May 18, 2010 - 11:25 am

Understanding is a solid part of any endearing relationship, so with our no-nonsense approach to placing technology within your reach, let’s clear through some computer jargon and assist you along the way.

Delving inside your computer system may not be your cup of tea, but it’s a great place to begin, so this brief and friendly overview will help you appreciate just what a trooper your computer is.

AGP Port: Accelerated Graphics Port. A place to attach graphics video cards to the computer.

BIOS: Basic Input/Output Software is a chip that provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware.

CPU: This marvel is a mathematical genius at the very least. The CPU delivers the oomph and fuel to whatever task your system is performing. Modern day CPU speeds are given in GHz (short for gigahertz), which measure how many billions of cycles your CPU is processing per second.

FAT: File Allocation Table. It is essentially a structure to keep your data orderly in your flash device.

Graphics Card: Responsible for reproducing that crystal clear image that you know and love on your monitor, from cutting-edge gaming graphics to everything in between. The graphical prowess of your system vividly replicates the friendly interface between technology and you.

I/O: Input/Output refers to the communication between you and your computer

IDE: Intelligent Drive Electronics or Integrated Drive Electronics, depending on who you ask. An IDE interface is an interface for mass storage devices, in which the controller is integrated into the disk or CD-ROM drive.

ISA: Industry Standard Architecture was a computer bus standard for IBM compatible computers.

Memory: The amount and speed of the memory in your computer goes a long way to dictate your system’s performance. Think of it as that spoonful of sugar! Utilised to store data from running applications and a whole lot more, the memory in your computer is hard at work and always up for the challenge.

Modem: This bag of tricks is one part of your Internet equation, so whether you’re social networking or gaming, your modem is dealing with the stream of data between your system and the big wide online world.

Motherboard: The heart and soul of your system isn’t called a mother for no reason! It interacts and nurtures every component and makes sure everything comes together in a harmonious manner. Think of it as a true foundation and building block to lots more.

Optical Drive: We’re not talking laser grids here but your system’s optical drive has a fun part to play in your multimedia escapades. From CDs to DVDs, whether you’re catching a movie, playing a game or simply installing an application, there’s a party going on in that optical drive!

OS: Operating System. The interface between the user and the computer. For example, Windows.

PCIe: Peripheral Component Interface express. A computer bus that allows the attaching of hardware to a computer that supersedes PCI.

PCI Slots: Peripheral Component Interface. A computer bus that allows the attaching of hardware to a computer.

PDA: Personal Digital Assistant. A hand held device that can connect to the internet.

Sound Card: Sweet sounds to go with those crisp graphics. The sound card in your system processes those sweet melodies and gives your senses a treat, whatever the task at hand is.

Storage Drive: Whether you’ve taken the SSD root or committed to traditional HDDs, think of your system’s storage drive as a real workhorse. Constantly storing your beloved data, retrieving it at a click of your fingers and generally being an integral workhorse. Storage capacity is measured in GB (short for gigabytes).

The North Bridge: This handles data for the AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) and memory which includes the FSB (Front side bus). Although both chips are required for the PC to work the North Bridge handles most of the very important tasks such as the connection between the CPU and main memory.

The South Bridge: Handles data from the PCI slots (Peripheral Component Interface), the hard disk, BIOS and any input devices such as the keyboard, mouse etc.

USB: Universal Serial Bus established communication between a device and a host (normally a PC).

We hope this guide to the innards of your beloved system has given you a grasp of just how hard your technology is working for you. Feel free to give your system a cuddle now – there’s no one looking – and, don’t forget to smile in the knowledge that your acquired understanding is just the first step towards a whole lot more loving between you and technology.

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