Technology has quickly become a vital part of our everyday lives, and more and more we’ve had to learn many of the common terms used in the computer world and what they mean. For those that have taken their computers in for a repair and have been left confused by some of the terms that the IT technician used, these are some of the most common one and what they mean.
USB: Universal Serial Bus
USB is not a term that many people haven’t heard of, but many aren’t sure what it means or why it’s named as it is. USB, or universal serial bus, is a special type of “bus” that integrates with most modern devices, especially computer motherboards. USB is a standardised connection that comes in many varieties, although the most common tend to be USB Type-A and Micro USB.
GPU – Graphical Processing Unit
More commonly known as a graphics card, GPUs provide the 3D graphical processing and rendering behind most video games, video editing, and more. GPUs also tend to be optional, as most modern CPUs are fully capable of powering the display and other light graphical programs if a system lacks a dedicated graphics card.
PSU: Power Supply Unit
Most people have heard of the CPU and graphics card, but many aren’t sure what a PSU is. The power supply unit is the box that’s either found inside a desktop computer, or the smaller power box that’s attached to the power cord of a laptop. This box takes the current from the wall outlet and converts into a voltage that the machine can use without causing any damage.
CPU – Central Processing Unit
The CPU, processor, or core, is the brain of the computer, and handles most of the heavy number processing, from word processing to the Bingo for real money games we play. CPUs are becoming smaller and more powerful every two years, although engineers are having more and more difficulty making them smaller. Nonetheless, CPUs are incredibly vital to today’s modern world and power all of the technology that we use.
SSD: Solid State Drive
SSD is a term that’s starting to see much wider usage in the general household, although it’s one that many might not understand. A solid state drive uses the same type of storage found in a USB thumb drive, although SSDs tend to be much faster and much more advanced. Eventually, SSD storage will completely take over from the hard drives that were standard in older computer systems.
LCD: Liquid Crystal Diode
LCD is a term almost always used to describe a modern screen, such as the screens we use for televisions or computer monitors. Liquid crystal diodes are the tiny “dots” that can be found on screens, where they use a spectrum of colours to display an image in conjunction with the screen’s other diodes. LCD screens are incredibly advanced, but they themselves have gone through a number of changes in the pursuit of better clarity and higher resolutions.