Lesson 1: Installing Motherboards and Connectors Flashcards
What is the nominal data rate of a USB port supporting Gen 3.2 2x1?
10 Gbps.
A technician connects a single port on a graphics card to two monitors using two cables. What type of interface is being used? (2)
Both DisplayPort and Thunderbolt interfaces support this type of daisy-chaining.
True or false? USB-C ports and connectors are compatible with Apple Lightning connectors and ports.
False.
An adapter cable is required.
A technician has removed an adapter card from a PC. Should the technician obtain and install a blanking plate to complete the service operation?
Yes.
The fan system is designed to draw cool air across the motherboard and blow out warm air. Large holes in the chassis disrupt this air flow. Also, dust will be able to settle on the system components more easily. A blanking plate covers the empty slot in the case.
What is the bandwidth of a PCIe v2.0 x16 graphics adapter?
8 GBps in each direction (full-duplex). PCIe v2 supports 500 MBps per lane.
What type of motherboard socket is used to install system memory?
Dual inline memory module (DIMM)
How many storage devices can be attached to a single SATA port?
One
You have a x8 PCIe storage adapter card—can you fit this in a x16 slot?
Yes—this is referred to as up-plugging. On some motherboards it may only function as a x1 device though.
Peripheral cable converting between connector form factors or between signaling types, such as DisplayPort to HDMI.
Adaptor cable
A support technician manages digital displays but has some older computers with video cards that can support both analog and digital monitors. What type of video interface do these older computers have?
A. HDMI
B. DVI
C. VGA
D. DisplayPort
B. DVI
*The older computers have a digital visual interface (DVI) that supports both analog and digital outputs. DVI is no longer in active development and is only on older display devices and video cards.
The high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) video interfaces only support digital displays. Older video interfaces, such as VGA, supported computer monitors driven by an analog signal.
The 15-pin video graphics array (VGA) port was the standard analog video interface for PC devices for a very long time, though it is starting to be phased out completely now.
DisplayPort video interfaces only support digital displays. Older video interfaces, like DVI, supported computer monitors and projectors that were predominantly of the cathode ray tube (CRT) type.*
A support technician needs to install a legacy peripheral component interconnect (PCI) sound card. Which of the following statements about PCI is NOT true?
A. PCI Express supersedes PCI.
B. PCI uses parallel communications.
C. The PCI card can fit into the PCIe slot.
D. PCI is software compatible with PCIe.
C. The PCI card can fit into the PCIe slot.
*PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) motherboards can include PCI ports to support legacy adapter cards, but PCI cards cannot fit into PCIe slots.
PCI Express supersedes Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), which is a legacy bus type, but computers can support more than one expansion bus.
PCI uses parallel communications to increase bandwidth. Most types of PCI are 32-bit and work at 33.3 MHz, achieving a transfer rate of up to 133 MBps.
PCI is software compatible with PCIe, meaning that PCIe motherboards can include PCI ports to support legacy adapter cards.*
A support technician is installing a new SATA hard drive on a new computer. What is the best type of cable connector the technician will plug in to supply power to the drive?
A. 15-pin connector
B. 7-pin connector
C. 4-pin connector
D. USB connector
A. 15-pin connector
*The technician will plug in a 15-pin SATA power connector to connect the hard drive to the PC’s power supply.
Serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) is the standard means of connecting internal storage drives within a desktop PC. The 7-pin connector is for data and does not supply power to the drive.
Legacy storage devices connect to the PC’s power supply unit (PSU) via a Molex connector. A Molex connector is usually white or clear plastic and has 4 pins.
A USB connector predominantly connects external SATA (eSATA) peripheral drives to an eSATAp port which is a non-standard powered port.*
A support technician plugged a monitor with a USB C cable connector into a USB C port on the computer, but the monitor would not function. Why would the monitor not work?
A. It was not an HDMI cable.
B. It was not a DisplayPort cable.
C. It was not a Lightning cable.
D. It was not a cable with DP Alt Mode or Thunderbolt.
D. It was not a cable with DP Alt Mode or Thunderbolt.
*USB-C can work for display purposes if the cable and port support DisplayPort Alternate Mode. Thunderbolt version 3 also uses the same connectors as a USB-C cable, offering additional capabilities.
The high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable is the most widely used video interface, but it has a beveled connector to ensure correct orientation and will not fit in a USB C port.
The DisplayPort cable supports similar features to HDMI, but the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) keyed these connectors against incorrect orientation, and they will not fit in a USB C port.
The Lightning port and connector cable are proprietary to Apple and only Apple’s iPhone and iPad mobile devices use it.*
A support technician needs to install an optical disk drive in a new tower. Which panel should be removed so that the technician can gain access to the optical drive and connect the cables?
A. Through the top panel
B. Through the side panel
C. Through the rear panel
D. Through the bottom of the rear panel
B. Through the side panel
*The technician will be able to hook up the optical media drive through the side panel. A tower case has a side cover that a technician can remove by sliding the panel from its housing.
Although some tower computers have top panels, they are primarily used for various controls such as power. Top panels are not used for the installation of optical disk drives.
The rear panel provides access to the power supply unit (PSU) sockets. The PSU has an integrated fan exhaust.
At the bottom of the rear panel there are cutout slots aligned with the position of adapter card slots to allow cables to connect to any input/output (I/O) ports on the cards.*
A computer is processing software instructions on the central processing unit. How does all computer software appear to a CPU?
A. Bus
B. Binary
C. RAM
D. System clock
B. Binary
*All computer software works by running instructions in the central processing unit (CPU), and computers process all the software and data as the ones and zeroes of binary code.
Bus interfaces on the motherboard transmit instructions and data between computer components using electrical signals. Many types of bus interfaces can supply power to the connected components.
Random access memory (RAM) storage technology is non-persistent, which means that the RAM devices can only hold data when a user powers on the PC.
The motherboard’s system clock synchronizes the operation of all parts of the PC and provides the basic timing signal for the CPU. PCs measure clock speeds in Megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz).*
A support technician opened a PC case and observed a small computer system interface (SCSI) connector plugged into the motherboard. What can the technician know to be true about the connector?
A. It is likely connected to the hard disk.
B. Each device on a wide SCSI bus must be configured with a unique ID, from 0 to 68.
C. It transfers data 1 bit at a time.
D. It only supports 1 device at a time.
A. It is likely connected to the hard disk.
*SCSI connectors are commonly used to connect hard disks, as well as other storage devices like tape drives, CD/DVD drives, and external storage devices.
Each device on a wide SCSI bus must be configured with a unique ID, from 0 to 15.
While a serial interface essentially transfers 1 bit at a time, a parallel interface such as SCSI transfers 8 bits (1 byte) or more and requires more wires in the cable and more pins in the connectors.
One SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) can control multiple devices attached by internal ribbon cables or external SCSI cables.*
A support technician needs to connect the USB port on a portable monitor to an HDMI port on a laptop to extend the laptop’s display. What kind of cable will the technician use to accomplish this?
A. SCSI
B. Adapter
C. EIDE
D. DVI
B. Adapter
*The technician will use an adapter cable to connect the HDMI port on the laptop with a USB port on the monitor. An adapter cable has connectors for two different cable types at each end.
A small computer system interface (SCSI) can connect both internal devices and external peripherals, such as scanners and printers, but must enable termination on the first and last devices in the chain.
An extended integrated drive electronics (EIDE) cable typically has three color-coded connectors and was the principal mass storage interface for desktop PCs for many years.
A digital visual interface (DVI) supports both analog and digital outputs. DVI is likely to be encountered on older display devices and video cards.*
A support technician opened the case to a PC and saw a square socket component. What component has the support tech located?
A. RAM
B. Adapter
C. CPU
D. Drive
C. CPU
*The support technician is removing the central processing unit (CPU). Unlike any other connectors, the CPU socket is square, and the heat sink and fan are on top of it.
System RAM is normally dual inline memory modules (DIMMs) fitted to motherboard slots. DIMM slots have catches at either end and are located close to the CPU socket.
Support technicians can insert adapter cards into slots on the motherboard to install or upgrade interfaces that the motherboard’s chipset does not support.
Drives fit into a drive bay in the chassis and then connect to a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) port via a cable and to the power supply via a SATA power or Molex connector.*
A support technician is installing a PCIe card that will use a combination of system memory and 8GBs of dedicated memory. What type of card is the tech installing?
A. Graphics
B. Sound
C. NIC
D. Wi-Fi
A. Graphics
*The support technician is installing a graphics card, also known as a video card. Graphics cards come with dedicated memory and may also use a combination of dedicated and shared system memory.
Sound cards provide audio playback through speakers or headphones which plug into the card via an audio jack and sound cards also record input from a microphone.
Network interface cards (NICs) usually come already installed as part of the motherboard chipset, but a technician may need to upgrade it to use a different type of network or cabling or connector.
Technicians can add a Wi-Fi adapter to connect to a wireless network. Manufacturers develop Wi-Fi adapters to different 802.11 standards.*
A support technician is connecting a current standard extended integrated drive electronics (EIDE) cable to a PC’s motherboard and knows that pin 1 on the cable must match up with pin 1 on the port. How can the tech know where pin 1 is on the cable?
A. Pin 1 has a blue stripe.
B. Pin 1 has a black stripe.
C. Pin 1 has a red stripe.
D. Pin 1 has a grey stripe.
C. Pin 1 has a red stripe.
*On the cable, pin 1 has a red stripe. Manufacturers also key the connectors to prevent technicians from inserting them the wrong way around.
An EIDE cable typically has three color-coded connectors. The blue connector is for the motherboard port and pin 1 on the cable will have a red stripe.
An EIDE cable typically has three color-coded connectors. The black, or end, connector attaches to device 0, and pin 1 on the cable will have a red stripe.
An EIDE cable typically has three color-coded connectors. The grey, or middle, connector attaches to device 1, and pin 1 on the cable will have a red stripe.*
Which of the following statements regarding modern connectors and ports is untrue?
A. They use edge contacts.
B. They use internal connection points.
C. They sometimes use keying.
D. Some are reversible.
B. They use internal connection points.
*An input/output (I/O) port is the external connection point for a particular type of bus interface and the connector is the part of a peripheral cable that inserts into a port with the same shape.
Most connectors and input/output ports now use edge contacts that connect the cable wires to the circuit boards.
A lot of available connectors and ports have an asymmetric design called keying to prevent users from inserting them the wrong way around.
A reversible connector is a connector that can be inserted into a socket in either orientation. The most typical variations of reversible connectors are Apple’s Lighting connector and USB Type C.*
A video production company uses removable media to transport multimedia files to partner and customer sites. Often, the media has to be prepared with only very short notice. In the past, the time taken to transfer files from the development workstations has resulted in delays and missed appointments. To mitigate this issue, the company has procured USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 storage devices and Windows PC workstation expansion cards. The devices and expansion cards support multiple USB hardware port types. Which of the following adapter cables will enable the devices to take full advantage of the highest transfer rate?
A. Type A to Type A with USB 3 compatibility (denoted by a blue tab)
B. Type B Micro to Type A with USB 3 compatibility (denoted by a blue tab)
C. Lightning to Type A
D. Type C to Type C
D. Type C to Type C
*Type C connectors and ports support data transfers up to the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps rate. The connector is also much smaller than Type A and is reversible. These improvements mean that other USB connector form factors are being phased out.
Type A ports and connectors enhanced to support USB 3 are denoted by a blue tab, but this physical interface only supports speeds up to 10 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1).
Type B Micro USB 3 interfaces only support speeds up to 10 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1).
The Lightning connector and port is mostly used by Apple iPhone and iPad mobile devices. Though it is present on some storage devices, a Type A to Lightning adapter cable would not support the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps transfer rate.*
A support technician is working on a motherboard that is 12” x 9.6” and has seven expansion slots. Which form factor is the technician working with?
A. ATX
B. mATX
C. SFF
D. Mini-ITX
A. ATX
*The Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) specification is the standard form factor for most desktop PC motherboards and is 12 inches wide by 9.6 inches deep and can contain up to seven expansion slots.
The Micro-ATX (mATX) standard specifies a 9.6-inch (244 x 244 mm) square board. mATX boards can have a maximum of 4 expansion slots.
Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs are popular as home machines and for use as mini servers. SFF PCs often use Via’s Mini-ITX (Information Technology Extended) form factor.
Mini-ITX is a 6.7 inch (170 x 170 mm) square with one expansion slot. These are designed for small cases but do note that most mini-ITX boards can be mounted in ATX cases.*
A manager directs a support technician to plug a device into the communications (COM) port. What port is the manager referring to?
A. IDE
B. SCSI
C. USB
D. Serial
D. Serial
*In Windows, the serial port, or Recommended Standard #232 (RS-232) port, is also known as a communications (COM) port.
The integrated drive electronics (IDE) interface was the principal mass storage interface for desktop PCs for many years and is also known as Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA).
A small computer system interface (SCSI) is one example of a legacy parallel bus where one SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) can control multiple devices attached by internal ribbon cables or external SCSI cables.
While modern interfaces like the universal serial bus (USB) are serial, an RS-232 interface, which is known as a COM port on Windows, uses much less sophisticated signaling methods.*
