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P4
The P4 plug is an important connector for a power supply. The plug was introduced by Intel with the Pentium 4 and has two contacts (pins) each for 12V current and earthing. It was introduced so that the processors receive power from a separate, uninfluenced 12V rail.
PCIe
The PCI express (PCIe) slots is an extension of the PCI expansion slot. PCIe offers significantly higher data transfer rates of 250 Mbyte/s per data direction. PCIe is most frequently used as a graphics card slot. Because the PCIe slot has no more than 75 watts of power available, many graphics cards draw their power not just from the 6- or 8-pin PCIe slot, but from a 12V power supply as well.
P8
The P8 plug is an extension of the P4 plug. It is equipped with eight contacts (pins), of which four provide 12V power supply and four are intended for earthing. The P8 plug is connected to the mainboard and is used for multi-core processors.
PF (PowerFactor)
PF stands for Power Factor and in electronics refers to the ratio between real performance and apparent power. The power factor can be no more than 1. The closer to 1 the PF comes, the better that loss is avoided during transmission.
Quad-Rail
A quad rail is a 12V power supply split between four subrails. During the splitting of the individual voltage rails, the voltage remains at 12V, although the current is divided between the four subrails.
ROHS
ROHS is an EU guideline for limitation of the usage of specific dangerous materials in electric and electronic devices. It came into effect in July 2006 and is intended to regulate the use of hazardous and environmentally damaging materials in electronic components.
Rifle Bearing
Rifle bearing refers to a specific gliding bearing technology. Oil is circulated within a closed rifle bearing through the turning of the axis. Small paddles on the axis push the oil out of the bearing from the one side. It flows outward into striations around the bearing face and is fed back into the bearing. The oil circulation provides especially effective cooling for the bearing and increases its service life.
Rated Power Output
Rated power output refers to the nominal power output for a given power supply unit. The nominal power is the manufacturer's reported power output for that power supply. The nominal power is one of the general terms associated with power and hence is indicated in watts.
Reactive Power
Reactive power is an undesirable amount of electricity that constantly travels between source and consumer without being used effectively. It arises during the phase displacement between electricity and voltage. The use of a PFC in a power supply reduces the effect to a minimum.
SLI
Scan Line Interleave - SLI for short – describes the function that allows several graphics cards to operate within one computer. The 3dfx company first deployed SLI in 1996 to increase the performance of its Voodoo graphics cards. Today the term SLI is always used in relation to graphics card maker NVIDIA. SLI divides the graphics performance between two graphics cards running in one computer. This permits improved graphics performance.