Hardware & Computers glossary

A

ARM Architecture

A power-efficient processor design used in most phones and tablets, and now also in a growing number of laptops and servers.

Intermediate

B

Benchmark

A standard test that expresses the performance of a component or system as a number so you can compare it fairly with other devices.

Beginner

BIOS (UEFI) BIOS / UEFI

A small program on the motherboard chip that runs before Windows, detects the hardware and gives you access to basic hardware settings.

Beginner

Bottleneck

A situation where one slower component holds back the others, so the whole system performs below what its stronger parts could actually deliver.

Intermediate

C

CPU Cache

A very small, very fast memory inside the processor that keeps frequently used data close to the cores so they rarely have to wait for RAM.

Intermediate

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The chip on the motherboard that runs program instructions one after another and handles most of the calculation in your computer or laptop.

Beginner

CPU Clock Speed

A figure in gigahertz showing how many billions of work cycles each CPU core completes per second; it is a partial indicator of speed.

Beginner

CPU Core

An independent processing unit inside a CPU chip that can run programs on its own; more cores mean more tasks can run at the same time.

Beginner

CPU Thread (Hyper-Threading)

A feature that makes each CPU core appear to the operating system as two cores, so it can juggle two streams of work more efficiently.

Intermediate

D

DDR (Double Data Rate Memory)

The RAM manufacturing standard, identified by a generation number such as DDR4 or DDR5, which decides which motherboard it fits and how fast it runs.

Intermediate

G

Graphics Card (GPU)

A separate component with its own processor and memory that builds the image, used for gaming, video editing, 3D design and AI.

Beginner

H

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

Older storage that writes data on spinning magnetic platters; it offers large capacity at low cost but is slower and sensitive to shocks.

Beginner

I

Integrated Graphics (iGPU)

A graphics unit built into the processor or motherboard that puts the image on the screen without needing a separate graphics card.

Beginner

M

Motherboard

The main board of a computer onto which all components such as the CPU, RAM, SSD and graphics card are installed and through which they communicate.

Beginner

N

NPU (Neural Processing Unit)

A part of a chip built only for AI calculations, running them faster and with less power than a regular processor.

Intermediate

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)

A high-speed protocol and interface that connects an SSD directly to the motherboard's fast lanes, working far faster than a SATA connection.

Intermediate

O

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)

A display technology where each pixel makes its own light and switches fully off to show black, giving vivid colours and true blacks.

Beginner

Overclocking

Manually raising the speed of a CPU, graphics card or RAM above factory limits for extra performance, at the risk of more heat and instability.

Intermediate

P

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

The part that converts mains electricity into suitable voltages and delivers it to every component; a poor choice can damage other parts.

Beginner

Q

Quantum Computer

A computer that uses qubits and the laws of quantum physics instead of 0 and 1 bits, and is far faster for certain specific problems.

Intermediate

R

RAM (Random Access Memory)

A computer's fast, temporary memory that holds the programs and data in use and is emptied when the device is switched off.

Beginner

Refresh Rate Hz

How many times per second a display refreshes the image; a higher number means smoother motion, especially in games and when scrolling.

Beginner

S

Screen Resolution Display Resolution

The number of dots (pixels) that make up the image on a display; higher means a finer, sharper picture, provided the screen size suits it.

Beginner

SoC (System on a Chip)

An integrated chip that packs the processor, graphics, AI unit and other components into one part; the main brain of phones and many light laptops.

Intermediate

SSD (Solid-State Drive)

Storage with no moving parts that keeps files on chips and starts up and opens files several times faster than a hard disk.

Beginner

T

Thermal Paste

A paste spread between the processor and the cooler that fills tiny gaps so heat moves better from the chip to the fan and heatsink.

Beginner

U

USB-C (USB Type-C)

A small, reversible port used for charging, data transfer and video that has replaced most other connectors on new phones and laptops.

Beginner

V

VRAM (Video RAM)

The graphics card's own memory, holding textures, images and model data for fast processing; its capacity limits how much graphics work you can do.

Intermediate