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Sybex CompTIA A+ > Chapter 1 Motherboards, Processors, Memory > Flashcards

Chapter 1 Motherboards, Processors, Memory Flashcards

1
Q

What are other words for a Motherboard?

A
  • Systemboard
  • Mainboard
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2
Q

What is PCB?

A

Printed Circuit Board.

A non-conductive material with conductive pathways laminated to it.

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3
Q

What are the two main form factors?

A
  • ATX
    -ITX
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4
Q

What does ATX stand for?

A

Advanced Technology Extended

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5
Q

What does ITX stand for?

A

Information Technology Extended

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6
Q

When was ATX created?

A

Mid-1990’s by Intel, it was an improvement of the predecessor AT-style motherboards

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7
Q

When was ITX created?

A

Early 2000’s by VIA Technologies

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8
Q

What is measurement for a standard ATX motherboard?

A

12” x 9,6” (305mm x 244mm)

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9
Q

What are the 4 ITX form factors?

A
  • Mini-ITX
  • Nano-ITX
  • Pico-ITX
  • Mobile-ITX
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10
Q

What are the measurements for a Mini-ITX motherboard?

A

6.7” x 6.7” (170mm x 170 mm)

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11
Q

What are the measurements for a Nano-ITX motherboard?

A

4.7” x 4.7” (120mm x 120mm)

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12
Q

What are the measurements for a Pico-ITX motherboard?

A

3.9” x 2.8” (100mm x 72mm)

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13
Q

What are the measurements for a Mobile-ITX motherboard?

A

2.4” x 2.4” (60mm x 60mm)

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14
Q

Which ITX motherboard is also compatible with a ATX case?

A

Mini-ITX.

It has 3 or 4 standoff holes in it that are the same as on the ATX motherboards.
And the rear interfaces are the same as on an ATX motherboard.

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15
Q

What are the ATX form factors?

A
  • ATX
  • Micro-ATX
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16
Q

What are the measurements for Micro-ATX

A

9.6” x 9.6” (244mm x 244mm).

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17
Q

What is a bus?

A

A collection of signal paths

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18
Q

What is a serial bus?

A

It’s a bus that sends 1 bit of data at a time

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19
Q

What is a parallel bus?

A

It’s a bus that could send 8 bits of data at the time over multiple lines

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20
Q

What are the downsides of a parallel bus?

A
  • Short circuit lengths
  • low throughput (amount of data at a time),
    this is because of the synchronization
    issues at the receiving end.
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21
Q

Why are we using mostly serial buses again?

A

Although serial buses sent 1 bit of data at a time. The speed is being determined by the transceivers and they are improving as technology improves.

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22
Q

What are some serial buses we use today?

A
  • SATA
  • USB
  • IEEE 1394/FireWire
  • PCIe

The motherboard is also using buses to connect components together like e.g. communication between CPU and RAM

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23
Q

What are chipsets?

A

A collections of chips or circuits that perform interface and peripheral functions for the CPU. It will dictate how a motherboard will communicate with the installed peripherals.

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24
Q

What are the two main chipset brands?

A
  • Intel
  • AMD
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25
Q

What does AMD stand for?

A

Advanced Micro Devices

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26
Q

A chipset can be divided in which two groups?

A
  • Northbridge
  • Southbridge
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27
Q

What does the Northbridge do?

A

It manages the communication between high speed components.

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28
Q

Which components are being managed by the Northbridge?

A
  • CPU
  • Memory controller
  • PCIe controller
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29
Q

What does the Southbridge do?

A

It manages all the slower peripheral components

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30
Q

Which components are being managed by the Southbridge?

A
  • USB
  • ATA interfaces
  • Onboard LAN
  • Onboard audio
  • PCI Expansion bus
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31
Q

What does PCI stand for?

A

Peripheral Component Interconnect

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32
Q

At what frequency did PCI operate on?

A

33MHz or 66MHz over a 32 bit (4 byte) channel.

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33
Q

What were the data rates of PCI?

A

133MB/s and 266MB/s

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34
Q

Which voltages does PCI slots and adapters have?

A
  • 3.3V
  • 5 V
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35
Q

What is a universal adapter for PCI?

A

It’s an adapter with slots for both 3.3V and 5V notches keyed in.

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36
Q

What is shared bus topology?

A

When using a 33MHz and a 66MHz together in 66MHz system would bring it down to 33MHz

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36
Q

Where is the keyed notch on a 5V PCI 32 bit card?

A

On the front of the card

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36
Q

Where is the keyed notch on a 3.3V PCI 32 bit card?

A

On the rear of the card

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37
Q

Where is the keyed notch on a universal PCI 32 bit card?

A

One on the rear of the card for the 3.3V and one on the front of the card for the 5V

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38
Q

What is the difference between a PCI 32 bit card and a PCI 64 bit card?

A

The notches for the voltages are the same, but the 64 bit card has an extra 64 bit connector notch at the front of the card

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39
Q

What does PCIe stand for?

A

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express

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40
Q

What did PCIe replace?

A
  • PCI
  • AGP
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41
Q

What does AGP stand for?

A

Accelerated Graphics Port

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42
Q

PCIe uses a point-to-point connection, what does this mean?

A

This means that it is directly connected with the CPU. This makes sure that the component can use all the data bandwidth without having to share it with other components.

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43
Q

What is a PCIe lane?

A

It’s the actual pathway the communication between the PCIe and the CPU is being send through.

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44
Q

What is a PCIe channel?

A

It’s a collection of lanes where the data goes through. The channel slot names (e.g. x1, x16) are being determined by the amount of lanes it uses.

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45
Q

Which 7 link widths of PCIe channels are there?

A
  • x1
  • x2
  • x4
  • x8
  • x12
  • x16
  • x32
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46
Q

Which link widths are most commonly used?

A
  • x1
  • x4
  • x16
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47
Q

What does the 22 pin portion of a PCIe slot do?

A

They are mostly made up of voltage pins and ground pins?

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48
Q

How many PCIe versions are there at the moment?

A

6

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49
Q

What does MB/s stand for?

A

Megabyte/second. It has 8 bits in one byte.

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50
Q

What does Mb/s stand for?

A

Megabit/second. There are 8 bits in one byte.

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51
Q

How many MB/s of data does PCIe x1 version 1.0 send?

A

250MB/s

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52
Q

What is up-plugging?

A

When you use a higher capable PCIe slot for a lesser card. E.g. putting a x4 card in a x16 slot.

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53
Q

What is down-plugging

A

When using a higher capable PCIe card in a lesser slot. This can only be done with open slots. E.g. using a x8 card in a x4 (open) slot.

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54
Q

What does SLI stand for?

A

Scalable Link Interface. It has been created by Nvidia to connect two or more graphics cards together as if it is one huge and powerful graphics card. It needs a bridge.

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55
Q

What is a riser card?

A

It’s a expansion card for PCIe that will give more PCIe slots.

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56
Q

What does RAM stand for?

A

Random Access Memory

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57
Q

What does RAM do?

A

It stores currently used data and it stores instructions for the CPU for fast recall. It’s a volatile storage.

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58
Q

What does RAM consist of?

A

It’s a stick, a PCB, with memory modules attached to it. These sticks will store temporary used data and instructions for the CPU

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59
Q

What does DIMM stand for?

A

Dual Inline Memory Module

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60
Q

What does SODIMM stand for?

A

Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module

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61
Q

What does VRAM stand for?

A

Virtual Random Access Memory. It is being used when there is no more space in RAM and extra RAM is (temporarily) necessary

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62
Q

What is a paging file?

A

Also known as a swap file. It’s a file placed on the harddrive that is being used for virtual memory. It’s an optimized space that can deliver stored information to RAM

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63
Q

What is a swap file?

A

Also known as a pagingfile. It’s a file placed on the harddrive that is being used for virtual memory. It’s an optimized space that can deliver stored information to RAM

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64
Q

Can the VRAM directly being accessed by the CPU?

A

No, the info or data stored in VRAM needs to be paged (transferred) to RAM. Older files in RAM will be paged out to make space for the new info/data from VRAM.

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65
Q

What is Cache?

A

Cache is a bit of memory placed on the CPU. It stores instructions for the CPU that it needs most often. It’s the fastest type of memory in a computer. L1 cache is always on the CPU, but L2 and L3 cache is also on the CPU, but older versions have L2 and L3 on the motherboard. L1 cache is divided into L1d (data) and L1i(instruction). It sits between the CPU and the RAM. It predicts what the CPU will ask and prefetch this information before it’s asked for.

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66
Q

What is L1 cache?

A

Level 1 cache is the smallest and fastest type of cache memory. It’s on the CPU. L1 and L2 cache will have its own cache for every core of the processor.

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67
Q

What is L2 cache?

A

Level 2 cache is a little bit bigger than level 1 cache and it’s also slower.L1 and L2 cache will have its own cache for every core of the processor.

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68
Q

What is L3 cache?

A

Level 3 cache is the biggest form of cache and also the slowest. L3 is shared among all cores of the processor. So it doesn’t have a cache for every core of the processor.

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69
Q

What is the size of L1 cache?

A

It’s depended on the CPU, but it’s most likely to be in the KB’s

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70
Q

What is the size of L2 cache?

A

512KB

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71
Q

What is the size of L3 cache?

A

8 - 16MB

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72
Q

What does CPU stand for?

A

Central Processing Unit

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73
Q

What does LGA stand for?

A

Land Grid Array

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74
Q

What does PGA stand for?

A

Pin Grid Array

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75
Q

What does ZIF stand for?

A

Zero Insertion Force.

It’s when a CPU is inserted into a PGA socket and it’s being closed without any pressure. The socket is made for the.

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76
Q

What does a CPU that is compatible with a LGA socket have?

A

Grids. The CPU itself has land grids on it and the socket has the pins that connects to the lands.

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77
Q

What does a CPU that is compatible with a PGA socket have?

A

Pins.
The CPU itself has pins. They are very fragile and need to be handles with caution. The socket has the corresponding holes in them.

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78
Q

What are multisocket motherboards?

A

Motherboards that can hold 2 or more CPU’s. For instance for a server.

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79
Q

Mobile motherboards, are they always a certain size?

A

No. Mobile motherboards are a SFF (small form factor). A lot of the time they’re specially produced for that certain product. For example a mobile phone of a laptop can have a specially created motherboard.

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80
Q

What kind of power connector gives power to the motherboard?

A

A 24 pin connector.

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81
Q

What does IDE stand for?

A

Integrated Drive Electronics.

It was once the most common type of hard drive. Nowadays we call it IDE PATA. It’s a legacy technology.

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82
Q

What does PATA stand for?

A

Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment. Also known as IDE PATA. It’s a legacy technology used hard drives, optical drives and tape drives.

It used multiple pathways to send 8 bit at a time, but due to the synchronization issues and the speeds of SATA we don’t use it anymore.

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83
Q

What does SATA stand for?

A

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment.

It’s sending data with 1 bit at a time through a single pathway. But the transceivers could be improved so it can reach to incredible high speeds.

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84
Q

What is another name for SATA 1.5 Gb/s?

A

SATA 1 and SATA 150

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85
Q

What is the speed of SATA 1?

A

1.5Gb/s over a 8b/10b-encoding scheme

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86
Q

What is another name for SATA 3Gb/s?

A

Sata 2 and Sata 300

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87
Q

What is the speed for SATA 2?

A

3 GB/s over a 8b/10b-encoding scheme

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88
Q

What is another name for SATA 6 Gb/s?

A

SATA 3 or SATA 600

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89
Q

What is eSATA?

A

External SATA.

It has an dedicated external SATA connector. And it’s for external SATA bays/drives.

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90
Q

What is M.2?

A

M.2 is a form factor. It’s able to function with the existing SATA, USB and PCIe buses. Although M.2 is primarily being used for hard drives nowadays there are also Bluetooth, WI-FI, GPS and NFC adapters for M.2 built.

91
Q

What are headers?

A

They are little connectors with pins in them. They are to connect e.g. the power button, the reset button, USB.

92
Q

Give examples where headers are used for?

A
  • Power button
  • Reset button
  • Power Light
  • Drive activity Lights
  • Audio jacks
  • USB ports
  • Fans
93
Q

What is the power button header for?

A

It is a connection to the power button on the case. Which is a relay for the motherboard. The time you press the button determines which effect the button will have. For example a short press for turning on and a long press for turning off.

94
Q

What is the reset button header for?

A

It’s a connection for the reset button on the case. The reset button will reset the computer without removing the power cable. It prolongs internal components lifespan and it resets the computer to a hardware level. Although components like memory chips need more time to succesfully reset because of the power it needs to completely drain.

95
Q

What does the Drive activity light do?

A

It shows if a hard drive is being active. If one LED is present, it represents all installed hard drives.

96
Q

How did sound get from the optical media to the speakers in the early days?

A

Through a special cable from the optical media drive that connected to the sound card

97
Q

What kind of connection is being used for audio nowadays?

A

A 10 pin audio connector.
Some modules have analog AC’97 ports on them. The newer ones have HD connections.

98
Q

What does BIOS stand for?

A

Basic Input Output System

99
Q

To what is the BIOS written?

A

A BIOS chip, also know as the ROM BIOS

100
Q

How is the BIOS also called?

A

ROM BIOS

101
Q

What does ROM stand for?

A

Read Only Memory

102
Q

What does UEFI stand for?

A

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

103
Q

What is the UEFI?

A

It’s the successor of the BIOS. It is a newer and better version of BIOS, also known as BIOS/UEFI.

104
Q

What does CMOS stand for?

A

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

105
Q

Where can you find the BIOS?

A

It’s written on the BIOS chip. It says BIOS on it, but newer motherboards can have them integrated into the southbridge.

106
Q

What is Firmware?

A

Firmware is software that is encoded in hardware. It is placed on a memory chip which is usually a ROM (Read Only Memory). It can be run without instructions from the operating software

107
Q

What does the CMOS jumper do?

A

It can clear and reset the complete BIOS settings, by placing the jumper over certain given pins and connecting the pins together for a few seconds

108
Q

You can set two types of passwords in the BIOS, which ones?

A
  • User password, also known as the boot password
  • Administrator (supervisor) password, also known as the Access password
109
Q

What is the Boot password for?

A

It’s a user password. When it is set then a password is required to boot from the power-on screen and start the operation system. It’s not a password for the operation system itself.

110
Q

What is the Access password for?

A

It’s an administrator password. When set, it gives you access into the BIOS/UEFI configurations.

111
Q

What does TPM stand for?

A

Trusted Platform Module.

112
Q

What does TPM do?

A

A TPM chip is a coprocessor or a cryptoprocessor in the computer. It makes

113
Q

What does HSM stand for?

A

Hardware Security Module.

114
Q

What does HSM do?

A

HSM or Hardware Security Module can encrypt and decrypt encryption keys. It can also used that it is required to boot the system.

115
Q

In which form does HSM come in?

A

It can be different forms. Like USB or PCIe, but there are also HSM servers for a whole network to be used.

116
Q

In which form does TPM come in?

A

TPM is a dedicated chip that is on the motherboard or it is embedded in the CPU.

117
Q

What does sealing mean?

A

Sealing is the use of both a TPM and the BIOS/UEFI to make sure a system is not tampered with. If so, the system is able to boot and decrypt encrypted keys.

118
Q

What does secure boot mean?

A

Secure boot is when at a certain level of UEFI the system firmware checks if the digital signatures of each boot file has the approved version and if it isn’t tampered with.

119
Q

What does Microsoft Bitlocker do?

A

Microsoft Bitlocker uses the TPM and it can encrypt complete drives.

120
Q

What does Option ROMs mean?

A

It’s the collective name for the BIOS firmware for add-on cards like video cards, network cards, harddrive controllers

121
Q

What does POST stand for?

A

Power On Self Test

122
Q

What is POST?

A

POST, or Power On Self Test is a series of checks performed by the BIOS/UEFI to check the integrity of the system and the Option ROMs. It also verifies and confirms the size of the primary memory and it analyzes at catalogs other installed hardware.

123
Q

What does MBR stand for?

A

Master Boot Record

124
Q

What is the MBR?

A

It’s the Master Boot Record, or a drive with an operation system installed on it.

125
Q

What is the CMOS chip?

A

It’s the memory chip that stores all kinds of settings and configurations changed by the user and for the BIOS/UEFI to read and merge with its default settings and configurations.

126
Q

What is the CMOS battery

A

It’s the battery that feeds the CMOS chip its power for when the system is turned off, so it doesn’t loses its data.

127
Q

Name all 9 pieces of data that the CMOS chip stores?

A

All settings and configurations like:

  1. Time and Date
  2. Memory
  3. CPU configurations
  4. Harddrive and Opticaldrive configurations
  5. Security
  6. Boot sequence
  7. Power management
  8. Virtualization support
  9. Integrated port settings (also enables or disabled)
128
Q

What does CPU stand for?

A

Central Processing Unit

129
Q

What does the CPU do?

A

The CPU is the brain of the computer. It controls and directs all the activities of the computer using the internal and external buses.

130
Q

What does DIP stand for?

A

Dual In-line Package

131
Q

What is DIP?

A

It’s a 20 pin chip that were used as CPUs in the early days. They’re still being used in certain integrated circuits

132
Q

What does CISC stand for?

A

Complex Instruction Set Computing

133
Q

What does RISC stand for?

A

Reduced Instruction Set Computing

134
Q

What does ISA stand for?

A

Instruction Set Architecture

135
Q

What is x64?

A

It’s CISC technology platform. The CPU uses a 64-bit bus technology. It an handle 64 bits of information at once. Some CPUs still have a 32bit wide internal registers. But True x64 has CPU 64-bit registers and a 64-bit system bus. It can also handle x64 Microsoft Windows

136
Q

What is x86?

A

x86 is a 32-bit processor. The name comes from the earlier Intel processors that ended with 86 e.g. 80486 and that stuck.

137
Q

What does ARM stand for?

A

Advanced RISC Machine

138
Q

What is ARM?

A

It’s the most well-known RISC type of CPU. It’s very small and it’s used a lot in like mobile devices, but also in e.g. Raspberry Pi.
ARM is a 32-bit processor, but ARM64 is a 64-bit processor.

139
Q

What are the advantages of ARM?

A

It’s very small and it doesn’t heat up a lot.

140
Q

What are the disadvantages of ARM?

A

It uses a lot of memory, because the codes are less complex, but longer it must use more memory to store the instructions.

141
Q

What does a CISC CPU do?

A

CISC is created for microprocessors. It uses complex instructions and it can handle multiple mathematical tasks with one instruction. Though every instruction needs multiple clock cycles to complete.

142
Q

What does a RISC CPU do?

A

A RISC CPU uses less complex instructions, though it uses longer code. Therefore it also needs more memory to store the instructions.

143
Q

What is the system clock?

A

It’s the speed of the motherboard. The time for data to flow through the motherboard. It’s created by the quartz crystal

144
Q

What is the piezoelectric effect?

A

It’s the vibrating of the quartz crystal when exposed to a current..

145
Q

What is the FSB speed?

A

It’s the speed of how the FSB uses the system clock to create an effective clock rate.

146
Q

What is the internal clock rate?

A

It’s the frequency the CPU executes per second. The frequency are a number of multiplications of the FSB speed.

147
Q

What is overclocking?

A

It’s increasing the CPU speeds through settings in the BIOS by altering voltages.

148
Q

What is a thread?

A

It’s a single string of instructions that a CPU runs.

149
Q

What is multithreading?

A

It’s the ability of CPU’s to run more threads
(or strings of instructions) at a time.

150
Q

What is HTT?

A

Hyper-Threading Technology. It’s the Intel version of SMT (Simultaneous Multithreading).

151
Q

What is Superscalar architecture?

A

It’s the architecture of SMT, how it processes data. The CPU needs to be smart with fetching data and processing it so the pipeline won’t stall.

152
Q

What does AMD-V stands for?

A

AMD-Virtualization. It’s the virtualization technology from AMD

153
Q

What does VT stand for?

A

Virtualization Technology, It’s the virtualization technology from Intel

154
Q

Does every motherboard support virtualization?

A

No, the BIOS/UEFI must support virtualization and it might need to be enabled in the BIOS settings

155
Q

What is parity checking?

A

It’s checking data from the memory for errors in binary code.

156
Q

How does parity checking work?

A

For every byte (8bits) of data being send an extra bit of binary data is added to an extra chip on the memory stick. So the 1 bits of binary are counted up and depending of the type of parity it will add a 0 or a 1 to the parity bit. The receiving end of the data checks for changes in the bits. If the data has been changed e.g. because of electrical interference. The error can be spotted

157
Q

Which types of parity checking are there?

A
  • Even parity
  • Odd parity
  • Mark parity
  • Space parity
158
Q

What is even parity?

A

It’s when the 1 bits of binary are counted up and it results into an even number, a 0 bit will be put into the parity bit to keep it an even number. If the total is odd it will put a 1 in the parity bit to make it even.

159
Q

What is odd parity?

A

It’s when the 1 bits of binary are counted up and it results into an odd number, a 0 will put in the parity bit to keep it an odd number. If the total is even it will put a 1 in the parity bit to make it odd.

160
Q

What is mark parity?

A

It’s a non-parity memory, because it doesn’t support parity bits. It doesn’t change the parity bit depending of the number of 1 bits. It just adds a 1 in the parity bit.

161
Q

What is space parity?

A

It’s a non-parity memory, because it doesnt support parity bits. It doesn’t change the parity bit depending of the number of 1 bits. It just adds a 0 in the parity bit.

162
Q

Can all motherboards use parity memory?

A

No, the motherboard and especially the memory controller must be able to handle parity memory.

163
Q

What does ECC stand for?

A

Error-correction code

164
Q

What is ECC?

A

It does not only check the data for mistakes, but it there is 1 error in a byte of data it can fix it.

165
Q

Can ECC memory fix multiple mistakes?

A

No, it can only fix 1 mistake. If there are 2 mistakes it can’t fix it, but it can still detect it.

166
Q

Can every motherboard handle ECC memory?

A

No, The motherboard and especially the memory controller needs to be able to handle it.

167
Q

Give an example where ECC memory is being used?

A

In high-end servers, but also in certain medical equipment.

168
Q

What is single-sided memory?

A

It’s when a memory module (stick) has chips on only one side of the stick.

169
Q

What is double-sided memory?

A

It’s when a memory module (stick) has chips on both sides of the stick. So there is more capacity on a stick. The computer however sees this as two separate sticks.

170
Q

How does the computer see a stick of double-sided memory?

A

The computer sees a stick of double-sided memory as two separate memory ranks (rank: a set of memory chips the system can access). It accesses one rank at a time and switches between them as needed. This allows for more memory capacity on a single module but doesn’t mean both sides are active simultaneously

171
Q

What is multichannel memory?

A

It means that multiple sticks of memory are being used to work together as one. Normally with a single memory setup the sticks are being processed sequentially, but in e.g. dual memory setup two sticks of memory can be accessed at the same time. So two times 64bits (or 128bits) of data at a time.

172
Q

How many data can be transferred at a time through memory?

A

That depends on the width of the system data bus. Nowadays most systems have a 64-bit system, so 64 bits of data at a time.

173
Q

What should you do when you bought memory but your motherboard doesn’t see it?

A

Check the motherboard manufacturers website to see if it accepts the brand and type of memory. If the memory module is newer than the motherboard it might be accepted, but then a firmware update needs to be done.

174
Q

How many pins does DDR have?

A

184 pins

175
Q

How many pins does DDR2 have?

A

240 pins

176
Q

How many pins does DDR 3 have?

A

240 pins

177
Q

How many pins does DDR 4 have?

A

288 pins

178
Q

How many pins does DDR 5 have?

A

288 pins

179
Q

Which version of DDR RAM has 184 pins?

A

DDR

180
Q

Which version of DDR RAM has 240 pins?

A
  • DDR 2
    -DDR 3
181
Q

Which version of DDR RAM has 288 pins?

A
  • DDR 4
  • DDR 5
182
Q

Which version of DDR RAM used 2.5v?

A

DDR

183
Q

Which version of DDR RAM used 1.8v?

A

DDR2

184
Q

Which version of DDR RAM used 1.5v?

A

DDR3

185
Q

Which version of DDR RAM used 1.2v?

A

DDR4

186
Q

Which version of DDR RAM used 1.1v?

A

DDR5

187
Q

What does ROM stand for?

A

Read Only Memory

188
Q

What is ROM?

A

It’s a read only memory where data like firmware is stored on. It could only be read from and not written to it.

189
Q

What does PROM stand for?

A

Programmable ROM

190
Q

What is PROM?

A

It was created to be altered only once with a special programming device. Once it was altered it couldn’t be altered again.

191
Q

What does EPROM stand for?

A

Erasable Programmable ROM

192
Q

What is EPROM?

A

It’s the follow up of PROM and it could be erased with UV light and reprogrammed with the original programming device

193
Q

What does EEPROM stand for?

A

Electronically Erasable Programmable ROM

194
Q

What is EEPROM?

A

It’s the follow up of EPROM and it can be erased electronically like i.e. flash memory

195
Q

What is soft power?

A

It is a function of the power button. It’s a relay that changes its function based on how long you press the power button. E.g. short press for hibernation., long press for forced power off.

196
Q

What is 8b/10b encoding?

A

It’s an encoding scheme where to the 8 bits of data 2 bits are being added for overhead like error detection, synchronization and keeping the 1’s and 0’s in balance.

197
Q

What is SRAM?

A

It’s static RAM. It’s RAM that stores data without a refresh rate like SDRAM, which uses capacitors to retain the data. SRAM uses transistors. SRAM is still volatile memory and when the computer is turned off the SRAM loses its data.

198
Q

What is GT (or MT)?

A

GT stands for Gigatransfers (or Megatransfers) which is how many (giga) transfers of data it can sent per second.

199
Q

What is the max memory of DDR?

A

1GB

200
Q

What is the max memory of DDR2?

A

8GB

201
Q

What is the max memory of DDR3?

A

32GB

202
Q

What is the max memory of DDR4?

A

64GB

203
Q

What is the max memory of DDR5?

A

128GB

204
Q

What is the voltage of DDR?

A

2,5v

205
Q

What is the voltage of DDR2?

A

1,8v

206
Q

What is the voltage of DDR3?

A

1,5v

207
Q

What is the voltage of DDR4?

A

1,2v

208
Q

What is the voltage of DDR5?

A

1,1v

209
Q

Which DDR types use 1 channel?

A

up to DDR4, DDR5 uses 2 channels

210
Q

DDR5 uses 2 channels, what does that mean?

A

It means that there are 2 communication pathways from the RAM to the memory controller, resulting in 2 x 32bits of data at a time. DDR up to DDR4 uses dual channel setups where two RAM sticks are being used in a setup to have 2 x 32 bits at the same time, but DDR 5 can do that in one single stick. So 4 four slots populated with RAM can be perceived as 8 sticks of RAM.

211
Q

How many pins does SODIMM SDR SDRAM have?

A

144 pins

212
Q

How many pins does SODIMM DDR have?

A

200 pins

213
Q

How many pins does SODIMM DDR2 have?

A

200 pins

214
Q

How many pins does SODIMM DDR3 have?

A

204 pins

215
Q

How many pins does SODIMM DDR4 have?

A

260 pins

216
Q

How many pins does SODIMM DDR5 have?

A

262 pins

217
Q

Name the 7 commonly used fans in a computer?

A
  1. Front intake fan
  2. Rear exhaust fan
  3. Powersupply exhaust fan
  4. CPU fan
  5. Chipset fan
  6. Videocard chipset fan
  7. Memory module fan
218
Q

What are the two most common used types of CPU cooling?

A
  1. Air cooling, with a fan and heatsinks
  2. Liquid cooling, liquid, tubes, radiator with fans, pump
219
Q

Why would you choose a liquid cooler over an air cooler?

A

Noise reduction. Liquid coolers produce less noise than the fans of the air cooler. Liquid takes a while to heat up, so the radiator fans has to spin less fast than an air cooler.

220
Q

What is the difference between an air style fan and a blower-style fan?

A

Air-style fans blow air through the heat sink and the air is blown out to the back and sides of the heatsink, which dissipates the heat quick, but it blows it into the case. So it relies on the airflow of the case fans to remove the heat out of the computer. It can use multiple fans and bigger fans than a blower-style fan, which is enclosed with a fan pushing air through it and out of the back of the computer. This will blow the heat directly out of the computer. Blower-style fans cards can be stacked closer to each other, but they are getting hotter and are louder.

221
Q

What is an AIO liquid cooler?

A

It’s an All In One cooler that’s prefabricated and which you can easily install. Custom coolers are more expensive and more difficult to install, but can be customized to your liking.

222
Q

What are the 3 sizes of AIO liquid coolers?

A
  1. 120mm (1 fan) cooler
  2. 240mm (2 fan) cooler
  3. 360mm (3 fan) cooler
223
Q

What is the lowest temperature an Air and Liquid cooler can cool your CPU?

A

Room temperature. So to cool your CPU the best your room must also be cooled.

224
Q

Which two type of fan connectors are there?

A
  1. 3 pin connector
  2. 4 pin connector
225
Q

What is the difference of a 3 and 4 pin fan connector?

A

the fourth pin on the 4 pin connector is for PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), the BIOS can adapt the speed of the fans accordingly and with a 3 pin connector, which also has a tachometer on pin 3, can only be turned on and off accordingly.

226
Q

What are pins 1 - 4 being used for?

A
  • Pin1: power
  • Pin2: ground
  • Pin3: tachometer (measures RPM of fan)
    *Pin4: PWM (Pulse Width Modulation, controlling speed of fan)

Sybex CompTIA A+ (2 decks)

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