technical terms
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.
Single Rail (operation)
Most power supplies separate the 12V current into several rails. Single rail refers to an operational approach that uses one undivided 12V rail. This has the benefit that more power is available at once through a rail. The disadvantage is the potential for collapsing voltages under high loads.
S-ATA
S-ATA is an extra plug connection for a computer. The S-ATA plug is primarily used for drives and has almost completely replaced the 4-pin Molex plug. Unlike the 4-pin Molex plug, the S-ATA plug has 15 pins and can deliver three different power supply voltages. It is also flatter than a Molex plug.
SFX
SFX stands for "Small Form Factor" and is a type of form factor. SFX power supplies have a different casing form and are significantly smaller than normal ATX power supplies. This requires smaller fans as well. The underlying technology is no different from that of ATX network components. They are primarily used in small casings, such as for multimedia computers.
TFX
TFX stands for "Small Form Factor" and is a type of form factor. TFX power supplies have a different casing form and are thinner than normal ATX power supplies. The underlying technology is no different from that of ATX network components. They are primarily used in small casings, such as for multimedia computers.
UVP
"Under Voltage Protection", or UVP for short, is a protective mechanism for output direct current. The power supply automatically switches off if the voltage converted by the power supply falls below a defined threshold. This protects the power supply and hardware components against damage.
Volt (Voltage)
The Volt is a unit for measuring electric potential. The unit is named for Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist. Unlike the unit for electricity (ampere) it is not an SI unit. On data sheets the volt is represented through a capital V. In physical equations voltage is represented by the letter U.