Hard Drive A hard drive (sometimes called a “hard disk drive”) is a type of non-volatile data storage device. Hard drives are one of the most common forms of data storage, along with solid-state drives (SSDs). They are often mounted inside a computer and connected directly to the motherboard, although external hard drives in separate …
Hard Token A hard token, or hardware token, is a piece of hardware that authenticates a user in a multi-factor authentication system. Hard tokens can take several forms, including small USB tokens, smart cards, or dedicated password-generating fobs. Hard tokens often work alongside other authentication methods like a username and password, but some systems may …
Hardware A computer’s hardware consists of its physical parts, including its internal pieces and connected external devices. Hardware components perform a computer’s tasks like calculating data, storing information, processing input, and providing output. Any part of a computer that you can physically touch is hardware. All hardware devices, whether internal or external, include chips on …
Headphones Headphones are small speakers that can be worn in or around your ears. Traditional headphones have two ear cups attached by a band that is placed over your head. Smaller headphones, often called earbuds or earphones, are placed inside the outer part of your ear canal. Like speakers, headphones contain transducers that convert an …
Heat Sink A computer’s CPU may perform millions of calculations every second. As the processor continues to work at a rapid pace, it begins to generate heat. If this heat is not kept in check, the processor could overheat and eventually destroy itself. Fortunately, CPUs include a heat sink, which dissipates the heat from the …
HiDPI HiDPI is an adjective that describes a display with high pixel density or DPI. A HiDPI screen can display sharper text and more detailed images than a standard DPI display. While there is no official DPI threshold for a HiDPI display, a typical HiDPI monitor has a DPI of at least 200. Most HiDPI …
Host A host is a computer that is accessible over a network. It can be a client, server, or any other type of computer. Each host has a unique identifier called a hostname that allows other computers to access it. Depending on the network protocol, a computer’s hostname may be a domain name, IP address, …
Hot Swappable In electronics terminology, the word “hot” is often used to mean “active” or “powered on.” Therefore, a hot swappable device is a peripheral or component that can be removed or added while a computer is running. Replacing a device while a computer is powered on is called “hot swapping.” Most early I/O devices …
Hub There are two primary types of hubs in the computing world: 1) network hubs and 2) USB hubs. 1. Network hub A network hub is a device that allows multiple computers to communicate with each other over a network. It has several Ethernet ports that are used to connect two or more network devices …
I/O Address An I/O address is a numeric identifier that a computer’s CPU uses to communicate with a peripheral. Every I/O port on a computer, like a USB port, Ethernet jack, and HDMI port, has a unique address that differentiates it from every other port. Separate I/O addresses help the CPU know which peripheral is …