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Dell XPS 630i (Early 2008) User Manual

Page 146

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Glossary

bit — The smallest unit of data interpreted by your computer.

Blu-ray Disc™ (BD)— An optical storage technology offering storage capacity of up
to 50 GB, full 1080p video resolution (HDTV required), and as many as 7.1 channels
of native, uncompressed surround sound.

Bluetooth

®

wireless technology — A wireless technology standard for short-range

(9 m [29 feet]) networking devices that allows for enabled devices to automatically
recognize each other.

boot sequence — Specifies the order of the devices from which the computer
attempts to boot.

bootable media — A CD, DVD, or floppy disk that you can use to start your
computer. In case your hard drive is damaged or your computer has a virus, ensure that
you always have a bootable CD, DVD, or floppy disk available. Your Drivers and
Utilities media is an example of bootable media.

bps — bits per second — The standard unit for measuring data transmission speed.

BTU — British thermal unit — A measurement of heat output.

bus — A communication pathway between the components in your computer.

bus speed — The speed, given in MHz, that indicates how fast a bus can transfer
information.

byte — The basic data unit used by your computer. A byte is usually equal to 8 bits.

C

C — Celsius — A temperature measurement scale where 0° is the freezing point and
100° is the boiling point of water.

cache — A special high-speed storage mechanism which can be either a reserved
section of main memory or an independent high-speed storage device. The cache
enhances the efficiency of many processor operations.

L1 cache — Primary cache stored inside the processor.

L2 cache — Secondary cache which can either be external to the processor or
incorporated into the processor architecture.

carnet — An international customs document that facilitates temporary imports into
foreign countries. Also known as a merchandise passport.

CD-R — CD recordable — A recordable version of a CD. Data can be recorded only
once onto a CD-R. Once recorded, the data cannot be erased or written over.

CD-RW — CD rewritable — A rewritable version of a CD. Data can be written to a
CD-RW disc, and then erased and written over (rewritten).

book.book Page 146 Friday, April 25, 2008 3:58 PM