MG Computer Repairs - Jargon Buster
Welcome to the Jargon Buster
This page will attempt to explain all the all the Jargon
means in plain easy to undestand english.
We are sure you have read many many advertisements about
gigabytes and hard drive, bluray, megahertz, high definition and
the like. See below for some explainations of what things mean.
Cutting through the Jargon
Ever wanted to know when your kids come up and say can get we
this computer it has Core i7 3.2 Gigahertz,12 Gigabytes of RAM and a Terrabyte Hard drive?
without so much as taking a moment to breathe.
You say yes sure kids lets just get it. hehehe. Well you know I
will try to explain what all the Gigabytes and Terrabytes mean
so you can make a informed decision about what might be right
for you.
CPU: (Central Processing
Unit)
The CPU or Central Processing Unit is the heart of the
computer it does all the stuff you see behind the scenes of your
computer.
CPUs are a measurement of how fast a computer can
calculate instructions. You might see in computer store
advertisements a CPU that is measured at 3.0 Ghz this means that
it can process upto 3,000,000,000 calculations per second.
RAM: (Random Access Memory)
This sort of memory is for short term memory. It is
used mainly for the CPU and programs to store programs in while
the computer is switched on. This memory is completely wiped
clean when the power for the computer is switched off. The more
memory RAM a computer has in it the faster it can go.
HDD: (Hard Disk
Drive)
This is where the computer stores its programs including Windows and Office. This memory remains intact when the computer is switched off. Most hard drives start at about 320 Gigabytes. Which is approximately 320,000,000,000 bytes. 1 single 6 megapixel file is about 3,000,000 so you could store approximately 100,000 photos on a single 320 GB Hard Disk Drive
DVD: (Digital Video Disk)
These come in many flavours DVD-RW Recorder which allows you
to burn your files and memories to disk. You can store
approximately 4,700,000,000 bytes worth of information on a
single sided DVD disk.
Bluray:
This is the latest format of video where as a DVD can
store only 9.4 Gigabytes of information a Bluray disk can hold
anywhere up to 25 Gigabytes per layer, a Bluray disk has 4
layers. As you can imagine having all that information on there
allows for higher definition pictures, video and sound. With
also the ability to store so much you could store upto 7 full
DVDs on 1 bluray disk.
You have landed at the Jargon Buster Page. We will continue to add to this page to explain better some of the terms you might find in the market.