Glossary

Computer & Mac repair terms, in plain English

The words that come up when something goes wrong with a computer, defined plainly. No jargon for its own sake — just what each one means and why it matters to a repair.

SSD (solid-state drive)

Storage with no moving parts. It is far faster and more reliable than an old mechanical hard drive, and swapping an HDD for an SSD is the single biggest speed improvement available for an ageing computer.

HDD (hard disk drive)

Traditional storage with spinning magnetic platters. It is much slower than an SSD and more prone to mechanical failure, and clicking or grinding noises from one are a sign to stop and back up immediately.

RAM (memory)

A computer's short-term working memory. When it runs out, the machine falls back on the much slower drive, which is a common cause of a computer feeling slow. On most modern laptops and every recent MacBook it is soldered in and cannot be upgraded later.

Logic board (motherboard)

The main circuit board that everything else connects to. It is the most expensive component in a computer, so a failed logic board on an older machine is often the point where replacement makes more sense than repair.

Retina display

Apple's term for a screen with enough pixel density that individual pixels are indistinguishable at a normal viewing distance.

Liquid Retina XDR display

The mini-LED display used in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It is brighter and higher-contrast than a standard Retina panel, and correspondingly more expensive to replace.

Bonded display assembly

On modern MacBooks the glass, panel, camera and hinges are manufactured as one sealed unit. Because of this there is no economical way to replace "just the cracked glass" — a screen repair replaces the whole assembly.

Battery cycle count

The number of full charge-and-discharge cycles a battery has been through. Modern MacBook batteries are rated to around 1,000 cycles, after which they hold noticeably less charge and are considered worn.

Apple Silicon

Apple's own M-series processors (M1 and later) that replaced Intel chips in Macs from 2020. Troubleshooting differs from Intel Macs — for example, Apple Silicon Macs have no separate SMC or NVRAM reset.

SMC and NVRAM

Small settings stores on Intel Macs. Resetting the SMC can clear power and charging faults, and resetting the NVRAM clears display and startup settings. Apple Silicon Macs do not have these resets — a simple restart does the equivalent.

macOS Recovery

A built-in mode for repairing the startup disk (with Disk Utility First Aid) or reinstalling macOS. On Apple Silicon you reach it by holding the power button; on Intel Macs by holding Command-R at startup.

Model number (A-number)

The identifier printed on the underside of a MacBook, such as A2337. It pins down the exact model, which is what a repairer needs to quote a screen or battery accurately.

Mesh Wi-Fi

A set of units that work together to blanket a home in a single network. For dead spots in a long or double-storey house it is the dependable fix, and it beats a cheap plug-in "extender" that typically halves your speed.

Ransomware

Malware that encrypts your files and demands payment to unlock them. The safe response is to disconnect the machine from the internet and restore from a backup — paying rarely returns the files and marks you as a target.

No fix, no fee

A guarantee that you pay nothing if the problem cannot be resolved. You are never charged for chasing a fault that could not be fixed.

Data recovery

Retrieving files from a drive that has been deleted, formatted, or has failed. A computer that will not start very often still has a perfectly healthy drive, so the data can usually be recovered even when the machine cannot.