Glossary - N
NCQ
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is a technology designed to enhance the performance of SATA hard disks, achieved by the drive performing read and write in an optimized sequence. This reduces extra movement of disk heads and performs all the needed tasks with less plate speed, which not only improves performance, but also slightly extends the service life of the disk. NCQ benefits are most obvious when processing tasks which contain multiple requests to read and write data. Heads of disks having NCQ perform elliptical movements so data is reached faster than those without NCQ in their circuits.
Nero Burning ROM©
Nero Burning ROM©, usually referred to simply as “Nero”, is a computer program for burning CDs and DVDs for Microsoft Windows® and Linux® operating systems. The technology was developed by Nero® AG, formerly Ahead Software. The lite version of Nero Express® is usually bundled with the optical disc rewriter drives. Versions 9+ include Nero® Burning ROM©, Nero Express®, Nero® Scout©, Nero® StartSmart©, Nero® Wave Editor, Nero® MediaHome©, Nero PhotoSnap®, Nero® CoverDesigner©, Nero® Mobile, InCD® and other useful tools. Nero® primarily employs a paid licensing model, but almost every year a freeware version of Nero® is introduced. (The free version of Nero® 10 has a numeric designation 10.0.10500).
Nvidia®
NVIDIA® is an American company specializing in the production of graphics processor units, personal computers and handhelds. The company was established in 1993 by Jen-Hsun Huang, Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, in the Silicon Valley. NVIDIA® is a major supplier of integrated circuits used in motherboard chipsets, graphics processors (GPU) and game consoles. The name NVIDIA® comes from the Spanish “envidia,” which means envy.
In 2000, NVIDIA® bought 3Dfx Interactive, one of the largest graphic card manufacturers at the end of the 20th century. NVIDIA® made another great deal with the purchase of Hybrid Graphics© in 2006. In February 2008, NVIDIA® acquired Ageia©, which manufactures physics accelerators (PPU - Physics Processing Unit) for the PhysX® physics engine.
NVIDIA® has decided to cease development of its specialized accelerators in order to focus on supporting the engine in their new graphics cards. NVIDIA® manufactures well-known graphic cards such as GeForce®, RIVA TNT©, Quadro® series and chipsets NVIDIA nForce®.