01 - Motherboards, Processors, and Memory (CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide, Docter)

What are the dimensions of the standard ATX motherboard? A. 12 x 9.6 in B. 9.6 x 9.6 in C. 6.7 x 6.7 in D. 2.4 x 2.4 in

A. 12 x 9.6 in

The CPU socket that has holes to accept pins on the CPU is for which processor brand? A. AMD B. Intel C. Microsoft D. Apple

A. AMD

In a PC, data is sent from one component to another via a collection of signal pathways called the ____________. A. Bus B. Chipset C. BIOS D. CPU

A. Bus

What version of DDR SDRAM is used in modules sold as PC3200? A. DDR B. DDR2 C. DDR3 D. DDR4

A. DDR The number after PC matches the version of the DDR SDRAM.

The communication between the CPU, cache, PCIe slots, and the memory occur over which bus? A. Frontside B. Backside C. Parallel D. Serial

A. Frontside

Intel and AMD have integrated which of the following into their Atom and APU processor lines that had not been integrated before? A. GPU B. Math coprocessor C. Frontside Bus (FSB) D. RAM Controller

A. GPU

The smallest and fasted cache memory. A. L1 cache B. L2 cache C. L3 cache D. L4 cache

A. L1 cache

In processors with multiple cores, each core will generally have its own dedicated cache memory at which levels? (choose two) A. L1 cache B. L2 cache C. L3 cache D. L4 cache

A. L1 cache B. L2 cache

You are assembling a new computer and are looking at new cooling systems. Which of the following cooling systems require a pump? A. Liquid B. Thermal paste C. Heat sink D. Heat sink plus fan

A. Liquid

Which computer component contains all the circuitry necessary for other components or devices to communicate with each other? A. Motherboard B. CPU C. RAM D. Expansion BUS

A. Motherboard

Your Core i5 fan has a four-pin connector, but your motherboard only has a single three-pin header with the CPU_FAN label. Which of the following will be the EASIEST solution to get the necessary cooling for your CPU? A. Plug the four pin connector into the three pin header. B. Buy a four pin to three pin adapter. C. Leave the plug disconnected and use only the heat sink. D. Add an extra chassis fan.

A. Plug the four pin connector into the three pin header. 4 pin connectors can be plugged into 3 pin headers and vice versa. The 4th pin controls the fan speed so if a 4 pin connector is plugged into a 3 pin header the fan will just run at top speed all the time.

The subset of the motherboard chipset responsible for providing support to the slower onboard peripherals (USB, SATA, LAN, audio, etc), managing their communications, and the resources given to them. A. Southbridge B. Northbridge C. Eastbridge D. Westbridge

A. Southbridge

You are training a new technician to install RAM and pointing out differences between packages. Which of the following are the numbers of pins that can be found on DIMM modules used in desktop motherboards? (choose two) A. 180 B. 184 C. 200 D. 204 E. 232 F. 240

B. 184 F. 240 DDR has 184 pins, DDR2 and DDR3 have 240 pins, DDR4 has 288 pins.

What are the dimensions of the mini ATX motherboard? A. 12 x 9.6 in B. 9.6 x 9.6 in C. 6.7 x 6.7 in D. 2.4 x 2.4 in

B. 9.6 x 9.6 in

Which is the standard motherboard used today that has the processor and memory in line with the fan output of the power supply allowing the processor to run cooler, and allowing for the installation of full length expansion cards. (choose two) A. AT B. ATX C. Micro ATX D. ITX

B. ATX C. Micro ATX

Which bus is a set of signal pathways between the CPU and the external cache memory? A. Frontside B. Backside C. Parallel D. Serial

B. Backside

RAM/memory slots on a motherboard are classically which color? A. Blue B. Black C. White D. Grey

B. Black

The collection of chips or circuits that perform interface and peripheral functions for the processor. A. Bus B. Chipset C. BIOS D. Sockets

B. Chipset

What version of DDR SDRAM is used in modules sold as PC2-3200? A. DDR B. DDR2 C. DDR3 D. DDR4

B. DDR2 The number after PC matches the version of the DDR SDRAM.

Which DDR chips are used in PC1600 memory modules? A. DDR100 B. DDR200 C. DDR300 D. DDR400

B. DDR200 Divide the module number by 8 (1600/8 = 200)

You need to replace memory in a desktop PC and go to purchase RAM. When you are at the store you need to find the appropriate type of memory. What memory chips would you find on a stick of PC3-16000? A. DDR-2000 B. DDR3-2000 C. DDR3-1600 D. PC3-2000

B. DDR3-2000 A single digit after PC and DDR represents the level of DDR. Modules of RAM are named with a number 8x larger than the number on the chips used on the module. Divide 16000 by 8 = 2000.

What term refers to the ability of a single core processor to act as multiple core processors? A. Multi threading B. Hyperthreading C. Throttling D. Overclocking

B. Hyperthreading There is no such term as multi threading. Throttling refers to reducing the operating frequency of a CPU during low demand to save battery. Overclocking refers to running a processor at higher speeds than it is designed for.

The CPU socket that has pins that match with holes on the CPU is for which processor brand? A. AMD B. Intel C. Microsoft D. Apple

B. Intel

The subset of the motherboard chipset that manages high speed peripheral communications such as integrated video and processor to memory. A. Southbridge B. Northbridge C. Eastbridge D. Westbridge

B. Northbridge

A technician asks you how to get a computer's processor to run faster than it currently does. What is he trying to achieve? A. Hyperthreading B. Overclocking C. Virtualization D. Multicore processing

B. Overclocking

You install a new video card into a desktop computer. What type of expansion slot is preferred today for high performance graphics adapters? A. AGP B. PCIe C. PCI D. SATA

B. PCIe

You press the front power button on a computer and the system boots. Later, you press it briefly and the system hibernates. When you press it again, the system resumes. You press and hold the button and the system shuts down. What is this feature called? A. Programmable power B. Soft power C. Relay power D. Hot power

B. Soft power

You have just replaced a processor in a computer and now need to add a cooling mechanism. What should you use to attach the cooling system to the processor? A. Heat sink B. Thermal paste C. Fan D. Superglue

B. Thermal paste

You have found out that a new BIOS upgrade is available for your computer, and you obtain a copy to install it. Which of the following is most helpful when flashing the BIOS on desktop computer system? A. DVD-ROM B. Uninterruptible power supply C. Internet connection D. Windows administrator password

B. Uninterruptible power supply Not required but helpful in case a power outage occurs during the process.

Fast memory that logically sits between the CPU and the RAM and speeds up the computer by predicting what the CPU will ask for and prefetching it. A. DDR4 B. cache C. SIMM D. DIMM

B. cache

You are told by a technician over the phone that you need to bring replacement DDR SDRAM memory. What type of packaging is used for DDR SDRAM memory? A. 168 pin DIMM B. 224 pin DIMM C. 184 pin DIMM D. 240 pin DIMM

C. 184 pin DIMM All DDR SDRAM is packaged in dual inline memory modules (DIMM). DDR has 184 pins, DDR2 and DDR3 have 240 pins, DDR4 has 288 pins.

A motherboard has 4 RAM slots. Which memory option will the motherboard NOT support? A. 4 single sided memory cards B. 2 double sided memory cards C. 4 double sided memory cards D. 2 single sided memory cards

C. 4 double sided memory cards A motherboard will interpret a double sided memory card as 2 separate memory cards so although only 2 slots are filled, a motherboard interprets 4 double sided memory cards as 8 cards. All slots to not have to be filled so anything 2 cards are ok but since memory is generally installed in pairs 1 or 3 cards usually won't work.

What are the dimensions of the mini ITX motherboard? A. 12 x 9.6 in B. 9.6 x 9.6 in C. 6.7 x 6.7 in D. 2.4 x 2.4 in

C. 6.7 x 6.7 in

A frontside bus (FSB) with a transfer rate of 100 MHz is paired with double data rate VERSION 3 synchronized dynamic RAM (DDR3 SDRAM). What is the throughput of the RAM? A. 1600 MBps B. 3200 MBps C. 6400 MBps D. 12800 MBps

C. 6400 MBps (PC3-6400 modules) DDR3 doubles the throughput of of DDR2 resulting in 8 cycles of transfer for every clock cycle. 100MHz x 8 cycles x 8 bytes = by transferring data 2x for each clock cycle.

You are installing a new video card into a PCIe slot. What is the unidirectional throughput of a PCIe 2.0 x16 slot? A. 500 MBps B. 1 GBps C. 8 GBps D. 16 GBps

C. 8 GBps PCIe 1.x has throughput of 250 MBps. PCIe 2.0 increases this to 500 MBps. Multiply this x16 = 8000MBps or 8GBps.

You are replacing a motherboard in a computer that uses an AMD Ryzen 3 processor. Which CPU socket type do you need to ensure the motherboard has? A. AM2 B. AM3 C. AM4 D. LGA 1151

C. AM4 In reality you can look this up! AM2 and AM3 are older sockets. Better to know that all Intel based CPUs will use a socket that starts with LGA so you can eliminate LGA 1151 since this is an motherboard for an AMD CPU.

When a computer is powered off, where does it keep the date, time, configurations, boot sequences, power management, passwords, and CPU settings? A. BIOS B. POST C. CMOS D. UEFI

C. CMOS - Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

You are installing a new computer, and the user wants to use virtualization. Which TWO hardware components need to support virtual technology for this to work properly? A. RAM B. Motherboard C. CPU D. BIOS

C. CPU D. BIOS Virtualization will work better with more RAM but there is no RAM specific for virtualization.

You have just purchased a motherboard for a desktop computer that has an LGA 1151 socket for an Intel Pentium processor. What type of memory modules will you most likely need for this motherboard? A. DIP B. SIMM C. DIMM D. SODIMM

C. DIMM DIP and SIMM are outdated. SODIMM is for laptops.

The cache memory usually shared among all processors. A. L1 cache B. L2 cache C. L3 cache D. L4 cache

C. L3 cache

The largest and slowest cache memory. A. L1 cache B. L2 cache C. L3 cache D. L4 cache

C. L3 cache

A motherboard failed on a desktop PC with an Intel Core i7-8700 processor. When looking for a replacement motherboard, which CPU socket does it need to have? A. LGA 1366 B. LGA 1150 C. LGA 1151 D. LGA 2066

C. LGA 1151 In reality you can look this up! Better to know that all Intel based CPUs will use a socket that starts with LGA.

The chip between the CPU and the RAM that manages access to the RAM. A. Cache B. DDR4 C. Memory Control Chip (MCC) D. DIMM

C. Memory Control Chip (MCC)

A printed circuit board with a series of conductive pathways laminated onto a nonconductive substrate that connects all other components of the computer. A. Memory B. CPU C. Motherboard/System Board D. Heat sink

C. Motherboard/System Board

The 24 pin white block connector allows the motherboard to be connected to what? A. Printers B. Graphics card C. Power D. Network interface card (NIC)

C. Power

Which of the following allows you to perform the most complete restart of your computer WITHOUT removing power? A. Start > Restart B. Start > Hibernate C. Reset button D. Power button

C. Reset button Using restart in the Start menu does not reboot as deeply as the reset button. Hibernate completely removes power. The power button cannot be used to restart the system.

Which of the following is the current industry standard connection for hard drives, optical drives, and tape drives? A. Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) B. Parallel ATA (PATA) C. Serial ATA (SATA) D. UEFI

C. Serial ATA (SATA)

What type of RAM is used for cache memory? A. DDR (Double Data Rate) B. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) C. Static RAM (SRAM) D. Read Only Memory (ROM)

C. Static RAM (SRAM) SRAM is much faster than DRAM. It is also more expensive.

PCIe expansion slots on a motherboard are classically which color? A. Blue B. Black C. White D. Grey

C. White

How many pins does an LGA 1156 socket for an Intel chip have? A. 1000 B. 1100 C. 1150 D. 1156

D. 1156 All Intel based sockets will start with LGA and the subsequent number tells the number of pins in the socket.

A frontside bus (FSB) with a transfer rate of 100 MHz is paired with double data rate synchronized dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM). What is the throughput of the RAM?? A. 100 MBps B. 200 MBps C. 400 MBps D. 1600 MBps

D. 1600 MBps DDR SDRAM "doubles" the data rate of the frontside bus (FSB) multiplied by 8 bytes per cycle. 100MHz x 2 cycles x 8 bytes = by transferring data 2x for each clock cycle.MBps

What are the dimensions of the mobile ITX motherboard? A. 12 x 9.6 in B. 9.6 x 9.6 in C. 6.7 x 6.7 in D. 2.4 x 2.4 in

D. 2.4 x 2.4 in

A frontside bus (FSB) with a transfer rate of 100 MHz is paired with double data rate VERSION 2 synchronized dynamic RAM (DDR2 SDRAM). What is the throughput of the RAM? A. 400 MBps B. 1600 MBps C. 3200 MBps D. 6400 MBps

D. 3200 MBps (PC2-3200 modules) DDR2 SDRAM "doubles" the data rate of DDR multiplied by 8 bytes per clock cycle. 100MHz x 4 cycles x 8 bytes = by transferring data 2x for each clock cycle.

Which DDR chips are used in PC2-3200 memory modules? A. DDR200 B. DDR2-200 C. DDR400 D. DDR2-400

D. DDR2-400 Divide the module number by 8 (3200/8 = 400)

Which DDR chips are used in PC3-12800 memory modules? A. DDR800 B. DDR1600 C. DDR2-1600 D. DDR3-1600

D. DDR3-1600 Divide the module number by 8 (12800/8 = 1600)

The line of motherboard form factors developed as small, low power specialty uses such as home theaters, compact desktops, gaming systems, and embedded components. A. AT B. ATX C. Micro ATX D. ITX

D. ITX

A client wants you to build a new PC for her, with a smaller case and lower power requirements. When selecting a motherboard, which form factor should you choose for a smaller size and lower power consumption? A. ATX B. AT C. Micro ATX D. ITX

D. ITX ATX is the larger, standard size motherboard. AT are legacy motherboards. Micro ATX are smaller than ATC but larger than ITX.

You find out that a disgruntled ex employee's computer has a boot password that must be entered before the operating system is ever loaded. There is also a password preventing your access to the BIOS utility. Which of the following motherboard components can most likely be used to return the computer to a state that will allow you to boot the system without knowing the password? A. Cable header B. Power reset connector C. Toggle switch D. Jumper

D. Jumper Located on the CMOS.

How can you determine the type and size of memory that is compatible with the motherboard? A. It will be written on the motherboard. B. It will be written on the RAM. C. It doesn't matter as all RAM fits all motherboards. D. Look in the documentation for the motherboard.

D. Look in the documentation for the motherboard. Documentation could be a written manual or on a website. RAM slots in a motherboard are specific. A slot of DDR RAM will not accept DDR2, DDR3, or DDR4 RAM.

What type of RAM is used for the BIOS/UEFI to store the power on self test (POST) and boot sequence? A. DDR (Double Data Rate) B. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) C. Static RAM (SRAM) D. Read Only Memory (ROM)

D. Read Only Memory (ROM) UEFI is the successor to BIOS and allows for more security features.

What does the term synchronous refer to in the synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)? A. Multiple SDRAM cards work together. B. The SDRAM is synchronized with BIOS. C. The SDRAM is synchronized with graphics card. D. The SDRAM is synchronized with the CPU on the frontside bus (FSB) as it shares a common clock signal with the CPU.

D. The SDRAM is synchronized with the CPU on the frontside bus (FSB) as it shares a common clock signal with the CPU.

What does the number associated with the double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) refer to? (DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, DDR5) A. The number of channels in the DDR dynamic RAM (DRAM) B. The number of chips in the DDR dynamic RAM (DRAM) C. The number of RAM slots consumed when installed. D. The version of DDR dynamic RAM (DRAM)

D. The version of DDR dynamic RAM (DRAM)