TIPS-4

Socket:
The motherboard carries the interface to connect the CPU. This is referred to as a Socket. There are many socket types, with no clear naming scheme, though most are named after the number of pin sockets they contain.

USB ports:
USB ports are ubiquitous, with many newer motherboards offering up to 10 USB connections. USB is available in two common versions - version 1.1, which has a maximum data transfer rate of 12 Megabits per second, and version 2, which tops out at 480 Megabits per second.

RAM:
RAM is short for Random Access Memory. In common parlance, RAM refers to system memory, the temporary storage area that holds all the data that the CPU is working on.

CAS:
To be able to access data from a particular storage area in RAM, the RAS and CAS procedures are needed to provide the address of the storage area. The RAM is organised as an array of storage areas. Each storage area can therefore be uniquely identified by the number of the row and the number of the column that intersect at that position. Row Access Strobe (RAS) is the process of identifying the row from which data needs to be read. This step precedes CAS. Column Access Strobe is the process of identifying the column from which data is to be accessed.

DDR2 SDRAM:
An evolution of DDR SDRAM, DDR2 allows four data transfers per clock cycle, by clocking the internal bus at twice the speed of the memory clock. Therefore the effective frequency of the memory becomes 4 times its actual frequency. A DDR2 800 module operates at 200 MHz. As in the case of DDR SDRAM, the alternate notation relying on the maximum data transfer speeds is also used. PC2 3200 refers to DDR2 400.

DDR3 SDRAM:
This is the latest iteration of SDRAM, and increases the internal bus speed to 8 times the memory clock, effectively operating at 8 times the frequency. DDR3 800 operates at 100 MHz and is also referred to as PC3 6400.

ECC RAM:
An Error Correction Code (ECC) RAM module is a special type of module that includes additional components to verify the integrity of data stored in or transferred by system RAM. This is needed in critical systems that require high levels of data integrity, like servers.

SD RAM:
Synchronous Dynamic RAM was an improved version of DRAM that synchronised all its functions to a single frequency, usually the system's FSB frequency.
BUS Direct RAM was based on a technology developed by RAMBUS. Unlike SDRAM, it used a serial mode of data transfer, and though the technology was considered superior to DDR SDRAM, it's expensiveness made it unpopular. RDRAM modules are called RIMMs.

SD RAM:
Synchronous Dynamic RAM was an improved version of DRAM that synchronised all its functions to a single frequency, usually the system's FSB frequency.