IT Essentials v7.0: Chapter 1 – Introduction to Personal Computer Hardware

Vocabulary flashcards covering PC components, safety protocols, motherboard architectures, memory types, and peripheral interfaces based on IT Essentials Chapter 1.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

A buildup of an electric charge (static electricity) that exists on a surface which comes into contact with another, differently charged surface; it can damage computer equipment if not discharged properly.

Static Electricity Thresholds

At least $3,000\,V$ must build up before a person can feel it, above $10,000\,V$ causes pain or noise, while less than $30\,V$ can damage a computer component.

Self-grounding

The process of discharging static buildup by touching a grounded object prior to touching any electronic equipment.

Horizontal case

A computer case horizontally oriented on a user’s desk with the monitor often positioned on top; frequently used for home theater PCs (HTPCs).

All-in-one case

A form factor where all computer system components are integrated into the display, often including touch-screen input and built-in microphones.

ATX12V

The most common power supply on the market today, featuring a second motherboard connector to provide dedicated power to the CPU.

EPS12V

A power supply originally designed for network servers but now commonly used in high-end desktop models.

Molex keyed connector

A power connector used to connect hard drives, optical drives, or other devices.

Berg keyed connector

A power connector used to connect legacy floppy drives that is smaller than a Molex connector.

Power Supply Rail

The printed circuit board (PCB) inside the power supply to which external cables are connected.

Motherboard

A printed circuit board (PCB) containing buses or electrical pathways that interconnect electronic components; also known as the system board or main board.

Chipset

Integrated circuits on the motherboard that control how system hardware interacts with the CPU and motherboard.

Northbridge

A chipset component that controls high-speed access to the RAM and video card, and establishes the speed of CPU communication with other components.

Southbridge

A chipset component that allows the CPU to communicate with slower speed devices including hard drives, USB ports, and expansion slots.

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)

An enhanced software interface for boot and runtime services that relies on traditional BIOS for system configuration, POST, and setup.

ITX form factor

A series of very small motherboard form factors, including Mini-ITX which uses very little power and often does not require fans for cooling.

PGA (Pin Grid Array)

CPU architecture where the pins are on the underside of the processor package and are inserted into the socket using zero insertion force (ZIF).

LGA (Land Grid Array)

CPU architecture where the pins are located in the socket instead of on the processor package.

Active vs. Passive Cooling

Active solutions like case fans require power, while passive solutions like heat sinks or reducing component speed do not.

ROM (Read-Only Memory)

Nonvolatile memory chips that contain basic operation instructions such as booting the computer; information is written when manufactured.

EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM)

Flash ROM chips whose contents can be 'flashed' for deletion without removal from the device; often used to store BIOS.

SRAM (Static RAM)

Fast, expensive memory often used for cache that requires constant power to function and does not need refresh pulses like DRAM.

DDR4 SDRAM

Memory that quadruples DDR3 maximum storage capacity, consumes $1.2\,V$, and runs at clock speeds up to $1600\,MHz$.

ECC (Error Correction Code) memory

Memory that can detect multiple bit errors and correct single bit errors; commonly used in servers for finance or data analytics.

L1 Cache

Internal cache that is integrated into the CPU.

SODIMM (Small Outline DIMM)

A smaller version of DIMM used in laptops and printers; supports 32-bit (72-pin/100-pin) and 64-bit (144-pin/200-pin/204-pin/260-pin) transfers.

Capture card

An adapter card that sends a video signal to a computer so it can be recorded to a storage drive with specific software.

Riser card

A card that adds additional expansion slots to a computer.

SATA (Serial AT Attachment) Standards

Interface standards for disk drives: SATA 1 ($1.5\,Gb/s$), SATA 2 ($3\,Gb/s$), and SATA 3 ($6\,Gb/s$).

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

Traditional magnetic storage whose speed is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM), such as $5400$, $7200$, or $15,000\,RPM$.

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)

A specification providing a standard interface for SSDs to attach to the PCIe bus without requiring special drivers.

SSHD (Solid State Hybrid Drive)

A compromise drive combining a magnetic HDD with onboard flash memory serving as a non-volatile cache.

Thunderbolt 3

A high-speed peripheral interface that uses the same connector as USB-C and provides double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2.

KVM Switch

A hardware device used to control more than one computer using a single keyboard, monitor, and mouse.

OLED (Organic LED)

A display technology using organic material that emits light; each pixel lights individually to create deeper black levels than LED.

AR (Augmented Reality)

Technology that superimposes images and audio over the real world in real time, often using headsets, smart glasses, or smartphones.