DMA glossary: every DMA card and firmware term explained

DMA comes with a lot of words. Here's what each one means, in plain words, with a link to read more. Terms are grouped by where they sit in your setup.

The basics

• DMA.
  Direct memory access. A normal PC feature that lets hardware read memory without the processor. In gaming it usually means a DMA card. What does DMA mean?
• DMA card.
  A PCIe card in your main PC that reads its memory and sends it to a second computer. DMA card for gaming
• Main PC.
  The PC you play on. The card goes in here. Main PC for DMA
• Second PC.
  The computer that runs your software. Also called the second computer. Second PC for DMA
• DMA setup.
  The whole thing together: card, firmware, second PC, software, and often a fuser and an aim device. DMA for beginners

The card

• FPGA.
  The chip on a DMA card. Firmware sets it up to act like a particular device.
• 35T, 75T, 100T.
  The size of the FPGA. Our firmware needs a 75T or 100T. 35T vs 75T vs 100T
• PCIe.
  The slot type on your motherboard that graphics cards and DMA cards go in. A DMA card only needs one lane (x1).
• DATA port.
  The USB-C port that sends memory to your second PC.
• JTAG port.
  The port used to flash firmware. On our card it's a second USB-C port.
• FT601.
  The USB 3.0 chip that carries data from the card to your second PC, at up to around 200 MB/s.
• Kill switch.
  A switch on the card's bracket that cuts its power. Only flip it with the PC off. What the kill switch does
• DNA ID.
  A unique number burned into each FPGA. We build your firmware for it, so it only works on your card. How to find your DNA ID
• Speed test.
  A check of how fast your card sends data. What a healthy speed test looks like

Firmware

• Firmware.
  What you flash on the card. It decides what device the card claims to be and how it acts. Which DMA firmware should you buy?
• Factory firmware.
  What a card ships with. It isn't made for any game. Don't boot Windows with it in.
• Flashing.
  Writing firmware to the card. We use MewTools, our free tool, on the second PC only. How to flash DMA firmware
• Device.
  The ordinary piece of hardware your firmware makes the card look like.
• Shared firmware.
  Several customers' cards look like the same device, each with their own serials. What does shared firmware mean?
• Slots.
  How many people can be on one device. Fewer is better. T1 vs T2 vs T3
• Rotation.
  Premium tiers run on several devices, and new buyers go onto fresh ones. How device rotation works
• Detected.
  An anti-cheat has learned to spot a device. Device detected or blocked?
• Activation key.
  The 90-day key that comes with card firmware. We reset it for free when you open a ticket. Your 90-day activation key
• MiTM.
  Man in the middle. A build that gives you your own device instead of a shared one, on a key you renew. MiTM firmware
• RDMA.
  DMA without a card: a driver sends memory over Ethernet to your second PC. What is RDMA?
• Monthly key.
  How MiTM, AMD VGK and RDMA are sold: time you renew, not firmware you keep. Monthly keys

Anti-cheat and PC security

• Anti-cheat.
  The software a game uses to catch cheaters. Which anti-cheat does my game use?
• EAC.
  Easy Anti-Cheat, used by Fortnite, Rust and many others.
• VGK or Vanguard.
  Riot's anti-cheat for VALORANT and League of Legends. VALORANT DMA
• Config space.
  What every PCIe device reports about itself. Anti-cheats read it to check your devices. Is DMA detectable?
• IOMMU, VT-d, AMD-Vi.
  The CPU and board feature that controls which memory each device can reach. What is IOMMU?
• Kernel DMA Protection.
  The Windows feature built on IOMMU. msinfo32 shows if it's on.
• Secure Boot and TPM.
  Security settings some games ask for. Secure Boot, TPM and IOMMU
• Behaviour detection.
  Catching cheaters by how they play, not their hardware. Can anti-cheat tell how you aim?
• Hardware ban.
  A ban on your PC or device, not just your account.

The software side

• DMA software.
  The program on your second PC that turns memory into ESP, a radar and aim. We don't sell it. What DMA software does
• ESP.
  Players, items and loot drawn on top of what you see. ESP, radar and aimbot
• Radar.
  A top-down map with everyone's position.
• Aimbot.
  Software that moves your aim. Needs an aim device.
• LeechCore and MemProcFS.
  The open-source libraries most DMA software is built on. PCILeech and MemProcFS
• VMM.
  The core of MemProcFS. "VMM INIT FAILED" means it couldn't start. The fix
• Memory map (mmap).
  A list of where your main PC's RAM sits. DMA memory map
• DTB.
  Where Windows' memory page table starts. Unable to locate valid DTB

Seeing and aiming

• Video fuser.
  A box that lays your second PC's picture over your game on one monitor. Best video fuser for DMA
• KVM switch.
  A box that switches one keyboard, mouse and monitor between two computers. Do I need a video fuser?
• EDID.
  What your monitor tells a graphics card about the modes it supports. A fuser passes it on.
• Aim device.
  A box between your mouse and your main PC that your second PC can send moves to. MAKCU vs FERRUM
• MAKCU.
  The aim device we recommend, at 1000 Hz. What is MAKCU?
• FERRUM.
  An 8000 Hz aim device that speaks KMBox commands. What is FERRUM?
• KMBox.
  An older keyboard and mouse controller whose commands a lot of software speaks. What is a KMBox?
• COM port.
  The serial link your software uses to talk to an aim device. Fixing a COM port 10 or higher
• Polling rate.
  How many times a second a mouse reports. 1000 Hz is one report a millisecond.

Missing a word? Ask on the support forum and we'll add it.