HP Vectra VE5 4 User Manual page 98

Glossary
resolution A measure of the visible
detail on a screen or printout. Screen
resolution is measured in 'pixels
across' by 'pixels down' by 'number of
colors'. Printer resolution is measured
in dpi (dots-per-inch).
ROM Read-Only Memory. Computer
memory used to store parts of the
computer's operating system
permanently. ROM chips can contain
instructions and data.
Setup program Used to set the
computer's configuration, for
example the amount of memory
installed. The setup program is stored
in ROM on the system board.
SDRAM Synchronous DRAM is
designed to synchronize itself to the
timing of the processor. This
technology permits SDRAMs to
transfer data much faster than
standard memory modules.
shadow RAM A method of
relocating the system and/or video
BIOS from slower ROM chips to faster
RAM to improve system performance.
Sound files Files containing sound
data. Sound files are usually stored in
one of four formats, with the
extension .WAV, .MID, .VOC, or .CMF.
True color Also known as RGB
color or 24-bit color. True color
graphics systems are usually
equipped with at least 24 bits per
pixel. In the 24-bit system, for
instance, three primary colors in the
color graphics system—red, green
88 English
and blue—are allotted 8 bits each.
There are 28, or 256 intensities each
for red, green and blue. This
translates to a total palette range of
16.7 million colors (256 x 256 x 256).
Because the human eye cannot detect
the subtlety available in a palette of
16.7 million colors, this range makes it
possible to compute what appears to
be gradual shading.
Ultra ATA A data transfer protocol
for IDE hard disk drives. This protocol
uses the IDE bus more efficiently to
provide a burst transfer rate of up to
33 Mbyte/second.
video controller A chip or
expansion card which converts
signals in the computer into
displayable signals.
video RAM Memory that enables or
speeds up drawing to the screen or
increases resolution or color options.