CGS 2060 Exam 2 Study Guide Chapter 6 Terms 3D Sound Card An expansion card that enables a computer to produce sounds that are omnidirectional to produce sounds that are omnidirectional or three dimensional Access Time The time it takes a storage device to locate its stored data BD ROM Disc Blu ray Disc Read Only Memory It is an optical disc storage media format for high definition video and data storage Benchmarks A measurement used in comparing software and hardware performance Benchmarks are designed using software applications that are designed to specifically push the limits of computer performance Bit Depth The number of bits a video card uses to store data about each pixel on a monitor Blu ray Disc A method of optical storage for digital data developed for storing hi def media Cache Memory Small blocks of memory located next to the CPU chip that act as holding places for recently or frequently used instructions or data that the CPU accesses the most Clock Speed The steady and constant pace at which a computer goes through machine cycles Core A complete processing section from a CPU embedded into one physical chip CPU Usage The amount of time a Central Processing Unit is working Data Transfer Rate The max speed at which data can be transmitted between two nodes on a module DVD RAM one of the three competing technologies for rewritable CDs DVD ROM DVD format where data can only be read not written DVD R RW One of 2 recognized DVD formats that enable you to read record and rewrite data on a disc DVD R RW One of 2 recognized DVD formats that enable you to read record and rewrite data on a disc External SATA A form of fast transfer ports that can add external hard drives for more storage space Front Side Bus a device that connects the processor in a computer to the system memory Graphics Processing Unit a specialized logic chip that is dedicated to quickly displaying and calculating visual data such as shadows textures and luminosity Hard Drive A device that holds all permanently stored programs and data located inside the system unit Head Crash Impact of read write head against magnetic platter of the hard driv often results in data loss Hyperthreading Technology that permits quicker processing of information by enabling a new set of instructions to start executing before the previous set has finished Kernel Memory The memory a computer s operating system uses Latency The process that occurs after the read write head of the hard drive locates the correct track and then waits for the correct sector to spin to the read write head Memory Module a small circuit board that holds a series of RAM chips Moore s Law a prediction named after Gordon Moore the cofounder of Intel that states that the number of transistors on a CPU chip will double every two years Nonvolatile Storage Permanent storage as in read only memory Optical Media portable storage devices such as CDs DVDs and Blu ray discs that use a laser to read and write data Physical Memory The amount of RAM a computer posses Platter A thin round metallic storage plate stacked onto the hard drive spindle Random Access Memory A computers temporary storage space or short term memory Read Write Head the mechanism that retrieves and records the magnetic data to and from a data disc Serial Advanced Technology Attachment A type of hard drive that uses much thinner cables and can transfer data more quickly than IDE drives Sector A section of the hard drive platter wedge shaped from the center of the platter to the edge Seek Time The time it takes for the hard drive s read write heads to move over the surface of the disk between tracks to the correct track Solid State Drive A drive that uses the same kind of memory that flash drives use but can reach data in only one tenth of the time a flash drive requires Sound Card an expansion card that attaches to the motherboard inside the system unit and that enables the computer to produce sounds by providing a connection for the speakers and microphone Surround Sound a type of audio processing that makes the listener experience sound as if it were coming from all directions System Evaluation The process of looking at a computer s components to determine if it has the right hardware to perform tasks Track a concentric circle that serves as a storage area on a hard drive platter Video Card an expansion car installed inside a system to translate binary data into images viewed on the monitor Video Memory RAM included in the video card Volatile Storage Temporary storage in RAM that is cleared out when the computer is shut off Activities Fill in the Blank Joe already has a PC but just heard about a great deal on a new one He decides to perform a n 1 system evaluation on his computer to see whether he should keep it or buy the new one First he runs the Task Manager in Windows By doing so he can check the history of 2 CPU usage as he works through his day Because he is often over 90 percent he begins to suspect his system is suffering from too little 3 RAM He has room for an additional two 4 memory modules on his motherboard Adding memory is something he learned how to do this semester but would that be enough to make this machine do all he needs He visits the Intel Web site to check two other important factors on his model of CPU the amount of 5 cache memory and the speed of the 6 front side bus It looks like the newer i7 processor would be much faster overall It seems each generation of processors is so much faster than the last That rule 7 Moore s law is still holding true He continues to evaluate his system by checking out which components he has and which ones he ll need He notes the storage capacity of the 8 hard drive Recently he has been wishing his system had a n 9 eSATA port because adding an external hard drive would give him enough space to start to record HD television shows As it is he is running out of space to store files But the 10 access time or the amount of time it takes to retrieve data from the disk drive on any mechanical drive is slow compared to the 11 solid state drive in the new computer he s eyeing which has no moving parts at all Joe also notes that he i is unable to do a complete backup of his music library onto optical media now that he has 40 GB of music data His current system can t burn a 12 Blu ray disc but the new system could The new video card would also include several 13 video card ports so that six digital monitors can be connected simultaneously It would be
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