EggXpert

There's been some requests for a list of terms commonly used on Eggxpert to help those new to the community integrate themselves more easily without having to feel like they are asking stupid questions when they ask what in the heck we mean by CAS latency, and I figure it won't get done unless someone does it. (I assure you readers, that example is about as far away from a stupid question as one could ask) This is not an exhaustive list, I'm sure, but it's a start. I've tried to keep it as basic as possible so that people with little to no understanding of computers will know what is being discussed, so let no acronym go unexplained! Feel free to contribute, and maybe an admin will sticky this so ultra-n00bs will have a handy reference.

CPU - Central Processing Unit: The frontal lobes of your computer.  This is the device which does all of the calculations necessary to produce any kind of response.

• FSB: Front Side Bus: This reference can refer to two numbers; either the base front side bus or the rated front side bus. Base front side bus is the basic speed in mhz of your CPU. When you multiply the base FSB by the multiplier, you get the total speed of the processor. For instance, the Q6600 has a base FSB of 266mhz and a multiplier of 9, so it's total speed is 2.4ghz. Rated FSB is the speed at which your CPU communicates with your motherboard.

RAM - Random Access  Memory: usually used in reference to the devices which communicated directly with your CPU. It's like the short-term memory that allows your computer to remember what it was doing five seconds ago.

• DIMM: Dual In-line Memory Module: I usually call them sticks. This just refers to the physical thing that you plug in that holds your RAM.
  
• DDR: Double Data Rate. Unlike me, DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 RAM has the ability to do two things at once. When you see DDR2 800, this is a speed rating. Of course, it's double data rate, so the actual speed in mhz is half that of the last number. DDR2 800 functions at 400mhz. 
  
• Latency (or Timings): This refers to several different numbers, which are the number of clock cycles it takes for a particular module of RAM to access or read different parts of it's data matrix. The most often referred to (because it's considered the most important) is CAS or Column Address Strobe. If you really want to know what each of the timings means, there's a great article over at Tom's Hardware.

Mobo - MB - Mainboard - Motherboard: All these terms refer to the same thing: the spinal column of your computer, the printed circuit board (PCB) that connects pretty much everything to everything else.

• Socket: Probably the first thing to look for in a mobo is the socket type. CPUs fall into a few different categories, and in order to get a particular CPU working in a particular mobo they must have matching sockets. Mobos also have FSB ratings. This rating must match the rated FSB mentioned earlier.
  
• ATX: Advanced Technology Extended: this term refers merely to the dimensions of the motherboard. (and also to cases) You might also hear mATX or microATX, a smaller version, or even BTX (Balanced Technology Extended), but they are less popular and mATX is usually used for computers for which size is a design priority.
  
• Chipset: The chipset of a mobo determines how fast a CPU it can handle, what kind of RAM will be compatible, how fast the graphics card can be, what kind of internal hard drives it can handle.... It is sometimes split into NB and SB for northbridge and southbridge chips. The NB takes care of the heavy stuff: coordinating CPU, Graphics cards, RAM; while the SB takes care of the easier work: dealing with hard drives, audio controllers, USB ports, etc. This is just a rough guide, of course, sometimes the audio processor will be hooked into the northbridge or another slight change.
• BIOS: Basic Input/Output System: This is a simple program contained within the mobo's very small onboard memory which sets the nuts and bolts of the system: how fast is the CPU expected to run? How many clock cycles should we expect an answer from the RAM in? How much power goes to each of the components? The BIOS can be about as intimidating as King Kong and more frustrating than my younger brother, and only fairly advanced users (system builders and overclockers) will be likely to use it unless there is something specifically wrong.
  
• POST: Power-On Self-Test: Every time (hopefully) you turn on your computer, you will see a screen that lists all connected components and their speeds. It will count the size of RAM including video memory, read the number of HDDs, etc. The reason this is important is that the presence of a POST can indicate that a certain type of error is or is not taking place. A computer will not POST with the wrong or an unrecognized CPU, for instance.
  
• CMOS: This term doesn't mean what it once did (Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor) but that's what we all call it: It's the memory that contains all the settings we choose inside the BIOS. When we talk of "clearing" the CMOS we mean turning all those switches from whatever position they are in to "0." Sometimes it is done with a jumper and sometimes you need to pop out the battery that keeps the CMOS running and just let it kind of space out for a while.
  
• PCIe - Peripheral Component Interconnect Express: This is the latest standard through which a motherboard communicates with a graphics card. It replaced regular PCI and AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port, which you will most likely only hear in conversations about people with older machines they need support or small upgrades/replacements for). It comes in various speeds for different components, from 1x sound cards up to full 16x for the most powerful graphics cards. Separate network cards for Ethernet connections also use this standard sometimes. PCIe 2.0 is now being introduced, but so far there is no component that fully utilizes PCIe 16x, so it's kind of a gimmick. (I hope that I'll eat those words someday soon )
• LAN - usually included on mobos these days is a LAN or Local Area Network controller with an Ethernet port on it. (looks like a phone jack after three kids) This is how you connect to, you guessed it, a local area network. If you have high-speed internet like a cable modem, Ethernet is usually how you connect to that as well.
  
• PS/2: named for the "Personal System/2" computer by IBM in which it was first introduced, this is an older standard of keyboard and mouse connection. Sometimes a PS/2 keyboard is necessary to use the BIOS, but this is becoming less an less true as time goes on and people start adapting a new standard for their keyboard, mouse, and virtually every other peripheral device:
• USB: Universal Serial Bus is a standard you are almost certainly familiar with unless you are only visiting Eggxpert because your 1987 IBM Personal System/2 has only just now given up the ghost and you need a replacement. Printers, MP3 players, mice, keyboards, even Bar-B-Q's can be plugged in with USB. (Though sometimes "why?" is a better question than "why not?")

GPU: Graphics Processing Unit: This is the processor contained on a graphics card or within the motherboard and is exclusively responsible for generating what you see on your screen. Often an entire video card is called a GPU, but that's more of a nickname than anything else.

•  SLI/Crossfire: These are the names of technologies developed by nVidia and ATI respectively which allow the user to utilize two or more cards simultaneously for the same task. By distributing work across more cards, you can achieve much better performance.
• DVI: Digital Visual Interface: Most newer video cards come with one or more DVI interfaces, as do most new LCD monitors. DVI can be either DVI-D, DVI-A, and DVI-I, which are Digital only, Analog only, and Integrated digital/analog. Why anyone needs a DVI port that only handles analog data I cannot explain. It looks like this.
• HDMI: High-Definition Multi-Media Interface: (where did that second "m" go, anyway?) You'll only see this on blu-ray, HD-DVD, your PS3 or your XBox 360. It's a high-def standard that carries video and sound.
• DP: DisplayPort. I dunno nutin' aboot this one, so I'll just direct you here.
• AA: No, it's not the gaggle of smokers standing outside the local presbyterian church every Thursday and Saturday night, (Ok, it's that too, but that's not what we're talking about here) it's Anti-Aliasing, which is a smoothing technique used to allow high-resolution images and sound to be displayed or heard without any choppiness, "tearing" or garbled sound. You may also know this as the setting that you can't turn on in Crysis no matter what you do. Subsets include:
• MSAA: Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing, faster but with less graphical quality
• SSAA: Super-Sample Anti-Aliasing, slower but with greater graphical quality
• TRAA: Transparency Anti-Aliasing, an advanced AA technique used for transparent objects such as fences, windows, skin, ect
• FSAA: Full-Screen Anti-Aliasing: Help me out with the correct definition of this one, Proaxe.
• AF: Anisotropic Filtering: This is a method of increasing resolution of far away textures viewed at oblique angles, like looking down a runway. Transparency and Full-Screen AF is also used to the same effect as with AA.
  
• VGA: Video Graphics Array: Now a standard being phased out of production, VGA carries an analog video signal. These are almost invariably blue for some reason.
  

HDD/SSD/FDD/ODD: Hard Disk Drive, Solid State Drive, Floppy Disk Drive and Optical Disk Drive: Even the PS/2 owners will have used a hard drive and floppy disks before, and for those not in the know, an ODD is any CD or DVD reader or burner, so named for the use of reflected light in the reading/writing process. An SSD is a relatively newer advancement. Flash drives are SSDs, and though they used to be very limited in size, SSDs are becoming more and more mainstream as they become larger and larger.

•  IDE: Integrated Drive Electronics: This is an aging connection standard for HDDs and ODDs, though Floppy diskettes remain on it because they can't possibly pass enough data through them to justify upgrading them to:
• SATA: Serial Advanced Technology Attachment: This is an upgrade from regular-old ATA and IDE which allows for much faster transfer rates.
  
• NCQ: Native Command Queuing: Used in some HDDs, this allows the drive to seek to the proper line of data instead of spinning around like an old vinyl.
• Vinyl: A truly ancient form of audio data storage, which, believe it or not, can actually be played without any digitization whatsoever. Some people actually prefer this antiquated technology, for the seemingly impossible reason that it "sounds better."
• RAID: Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks: This refers to a number of different strategies for linking HDDs together to achieve either a performance increase or a safety net so that in case an HDD fails you won't lose data. Root is the man to ask about this, (RAID is not for the feint of heart or those desirous of lots of spare time) and his tutorial can be found here.
  

• HSF: Heatsink/Fan: This is a device which is meant to keep a component cool. The heatsink is usually copper or aluminum and makes as much contact with the part in question as possible. It draws heat away from the component passively through conduction and the fan blows hot air away from the component and (hopefully) out of the case. This functions in a manner quite alike many of my college professors.
  
• PSU: Power Supply Unit: This is the component which takes AC power from the wall and distributes it to the various components of your computer system. These also come in ATX standard size to fit in your case, as well as in other form factors. Most users will only ever use an ATX PSU.
  
• UPS: Uninterrupted Power Supply: This is basically a giant mofo battery unit. It protects your system against surges, and can allow you a few minutes of run time after the power goes out to save whatever you're working on and shut down safely. But seriously: don't run your computer in a thunderstorm, no matter how tough a UPS you have. You might as well hit your case with a supersoaker.
  
• ISP: Internet Service Provider. They're the one's stretching you over a barrel so you can read this.
  
• OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. You see the OEM designation on Newegg all the time, and it's a licensing issue. When you buy OEM products, you become the OEM, since you're the one putting the computer together. It's cheaper usually because it doesn't come with a warranty of any kind.
  
• Res: Reservoir: Not seen much here, but a component used in watercooling that pulls bubbles out of the loop and allows the user to maintain enough liquid to run the system.
• Rad: Radiator: Again, not a lot of watercoolers on Eggxpert, but it's just like the one in your car.
• Block: Another component used in watercooling, this acts like the a heatsink and allows transfer of heat to the water in the loop which is then cooled in the radiator.

D00dspeak: Dudespeak. No, I don't know why they call it that. This is the weird chat jargon stuff.

• LOL: "Laugh Out Loud." You might also hear "lollercoaster" or "lollerskates."
  
• ROFL: "Rolling on the floor Laughing." You might also hear "roflcopter," which I really never understood.
  
• LMAO: "Laughing my a** off." You might also hear "LMAO Tse Tung." (not really, I just made that one up now)
  
• -XX0r: A suffix. Can be attached to any word that ends in a "kuh" sound, like "RoXX0r" or "SuXX0r." Definition: meaningless.
• WTF: What the F#$^&?, as in "WTF is roxx0r supposed to mean?"
  
• Pwnd: Somebody, somewhere, at some time, hit "p" instead of "o" when they tried to type "owned!" Then people started doing it on purpose. Then someone else missed the "e" and people started doing that on purpose. The purpose of all this? To have something to shout at the three d00ds you just took out with a flashbang and four shots from your pistol in CounterStrike. (Terrorists Win!)
  
• n00b: The kind of person that needs this kind of guide in order to know what a "See-Pee-You" is.
  
• 1337: LEET: Elite, which is what you're headed towards if you understand everything in this guide. 

Hopefully this covers most of the basic stuff in a way that people who aren't familiar can understand. Again, please feel free to add your own jargon and let me know whether it's ok to write it into my post here so all the info is in the first post people see when they open the thread. Happy building!

Thanks to PROACEX1, TFJ and Root for helping me fill it out. 

This is sticky worthiness. Great job! 

Nunyer:

RAID - kills roaches dead

Just No ...  

TFJ:

Not sure if you want to add the definition of RAID or not...

Done and done.  

Might want to add these:

SSD (Solid State Drives)

PSU (Power Supply Unit)

UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) 

And I stickied ya. Congrats! 

I'm not a n00b by any means but this was an awesome refresher course for me... helped me brush up on a few acronyms etc.

Thanks a bunch! 

PFCKwan:

Kk now just give us a universal method to OC every component in our systems =P

LOL, sure:

Overclocking is basically attempting to get your computer to go faster. Here's a universal method for not only speeding up your computer, but for causing it to continually accelerate!

We know that near sea-level pressure, the speed of any falling object with minimal air resistance is 32ft/second/second. So:

1: Find a large building.

2: Drop your computer off the building.

If you found one high enough, you could increase the speed of your comp (usually traveling at a measly 0mph) by an infinite amount! w007 12GHZ!!!11OnE!!1!1!

MrMonroe:

If you found one high enough, you could increase the speed of your comp (usually traveling at a measly 0mph) by an infinite amount! w007 12GHZ!!!11OnE!!1!1!

I'm sorry my friend but your argument is flawed. You have to take into account terminal velocity *grin*

You would think that, but one is greater than zero by an infinite amount so long as you're dividing and not subtracting.

Oh, and by the way, any advice I give is listened to only if you are a total du***ss, and effects resulting from that dumbassery are in no way legally or personally my fault. (unless they are positive effects, in which case you owe me $5)