All terms in this list:

Central Processing Unit (CPU or Processor): The chip located on the motherhood of a computer that performs the processing for a computer.

Multi-Core CPU: A CPU that contains the processing components or cores of multiple independent processors in a single CPU.

Clock Speed: A measurement of the number of instructions that a CPU can process per second.

Word: The amount of data (measured in bits or bytes) that a CPU can manipulate at one time.

Cache Memory: A group of very fast memory circuitury located on or close to the CPU to speed up processing.

Memory: Chips located inside the system unit used to store data and instructions while it is working with them.

RAM (Random Access Memory): Memory used to store data and instructions while the computer is running.

Register: High-speed memory built into the CPU.

ROM (Read-Only Memory): Nonvolatile chips on the motherboard that permenently store data or programs.

Flash Memory: Nonvolatile memory chips that can be used for storage by the computer or the user.

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System): The sequence of instructions the computer follows during the boot process.

Expansion Slot: A location on the motherboard into which an expansion card is inserted to connect it to the motherboard.

Expansion Card (Interface Card): A circuit board used to give desktop computers additional capabilities.

Bus: An electronic path over which data travels.

Throughput (Bandwidth): The amount of data that can be transferred via the bus in a given time period.

Expansion Bus: A bus on the motherboard used to connect peripheral devices.

Universal Serial Bus (USB): A versatile bus architecture widely used for connecting peripherals.

FireWire (IEEE 1394): A high-speed bus standard used to connect devices-particularly multimedia devices like digital video cameras- to a computer.