Chapter 1 – PC Hardware Quiz Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering PC hardware, memory types, power supplies, and peripheral components derived from the Chapter 1 Real Time Quiz.

Light-emitting diode (LED)

A monitor technology with an LCD display that offers lower power consumption than standard LCD backlighting, a thinner and lighter panel, higher brightness, and better contrast.

Video adapter or display adapter

A computer component that provides video capability.

Active cooling

The name given to cooling systems that require power to operate.

Hard Disk drive

A traditional magnetic disk device with storage capacities ranging from gigabytes ($GBs$) to terabytes ($TBs$).

Direct current

The name given to an electric current that flows in only one direction.

Dynamic RAM (DRAM)

A type of RAM used for main memory that gradually discharges energy and must be constantly refreshed with pulses of electricity to maintain stored data.

Virtual reality headset

An input device used with computer games, simulators, and training applications featuring virtual reality functionalities.

ATX12V

The most common power supply type found on the market today.

Land Grid Array (LGA)

A CPU socket type where the pins are located in the socket instead of on the processor.

Thunderbolt 1 or 2

A video port that allows for high-speed connection of peripherals (such as hard drives and RAID arrays) and can transmit high-definition video using the DisplayPort protocol.

KVM Switch

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

Liquid crystal display (LCD)

A monitor technology using two polarizing filters with a liquid crystal solution that aligns when an electronic current is applied to allow or block light to create an image.

Alternating current

An electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time.

Compact Disc (CD)

An optical drive used for both audio and data.

Solid State drive

A component that stores data as electrical charges in semiconductor flash memory, featuring no moving parts, silent operation, and higher energy efficiency than magnetic HDDs.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller card

A hardware component that provides additional USB ports for connecting a computer to peripheral devices.

Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM)

A small circuit board that holds several memory chips and features either a $30$-pin or $72$-pin configuration.

Non-parity

An error checking method that does not check for errors in memory, commonly used in home and business workstations.

Joystick and Gamepad

Input devices used specifically for playing games.

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

A video projector technology that uses a spinning color wheel and an array of mirrors (one for each pixel) to reflect light and create images with up to $1024$ shades of grey.