R973 terms

Glossary

What it all means, in plain English.

3D V-CacheProcessors: Extra cache memory AMD stacks on top of some Ryzen chips, marked X3D. Games love it because data the processor needs is closer at hand.Browse
12V-2x6Power: The compact power connector on high-end graphics cards. It replaced 12VHPWR and improves on how safely it seats. Push it in all the way.
AGESAMotherboards: The firmware AMD supplies to motherboard makers. A board may need a newer AGESA, delivered through a BIOS update, to run a newer Ryzen chip.
AIOCooling & cases: All-in-one liquid cooler. A sealed loop with a pump, tubes and a radiator that needs no maintenance. Its size is given by the radiator length, such as 240 mm or 360 mm.Browse
AM5Motherboards: AMD’s current desktop socket, used by Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 processors. It only takes DDR5 memory.
ATXMotherboards: The standard full-size motherboard format, 305 by 244 mm. Most mid-tower cases are built around it.Browse
ATX 3.1Power: The current power supply standard. It requires units to survive the short power spikes modern graphics cards produce, and it brings the 12V-2x6 connector.Browse
Back-connect motherboardMotherboards: A board with its power and fan headers on the rear so cables stay hidden. It only fits cases cut out for it.
BIOS FlashbackMotherboards: A button that updates the motherboard’s firmware from a USB stick with no processor installed. It’s a lifesaver when a board is too old for a new chip.
BottleneckBuying: When one part holds back the others. A small mismatch is normal. It matters when you’ve paid for performance you can’t use.
CacheProcessors: Very fast memory built into the processor. More of it usually helps games more than extra cores do.
CAS latencyMemory & storage: How many clock cycles memory takes to respond, written as CL30 and the like. Lower is quicker at the same speed.Browse
ChipsetMotherboards: The controller on a motherboard that sets its features, such as X870 or B850 for AMD and Z890 or B860 for Intel. It decides overclocking, PCIe lanes and how many ports you get.
ClearanceCooling & cases: The room a case leaves for a part, usually in millimeters. Graphics card length and cooler height are the two that catch people out.
Core UltraProcessors: Intel’s current desktop processor brand, including the Arrow Lake chips on the LGA 1851 socket.Browse
Cores and threadsProcessors: Cores are the separate workers inside a processor. Threads are the tasks they can juggle. Games use a handful well, while video and 3D work use as many as you can give them.
DDR5Memory & storage: The current generation of desktop memory. It isn’t physically or electrically compatible with DDR4, so the motherboard decides which one you need.Browse
DIMMMemory & storage: A stick of desktop memory. Laptops use the smaller SO-DIMM.
DisplayPortConnections: The usual connection for high-refresh PC monitors. Version 2.1 modes, such as UHBR 20, carry far more data than 1.4.Browse
DLSSGraphics: NVIDIA’s upscaling. The game renders at a lower resolution and AI fills in the detail, which raises frame rates. Newer versions can also generate extra frames.
DSCDisplays: Display Stream Compression. A visually lossless way of squeezing more resolution and refresh rate through a cable.
E-ATXMotherboards: A wider motherboard format for high-end systems. Check the case supports it, since many only claim partial fit.
E-cores and P-coresProcessors: Intel’s performance cores and efficiency cores. P-cores handle the heavy lifting, while E-cores take on background work and add multi-threaded muscle.
EXPOMemory & storage: AMD’s one-click memory overclocking profile. Without it or XMP, memory usually runs below its advertised speed.
Form factorMotherboards: The physical size standard of a part. ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX are motherboard form factors, and ATX and SFX are power supply form factors.
FPSGraphics: Frames per second. How many images your PC draws each second in a game. Higher looks and feels smoother.
Frame generationGraphics: Technology that creates extra frames between real ones to raise the frame rate. It looks smoother, but it doesn’t make the game respond faster.
FreeSync and G-SyncDisplays: Technologies that sync a monitor’s refresh with the graphics card to stop tearing. Most modern monitors support at least one, and many work with both GPU brands.Browse
GPUGraphics: Graphics processing unit. The chip that draws your games, and also speeds up video editing and AI work.Browse
HDMI 2.1Connections: The HDMI version that can carry 4K at 120 Hz and above. Monitors and TVs sometimes label slower ports confusingly, so check the bandwidth.
HDRDisplays: High dynamic range. Brighter highlights and deeper shadows, but only if the panel gets bright enough. OLED and mini-LED do it best.
HeatsinkCooling & cases: A block of metal fins that draws heat away from a part. Coolers, motherboards and some SSDs all use them.
Input lagDisplays: The delay between your click and the image changing. Competitive players care about it more than almost anything else.
IOPSMemory & storage: Input/output operations per second. A measure of how many small reads and writes an SSD can do, which matters more for everyday feel than its peak speed.
IPSDisplays: A common LCD panel type with accurate color and wide viewing angles. Its black levels trail VA and OLED.
LGA 1851Motherboards: Intel’s current desktop socket, used by Core Ultra 200 series processors. It isn’t compatible with the older LGA 1700.
M.2Memory & storage: The small stick-shaped slot and drive format. An M.2 drive can be NVMe or SATA, and the two run at very different speeds.Browse
Micro-ATXMotherboards: A shorter motherboard, 244 mm square. Often the sweet spot for price, and it still fits a full-size graphics card.
Mini-ITXMotherboards: The small 170 mm square motherboard format for compact builds. You get one PCIe slot and two memory slots.
Mini-LEDDisplays: An LCD backlight made of thousands of tiny LEDs that can dim in zones, giving strong HDR at a lower risk of burn-in than OLED.
MSRPBuying: The price a maker suggests. Actual prices can sit well above it when supply is short, as memory and SSDs have this year.
NVMeMemory & storage: The fast protocol modern SSDs use over PCIe. It’s several times quicker than SATA.Browse
OLEDDisplays: A panel where each pixel makes its own light, giving true black and near-instant response. It costs more and can burn in over years of static images.Browse
OverclockingProcessors: Running a part faster than its stock speed. It needs a suitable chip and motherboard, and you trade extra heat and power for it.
PCIeConnections: The connection graphics cards and fast SSDs use. Versions 4.0 and 5.0 are current, and each generation doubles the bandwidth.
PCIe power connectorPower: The 6+2-pin cables older and many current graphics cards need. Count how many your card wants and how many your power supply has.
Power limitProcessors: The ceiling on what a processor can draw. It’s often well above the advertised TDP, which is why our power estimates use peak draw.
PrebuiltBuying: A complete computer sold assembled. During part shortages a prebuilt can cost less than the same parts bought separately.Browse
PWMCooling & cases: A four-pin fan control method that lets the motherboard set fan speed precisely, so a PC stays quiet when it isn’t working hard.Browse
QD-OLEDDisplays: An OLED panel variant that uses quantum dots for more vivid color.
RadiatorCooling & cases: The finned part of a liquid cooler, where fans remove the heat. It has to fit a mount in your case at the right size.
RailPower: A power output inside a supply, most importantly 12 V. Modern units use a single strong rail.
Ray tracingGraphics: Simulating how light really behaves, for more realistic reflections and shadows. It’s demanding, and it’s where newer cards pull ahead.
Refresh rateDisplays: How many times a monitor updates per second, in Hz. A 144 Hz or higher panel feels much smoother than 60 Hz, as long as your PC can feed it.Browse
Resizable BARGraphics: A setting that lets the processor access all of the graphics card’s memory at once. It gives a free performance gain on supported hardware.
Response timeDisplays: How quickly pixels change color. Slow response shows up as ghosting behind moving objects.
RGBCooling & cases: Addressable or fixed colored lighting. 3-pin ARGB and 4-pin RGB headers are different and aren’t interchangeable.
SATAMemory & storage: The older interface for hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs. Fine for bulk storage, and much slower than NVMe.Browse
SFFCooling & cases: Small form factor. A compact PC, which makes every clearance tighter and every part choice matter more.
SFXPower: A smaller power supply format for compact cases. An adapter bracket lets one fit a case made for ATX.
SocketMotherboards: The mount on a motherboard that holds the processor. The socket has to match exactly, and coolers are made for specific sockets too.Browse
TBPGraphics: Total board power. What a graphics card draws under load, and the number that matters for sizing your power supply.
TBWMemory & storage: Terabytes written. An SSD’s rated endurance, and typically more than most people will use in the drive’s life.
TDPProcessors: Thermal design power. A rough guide to the heat a processor produces. Peak draw is often much higher.
Thermal pasteCooling & cases: A compound that fills microscopic gaps between a chip and its cooler. Most coolers come with some already applied or in the box.Browse
Transient spikePower: A power surge lasting milliseconds as a graphics card ramps up. These can trip older power supplies even when average draw is well within limits.
UPSPower: Uninterruptible power supply. A battery that keeps your PC running through a short outage so you can save your work and shut down.Browse
VADisplays: An LCD panel type with deep contrast, though color and speed usually trail IPS.
VESA mountDisplays: The standard screw pattern on the back of a monitor, usually 100 by 100 mm. Monitor arms attach to it.Browse
VRAMGraphics: Memory on the graphics card. High resolutions and detailed textures fill it up, and running out causes stutter.Browse
VRMMotherboards: The circuitry that regulates power to the processor. Strong VRMs matter most for high-core chips and overclocking.
Wi-Fi 7Connections: The newest common Wi-Fi standard. Both the PC and the router need it to get the extra speed.Browse
XMPMemory & storage: Intel’s one-click memory overclocking profile. Turn it on in the BIOS or your memory will run below its advertised speed.