you to read information from a CD-ROM.

CD-R/RW drive: See CD burner.

CPU: Stands for "central processing unit," the brains of your computer. The faster the speed, the quicker your computer will process information. There are two main brands of processors: Intel and AMD. To compare speed and capabilities of different brands, see Webopedia's Microprocessor Comparison Chart.

CRT display: Abbreviation of "cathode-ray tube," the technology used in most television and computer screens.

Desktop computer: A computer designed to sit atop a desk. Consists of a display monitor and a CPU, which can lay horizontally or stand vertically.

DVD burner: Also known as a DVD-RW drive. This drive allows you to read and record DVD-ROMs.

DVD-ROM: A type of compact disk that can hold between 4.7GB to 17GB; often used to store music, films and software.

DVD-ROM drive: A drive that will only read information from a DVD-ROM, CD-ROM and audio CD.

DVD-RW drive: See DVD burner.

Floppy disk: A portable, soft magnetic disk. The name is somewhat of a misnomer nowadays, as most floppies are encased in a hard plastic envelope. Standard size is 3½ inches, and they can store from 400K to 1.4MB of data.

Floppy disk drive: A mechanism that reads and writes information to a floppy disk. The 3½-inch size drive comes standard on most desktop PCs.

Gigabytes (GB): A measure of storage capacity equal to roughly 1 billion bytes.

Gigahertz (GHz): A measure of computer processor speed equal to 1 billion hertz. Represents 1 billion instructions per second performed by the computer.

Hard drive: Your computer's long-term memory. This mechanism stores all your programs and files. Capacity is determined by the size of the hard disc(s), configurations nowadays can range from 40GB to 320GB-plus.

Hardware: Physical computer mechanisms and devices -- including disks, disk drives, monitors, printers, computer chips, etc.

Hertz: A unit of measure for the speed of a computer processor. It measures how many instructions per second a computer can perform.

Hyper-threading: A technology that lets a single processor perform like two and ensures that you can multi-task -- listen to music while editing photos, for instance -- without glitches.

i.LINK: See IEEE 1394.

IEEE 1394: A type of cable that transfers information from one digital source (a video camera, for example) to another (a computer) at very high speeds. Also known as FireWire (Apple) and i.LINK (Sony). Ideal for devices that need to transfer large amounts of data in real time.

Ink-jet printer: Produces high-quality text and graphics by spraying ink at a sheet of paper. Ink-jet printers can print both color and black and white.

Intel processor: A brand of computer processor; sells units under the Celeron and Pentium names.

Kilobytes (KB): A measure of storage capacity equal to roughly 1,000 bytes.

Laptop computer: See Notebook computer.

Laser printer: Produces very high-quality text and graphics using the same technology as a copy machine. Used mainly by businesses, laser printers can print faster than ink-jet printers, but typically only print in black and white. You can purchase a special color laser printer, which is much more expensive.

LCD display: Short for "liquid crystal display," the technology used in most notebook computers and flat-screen monitors.

Megabytes (MB): A measure of storage capacity equal to roughly 1 million bytes.

Megahertz (MHz): A measure of computer processor speed equal to 1 million hertz. Represents 1 million instructions per second performed by the computer.

Megapixel: 1 million pixels; refers to the resolution of a graphics device such as a scanner, printer or digital camera. The more megapixels, the finer the resolution.

Microprocessor: See Processor.

Modem: A device or program that transports digital computer data over telephone or cable lines. You need a modem to access the Internet.

Monitor: The screen that displays data, images, etc. Like TVs, a monitor's size is measured by the distance from one corner to the opposite corner diagonally.

Notebook computer: Also called a laptop computer; an extremely lightweight and portable personal computer that comes with a rechargeable battery. Notebook computers are usually more expensive and may not be as powerful as a desktop computer because matching computer capacity in a smaller package is more expensive.

Operating system (OS): The most important program that runs on your computer, the operating system is what manages and runs other programs, keeps track of files, reads input from the keyboard or mouse, sends output to the monitor and manages peripheral devices such as printers and scanners. For PCs, the most popular operating system is Windows. Macintosh computers run on the Mac OS.

Pentium: Brand name of a processor made by Intel. The latest generation Pentium 4 processors compute information at speeds between 2 GHz and 3.4 GHz.

Peripheral devices: A "plug-in" device that is not built in to the computer, such as printers, scanners, and keyboards.

Printer: A device that prints text or graphics on paper. There are two types of printers used most commonly by consumers: laser printers and ink-jet printers.

Processor: Short for the "central processing unit" (CPU), the brains of your computer. The faster the speed, the quicker your computer will process information. There are two main brands of processors that measure speed differently: Intel and AMD. To compare speed and capabilities of different brands, see Webopedia's Microprocessor Comparison Chart.

RAM: Stands for "random access memory," or your computer's short-term memory. The more RAM your computer has, the faster it will recall information.

Scanner: A device that reads text or graphics printed on paper and translates them into a digital image the computer can use.

Software: Anything that can be stored electronically. Usually refers to programs that run on your computer. Unlike hardware, you cannot physically touch software -- though you can touch the CD-ROM it may come on.

Sound card: A circuit board that plugs into a personal computer to give it audio capabilities including playing sound through speakers, recording input from a microphone and manipulating sound stored on the computer or a disk.

USB: Short for "universal serial bus;" connects a personal computer to peripheral devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, or digital camera. Be sure you have enough USB ports to handle all your peripherals.

Video card: A circuit board that plugs into a personal computer to give it display capabilities.

Zip drive: A mechanism that reads and writes information to high-capacity Zip disks made by Iomega Corporation. Zip disks are about twice as thick as floppy disks, and can hold up to 250 MB of data. Useful for backing up hard drives and transporting large files.