Lesson 2 Chapter 3 - Devices and Their Connectors

Question 1

What are 2 ways that the devices that support peripherals plugged into ports are added onto a system unit?

Answer 1

1. Devices are built into the system unit
2. Devices are added to the system unit via expansion card

Question 2

What are display adapter cards? What functionality do they add?

Answer 2

Display adapter cards typically provide 1 or 2 ports for video connectors (for monitors)

Question 3

What are expansion slots?

Answer 3

Expansion slots are spaces in the system unit that allows the installation of an expansion card

Question 4

What do you do if you want to add a new device that isn’t already built into the system unit? How do you add it?

Answer 4

If it’s not built into the system unit, you can easily buy the expansion card version of the device and install it by snapping it in

Question 5

Can laptops accept expansion cards?

Answer 5

Yes, but they’re installed differently from Desktop PCs

Question 6

What are 3 ways laptop expansion cards are different from desktop expansion cards?

Answer 6

1. Installed parallel not perpendicular to the motherboard
2. They do not add external accessibility ports
3. Smaller than desktop expansion cards

Question 7

How do people install an externally accessible peripheral on a laptop?

Answer 7

Using the USB ports

Question 8

Keyboard and pointing devices are always connected to a PC in what way?

Answer 8

USB ports

(if not wireless)

Question 9

Keyboard and pointing devices operate fine on which 2 ports?

Answer 9

USB 1.1 and 2.0

Question 10

How do wireless keyboards and mice communicate with the PC? (2)

Answer 10

1. USB transceiver - a USB transceiver is plugged into the computer and it communicates with the peripheral device using its own proprietary connection
2. Bluetooth - Bluetooth-enabled computers and devices communicate via the Bluetooth interface

Question 11

What are the 3 types of video connectors? What color are they?

Answer 11

1. VGA (blue)
2. DVI (white)
3. HDMI (black)

Question 12

How does a monitor connect to a system unit?

Answer 12

A monitor connects to a system unit through a video connector

Question 13

What does VGA, DVI, and HDMI stand for?

Answer 13

VGA - Video Graphics Array
DVI - Digital Visual Interface
HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface

Question 14

What’s the difference between analog and digital in terms of video conversion?

Answer 14

Analog - signals that are modulated (receives complete frames) and de-modulated (translating signal to video/audio) in order to be used
Digital - sent and stays in binary format (1s and 0s)

Question 15

What year was VGA introduced?

Answer 15

1987

Question 16

What type of data does VGA only carry?

Answer 16

Analog only

Question 17

Is VGA a good first choice when it comes to video connectors?

Answer 17

No, as the analog signal has to be converted by the display adapter to send it to the monitor, then the monitor has to convert the analog data to digital in order to use it

This causes a slow performance

Question 18

What does DVI stand for?

Answer 18

Digital Visual Interface

Question 19

When was DVI created and what was it meant to replace?

Answer 19

Created in 1999, meant to replace the slower VGA video connector

Question 20

What are the 3 types of flavors of DVI? Explain them.

Answer 20

1. DVI-A (all analog)
2. DVI-D (digital)
3. DVI-I (both analog and digital)

Question 21

In order to work together, DVI connections must be the same ____

Answer 21

flavor (analog or digital)

Question 22

What does HDMI stand for?

Answer 22

High-Definition Multimedia Interface

Question 23

When was HDMI created?

Answer 23

2002

Question 24

What separates HDMI from DVI and VGA?

Answer 24

HDMI is faster and can transfer both audio and video at the same time

Question 25

How often would you see an HDMI port? What is it used for?

Answer 25

HDMI ports are becoming the default for connecting monitors

Question 26

Rank the 3 video connector types by best to worst

Answer 26

1. HDMI
2. DVI
3. VGA

Question 27

What is a DisplayPort adapter? What is it used for?

Answer 27

A DisplayPort adapter was used by older Macs (display adapter)

Question 28

What is another type of DisplayPort adapter?

Answer 28

Mini DisplayPort

Question 29

What does a DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort connector look like?

Answer 29

a DisplayPort looks like an HDMI but with only one slanted edge
a mini DisplayPort looks like a smaller USB B connector, with a white bun on top and on the bottom

Question 30

Is DisplayPort/Mini Display Port logically and physically compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 port?

Answer 30

Logically, DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort is compatible with a TB3 port. To make it physically compatible, it needs an adapter.

Question 31

How do you know if you can hook up multiple monitors to your system unit?

Answer 31

If there is a video connector for it

Question 32

What are 2 things you can do if you want more monitors than you have video connectors for?

Answer 32

1. Buy another video card and install it
2. Use a Thunderbolt 3 port to plug in a port replicator that allows you to connect multiple external monitors on your existing video card

Question 33

What are the 2 smaller versions of HDMI called?

Answer 33

micro-HDMI and mini-HDMI

Question 34

How does a modern PC connect to a wired network?

Answer 34

Through an Ethernet port using an RJ-45 connector

Question 35

What does NIC stand for?

Answer 35

Network Interface Card

Question 36

Before, for many years, Ethernet ports only came on an expansion card called ____

Answer 36

NIC - Network Interface Card

Question 37

What is a built-in network connection called (like Ethernet ports) and what are network connections that are added called?

Answer 37

A built-in network connection is a network adapter, an added network connection is called an NIC

Question 38

What are 2 things that almost all modern printers come with?

Answer 38

1. USB interfaces
2. Network connectivity - Ethernet (RJ-45), Wireless