All terms in this list:

central processing unit (CPU or processor): The chip located on the motherboard 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 circuitry 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 its 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 permanently stores 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 proccess

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 based 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