Computer Acronyms and Abbreviations

A clear example of this are the different types of processor and the number of cores that they integrate, the different types of RAM memories, the various data storage systems and others, and it is very clear that if we are not able to recognize the components of a computer , at least in a basic way, we will miss most of the advantages that these devices have to give us.

With how many GHz is one GB? They have nothing to do with each other? If we are not able to solve this, we will have a difficult time choosing our new computer, notebook or printer, since for this we need to master a very strange art: reading computer acronyms or abbreviations.

Created from technical data, technologies and releases of each season. Sometimes we get dizzy with acronyms such as GHz, HDMI, MB, PS2 and others, which help us determine the quality or functionality of each device.

All the technical terms of computing that we must know

In this sense, the world of computers moves around a wide range of acronyms , and if we do not know what they mean, many times we will be lost. If you want to know the meaning of the main acronyms of computing , we invite you to continue reading the rest of the article.

But first, we invite you to learn more about computing in this post: What is computing?

Differences between CPU, GPU and APU

Basically, each of these abbreviations,  APU, CPU and GPU corresponds to a specific type of data processing unit , that is, a processor, however, each of them offers advantages and disadvantages, and is used in different types of implementations. .

APU (Accelerated Processing Unit)

The first of them, the  APU (Accelerated Processing Unit)  is a type of processor that inside houses both the processing unit, the CPU, and the video processing unit, GPU.

This type of implementation offers a considerable advantage in processing speed, which is due to the fact that also in the same capsule it contains a memory controller and a high-speed processing bus,  all of which gives it a high processing capacity of data in a reduced size, becoming more efficient and allowing smaller computers.

However, this union and miniaturization comes at a price:  an APU will never meet the demands of a user with heavy graphics, video, or computational demands.  The APUs have been designed for the average user, one who does not require too many demands on their hardware, but who also enjoys some set of discrete requirements.

Without a doubt, one of the most important characteristics of an APU is its consumption, which makes it ideal for mobile devices or implementations for HTPC, for example.
Some examples of APUs are AMD Fusion or Intel with Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge, despite not being marketed under this nomenclature.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

The Graphic Processing Units, better known as GPUs,  are the processors mounted on the video cards, and basically they are in charge of showing us the images on the screen, solving millions of calculation operations per second.

The GPUs can be found in our computer in two different ways,  the GPUs in the video cards or soldered directly on the motherboard of the PC, an  implementation that is called  “OnBoard”  or  “Integrated Video” video.

GPUs have been specifically designed to perform millions of mathematical operations per second efficiently and quickly,  two fundamental points in video processing , since it is real time.

GPUs also  have the multicore capacity,  necessary and natural reasoning to be able to solve the incredible amount of data that has to be manipulated, and  the number of cores varies according to the manufacturer and the type of GPU in question.  The biggest GPU manufacturers today are AMD and Nvidia.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The CPU, also known as the  “Central Processing Unit”,  is in charge of processing absolutely all the operations of the computer, from power on to loading the operating system, and all the functions or operations that it or its user programs perform. Simply put, a computer without a CPU is useless.

In general,  CPUs or processors are purchased taking into account the use that will be given to the computer on which it will be mounted.  This means that if we want a computer only to surf the Internet or make Word documents, it  is a crazy idea to acquire a high-end processor with 8 cores and a speed of almost 5 Ghz,  mainly due to the cost and electrical consumption of the same. in addition to the electronics associated with the implementation, such as a power source adequate to the energy requirements of the CPU.

With respect to CPUs and APUs, the fundamental difference is in the use that will be given to the equipment that contains them. If we will use it for basic tasks or a little more, it would be appropriate, in certain scenarios that only the user knows how to determine, an APU, due to its lower energy consumption and size.

Now, if the usage requirements are higher, the best then in a computer with a traditional CPU,  and if we want even more performance, a combination of CPU and dedicated GPU,  that is, the well-known video cards, leaving aside the capacity of “Onboard” video  .

Understand computer abbreviations

As we mentioned above, finding a PC or notebook that adapts to all our needs is not exactly an easy task, even more so if we do not know the various terminologies and abbreviations that are used in the field.

That is why from this point on we will find all the technical terms, abbreviations and essential acronyms related to computers to know exactly what we are buying, which will ensure a good purchase for many years, since most of the time manufacturers and sellers tend to mislead us with these acronyms so that they seem more than they really are.

All the acronyms you should know before buying a PC:

3G / 3G +, 4G

Generic term to designate equipment and mobile services called third and fourth generation. The new generations of mobile data connections offer services such as video calls and high-speed Internet access, among others. It is acceptable to think that the greater the number, the better their characteristics.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is the wireless communication technology, of the radio wave type, which allows two computers, two cell phones and personal assistants to be put in contact, and to establish wireless links to peripherals, such as a printer, on these computers.

Bluetooth offers throughput rates of 32 Mb. In version 4 and up to 50 Mb. In version 5 with an effective range of around 10 meters. It could also be taken as valid that the higher version of Bluetooth allows greater ranges and transfer speed.

Vga

Acronym for Video Graphics Array . It refers to both the standard computer screen and the 640×480 resolution. It is a standard of connectors and cables for displaying images on a monitor, a television or a video projector from a computer or a game console. The analog VGA interface, whose use dates back to the origins of micro-computing, is gradually being replaced by the digital interface DVI and HDMI.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or in Spanish “High-definition multimedia interface”, is a connection standard between multimedia devices, that is to say that through this type of connector we can communicate televisions, monitors and various audio equipment.

It is noteworthy that the HDMI interface allows the transfer of high definition images as well as multi-channel audio. As in other connectors, the higher the version, the better performance features.

DVI

Digital Visual Interface is a digital visual interface that, like HDMI, is used to link a graphics card with a screen.  The DVI link improves the display quality, relative to a classic VGA connection. It also allows the transfer of audio.

ExpressCard

It is a hardware standard that replaces the PCMCIA or PC-Card of notebooks, and that allows, through it, the connection of different peripherals such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cards, among others.  The main contribution with respect to the latter is summarized in the transfer capacity, much higher than PCMCIA.

Wifi

It is a trade name (a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance) that refers to the system of sending data over computer networks through radio waves instead of cables . Wi-Fi is the trade name for IEEE 802.11x wireless Ethernet local network (WLAN) technology, based on the 2.4 GHz frequency and offering transfer rates of up to 300 Mbit / s.

Ethernet

It is a computer network standard, a set of standards, materials, and applications that govern a small computer network.  The current Fast Ethernet standard allows a transfer of 100 Mbit / s, while Gigabit Ethernet allows a transfer of up to 1000 Mbit / s.

Firewire

High speed data transmission standard between peripherals and computer.  Also called iLink or IEEE 1394, it is used to link a camcorder, external sound card or an external hard drive to a PC. Currently it can reach a bandwidth of 3.2 Gbit / s. Notably, in home systems, USB is preferred over Firewire.

USB

The acronym comes from Universal Serial Bus and  is a type of connection that allows you to connect peripherals without the need to turn off the computer.  It came to facilitate the common user the installation of various peripherals that, previously, required a complete configuration and even the internal physical installation of components.

Today, most peripherals are USB, such as printers, pen drives, keyboards, mice, speakers, and many other devices.

SDI

Data exchange standard between the PC and its storage devices (hard drives, CD or DVD readers and recorders, etc. The term also designates the connector used to connect the unit in question with the motherboard.

SATA

Acronym for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. It is a data transfer interface between the motherboard and some storage devices, like IDE, but with higher speed rates and the possibility of allowing hot connection of devices.

RPM

This acronym corresponds to “Revolutions Per Minute”, which indicates the rotation speed of hard drives (HDs). The more RPMs, the more revolutions an HD will have, and the faster the access to files.

HD

HD is the acronym in English that is used to designate a Hard Disk, that is to say a hard disk, also called a hard disk. It is also used in video to mention high definition compatible artifacts.

SSD

Acronym for Solid State Drive or Solid State Drive, in Spanish. This is a storage technology that is slowly replacing mechanical hard drives with many advantages. As a data storage device, it uses non-volatile memory such as flash, or volatile memory such as SDRAM, instead of the turntables, common among traditional hard drives.

Blu-ray

Blu-Ray is a digital disc format, created by Philips, Sony and Samsung, which has replaced DVD in the market, as it allows greater storage capacity. Using a blue laser, this technology allows to store 25 Gb. In a simple disk with a single layer, and 50 Gb. In a double layer disk.

SD / MMC

This generic term is used to indicate the compatibility of a digital device with the two formats of miniature memory card SD-Card and MultiMediaCard. On the apparatuses thus designated, it is possible to use a card of one type or another interchangeably.

Jack

Audio connector used in many devices for the transmission of sound in stereo analog format,  which in turn is used to connect peripheral output (headphones) or input (microphones). There are three jack connector formats: standard, 6.35 mm in diameter, mini-jack, 3.5 mm, and microjack, 2.5 mm.

Memory stick

It is a removable memory card format (or flash memory) developed by the Sony brand for its peripherals (camera, walkman, video cameras) since 1998.  This format is marketed under various standards: Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo , Memory Stick Duo Pro.

DDR2, DDR3, DDR4 and DDR5

These nomenclatures correspond to different types of RAM, each with better characteristics than the previous one. Regarding memory, the different types are not compatible with each other, and newer types of RAM such as DDR5 cannot be installed in older motherboards.

GHz

This acronym comes from GigaHertz and is normally used to determine the speed of the processor. That is, the  more GHz, the processor will be fast to process information . In telephony, it is also the unit used to measure the frequency of cordless telephones and other devices that use radio signals for their operation. In these cases, the higher the frequency, the lower the possibility of interference in the connection.

MHz

This acronym comes from MegaHertz and, in the case of computer products, it  normally represents the speed with which information leaves  the processor towards the motherboard.

LCD

This acronym comes from Liquid Crystal Display,  or Liquid Crystal Display . They are the well-known flat monitors.

Led

This is another acronym used to designate the monitors that use a matrix of LEDs to form the images.

Mb and Gb

It is the acronym used to designate the Megabyte and Gigabyte, which are used in various products to indicate memory capacity or  useful storage space in devices such as pen drives and hard drives (HD). A Megabyte represents one million bytes, while a Gigabyte represents 1000 Megabytes.

PS2

They are the connection tabs for keyboards and mice . The acronym is a tribute to the first line of IBM computers that had keyboard and mouse outputs with this standard. PS2 connectors are used to this day in modern PCs, challenging the practicality of USB.

Motherboards, mice, and keyboards use this interface because it takes up less space and frees up USB connections for peripherals. In 1997, colors were defined for the input / output tabs of the PCs and the PS2 connectors were defined as purple for the keyboard and green for the mice.

PPM

This acronym comes from Pages Per Minute and  is normally used in printers to define the volume of continuous impressions that the device can make per minute.

PCI

This acronym comes from Peripheral Component Interconnect or in Spanish ” Peripheral Component Interconnector “.  It has the ability to transfer 32 or 64 bits at frequencies of 33MHz or 66 MHz, offering transfer rates large enough for a wide variety of devices. It will be used when you need to add an additional card inside your PC.

DPI

This acronym comes from Dot Per Inch, or Points per Inch.  It is the famous resolution that we see described in printers and also in digital cameras . The higher the DPI, the better the definition of the captured or printed image.

COM ports

The COM ports (COM1, COM2, COMxxx)  are serial ports used to send and receive BIT by BIT information to and from the PC over a single cable . Previously these ports were used to connect the Mouse and the Modem. Today they are being replaced by USB and it is only used for the connection of certain industrial or numerical control equipment such as scales and machinery, among others.

LPT ports

The LPT ports (LPT1, LPT2, LPTxzz) are parallel ports normally used to connect printers, scanners and in some cases up to two PCs. They have also slowly been replaced by the USB standard.