Hardware 2 Flashcards
Where could you install a PCI X2 card?
In a PCI X4 expansion slot, according to some it could also work with a X1 expansion slot but it depends on the manufacturer.
You are trying to start a system from a bootable DVD, but the system always boots to the hard drive instead. What should you do?
Manipulate the start sequence in the BIOS.
After trying to run a virtualization software, you realize that the BIOS doesn’t support virtualization. What should you do?
Flash the BIOS.
What two components determine the speed of the bus?
Crystal frequency / bit size and multiplier.
What does DRAM do?
Dynamic refers to how bits are stored in an electrical component called a capacitor.
What is a DIMM?
Dual in line memory module. Is a circuit board that holds memory chips.
What is SODIMM?
Small outline dual in line memory module are smaller chips and are used in smaller devices e.g laptops, computers and printers.
How many bits can a dual channel access at a time?
128 bits
How many bits can a triple channel access at a time?
192 bits
What is the difference between single sided and double sided RAM?
In double sided RAM, the RAM is separated into two groups known as ranks and the system can only access one rank at a time. If it needs to access the other rank it needs to switch to the other RAM. Single sided RAM or single rank is in a single group and the system can access all RAM on the DIMM without switching.
What is RAM parity checking?
It is the storing of a redundant parity bit of a small amount of computer data stored in RAM and the comparison of the stored and computed parity to detect whether a data error has occurred.
What is ECC RAM?
ECC RAM uses additional circuitry and can detect and correct errors. This adds significantly to the cost of RAM and should be purchased only when necessary.
How do you check how many cores your CPU has?
CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and then clock the performance tab, count the number of boxes under CPU usage history.
Where is hyper threading enabled?
In the BIOS
What is AMD HyperTransport (HT)?
Not the same as hyper threading instead it involves increasing the bandwidth or the amount of data transferred per second across a specific 32 bit bus.
What is the difference between a CPU cache and a web browser cache?
The CPU cache is RAM and the web browser cache is stored as a file on a hard drive.
How can you increase CPU speed?
Increasing the clock frequency, increasing the multiplier or both known as over-clocking. In some systems the BIOS has a cell menu that. Enables you to increase the base frequency and increase the CPU Ratio (multiplier).
What is a virtualization software?
It allows you to run multiple virtual machines (VT) as a guest within a single physical host computer. Enabled in the BIOS.
What are 2 dedicated graphics slots?
AGP and PCIe slots( North bridge)
What is a GPU?
Newer CPUs include and integrated Graphics processing unit on the CPU. ( GPUs provide high quality graphics without the additional cost of a graphics card)
What is a ZIF?
Zero Insertion Force socket. To eliminate pins (in PGA) from breaking manufacturers came up with a ZIF socket. It has a locking lever where you can place any CPU into the socket without any force other than gravity and after the CPU is in place you can lock the lever to secure it.
What are some motherboard form factors?
Physical appearance, air flow, power connectors and basic layout
What is an example for a Mini - ITX
Home theatres (HT)
How much is 1 MHZ?
A million cycles per second
What is the clock speed of a bus?
Refers to how much data is transferred every second.
What is a back side bus ?
Connects the CPU to the internal cache memory.
What is a FSB?
Front side bus, connects the CPU to the chipset on the motherboard. This determines the speed of the CPU.
What is DMI?
Direct Media Interface. Connects the CPU to newer chipsets on the motherboard in place of the front side bus.
How fast is a PCI?
533 Mbps
What is a PCI X?
Peripheral component interconnect extended. For users that need more bandwidth and throughput. It has 4x the clock speed. And is 1064Mbps.
What is an AGP?
Accelerated graphics port designed to cover the gap between PCI and PCIe. It’s speed is up to 2133 Mbps
What are jumpers used for?
Jumpers used o reset BIOS passwords, clear CMOS settings and over clock CPU speeds.
What are some examples of front panel connectors?
Power lights, power buttons, drive activity lights, reset button , USB, audio
Micro ATX wattage
180W - 300W
How many volts is in a surge increase
115 VAC - 120 VAC
What are the common types of volatile memory?
SDRAM, DRAM, SRAM
What speed do platters spin at?
7200 rpm - computers at home
What are SSDs?
Solid State Drives. They do not have platters so they are flat no need to worry about motors not working, it just reads and writes memory. And is expensive which is why platters are popular.
What is a MBR?
A master boot record. It is the first sector that appears when starting up an operating system and is only 512 bytes. It has directions to starting up the operating system, disc signature and table of partitions.
What is the speed of a CD?
700 Mbps
What are the speeds of single and dual layer DVDs?
- 7 GB for single layer
8. 5 GB for dual layer
What are the base speeds for discs when writing data?
CD : 150 Kbps
DVD : 1.39 Mbps
Blu Ray : 4.5 Mbps
How big is a normal sized floppy drive?
3.5 inches that can hold 1.44 mb
What are tape drives?
Used for backing up large systems. It write data using a reusable magnetic tape and the tapes are contained within tape cartridges.
What are the 2 common types of tape cartridges?
DLT - Digital linear tape
LTO - Linear tape open
What is a DLT?
Digital linear tape. Self contained tapes with different capacities. It can transfer data up to 60 Mbps and the cartridges are as large as 800 GB
What is a LTO?
Linear tape open is a newer faster standard, the cartridges are about the same size as DLT but can hold more data and transfer it faster. It can transfer data at 140 Mbps and hold as much as 1.5 TB
What are the following USB standards?
USB 1.1 ______ ______
USB 2.0 ______
USB 3.0 ______
USB 1.1 - 1.5 Mbps 12 Mbps
USB 2.0 - 480 Mbps
USB 3.0 - 5 Gbps
Another name for FireWire is?
IEEE 1394, ilink or lynx
What are some examples of hot swappable devices.
USB, FireWire, SATA, eSATA
The number of times in a second the screen is redrawn is measured in _______?
HZ - Hertz
What is windows plug and play (PnP)?
Automates the installation of many device drivers
What is the purpose of a riser expansion card?
Riser cards are often used to allow adding expansion cards to a system enclosed in a low profile case where the height of the case does allow for a perpendicular placement of a full height expansion card.
