Adapter
An electronic circuit card that inserts into an expasion slot. Also called a controller card, circuit cord, circuit board, and adapter baord.
ADF (automatic document feeder)
A feature found on some scanner and printer that is used to feed multiple pages into the device.
Barcode Scanner
A handheld device that reads barcodes in checkout lanes and in retail establishments.
BIOS (basic input & output system)
A chip that contains computer software that locates the operating system, POST, and important hardware configuration parameters. Also called ROM BIOS, Flash BIOS, or system BIOS. Replaced with UEFI BIOS.
Bit
An electrically charged 1 or 0.
Byte
8 bits grouped together as a basic unit.
Camera
A peripheral used to capture video.
Chip Reader
A device that accepts cards that are inserted into the device in order to read data from the card or the chip on the card.
Device Driver
Special software that allows an operating system to access a piece of hardware.
DVD Drive
A drive that supports DVDs as well as music and video DVDs.
Expansion Slot
A motherboard socket into which appears are connected.
External Storage Device
A peripheral that attaches to a computer used for saving data.
Firmware
A combination of hardware and software attributes. An example is a BIOS chip that has instructions ( software ) written into it.
Flatbed Flmaer
A peripheral used to digitize a photo or text.
Game Controller
A device used to play games and control items or characters within the game.
Gigabyte
Approximately 1 billion bytes of information (exactly 1,073,741,824 bytes); abbreviated GB.
Hard Drive
A sealed data storage medium on which information is stored. Also called a hard disk.
Hardware
A tangible, physical item, such as the keyboard or monitor.
Headset
A mobile wearable device that commonly has a microphone and headphones.
Keyboard
Allows users to provide input into the computer.
Kilobyte
Approximately 1,000 bytes of information (exactly 1,024 bytes).
KVM (keyboard, video, music)
A component that allows multiple computers to be connected to a single keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
Magnetic Reader
A device that accepts cards that are inserted into the device in order to read data from the card or the chip on the card.
Megabyte
Approximately 1 million bytes of data (exactly 1,048,576 bytes). Abbreviated MB.
Memory
The part of a computer that temporarily stores applications, user documents, and system operating information.
Microphone
An audio input device that can be integrated into a mobile device or that can be added externally, as with a wireless Bluetooth device; controlled with an app.
Monitor
Displays information from the computer to the user.
Motherboard
The main circuit board of a computer. Also known as the mainboard, planar, or system board.
Mouse
A data inout device that moves the cursor or selects menus and options.
NFC Device
A wireless device used to securely authorize payment for a transaction.
Operating System (OS)
A piece of software that loads a computer and makes it operational.
Optical Device
A storage device that accepts optical discs such as CDs, DVDs, or BDs that have data, music, video, or software applications.
PC (personal computer)
A common name for a compute, derived from the IBM PC brand.
Power Supply
A device that converts AC voltage into DC voltage that the computer can use to power all internal and some external devices.
Printer
A peripheral used to output text and/ or graphics onto paper.
Projector
A device that takes input from a device such as a computer, laptop, camera, and so on and sends that image to a screen or wall.
QR Scanner
A peripheral or an app used to scan a QR code that contains a URL or other embedded information.
RAM (random access memory)
A voltage type of memory that loses its data when power to the computer is shut off.
Signature Pad
A peripheral used or accept signatures, such as when someone pays with a credit card.
Smart Card Reader
A device that can read flash media. Also called a multi-card reader. It can also be a device used to read the embedded chips in smart cards.
Software
An application or operating system consisting of a set of instructions that makes the hardware work.
Tap-To-Pay Device
A wireless device used to securely authorize payment for a transaction.
Terabytes (TB)
Approximately 1 trillion bytes of information, or 240 (1,099,511,627,776) byte.
Touchpad
A part of a laptop of keyboard that allows cursor control.
VR (virtual reality) Headset
A peripheral similar to goggles used to see high-definition images in a simulated environment.
Webcam
Short for web camera, a small camera used fir communication via video across the internet.