Specs Dictionary

Kailh Switches

Cherry MX & Kailh switches are some of the most common mechanical switches today. It should be noted that Kailh also manufactures Razer Switches and Cherry clones. All Cherry & Kailh switches use a spring in conjunction with a stem that lowers when pressed. When pressed, the stem pushes two contacts to touch, completing a circuit.

Razer Switches

2014 Razer Switches are made and manufactured by Kailh Switches. View the Kailh Switch or Cherry MX Switches definitions for more information. Color information below:

Romer G Switches

Romer G switches were invented by Logitech for their 2014 Orion Spark G910 mechanical keyboard.

Overprovisioning

Overprovisioning (OP) -- Overprovisioned space is present in all solid-state drives. Overprovisioned space is inaccessible to the user and cannot store data, but still resides in the dies on the SSD. This space is used as a reserve for background tasks like wear-leveling, garbage collection, and as a back-up in the event of catastrophic cell (SSD) failure.

Wear-Leveling

Wear-Leveling -- Wear Leveling is a process we describe briefly in the definition of Overprovisioning, and the two are very closely tied (as is Garbage Collection). Wear-Leveling is a necessary process unique to SSDs and Flash NAND; the process ensures equal wear across all NAND cells on the disk, due to the limited nature of Flash.

NAND Flash

"NAND" gates are inverted AND logic gates. NAND Flash is the physical component on the SSD responsible for storing your data. NAND Flash memory can be seen as sort of an opposite of RAM (Random Access Memory), which—as you all know—is a type of fast, volatile memory used for storing data temporarily. Non-volatile memory is represented in "permanent" storage -- hard drives, solid-state drives, and Flash memory (USB, SD) devices.

NAND Types

NAND Flash comes in various types of memory, with the most common being MLC, TLC, and now VNAND (or 3D NAND). In enterprise and server SSDs, SLC is still somewhat prevalent for its endurance and speed. NAND Types define how many voltage levels each cell (SSD) has on the NAND. SSDs are comprised of billions of cells that are capable of storing data (in bits), each of which must store a "voltage level" in order to "check" the data that is stored.

Write Amplification Factor

Write Amplification Factor (WAF) is a multiplier applied to data during write operations. WAF is the factor by which written data is amplified (can be negatively amplified, or compressed) when performing the operation. Writing data to an SSD actively "kills" the SSD by using up some of its Program/Erase cycles.

PSU

"PSU" stands for Power Supply Unit, and is the part of a PC that transforms AC electricity to DC electricity so it is usable in a computer.

The PSU connects to the motherboard through a few main cables, to include:

Screen Tearing

Screen tearing is a frame rendering phenomenon that creates a jarring user experience. Screen tearing is different from screen stuttering, and the two phrases cannot be interchanged; that said, the two are related in that they often occur in opposition.

Stuttering

 Frame stuttering is separate from Screen Tearing, though the two are often used in close proximity to one another. Frame stuttering occurs when the display is anticipating a new frame to be delivered from the GPU, but the GPU misses its mark (processes the frame too slowly), and thus must wait for the next cycle before pushing the new data to the display.

V-Sync

V-Sync (vertical synchronization) ties the GPU's framerate output to the refresh rate (frequency) of the display, which resolves screen tearing, but introduces stuttering. With a 60Hz display, this would force an FPS of 60, meaning the display will anticipate a frame precisely every 16ms. If the GPU misses this timing requirement (takes too long drawing the frame), the display will repeat the previous frame.

Texture Resolution

Texture quality is generally representative of the actual resolution (in pixels) of textures mapped to objects. Higher resolution textures result in significantly deeper details, but are also abusive on VRAM and video processing hardware. For instance, 4K & 8K texture packs exist as mods for Skyrim, each adding far more detail to objects (like wood grain, dirt and grit, etc.); such texture packs are also a massive drain on system resources and should be used sparingly.

Level of Detail

Whether explicit or behind-the-scenes, all major 3D game titles use “Levels of Detail” for their render output, sometimes listed as “LOD.” This is usually a setting that gamers have no control over, though it sometimes makes an appearance in .ini files or game settings. Nonetheless, LOD has profound impact on game performance and, when implemented correctly, can substantially optimize performance for lower-end hardware. We'll explain this in more depth below.

Anisotropic Filtering

Anisotropic Filtering is a type of texture filtering (see: Texture Fill-Rate) that is often listed alongside bilinear and trilinear filtering techniques. Texture filtering is a process through which game graphics are modified to improve smoothness of objects and ensure textures are proportionate to the screen's viewing angle.

PSU

PSU stands for Power Supply Unit, and is the part of a PC that transforms AC electricity to DC electricity so it is usable in a computer.

Maximum Power (Watts)

Simply enough, the maximum power listed for a PSU is its maximum combined output wattage that the device is able to spit from all rails in ideal circumstances. Efficiency comes into play here, but we'll talk about that in more in the 80 Plus definition.

Rails (PSU)

In a PC, different components use different voltage levels, and so a power supply must take the electricity from the wall and split it into 12v, 5v, and 3.3v power. A rail is simple a wire/path inside the PSU that carries electricity of a certain voltage. The 12v rail provides power for GPUs and CPUs, generally the two most power-hungry components.

Modular Cables

Fully- and semi-modular PSUs allow for cables to be easily detached and stored. Fully-modular PSUs allow for every cable to be taken off, whereas semi-modular PSUs have cables that must be used, like the 24-pin cable, permanently attached. This allows for less clutter from unneeded cables, which can help airflow and aesthetics of a PC.

Power Factor Correction

Power Factor Correction (PFC) comes in two flavors: Active and passive. Less expensive PSUs skip this altogether, simply not listing it or listing it as "no," in the case of Newegg. Some power that is being pulled from your outlet never makes it to the computer due to various reasons - heat, inefficiency, and the general rule that there is never 100% efficient energy conversion or transfer.

Overvoltage Protection

Overvoltage protection (OVP) ensures that the PSU is providing the correct voltage levels to the PC. If the voltage on any rail becomes too high, OVP will shut the PSU down in order to prevent damage to any parts; too much voltage to a component can damage or destroy the component, which is the reason ESD is a concern when building systems.

Overcurrent Protection

Overcurrent protection (OCP) is a circuit that prevents any wire or trace in a power supply from supplying more amps than its certified amount.

Short Circuit Protection

Short circuit protection (SCP) is pretty self-explanatory at the top-level. Short circuit protection detects for short circuits (such as those caused by direct metal contact) and guards against those short circuits from harming the power supply or connected parts.

Overload Protection

Overload protection (OP) allows the PSU to detect when the power load exceeds its current rating, and then enforces a shutdown in order to prevent damage to itself.

Overtemperature Protection

Overtemperature protection (OTP) is straight-forward: OTP shuts down the PSU once it reaches a manufacturer-defined temperature that is deemed dangerous. This is due to temperature tolerances of the components in the PSU, padded further by the fact that as temperature increases, PSU efficiency, voltage regulation, and voltage ripple are negatively impacted.

Undervoltage Protection

Undervoltage protection (UVP) is very similar to Overvoltage Protection in concept, just flipped. UVP shuts the PSU off if the voltage the PSU is providing to the PC drops below accepted values, and was a source for concern when ultra high-efficiency CPUs began shipping (like Haswell chips, which idled below 1W in some cases). It should be noted that like OVP, accepted values for undervoltage protection do vary from PSU to PSU.

Uninterruptible Power Supply

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a separate, external battery backup that kicks-in if the power surges or goes out for a short amount of time, and also helps protect against power surges and spikes from the wall. A UPS allows for one to save their work and safely shut off their PC in the case of a power outage.

Continuous Power

Continuous power is generally referred to as the Maximum Power (Watts) a PSU can output safely continuously. Some power supplies may be able to output 800 Watts safely for a moment, but can only provide 600 Watts of continuous power. Most of the time the labeled wattage is continuous power.

Voltage Regulation

Voltage regulation is how well a PSU responds to load fluctuation in terms of how voltage adapts to these changes. A PSU will have the 12v, 5v, and 3.3v rails all fluctuating in voltage levels depending on the load and temperature of the PSU.

Voltage Ripple

Voltage ripple is small amounts of voltage fluctuation in a short period of time. Voltage ripple is measured peak-to-peak (waves) and usually usually reported in mV. Voltage ripple varies across rails, and both temperature and load impact voltage ripple.

The ATX12V specification sets maximum voltage ripple tolerances of 120mV for 12v rails, and 50mV for everything else.