Dictionary of the PC Master Race
Here's a nice collection of a bunch of words you probably hear a lot and don't always fully understand... all pressed into a single page!
Software-related
OpenGL - OpenGL brands itself as a "cross-language, multi-platform application programming interface for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics." OpenGL is used (and works with) with a GPU (graphics processing unit) to achieve hardware-accelerated rendering. It's a set of instructions that games use to talk to you GPU. The newer the version, the newer the features it can take advantage of.
Direct3D - Direct3D is a part of Microsoft's DirectX API. It's the Windows-only version of OpenGL.
Vulkan - Vulkan is the Next Generation of OpenGL. It's more efficient, uses less CPU power, and generally just runs awesome on modern CPUs and GPUs.
Mantle - An open API created by AMD for the purpose of more efficient 3D application and game operation. This mainly reduces CPU usage (meaning you can get by without issue on a measly Celeron or Athlon X2), but it has been known to offer GPU performance increases as well. It's described as "low-level", similar to what Glide offered in the 90's. Mantle is AMD-specific currently, Intel hopes to adopt it soon while NVidia is hoping to develop a proprietary competitor before it can take off. Any discussions involving Mantle often start huge flame-wars.
Glide - A popular "low-level" API from the 90's. Games that ran on Glide ran more efficiently than those that ran on DirectX or OpenGL at the time.
Anti-aliasing - In layman's terms, the smoothing of jagged pixels. Anti-aliasing, although sometimes a bit GPU intensive, can make jagged objects appear more realistic. The higher the pixel density of your display, the less anti-aliasing you'll need. Maybe someday, anti-aliasing won't even be needed anymore. [1][2]
Isotropic Filtering - A filter that's less clear than anisotropic when shown at an angle.
Anisotropic Filtering - A method of enhancing the quality of textures or images on surfaces that are far away by "sharpening and crisping" the image or texture.
FPS - Also known as framerate or frames-per-second. It's the number of times your application re-draws the state of all the moving elements within it. High FPS is perceived as smooth movement. [1]
Resolution - Resolution is a 2-dimensional measurement of the 2D image your game outputs each frame at. Resolution is almost always a selectable option on PC games. Running a game at a lower resolution (like 720p) will make it run slightly smoother than a higher one, but it will also cause your display to show a non-native image (causing artifacts, black bars, blur, or other discomforting things).
Detail - This varies between games and applications. Sometimes developers tie multiple arbitrary game-wide detail levels (texture, physics, draw distance, fog, particle effects, decals, etc) into different single options. Typically you'll see a Low, Medium, and High setting. Sometimes the aforementioned aspects of the game are separated from this and added to their own category (meaning, a game may have a Detail level option but also have a separate option for Physics detail that isn't tied into the Detail option).
4K Resolution - A resolution with 4x the number of pixels of 1080p and an astonishing 8x the pixels of 720p. Typically 4K is 3840x2160 or 4096x2160. This is merely a resolution and does not relate to pixel density. Astonishingly, there are some soon-to-be-released phone displays that are 4K. [1][2][3]
Emulator - A piece of software designed to duplicate the graphical, audio, and input capabilities of a system other than the one the emulator is running on. Almost always, this refers to console emulators. Sometimes you'll hear of computer emulators (like for a Commodore 64, older Macintosh, or IBM DOS-based computer), but not as often. Emulators take in a ROM (the game from the original console, can be found online for free) in file-format and run it within your PC (windowed or fullscreen) using input from whatever device you configure it with.
Hardware-related
Hertz - Also known as Hz, your monitor's hertz rating is the number of times it refreshes per second. The literal definition of it is "one cycle per second". Hertz are independent from the number of frames your device outputs; even if your device is struggling at 30FPS, your display will still be refreshing 60 times per second and could result in tearing. Your display's refresh rate also defines the absolute maximum number of frames per second it can display. Most displays are 60, so you'll only see a maximum of 60 (even if your game is running at 100+ FPS). [1] [2]
Hz - See Hertz, an abbreviation of Hertz.
Overclocking - The process of speeding up (clocking faster, like what Hz do) certain parts of your computer by modifying the parameters of your part (CPU, GPU, etc.)
Multi-displays - Having a computer set up with two or more monitors running at one time, to allow for more gameplay and room.
Frame - A "frame" is a fully-completed render cycle completed by the game engine your machine is running. A "frame" starts by taking input from your mouse/keyboard/controller, applying it to in-game entities (such as your player, by moving forward and beginning walk animations or with your gun, by spawning a muzzle flash sprite and instantiating a bullet and giving it force), drawing all of this to a 2D image, and then presenting the image to your display. The more times per second your game can do this, the smoother your game will appear.
Refresh Rate - See Hertz, the rate your computer "checks," or refreshes, your computer monitor to check for new updates in the display.
Native Resolution - Native Resolution is the set resolution of a game, your computer, or anything else. Generally it can be changed, but might look weird as it's the "recommended" resolution.
Circlejerk
A term, joke, idea, or statement that's repeated to those who already know it more often than those on the outside that don't know it. This has nothing to do with whether or not something is true and factual.
Console
Modernized PC knock-offs that financially harm developers, gamers, hardware manufacturers, and the rest of the industry. These are under-powered machines with expensive services and games, and infuriatingly false marketing campaigns. Meaning, the PS3, PS4, XBox One, and XBox 360.
Console Apologist
One who sympathizes with consoles and uses middle-ground fallacies to try and discourage people from sharing PC gaming with others in any way, shape, or form. Examples. The classic case of "Everyone's opinion deserves a gold star and a hug" mindset.
Console Peasant
Please see: /r/PCMasterRace/wiki/consolepeasants.
Hostageware
Hostageware are console exclusives that have no reason to remain exclusive to a specific console other than to force consumers to use the particular console by holding a game "hostage". These are usually the result of Microsoft or Sony buying out or contracting a game studio, making them sign a contract, or an internal development within Microsoft or Sony themselves. Some falsely believe that Microsoft and Sony are 'supporting' game developers by doing this, which isn't quite true. Really, all they're doing is replacing you as their financial support. Had the studio not been contracted or otherwise forced to develop that exclusive title, they could have put their time and talent toward a game that would actually be available to everyone. It's like your rich neighbor bought out the town contractor and is using him to build and rent you a house, when you really could have just hired him to build the house directly for you and completely avoided the extra cost of rent (meaning, the console unit and its associated fees and royalties). There's always malicious intentions behind hostageware. Never forget it.
Hostageware is of the highest priority for its parent console manufacturer, as its success directly correlates with forced sales into their platform. This differs from exclusives released on the PC, which isn't owned by any single corporation - no entity would have the means to benefit from PC exclusivity. The PC is chosen by developers purely as a means to improve play, increase versatility by supporting all PC input devices, satisfy their artistic visions with its superior hardware, and increase revenue through higher sales. Nobody's paying them to do it, and nobody's requiring them to do it. When you see a PC exclusive, you know the developer stuck to the PC purely out of choice and reason - not fear or bribery. If console manufacturers really believed in their platform's ability to succeed, they wouldn't need to yank games out from under the feet of other platforms just to exist.
Ascension - To become a member of the PC Master Race. You don't even need to own a PC to ascend, but to realize the objective superiority of the PC as a gaming and work machine over all other alternatives. It's not about the hardware in your rig, but the software in your heart.
Brother/brethren - Otherwise known as a member of the PC Master Race. Brethren acknowledge the PC to be the superior gaming platform, but don't necessarily have to even own a PC. Brother/brethren has no gender connotation whatsoever, simply meaning "members of the community".
NSFMR - Not Safe For Master Race.