Jargon Buster
32bit/64bit A measure of how much data a PC can process at once.
3G/4G/5G Technologies that deliver faster mobile broadband.
4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels.
1080p Video of 1920x1080 pixels.
802.11ac A quick standard for wireless networks.
802.11ax Wi-fi standard with speeds up to 10 times faster than 802.11ac. Also called Wi-fi 6.
Add-in Microsoft’s name for tools that can be added to Office software.
Add-on A program that adds extra features to your browser.
Adobe RGB A wider colour space than SRGB.
AVI A type of video file.
Bandwidth A measure of transferred data at one time.
Benchmarking Comparing products with an accepted standard.
BMP Bitmap. A type of image file.
Cache A temporary space for storing information.
Calibration Process of checking colour accuracy on a monitor.
Carriage return A line break in an Office document.
Chipset Chips that link the processor with other components.
Clock speed The speed at which a processor can perform operations.
Coaxial A type of cable where one wire is surrounded by insulation, then surrounded by another wire.
Colorimeter A device that measures how much light passes through a solution.
Core Units on a processor that carry out program instructions.
Crowdfunding A process where a company gets the financing from prospective customers online.
DCI-P3 A colour space that has a wider spectrum than SRGB.
Delta E Measurement showing how the human eye perceives colours.
Digital signature Proof that software is genuine, and hasn’t been tampered with by hackers
DNS Tech that associates computers with their addresses on the internet.
dpi Dots per inch. A measure of printed image quality.
Driver A file that tells Windows how to work with an external device.
Firewall Software that prevents unauthorised access to a PC.
Firmware Software stored on hardware to control its operation.
Flash memory A type of memory that doesn’t need a power source.
Frame rate Number of images per second in a moving image.
Frequency response Measuring the range of frequencies in audio.
GDPR 2018 EU law strengthening people’s data privacy.
GHZ Measure of instructions a chip can process per second.
GIF Graphics Interchange Format. Image file often used on the web.
Graphics card PC component that produces monitor image.
H.264 A type of MPEG4 video that is used on Blu-ray discs.
HDMI Connection that transmits high-definition video and audio.
Hotspot An area covered by a public Wi-fi network.
IP address Number used to identify devices and websites on the web.
ISO file A type of image file that contains all data from a CD or DVD.
JPEG A common type of image file created by digital cameras.
Lossless Music file formats that provide higher sound quality.
M.2 A standard specification for PC expansion cards and connectors.
Microatx A standard for motherboards introduced in 1997.
Microsd card A small type of memory card.
Microusb A miniature version of USB, often found on smartphones.
Mirror To display on your TV what’s on your PC or tablet screen.
Network card Allows your computer to connect to a network.
Noise Visible dust-like speckles that appear in images.
NVME An interface that lets solidstate drives work faster.
Partition A large hard drive can be split into two or more partitions.
PCIE A fast slot on a motherboard for expansion cards.
PNG Images format that shrinks file sizes without discarding data.
Product key Serial number that allows a program to be used.
Protocol The agreed standard for transmitting data between devices.
PUP A program that may not be desired, despite the user consenting to it being downloaded.
RAM A computer’s working area.
Ransomware Malware that locks files on your PC and demands a payment to release them.
RAW A format for digital photos as the camera captured it.
Read speed How long it takes a drive to ‘read’ data, and respond to it.
SATA Serial ATA. An interface for connecting hard drives to a PC.
Script A program stored on a server to control part of a website.
SD card Secure Digital card. A popular type of memory card.
Sound card Lets a PC create game sound effects, music, and audio.
Source code Program instructions written in a high-level language.
SRGB A standard RGB colour space for use on monitors.
SSD Solid-state drive. Storage that uses no moving parts.
Steamvr The operating system that runs on virtual-reality headsets.
Telemetry A way of analysing how people use software in order to improve it.
Thread Smallest sequence of instructions that can be managed by your processor.
Thunderbolt A very fast port for connecting external storage to a PC.
TIFF A standard file format used to store graphics images.
Timestamp The time which an event is recorded by a computer.
Travel The distance keys have to be pressed before a keystroke is recognised.
TRS Audio cable that transfers ‘balanced’ sound.
TWAIN A standard way for scanners to talk to your PC.
Tweeter A speaker designed to produce high audio frequencies.
USB 2.0/3.0/3.1 Faster successors to USB.
USB-C A new connector that’s reversible.
VPN Keeps all internet communication safe and private.
Wi-fi card Adds Wi-fi connectivity to a computer.
Woofer A speaker producing lowfrequency bass sounds.
Write speed How long it takes a hard drive to save data.
Zero-day attack A malware or security exploit that depends on a previously unknown software flaw.
ZIP file A file that contains compressed documents or files.