L2 cache is the second tier of a multi-cache memory system and provides memory to a processor without delay. An L2 cache sits between an L1 and L3 cache and is generally either 256 KB or 512 KB in size. An L2 cache contains frequently used information and prevents the processor from having to search the L3 cache or RAM, which are both much larger in size. Although a processor will first search the L1 cache, it is often the L2 cache that contains the needed information due to the Read More

A UMPC is an Ultra Mobile PC. The Origami Ultra Mobile PC is a project by Microsoft that was unveiled last 2006 at a CeBIT exhibition in Hanover, Germany. Initially, Microsoft code named the project 'Project Origami'. Microsoft decided to keep the name as it was popularized by the media. The Origami ultra mobile PC is a $1000 PC utilizing a standard Windows OS. Its size is between a PC tablet and a personal digital assistant. UMPC Operating System Although the UMPC currently runs on Windows XP, Microsoft says that Read More

An HBA (Host Bus Adapter) is the interface card that connects a host to a SAN (Storage Area Network). It is an electronic circuit board and/or integrated circuit adapter that offers input/output (I/O) operations and physical connectivity among a server and a storage device. Presently, the phrase Host Bus Adapter (HBA) is frequently used for Fibre Channel interface cards. Fibre Channel HBAs are obtainable for all key open systems, computer architectures, and buses. Every HBA has a distinctive World Wide Name (WWN), which is analogous to an Ethernet MAC address Read More

VGA (Video Graphics Array) is a hardware specification for display monitors and computers that allows a computer to display applications on a VGA-based monitor via a VGA cable. VGA technology is one of the oldest forms of display hardware in computing and is outfitted in virtually every computer system in the world. VGA uses analog signals but is compatible with most digital devices. While DVI technology has superseded VGA technology, both specifications are often included in personal computers, with VGA technology being much more common in laptop computers than desktop Read More

Printer calibration helps the printer to replicate a more accurate copy of what is seen on a computer screen. Printer calibration is needed to ensure that the printed image comes out as colorful and vibrant as it was on the monitor. Without printer calibration, the printed images’ colors could easily come out faded, dull, or incorrect. The monitor that is being used to view the pre-printed image should also be adjusted to ensure the most accurate print-out possible. The printed colors may be incorrect for several different reasons: Color Reproduction Read More

An impact printer is one that depends on a forceful impact to transfer ink to a material such as a t-shirt, sign, or sheet of paper. Impact printers differ from digital, inkjet, and inkless printers as it actually collides with the material itself. Typewriters, industrial printers, and daisy wheel printers are all forms of impact printers. Impact printers have many uses although they have generally been considered obsolete since the introduction of more modern printing techniques. How Impact Printers Work In a typical impact printer, a mesh, cloth, or ridged Read More

As technology has advanced over the past few decades, so has computer science. Because of this, there are now many different ways in which information can be transferred from one device to another. Servers, cables, modems, and computers all often work together in order to process and transfer data. A relatively new source of data transfer, however, has been presented and widely distributed in the form of USB. This article will define flash memory and USB while also explaining how USB works, listing the advantages of USB, and introducing USB Read More

A Nickel-Cadmium battery is a type of rechargeable battery that is often used instead of other common rechargeable batteries, such as Lithium-Ion batteries and Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries. Nickel-Cadmium batteries were once the most popular type of rechargeable battery, but have battled with other rechargeable batteries over the years concerning price and applications due to the high cost of cadmium and its potential health hazards. Nickel-Cadmium batteries now sell for about the same price as other types of rechargeable batteries, but are widely used for different purposes. While other types of Read More

Modem (derived from modulator-demodulator) is a device that makes it possible for a computer to transmit data over regular telephone lines or cable. A modem converts a computer's digital data into analog form to ensure it can be transmitted over telephone lines or cable. The receiving modem at the other end reconverts the data in analog form to digital form. Modems were first introduced in the late 1960s as a method to permit terminals to connect to computers with the help of telephone lines. The most common terminal of that Read More

Socket-370 is a CPU socket utilized by some Celeron, Pentium III, and Via C3 processors. The “370” in Socket-370 means that the socket has 370 contacts. The socket-370 is a Pin Grid Array (PGA) Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket. A ZIF socket features a lever on one side of the socket. When this lever is pulled up, the spring contacts inside the socket are opened. This allows the CPU to be inserted easily into the socket. The lever is then pushed down, closing the spring contacts and clamping the CPU Read More