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Glossary of Laptop Related Terms

Glossary of Laptop and Computer related terms definitions. Hit CTRL + F to quickly search through or use the index.

CPU | GPU | RAM | OTHER DEFINITIONS

  • Computer: An electronic device that processes data and performs various operations using instructions provided by software programs.
  • Laptop (or “Notebook”): A portable computer designed to be lightweight and compact, suitable for use on the go, equipped with a battery. 
  • Desktop: A fixed computer not intended to be moved or transported often, usually equipped with an external monitor and directly connected to power AC system.
  • Tablet:  A mobile device with a touch-sensitive screen that allows users to interact with applications and content through gestures.

CPU

  • Central Processing Unit (CPU): The primary processor of a computer responsible for executing instructions and performing calculations.
    • Producer, Family, Model: The name of the CPU manufacturer firm of the peripheral, the macro group of similar units which share some characteristics and, finally, the specific name for the considered model.
    • Core: fundemental CPU hardware elemental responsible of processing information and calculations. Each core is independant and has its own characteristics such as speed (frequency) and energy consumption.
      • Performance Core: a specific type of core able to process information and compute calculations at high speed (frequency) but also highly consuming energy.
      • Efficiency Core: a specific core made to handle basic tasks at lower speed (frequency) but consuming smaller amount of energy.
    • Cache Memory: Fast memory located at processor level, shared between cores, created to provide immediate and energy-cheap access by the CPU; there exist a hierarchy of multiple cache levels (L1,L2,L3 and sometimes L4) with different memory sizes, to solve the tradeoff between cache latency and hit rate, since greater caches have better hit rates but longer latency.
    • Thread: Logical software units of instructions given to the CPU(s), the smallest unit of execution in a process, allowing multiple tasks to be performed at the same time by the CPU. Technologies like Hyperthreading (the capacity of virtually breaking a single physical processor into two logical/virtual processors) and Multithreading (the ability to runs simultaneously numerous threads in a single process) increase CPU effectiveness.
    • Clock: an electrical signal sent through the inner circuitry of a processor core, the mean for processors to compute information.
      • Clock Speed: the rate, per second, of sent electrical signals (also called frequency, the amount of something over a time cycle). It is measured in Hertz (1 signal per 1 second) but often it is used the  Megahertz MHz (1.000.000 signals per 1 second) or the Gigahertz GHz (1.000.000.000 signals in one second).
      • Base Clock Frequency: the basic speed, in Hertz, at which cores send electrical signals in a not peaky workload situation, providing the lowest  energy consumption.
      • Turbo Clock Frequency: the fastest speed, in Hertz, at which cores works in a peaky and high demand situation, expecting high energy consumption.
    • Max Bandwidth: the highest amount of rate at which the processor can read/store into a semiconductor memory.
    • Thermal Design Power: the amount of energy consumption (so, heat generated), measured in Watt, designed for normal workload circumstances.
    • Thermal Max Power: the greatest value of Thermal Power that can be reached by the CPU as upper bound limit for safety.
    • Max Temperature (TJUNCTION): the hottest temperature that will make the CPU start to throttle (and so to reduce performance to cool down). In Laptops this is a very important value since the reduced dimensions imply greater issues in heat dissipation.
    • Integrated Graphic: the dedicated CPU unit to compute graphical calculations, not owning a dedicated memory (like GPU) but sharing the RAM amount for its work; it is called integrated because it is manufactured within the CPU unit.
    • Features: Definition of some brand specific CPU Technologies.
      • Intel Deep Learning Boost: it is designed to accelerate AI deep learning using the new Vector Neural Network Instruction (VNNI) significantly increasing deep learning inference performance compared to previous generations.
      • Intel Adaptix Technology: overclocking and graphic software tools used to tune the system for maximum performance and customize; these software tools help the system adapt these settings to its environment, utilizing machine learning algorithms and advanced power control settings.
      • Intel Speed Shift Technology: it allows the processor to more quickly select its best operating frequency and voltage for optimal performance and power efficiency, delivering quicker responsiveness with single-threaded, using hardware-controlled P-states.
      • Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0: this technology takes advantage of power and thermal headroom to identify the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency.
      • Intel Hyper-Threading: this ability makes the processor able to run in parallel and complete tasks sooner delivering two processing threads per physical core.
      • Thermal Monitoring: it benefits of the Digit Thermal Sensor (DTS) to detect the core’s temperature and so to avoid any circumstances of high values that could damage the electric circuits and negatively effect the performance, also in terms of power consumption.
      • Intel Flex Memory Access: memory configuration mode to fix the gap between single-channel and dual-channel memory operations, facilitates easier upgrades by allowing different memory sizes to be populated and remain in dual-channel mode.
      • Intel Volume Management Device: allows direct control and management of NVMe SSDs from the PCIe bus without additional hardware adaptors.
      • AMD “Zen 3+” Core Architecture: wider CPU technology, capable of accepting more instructions per cycle (6 compared to 4) with a deep learning approach which makes it able to look further into its queue of tasks to complete and pick the ones it can execute in parallel.
      • AMD Precision Boost 2: next level of Precision Boost, a performance-maximizing technology which raise clock speed through a sophisticated set of sensors designed to analyze conditions and boost speed as soon as possible.

GPU

  • Graphic Processing Unit (GPU): A dedicated hardware component responsible for rendering images and videos, particularly useful for gaming and graphic-intensive tasks, having a dedicated physical peripheral and own memory for its workload.
  • Producer, Family, Model: The name of the GPU manufacturer firm of the peripheral, the macro group of similar units which share some characteristics and, finally, the specific name for the considered model.
  • Core: elemental GPU unit capable of high instruction volume calculations to render graphic elements, designed to elaborate great workload of few kind and not designed to switch rapidly between different instruction sets (like instead CPU is).
  • Memory: the amount of memory located and dedicated to GPU for its work. A dedicated GPU card has its own memory slot and this one is not shared with other peripherals.
  • Memory Technology: it indicates the GDDR group being used by the graphic processing unit. GDDR is different from DDR (Double Data Rate) RAM since the first one has greater bandwidth.
  • Boost Clock: the GPU clock frequency at its boost, measured within a range Min-Max and usually in Megahertz MHz (1.000.000 signals per 1 second).
  • Memory Interface Size: it is the physical count of bits that can fit down the bus per clock cycle, the greatest it is the more performant is the GPU, since it can process more bits per cycle
  • Features: Definition of some brand specific GPU Technologies.
    • Nvidia DLSS: Deep Learning Super Sample uses AI to increase the high quality framerate (FPS), rendering frames at a lower resolution than displayed and upscaling frames in a way that they look as sharp as expected at the native resolution (but requiring less effort).

RAM

  • Random Access Memory (RAM): A type of computer memory that temporarily stores data and program instructions for quick access by the CPU.
  • Total Memory: the overall amount of memory available for CPU computations and, sometimes, also for GPU if there is no specific graphic card with designed memory.
  • Frequency: the speed (frequency) of RAM peripheral at which the signal is able to be sent and usually measured in Megahertz MHz (1.000.000 signals per 1 second).
  • Technology: the technology family of the specific model, usually DDR (Double Data Rate) followed by a number of the family (latest ones are DDR5)
  • Integrated: it indicates if the RAM is welded on the motherboard or not (in other words, if you are able to upgrade it later on or not).

OTHER DEFINITIONS

  • Switch: A network device that connects multiple devices within a local area network (LAN) and forwards data between them.
  • Router: A networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks, enabling devices to connect to the internet and communicate with each other.
  • Modem: A device that converts digital data from a computer into analog signals for transmission over communication lines and vice versa.
  • Sound Card: A hardware component that handles audio input and output, enabling computers to process and produce sound.
  • Hard Disk Drive (HDD): A data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information.
  • Solid State Drive (SSD): A data storage device that uses flash memory to store data, providing faster read/write speeds compared to traditional HDDs.
  • Motherboard: The main circuit board of a computer that houses various components and facilitates communication between them.
  • Power Supply Unit (PSU): A device that supplies electrical power to a computer or informatical device.
  • Optical Drive: A device that reads and writes data from and to optical discs like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs.
  • USB (Universal Serial Bus): A common interface used to connect various peripherals and devices to a computer.
  • Display Monitor: A visual output device that displays the graphical user interface and content generated by the computer.
  • Keyboard: An input device that allows users to input text and commands into the computer.
  • Mouse: An input device used to control the cursor on a computer screen and interact with graphical user interfaces.
  • Webcam: A camera attached to a computer or informatical device that enables video communication and conferencing.
  • Network Interface Card (NIC): A hardware component that allows a computer to connect to a network, such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
  • Bluetooth Adapter: A hardware device that enables wireless communication between a computer and other Bluetooth-enabled devices.