| A | B |
|---|
| AT | model name of the second generation, 80286-based IBM computer. Many aspects of the AT, such as the BIOS, CMOS, and expansion bus, have become de facto standards in the PC industry. |
| ATX | Popular motherboard form factor that generally replaced the AT form factor |
| audio modem riser (AMR) | proprietary slot used on some motherboards to provide a sound inference-free connection for modems, sound cards, and NICs. |
| burn-in failure | critical failure usually associated with manufacturing defects |
| catastrophic failure | occurs when a component or whole system will not boot; usually related to a manufacturing defect of a component. Could also be caused by overheating and physical damage to computer components |
| chipset | electronic chips, specially designed to work together, that handle all of the low-level functions of a PC. In the original PC, this consisted of close to 30 different chips; today, chipsets usually consist of one, two, or three separate chips embedded into a motherboard |
| communications and networking riser (CNR) | proprietary slot used on some motherboards to provide a sound inference-free connection for modems, sound cards, and NICs. |
| component failure | occurs when a system device fails due to manufacturing or some other type of defect |
| flexATX | Motherboard form factor, built very small, much smaller than microATX |
| form factor | standard for the physical organization of motherboard components and motherboard sizes. |
| I/O Controller Hub (ICH) | official name for Southbridge chip found in Intel's chipsets. |
| LPX | first slimline form factor; replaced by NLX form factor |
| Memory Controller Hub (MCH) | Intel-coined name for what is now commonly called the Northbridge |
| microATX | variation of the ATX form factor, which uses the ATX power supply, generally small than their counterparts but retain all the same functionality |
| microBTX | variation of the BTX form factor, generally smaller than their counterparts but retain all the same functionality |
| motherboard | flat piece of circuit board that resides inside your computer case and has a number of connectors on it. You can use these connectors to attach a variety of devices to your system, including hard drives, CD-ROM drives, floppy disk drives, and sound cards |
| motherboard book | a valuable resource when installing a new motherboard. Normally lists all the specifications about a motherboard, including the type of memory and type of CPU that should be used with teh motherboard |
| NLX | second form factor for slimline systems. Replaced the earlier LPX form factor. |
| P9/P9 connectors | provides power to AT-style motherboards |
| picoBTX | variation of the BTX form factor, generally smaller than their BTX or microBTX counterparts but retain the same functionality |
| printed circuit board | copper etched onto a non-conductive material and then coated with some sort of epoxy for strength |
| riser card | special adapter card, usually inserted into a special slot on a motherboard, that changes the orientation of expansion cards relative to the motherboard. used extensively in slimline computers to keep the total depth and height of the system to a minimum |
| slimline | motherboard form factor use to create PCs taht were very thin, NLX and LPX were two examples of this form factor |
| soft power | characteristic of ATX motherboards, which can use software to turn the PC on and off. |
| standouts | small connectors that screw into a computer case. A motherboard is then placed on top of them and small screws are used to secure it. |
| Super I/O chip | specially designed chip to control low-speed, legacy devices such as the keyboard, mouse, and serial and parallel ports |
| thermal unit | combination heat sink and fan designed for BTX motherboards; blows hot air out the back of the case instead of just into the case |
| traces | small electrical connections embedded in a circuit board. |
