Computer Hardware, BIOS/UEFI Security, Power Fluctuations, and Ports

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering motherboard security (BIOS/UEFI), power supply ratings, electrical fluctuations, CPU architectures, cooling, storage, and I/O peripheral ports.

Admin Password (BIOS/UEFI)

A password setting that holds administrative control over all system configurations, including overriding user passwords.

Drive Encryption

A security feature that prevents the computer from booting and makes data on the hard drive unreadable without the correct password.

LoJack

A security technology comprising a persistent module embedded within the BIOS paired with an operating system application installed by the user to locate, lock, and delete data remotely.

TPM (Trusted Platform Module)

A dedicated hardware chip on the motherboard that securely stores encryption keys, passwords, and digital certificates.

Secure Boot

A UEFI security standard designed to prevent unauthorized operating systems and bootloaders from loading during system startup.

Firmware Update (BIOS)

The procedure of flashing the BIOS/UEFI chip, which requires first recording the specific manufacturer and motherboard model.

Voltage Selector Switch (VSS)

A selector switch located on the rear of a dual-voltage power supply that toggles the input voltage between $110\text{ V}/115\text{ V}$ and $220\text{ V}/230\text{ V}$.

Electrical Capacitors (Power Supply)

Internal power supply components capable of storing high-voltage electrical charges for extended periods of time, making it hazardous to open the power supply unit.

Blackout

A complete total loss of AC power caused by events such as blown fuses, damaged transformers, or downed power lines.

Brownout

A temporary condition of reduced AC voltage levels where the voltage drops below $80\%$ of nominal voltage, typically caused by overloaded electrical circuits.

Electrical Noise

AC line interference produced by equipment like generators and lightning that introduces errors and signal degradation into computer circuits.

Electric Power (Wattage)

The measurement of work required to move electrons through an electrical circuit, calculated by multiplying voltage by current and measured in watts.

Front Side Bus (FSB)

The hardware data bus that connects the CPU directly to the Northbridge, with its width measured in bits defining how much data travels simultaneously.

HyperTransport

A high-speed, point-to-point interconnect technology utilized by AMD CPUs to route data between the processor and other system components.

Overclocking

The practice of configuring a CPU to run at a clock rate higher than its manufacturer-rated speed, boosting performance at the cost of excess heat and potential hardware damage.

CPU Throttling

The process of intentionally lowering CPU clock speed to conserve electrical power and decrease heat generation, widely utilized in portable laptops and mobile devices.

CPU Virtualization

A hardware capability supported by AMD and Intel processors allowing a single physical system to run multiple virtual machines independently and in parallel; must be enabled in BIOS/UEFI.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

A specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly process image rendering and visual calculations, either integrated into the system chipset or hosted on an expansion card.

Thermal Compound

A heat-conductive paste placed between a processor and its heatsink to fill microscopic air gaps and facilitate thermal dissipation.

Case Fan

An active cooling mechanism mounted to the computer chassis designed to exhaust heated air out of the system case.

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

A data storage technology that combines multiple physical storage drives into a unified unit to achieve redundancy, fault tolerance, or improved throughput.

Hot-Swappable Drives

Drive mechanisms that permit physical removal and replacement while the host system remains fully powered on and operating.

Legacy Ports

Older connection interfaces found on legacy computers that have been superseded by modern universal serial bus (USB) ports.

Serial Port

A legacy interface historically connecting printers, modems, and scanners, commonly configured as a 9-pin DB-9 or 25-pin port and used currently for console connections to network equipment.

Parallel Port

A legacy 25-pin receptacle that transmits multiple bits simultaneously over parallel lines to external peripherals, historically known as a printer port.

Game Port

A traditional 15-pin D-sub connection receptacle used specifically for connecting joysticks and early gaming controllers.

PS/2 Port

A legacy 6-pin mini-DIN connector port designed specifically to attach keyboards and mice.

Audio Line In / Line Out

Analog audio interfaces where Line In connects external stereo audio inputs and Line Out connects to output destinations such as headphones or speakers.