Dell Latitude D820 Technical Manual page 110

M
Mb — megabit — A measurement of memory chip capacity that equals 1024 Kb.
Mbps — megabits per second — One million bits per second. This measurement is typically used for
transmission speeds for networks and modems.
MB — megabyte — A measurement of data storage that equals 1,048,576 bytes. 1 MB equals 1024
KB. When used to refer to hard drive storage, the term is often rounded to 1,000,000 bytes.
MB/sec — megabytes per second — One million bytes per second. This measurement is typically
used for data transfer ratings.
memory — A temporary data storage area inside your computer. Because the data in memory is not
permanent, it is recommended that you frequently save your files while you are working on them, and
always save your files before you shut down the computer. Your computer can contain several
different forms of memory, such as RAM, ROM, and video memory. Frequently, the word memory is
used as a synonym for RAM.
memory address — A specific location where data is temporarily stored in RAM.
memory mapping — The process by which the computer assigns memory addresses to physical
locations at start-up. Devices and software can then identify information that the processor can
access.
memory module — A small circuit board containing memory chips, which connects to the system
board.
MHz — megahertz — A measure of frequency that equals 1 million cycles per second. The speeds for
computer processors, buses, and interfaces are often measured in MHz.
Mobile Broadband network — A wireless high-speed data network using cellular technology and
covering a much larger geographic area than WLAN. Also known as WWAN.
modem — A device that allows your computer to communicate with other computers over analog
telephone lines. Three types of modems include: external, PC Card, and internal. You typically use
your modem to connect to the Internet and exchange e-mail.
module bay — A bay that supports devices such as optical drives, a second battery, or a Dell
TravelLite™ module.
monitor — The high-resolution TV-like device that displays computer output.
mouse — A pointing device that controls the movement of the cursor on your screen. Typically you
roll the mouse over a hard, flat surface to move the pointer or cursor on your screen.
ms — millisecond — A measure of time that equals one thousandth of a second. Access times of
storage devices are often measured in ms.
N
network adapter — A chip that provides network capabilities. A computer may include a network
adapter on its system board, or it may contain a PC Card with an adapter on it. A network adapter is
also referred to as a NIC (network interface controller).