Computer And Gaming Glossary

Antivirus: Software designed to detect and destroy computer viruses and other malicious software.

Aspect Ratio: The ratio of the width to the height of the laptop screen. Common ratios are 16:9 and 4:3.

Backlit Keyboard: A keyboard with individual lighting for each key, useful for typing in low-light conditions.

Battery Cycle Count: The number of complete charge and discharge cycles a battery can perform before its capacity falls below a specified percentage of its original capacity.

Battery Life: How long the laptop can operate on a single charge.

Bezel: The frame around the laptop's display. Thinner bezels are often preferred for aesthetic reasons.

BIOS/UEFI (Basic Input/Output System/Unified Extensible Firmware Interface): Low-level software that starts the laptop and controls essential functions.

Bloatware: Unwanted software pre-installed on a laptop can slow down the system.

Bluetooth: A wireless technology for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices.

Chassis: The laptop's casing, which can affect weight and durability. Common materials include plastic, aluminum, and carbon fiber.

Cloud Storage: Storing data on remote servers accessed from the internet rather than on the laptop's hard drive.

CPU (Central Processing Unit): Often referred to as the computer's brain, it processes instructions from software and hardware.

Data Encryption: The process of converting data into another form, or code, to prevent unauthorized access.

Display Panel Types:
IPS (In-Plane Switching): Offers good viewing angles and color reproduction.
TN (Twisted Nematic): Common in budget laptops, it has faster response times but poorer viewing angles.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes): High contrast ratio, true blacks, and vibrant colors, often found in high-end models.

DisplayPort: A digital display interface primarily connects a video source to a display device.

Docking Station: A device that allows a laptop to connect to multiple devices simultaneously, essentially turning it into a desktop setup.

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance): A standard to share media over a network between computers, TVs, and other devices.

Drivers: Software that allows the operating system to communicate with hardware devices.

Ergonomics: The study of people's efficiency in their working environment. With laptops, it often refers to keyboard, touchpad, and screen design for user comfort.

Ethernet Port: A port for connecting to wired networks, offering more stable internet connections than Wi-Fi.

Fan: An active cooling component that moves air over heat sinks to help regulate the temperature of internal components.

Firewall: A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.

Form Factor: The size, shape, and style of the laptop. Examples include traditional clamshell, 2-in-1, and convertible designs.

Frame Rate: The frequency at which consecutive images (frames) appear on a display.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): Handles rendering of images, videos, and animations. Essential for gaming and graphic-intensive tasks.

Hard Drive: The primary storage device it stores all data, including the operating system, applications, and files. It comes in two types:
HDD (Hard Disk Drive): Older, mechanical storage device.

SSD (Solid State Drive): Faster, more reliable, and uses flash memory.

HDR (High Dynamic Range): A technology for displaying a wider range of colors and contrasts.

Heat Sink: A passive cooling component used to dissipate heat from critical components like the CPU and GPU.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface): A port for transmitting high-definition video and audio to an external display or TV.

Keyboard: The set of keys used to input data. Can be backlit or have varying key travel and actuation points.

Liquid Cooling: A cooling method that uses a liquid coolant to transfer heat away from components, more efficient than air cooling.

Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence Capabilities: Some modern laptops have specialized hardware for AI and machine learning tasks.

M.2 Slot: A slot on the motherboard for an M.2 form factor SSD, which is smaller and faster than traditional SATA SSDs.

Miracast: A standard for wireless connections from devices to displays, allows for screen mirroring.

Motherboard: The main circuit board that connects all components of the laptop, including CPU, GPU, RAM, and hard drives.

NFC (Near Field Communication): Allows two devices to communicate when they are close together, used for wireless payments and quick pairing.

Operating System (OS): The software that manages all other software and hardware. Common examples include Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Overclocking: The process of increasing the clock speed of a CPU or GPU beyond the manufacturer's specifications for improved performance.

Pixel: The smallest unit of a digital image or graphic that can be displayed and edited on a digital display.

Ports: Connectors for external devices. Common types include USB, HDMI, and Thunderbolt.

Power Adapter: The external device that provides power to the laptop and charges the battery.

RAM (Random Access Memory): Short-term memory where data is stored for quick access. Higher RAM means better multitasking and performance.

Refresh Rate: Measured in Hertz (Hz), it's the number of times the screen refreshes its image per second. Higher rates offer smoother motion.

Refresh Rate vs. Frame Rate:
Refresh Rate: The number of times the display updates with new images each second.
Frame Rate: The frequency at which consecutive images (frames) appear on a display.

Resolution: The number of pixels on the screen. Common resolutions include HD (1280x720), Full HD (1920x1080), and 4K (3840x2160).

SD Card Reader: A slot that allows you to read from and write to SD cards, commonly used in cameras.

Screen Coating:
Matte: Reduces glare and reflections, better for use in well-lit environments.
Glossy: Offers more vibrant colors and contrast but is prone to glare.

Single Sign-On (SSO): A property of access control that allows a user to log in once and gain access to multiple systems without being prompted to log in again.

SSD (Solid State Drive): A modern type of storage device that uses flash memory. Faster and more reliable than traditional HDDs.

Thunderbolt: A hardware interface developed by Intel that provides high-speed connections for data and video.

Touchpad: A touch-sensitive pad used to control the cursor.

Touchscreen: A display that also acts as an input device, responding to touch gestures.

TrackPoint: A pointing stick mainly found on Lenovo ThinkPads, used as a mouse.

USB-C: A type of USB connector that is reversible and supports faster data transfer and power delivery.

VGA Port (Video Graphics Array): An older type of connection for video output to monitors and projectors.

Virtual Private Network (VPN): A service that encrypts your internet connection to secure it and protect your privacy.

Virtual Reality (VR) Ready: Indicates that a laptop has sufficient graphics and processing power to handle VR applications.

Virtualization: Running a virtual instance of a computer system in a layer abstracted from the actual hardware.

Watt-hours (Wh): A unit of energy used to measure battery capacity in laptops.

Webcam: A video camera that is typically built into the laptop for video conferencing.

Wi-Fi: Wireless networking technology allowing your laptop to connect to the internet.

Windows: A popular operating system developed by Microsoft.

AAA (Triple-A): High budget, high-quality games typically produced by large game studios.

AFK (Away From Keyboard): Indicates that a player is temporarily not playing.

AI (Artificial Intelligence): Computer-controlled characters or opponents in a game.

AoE (Area of Effect): Attacks or spells in games that affect a specific area, impacting multiple targets within that zone.

Avatar: The representation of a player in a game, often a customizable character.

Battle Royale: A game genre where players fight to be the last person or team standing, typically in a shrinking play area.

Buff: An effect that temporarily increases a character's abilities or stats.

Camping: Staying in one area of the game for a long time, often in a strategic position.

Cooldown: A required waiting time before a skill or item can be used again.

Crafting: Creating new items by combining materials or resources within a game.

DLC (Downloadable Content): Additional content for a game, available for download, often for an extra fee.

DPS (Damage Per Second): A measure of how much damage a player or character can deal every second.

Easter Eggs: Hidden features or messages in games, often included as a joke or bonus.

Emote: An action performed by a character, often for communication or expression, like dancing or waving.

Farming: Repeatedly collecting resources or grinding for items.

FPS (Frames Per Second): A measure of how smoothly a game runs, indicating how many frames are rendered each second.

FPS (First-Person Shooter): A game genre where players experience the game from a first-person perspective, often focusing on shooting weapons.

GG (Good Game): A polite phrase often said at the end of a game, regardless of the outcome.

Grinding: Repeatedly doing a task in a game to gain experience, items, or currency.

Guild/Clan: A group of players that play together regularly, often with a common goal or to participate in group activities.

Hitbox: The area of a game character that can be hit or damaged by attacks.

HP (Health Points): A measure of how much damage a character can take before being defeated.

Indie Games: Games made by independent developers, often with smaller budgets and innovative concepts.

KDA (Kills, Deaths, Assists): A stat in many games measuring a player's performance.

Lag: Slow response time in a game, often due to internet connectivity issues.

Level Up: Advancing to the next level, often accompanied by increased skills or abilities.

Loot: Items that can be collected from defeated enemies or found in a game.

MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online): A game genre capable of supporting large numbers of players simultaneously.

MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game): A genre of MMO focused on role-playing elements.

Mod (Modification): Changes made to a game by players or fans, often adding new content or features.

Nerf: A change to a game that reduces the effectiveness of a particular item, ability, or character.

NPC (Non-Playable Character): Characters in a game that are not controlled by players.

Open World: A game design where a player can freely explore a virtual world without strict paths or storylines.

P2P (Pay to Play): Games that require payment to play, often through a subscription model.

P2W (Pay to Win): A negative term for games where players can pay real money for advantages.

Ping: A measure of your connection speed to the game server, lower is better.

PvE (Player versus Environment): Game content designed for players to fight against computer-controlled enemies.

PvP (Player versus Player): Game content where players compete against each other.

Quest: A task or a set of objectives given to a player to complete, often for a reward.

Rage Quit: Quitting a game out of frustration, usually after a loss or a series of bad events.

RNG (Random Number Generator): A mechanism that introduces random elements into games, like loot drops or critical hits.

Sandbox: A style of game where players can modify, build, and destroy their environment.

Skin: A cosmetic change to a character or item's appearance.

Spawn: The act of a character or item appearing in the game world.

Speedrun: Completing a game or a specific part of a game as fast as possible.

Streamer: A person who broadcasts their gameplay live over the internet.

Tank: A character that absorbs damage and protects other players in a group.

Toxicity: Negative and harmful behavior by players in a game.

XP (Experience Points): Points earned by completing tasks or defeating enemies, used to level up a character.