Chapter 1 Flashcards
Basics, Motherboard form factors, CPU form factors, RAM form factors, Northbridge and Southbridge
What is RAM?
Random Access Memory - temporary storage for data and programs that are being accessed by the CPU,
Volatile Memory
What is Hardware?
The physical equipment of the computer that the user can interact with eg. case, mouse, keyboard
What is Software?
The operating system and programs
What’s the computer case for?
Provides protection and housing for the internal components of a computer.
What is a Form Factor?
The size and layout of a device, port, or peripheral (ie. how something looks and is shaped)
What’s a PSU and what does it do?
Power Supply Unit, it provides power to the unit by converting AC (alternating current) to DC (Direct Current)
What’s a single-rail PSU?
Power supplies that have only one over current protection circuit
What’s a multi-rail PSU?
Power supplies that have more than one over current protection circuit. (Safer, but more expensive)
What’s a motherboard?
The main printed circuit board
What’s the purpose of a motherboard?
It holds together many of the crucial components of a computer, including the central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors for input and output devices.
What are buses?
The lines on a circuit board
What is the most common motherboard form factor?
ATX (Advanced Technology Extended)
What are the ATX motherboard form factors?
EATX
ATX
Micro ATX
Mini ATX
What are the ITX motherboard form factors?
Mini-ITX
Nano-ITX
Pico-ITX
Mobile-ITX
What is a CPU?
Central Processing Unit, a processor- It process a program which is a sequence of instructions. (The brain of the computer)
What is the speed in which the CPU is measured?
Megahertz (Mhz) and Gigahertz (Ghz)
What is overclocking?
Forcing a CPU to run faster
What is throttling?
Lowering the speed of a CPU (I.e Battery saver mode)
What are the two CPU form factors?
Intel- LGA (Land Grid Array) uses all numbers
AMD- PGA (Pin Grid Array) uses letters
In regards to RAM, what’s the difference between parity and non-parity?
Parity checks for errors in Ram, mainly used in Servers
Non-parity does not, mainly used in desktops
What is ECC?
Error-Correcting Code: Has the possibility to find and try to fix errors in RAM. Used in servers
Pssst: Very expensive, not often used in desktops
What is cache?
Type of memory that is very fast, faster than physical RAM. Part of the CPU and reserved for most frequently used data
What is SRAM?
A type of memory that is the fastest memory that money can buy. Is reserved for the most frequently used data. Usually found in CPUs
What are channel types?
How your RAM best interacts with eachother
Briefly describe Single, Dual, and Triple Channel Memory
Single channel - essentially RAM works best alone
Dual channel- works best in pairs
Triple - works best when you have 3 sticks of RAM
What are the two RAM form factors?
DIMM- Found in desktop motherboards
SODIMM- Found in laptop motherboards
What does a case fan do?
Makes cooling process more efficient
What does a heat sink do?
Draws heat away from the CPU
What is Thermal Paste or Thermal Compound Paste?
A paste that is placed on top of the CPU to draw out heat into the heatsink
What is liquid cooling?
The use of liquids such as Nitrogen, Oil, Water to cool CPU or system
What are adapters and expansion cards?
Used for the computer to have networking capability
What’s an NIC?
Network Interface Card, used in older laptops for internet access.
What’s a riser card?
Used to change the orientation (physical position) of how a card would fit into the case
What’s a TV Tuner Card?`
Old, no longer in use. Allowed you to watch TV on computer.
What is a PCI?
Peripheral Component Interconnect- is an adapter slot for adapter cards of any type.
What are the five sizes PCIe come in?
x1 (smallest) x4 x8 x16 x32 (largest)
What is SATA used for?
(Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)- An interface used to connect ATA hard drives to motherboard
What is IDE also known as PATA?
LEGACY IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) or Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment : a 16-bit interface that connected two devices to a single-ribbon cable
What is POST?
POST (Power On Self Test) is the computer checking to see if all hardware is working properly (checking CPU, RAM, etc)
What is BIOS?
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is an integrated ROM chip that checks configuration settings on hardware
What is UEFI?
UEFI (United Extensible Firmware Interface) is an upgraded version of BIOS which is not volatile.
It adds security functionality such as ‘Secure Boot’
What is Secure Boot?
Allows the user to choose what devices or programs it can boot up to help prevent malicious software applications and unauthorized systems from loading during the start-up process
What is CMOS?
CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)- Chip that stores all configuration (data) settings in the BIOS
What is the Northbridge responsible for?
Handles RAM, CPU and GPU
What is the Southbridge responsible for?
Handles every other device on Motherboard ie. BIOS, IO {input/output} PCI, USB- Parts of the Motherboard
What are the Front Panel Connectors?
Audio Reset HDD Indicator Power on/off USB ports
What is TPM?
Trusted Platform Module- A security chip that could be enabled in BIOS; allowing the ability to use programs such as Bitlocker and LoJack.
Describe the difference between Bitlocker and LoJack?
Bitlocker- A software that encrypts your entire hard drive
LoJack- A software that allows you to use GPS to find a lost laptop
