PC hardware glossary

The movement of cooling air through the case.

A desktop motherboard form factor with a defined board layout and mounting size.

A separate recoverable copy of important data.

Motherboard firmware that initializes hardware and provides startup and configuration functions.

A faster temporary storage area used to help handle reads or writes.

The enclosure that holds and supports a desktop computer's parts.

Motherboard control hardware that helps determine supported connections and features.

The space available for a part, including its cooler, cables and surrounding components.

Copy a drive's contents and layout to another drive for a supported migration.

A device that carries heat away from a component, usually using a heatsink and fan or liquid loop.

The central processing unit, which executes program instructions and coordinates much of a computer's work.

A generation of DDR system memory that requires compatible hardware and slots.

A newer generation of DDR system memory with different requirements from DDR4.

A memory module format commonly fitted to desktop motherboard slots.

AMD's memory-profile system for compatible overclocking settings.

The graphics processing unit, which handles graphics and other highly parallel workloads.

High dynamic range: support for a wider range of image light levels, whose visible quality depends on the display.

A physical module format; its shape alone does not establish whether a slot supports SATA or NVMe.

An M.2 module size measuring 22 millimetres wide and 80 millimetres long.

A smaller motherboard form factor than standard ATX, commonly with fewer expansion slots.

A compact motherboard form factor used in small desktop builds.

The main circuit board linking a computer's processor, memory and other components.

A storage protocol commonly used by SSDs over PCIe.

An interface used to connect high-speed components such as graphics cards and NVMe storage.

The unit that converts incoming electrical power into the supplies needed by PC components.

A maker's list of components checked for specified configurations; absence does not by itself prove incompatibility.

The heat exchanger in a liquid cooling system, usually cooled by fans.

The working memory used for active programs and data; it loses its contents when power is removed.

How often a display updates its image each second, measured in hertz.

A display or image's pixel dimensions, usually written as width by height.

How long a display pixel takes to change between specified states under a stated test method.

A storage interface used by many 2.5-inch drives and some M.2 drives.

A transfer rate measured when reading or writing data in sequence, rather than scattered locations.

A smaller memory-module format used in many laptops and some small PCs.

The motherboard connection designed to accept a compatible processor.

A solid-state drive that stores data in electronic memory without spinning platters.

A motherboard or laptop connection for a storage drive, with specific supported interfaces and physical sizes.

A measure of data written to an SSD, often used as part of its warranty limit.

Memory access delay settings that must be considered alongside the memory's data rate.

Intel's memory-profile system for supported settings beyond standard defaults.