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Abbreviations in IT: CPU, RAM & Co.

If you want to buy a PC or build it yourself, there are a few things to consider. Many abbreviations and English terms do not make much sense to some people. In this article, we translate the most important terms and briefly explain the purpose of the individual units.

Acronym	meaning	info
COMPUTER	Common Operating Machine Particularly Used for Technical Education and Research	"General operating machine used especially for technical education and research"
PC	personal computers	German personal calculator; i.e. a computer suitable for private use.
VIRUS	Vital Information Resources Under Siege	dt. Important information resources under siege; Acronym for Computer Virus
OS	OS	German operating system; This is the program that manages and makes available all the resources of the PC, e.g. Windows 10, Linux, MacOS.
CPU	Central Processing Unit	German processor; The CPU is the central processing unit, usually consisting of several cores. It controls all commands, circuits and algorithms. The performance of the entire system depends on its speed.
R.A.M.	Random access memory	German working memory; RAM is a temporary storage location for currently running processes and programs. It is controlled directly by the processor and can increase the performance of the PC with more memory.
GDR	double data rate	DDR refers to a process technology with which data can be transmitted on a data bus at twice the data rate. The process is used when connecting processors, main memory (DDR to DDR5), mass storage and graphics cards.
ROME	Read only memory	German read-only memory; ROM is permanent data storage that can only be accessed in read-only mode. This means that data and software cannot be changed. It is used for the BIOS, for example.
GPU	Graphics Processing Unit	German graphics processor; GPUs are processors optimized for calculating graphics. They are mostly used in gaming and graphic design PCs as well as in game consoles. They are found in graphics cards together with the VRAM (graphics memory).
HDD	Hard Disk Drive	HDD hard drives store data on the basis of rotating discs with a magnetic coating. They are cheaper than SSDs, but also slower. They are therefore used where less access speed and more capacity are required.
SSD	Solid State Drive	SSDs use flash memory to store data. Not only are they faster than HDD, they are also silent, and require less power and no start-up time. A disadvantage is the higher price and the limited number of write cycles.
BIOS	Basic input output system	The BIOS is the basic firmware of your PC. It runs right after you turn it on and takes care of getting your hardware working and booting the operating system.
USB	Universal Serial Bus	USB is a bus system for serial data transmission. With this system, devices equipped with the appropriate interfaces can be connected to one another and their properties can be recognized automatically. These interfaces can be found on a large number of devices today and have largely become the standard.
VGA	Video Graphics Array	VGA is a now obsolete standard for computer graphics. The image data is transmitted analogously with the well-known blue connector. Originally only designed for a resolution of 640x480 pixels, higher resolutions are also possible with good graphics cards and monitors.
DVI	Digital Visual Interface	DVI was the first widely used digital standard for transmitting graphics. Due to the possibility of analog transmission of image data, it was the universal interface for image data transmission for a long time. In the meantime, however, it is being increasingly replaced by HDMI and DisplayPort.
HDMI	High Definition Multimedia Interface	HDMI is also an interface for digital image transmission. However, audio data can also be transmitted with it and higher qualities can be achieved. This standard therefore simplifies the connection of consoles to a television, for example, by eliminating the need for an audio cable. In addition to DisplayPort, HDMI is the latest standard for image transmission and is used in a wide variety of multimedia devices