EggXpert

HDMI (High-Definition Multi-Media Interface), DP (DisplayPort, the next generation Multi-Media interface standerd), AA (Anti-Aliasing), MSAA (Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing, faster but with less graphical quality), SSAA (Super-Sample Anti-Aliasing, slower but with greater graphical quality), AF(Anistrophic Filtering), TRAA (Transparency Anti-Aliasing, an advanced AA technique used for transparent objects such as fences, windows, skin, ect), TRAF (Transparency Anistrophic Filtering), FSAA (Full-Screen Anti-Aliasing), FSAF (Full-Screen Anistrophic Filtering),  ect, are a few to add...

Respectfully,

PROACEX1

Thanks again, though you could help out a little with definitions for FSAA and FSAF. Aren't they always full-screen?

Must of the time they're full screen, but older AA or AF techniques sometimes only used a mathematical algorithim to figure out what needs what...

But these days that's not really used anymore, so you can just use the basic standard as FSAA or FSAF for AA or AF, respectively...

Another thing to note is that many consoles do not always use either of these, for example the Xbox 360 is one of the first to actually start using these graphical filtering techniques... 

FSAA is known as Full-Screen Anti-Aliasing, this is simply anti-aliasing applied to the whole screen at whatever resolution your monitor is set at...Essentially it smooths out the whole screen, but instead of your normal anti-aliasing, which only is applied to certain objects determined by a mathematical algorithim, this is applied to everything on screen, and it can be applied multiple times over (I.E 2x, 4x, 6x [Not used anymore by newer GPUs], 8x, 16x, 32x [So far this is an option for SLi and Crossfire equipped PCs only] and then you have specialty anti-aliasing techniques which allow you to have, say, slightly less the quality equivalent of 4x AA but with the performance hit of 2x AA [This would be specifically known as 4s AA]...The specialty anti-aliasing techniques aren't used for the most part any more because newer cards are more than powerful enough to take the extra performance hit while providing better quality at the same time)...

There's the explanation of FSAA for ya...In short, it's Anti-Aliasing applied to the whole screen, not just specific parts of it...Also note, GFX is short-hand for Graphics...

Oh, and my names PROACEX1, not PROAXE...

Respectfully,

PROACEX1 

One minor possible adjustment: HDMI is now found on most higher end interconnect components, as well as GFX cards as an adapter and also a great feature on an mATX HTPC(Home Theater Personal Calculater Computer). IMHO HDMI is a wonderful product, combining digital video and audio in one wire. I hate wire mess.

 

- Ross

lol, calculator

LOL'd at d00dspeak.. haha as if u put that.. :D great guid

Mr. Monroe and all the contibutors, Thank you for putting the time and effort into this guide. It has been very helpful. And thanks for the link to the RAID tutorial. It will be very helpful for my new build.

Thank you very much, you are to be commended.

Now to figure out how to build a system to break into gaming.....

S/F

d

Perhaps add SCSI to the list of definitions?

And different between SATA150 and SATA300MB/s (or more importantly that there are two different kinds of SATA). That could be too detailed though...

 

 

I think he should put down PATA/IDE, S-ATA (1.5Gbit/s, 3.0Gbit/s, and the up and coming 6.0Gbit/s, real speed would be 150Mb/s, 300Mb/s, and 600Mb/s, respectively), SCSI, FC, SASI, EIDE, ESDI, ST-506 and ST-412, Ect...And I didn't even have to look those up on Wikipedia, except for the latter two...Lol...

Here are the links to each of these from Wikipedia just for a quick lowdown:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_Attachment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_Channel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCSI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Attached_SCSI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shugart_Associates_System_Interface#History

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Small_Disk_Interface

Respectfully,

PROACEX1

I would be happy to include the difference between SATA 3.0 and SATA 6.0...

Just as soon as there is an HDD that will fully saturate SATA 3.0 and make 6.0 necessary. 

What about SLI RAM? Not necessarily the SLI video cards. This was something that confused me (being that I'm a complete uber noob to PC building).

Silly, meaningless marketing tool if you ask me.

Running your memory in SLi Mode is essentially running your memory in Dual Channel mode....The performance difference between the two is negligible...Even though it is notable that SLi Mode is slightly faster on average then running your memory in Dual Channel mode...

Respectfully,

PROACEX1

That always cracked me up.

 

heres one that isn't seen on the forums so much as it is on newegg reviews

the dreaded DOA (actually, i'm not sure what the acronym actually stands for, i just know what it means...) 

dead or alive, a game

JK it means dead on arrival

And it can also mean so many other things...

Respectfully,

PROACEX1

Well, for ultra noobs, you can tell them if we refer to specific models, such as 9600GT, E6750, yada yada..tell them to go on newegg and search the exact words and look up what we are talking about. Sometimes they get stamped when people just write model numbers and have no idea what's going on

Very nice, worth a "sticky" on the forum board.

I'd add a few more terms like: PCI (as its own item, still being used for expansion), eSATA, IEEE 1384 (a,b -- aka Firewire), DVD (and its derivative terms like RW, CD-ROM, DL-double-layer, HD, Blu-ray, Lightscribe), and a few AV terms too (optical, channels, etc.).