Lesson 2: Installing System Devices

Question 1

What is the significance of a PSU’s wattage rating when you are designing a custom-build PC?

Answer 1

It determines the CPU model and number and type of memory modules, expansion cards, and storage devices that can be installed. The PSU’s wattage rating must be higher than the sum of the power requirements of all the PC’s components.

Question 2

Your company has recently closed a foreign branch office, and you are repurposing some PCs that were shipped from the old location. What feature of the PSUs must you check before powering the systems on?

Answer 2

You must check that the voltage selector is set to the correct voltage or, if there is no selector, that the PSU is suitable for the voltage used by the building power circuit.

Question 3

One of the PCs has a faulty CPU, and one has a faulty power supply. You can use the CPU from one machine in the other. You have opened the case and taken antistatic precautions. What steps must you perform to access the CPU?

Answer 3

First, you will remove power cables from the motherboard and CPU. Then, you will have to remove the fan and heat-sink assembly, disconnect the fan’s power connector, release the pins or screws that attach the assembly to the motherboard, and remove the assembly (a gentle twisting motion may be required if the thermal paste has stuck the heat sink firmly to the CPU).

Question 4

The repurposed PC is put into service, but later that day the PC’s user contacts you to say that the system has been displaying numerous alerts about high temperature. What do you think might be the cause?

Answer 4

You would need to open the case to investigate the problem. Perhaps when the upgrade was performed, one of the fan power connectors was not attached properly, or there could be a fault in the fan on the PSU.

Question 5

You are configuring four 120 GB drives in a RAID 5 array. How much space will be available?

Answer 5

360 GB

Question 6

True or false? A solid-state drive (SSD) attached to an M.2 port must be using the non-volatile memory host controller interface specification (NVMHCI) or NVM Express (NVMe)

Answer 6

False.
M.2 is a physical form factor and can support both SATA and NVMe interfaces.

Question 7

True or false? A memory card reader is needed to attach a thumb drive to a PC.

Answer 7

False—a thumb or pen drive will plug into a USB port

Question 8

What is the minimum number of disks required to implement RAID 10, and how much of the disks’ total capacity will be available for the volume?

Answer 8

At least 4 disks (two mirrored pairs) and comes with a 50% capacity overhead, so the volume will only be half the total disk capacity.

Question 9

If you have a computer with three hard disks, what type of RAID fault-tolerant configuration will make best use of them?

Answer 9

RAID 5 (striping with parity).

RAID 0 is not fault tolerant. RAID 1 and RAID 10 require an even number of disks.

Question 10

What feature might you look at in selecting a high-performance hard disk drive associated with speed?

Answer 10

Revolutions per minute (RPM)—the speed at which it spins. The top-performing drives are 15,000 (15K) or 10,000 (10K).

Question 11

You are configuring a different workstation with dual-channel memory. You have two modules and there are four slots. How would you determine which slots to use?

Answer 11

Check the vendor’s setup/service manual. Many systems will use the slots marked A1 and B1, but it’s best not to proceed without consulting the vendor’s documentation.

Question 12

Consulting the vendor documentation, you find that this system uses DDR4 error-correcting code (ECC) RDIMMs. The spares you have are DDR4 ECC UDIMMs. Can they be used for the upgrade?

Answer 12

No.
If the vendor documentation specifies registered memory (RDIMMs), you must use RDIMM modules. Unbuffered DIMMs (UDIMMs) will not be compatible even if they are ECC.

Question 13

You need to upgrade the system RAM on a PC. The motherboard has two 8 GB modules of DDR3 RAM installed and two free slots. You have two spare 16 GB DDR4 modules in your stores. Can these be used for this upgrade?

Answer 13

No.
The DDR generation of the motherboard slot and modules must match. You can only use DDR3 modules.

Question 14

What type of memory technology supports paging?

Answer 14

Virtual RAM or virtual memory.
The operating system creates a virtual address space for each process. This address space can use physical system random-access memory (RAM) modules and swap space or paging files stored on fixed disks (hard drives and SSDs). Paging moves data between system RAM and the swap space as required.

Question 15

Why can cache improve performance?

Answer 15

A CPU tends to repeat the same routines and access the same data over and over again. If these routines are stored in fast cache RAM, they can be accessed more quickly than instructions and data stored in system memory.

Question 16

A workstation has a multi-socket motherboard but only a single LGA 1150 socket is populated. The installed CPU is a Xeon E3-1220. You have a Xeon E3-1231 CPU in store that also uses the LGA 1150. Should this be used to enable symmetric multiprocessing and upgrade system performance?

Answer 16

No.
The CPU models must be identical. If the CPUs are not identical, the system is unlikely to boot. Even if the system boots, it is not likely to operate reliably.

Question 17

You are specifying a computer for use as a software development workstation. This will be required to run multiple virtual machines (VMs). Can any x64-compatible CPU with sufficient clock speed be used?

Answer 17

No.
You must verify that the CPU model supports virtualization extensions.

Question 18

What must you check when inserting a PGA form factor CPU?

Answer 18

You must check that pin 1 is aligned properly and that the pins on the package are aligned with the holes in the socket. Otherwise, you risk damaging the pins when the locking lever is secured.

Question 19

An engineer is designing a new computer system and wants to provide active cooling to improve airflow and dissipate heat from around the components. What will the engineer use in the system?

A. Heat sinks
B. Fans
C. Thermal paste
D. Thermal pads

Answer 19

B. Fans

*The engineer will use fans, which actively improve airflow and help to dissipate heat. Engineers use fans on the power supply and chassis exhaust points.

A heat sink is a block of copper or aluminum with fins. The fins expose a larger surface area to the air around the component to achieve a passive cooling effect by convection.

Thermal paste “glues” a heat sink to the surface of a chip to ensure the best transfer of heat by eliminating small air gaps.

A thermal pad performs a similar function to thermal paste. The pad is a compound that is solid at room temperature but softens when heated.*

Question 20

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Question
A hardware technician is reinstalling a heat sink with a central processing unit (CPU). Which of the following steps should the technician take to reinstall the heat sink? (Select all that apply (3))

A. Clean it.
B. Apply thermal paste.
C. Pop up the CPU at a 45º angle.
D. Wear an ESD wrist strap.

Answer 20

A. Clean it.
B. Apply thermal paste.
D. Wear an ESD wrist strap.

*If reinstalling the same heat sink, the hardware technician should clean old thermal grease from the surfaces of the heat sink.

When installing a heat sink, the hardware technician should apply a small amount of new grease in an X pattern. The technician should not apply too much—if it overruns, the excess could damage the socket.

The technician should take anti-electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions, such as wearing an ESD wrist strap, when handling and storing CPUs.

Laptop RAM is in a smaller form factor called small outline DIMM (SODIMM). The memory fits into slots that pop up at a 45º angle to allow the technician to insert or remove the chips.*

Question 21

A hardware technician is ordering power supply units (PSUs) for the organization’s desktop computers. Most PSUs designed for use with desktop PCs are based on which form factor?

A. ATX
B. SFF
C. PCIe
D. Mini-ITX

Answer 21

A. ATX

*The technician is looking for the PSUs that have the Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) specification as most PSUs designed for use with desktop PCs are based on the ATX form factor.

Small form factor (SFF) personal computers are popular as home machines and for use as mini servers and often use Via’s Mini-ITX form factor.

The peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus uses point-to-point serial communications and is the mainstream interface for modern adapter cards.

The Mini-ITX (Information Technology Extended) form factor is appropriate for small form factor (SFF) personal computers which are popular as home machines and for use as mini servers.*

Question 22

As part of tech security, a technician loans a laptop to employees when they conduct business travel, and upon return of the device, the technician reformats the drive and reloads the operating system and all relevant software. After several years of following this process, the laptop becomes sluggish or freezes up. What component is likely causing this type of computer behavior?

A. Motherboard
B. SSD
C. RAM
D. CDs

Answer 22

B. SSD (Solid-state drives

*Solid-state drives (SSDs) use flash chips that are susceptible to a type of degradation over the course of many write operations which would cause the laptop to be sluggish and freeze.

The motherboard houses sockets for the devices that implement the core system functions of a personal computer: compute, storage, and networking.

Random-access memory (RAM) storage technology is nonpersistent. Nonpersistent means that the RAM devices can only hold data when the PC is on.

Compact Discs (CDs) are a mainstream storage format for music and video. All types of optical media use a laser to read the data encoded on the disc surface.*

Question 23

A hardware technician is building a server that will process financial data in real-time and wants to use error correcting code (ECC) RAM that will detect and correct errors, if possible. What other considerations will the technician need to include to support the ECC RAM? (Select all that apply.)

A. ECC - Capable Motherboard
B. 72-bit data bus
C. Single-Channel memory
D. Two 64-bit data buses

Answer 23

A. ECC - Capable Motherboard
B. 72-bit data bus

*The motherboard must have a memory controller that is capable of supporting ECC RAM.

The technician will need to include a 72-bit data bus rather than the regular 64 bits to support the functions of the ECC RAM in the server.

Single-channel memory means that there is one 64-bit bus between the CPU and RAM, but this memory capability is not relevant to supporting ECC RAM in a server.

A dual-channel memory controller has two 64-bit pathways through the bus to the central processing unit (CPU), meaning that each transfer can send 128 bits of data.*

Question 24

A hardware technician is working on a new desktop with memory that can send 128 bits of data per transfer rather than 64 bits. What is this referred to as?

A. Single channel
B. Dual channel
C. Triple channel
D. Quadruple channel

Answer 24

B. Dual channel

*This is a dual channel memory controller as there are effectively two 64-bit pathways through the bus to the central processing unit (CPU) meaning that each transfer can send 128 bits of data.

Single-channel memory means that there is one 64-bit data bus between the CPU, memory controller, and random access memory (RAM) devices.

In triple channel memory controllers, if the system does not have the full complement of modules, it will revert to the number of populated channels.

Some CPUs and supporting chipsets have quadruple channel memory controllers. In this architecture, the system will only use the populated channels.*

Question 25

A hardware technician is inspecting the notches on a dual inline memory module (DIMM) edge. What will the notches on the edge connector help the hardware technician determine? (Select all that apply.) A. The DDR generation B. If it is compatible with the slot C. How to insert it properly D. If it has a heat sink

Answer 25

**A. The DDR generation B. If it is compatible with the slot C. How to insert it properly** *The notches on a DIMM’s edge connector help the hardware technician identify the double data rate (DDR) generation (DDR3/DDR4/DDR5). The notches on a DIMM’s edge connector help prevent the hardware technician from inserting the DIMM into an incompatible slot. The notches on a DIMM’s edge connector help prevent the hardware technician from inserting the DIMM into a slot the wrong way around. DDR memory modules, or DIMMs, typically feature heat sinks, due to the use of high clock speeds but that is not relevant to the notches on the DIMM's edge connector.*

Question 26

A hardware technician is upgrading a device with multiple, identical central processing unit (CPU) packages. What class of computer is the technician most likely upgrading? A. Workstation B. Mobile C. Desktop D. Server

Answer 26

**D. Server** *The technician is upgrading a server-class computer. Server motherboards are often multi-socket, meaning that the technician can install multiple, identical CPU packages. Regarding workstation-class PCs, most vendors use the term workstation to mean a high-performance PC, such as one used for software development or graphics/video editing. Many mobiles, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, use advanced RISC machine (ARM)-based CPUs and need to prioritize power and thermal efficiency plus weight over pure performance. The desktop segment covers a wide range of performance levels, from budget to gaming PC. These performance levels show up in the CPU manufacturer’s ranges.*

Question 27

Which of the following central processing unit (CPU) architectures implements a system-on-chip (SoC) where all the controllers, including video, sound, networking, and storage, are part of the CPU? A. IA-32 B. x86 C. x64 D. ARM

Answer 27

**D. ARM** *Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) designs implement an SoC which means that all the controllers, including video, sound, networking, and storage, are part of the CPU. The IA-32 (Intel Architecture) and x86-32 instruction sets define a CPU as IBM PC compatible. Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) design and manufacture IA-32. The x86-32 and IA-32 instruction sets define a CPU as IBM PC compatible. Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) design and manufacture IA-32. The x64 instruction set, developed initially by AMD as AMD64 or x86-64, extends the x86 instruction set for 64-bit operation.*

Question 28

A technician is installing new RAM in a company’s workstations. The IT supervisor insists on ECC RAM to ensure high levels of reliability. Which of the following statements regarding ECC RAM is true? (Select all that apply.) A. Most motherboards are designed to support both UDIMMs and RDIMMs simultaneously. B. For ECC RAM to function, only the CPU needs to be designed to support ECC operation. C. Motherboards that are designed to support UDIMMs will typically not support RDIMMs, and vice versa. D. Mixing non-ECC UDIMMs and ECC UDIMMs in the same system is generally not recommended.

Answer 28

**C. Motherboards that are designed to support UDIMMs will typically not support RDIMMs, and vice versa. D. Mixing non-ECC UDIMMs and ECC UDIMMs in the same system is generally not recommended.** *Motherboards are generally designed for one type of DIMM (UDIMM or RDIMM) and do not support both. Mixing non-ECC UDIMMs and ECC UDIMMs in the same system can lead to compatibility issues and is not recommended. Most motherboards are designed to either support UDIMMs or RDIMMs, but typically not both. Both the motherboard and CPU must be designed to support ECC operation for ECC RAM to function.*

Question 29

A system engineer is configuring fault tolerance with a configuration that uses a logical striped volume with two mirrored arrays. What redundant array of independent disks is the engineer using? A. RAID 0 B. RAID 1 C. RAID 5 D. RAID 10

Answer 29

**D. RAID 10** *The engineer is configuring RAID 10 which is a nested RAID configuration that combines a logical striped volume (RAID 0) configured with two mirrored arrays (RAID 1). RAID 0 requires at least two disks and provides no redundancy at all. If any physical disk in the array fails, the whole logical volume will fail. RAID 1 is a mirrored drive configuration using two disks. Each write operation duplicates on the second disk in the set, introducing a small performance overhead. RAID 5 uses striping (like RAID 0) but with distributed parity. Distributed parity means that error correction information spreads across all the disks in the array.*

Question 30

A student is learning about computer hardware and the instructor selects them to identify the component that executes program instruction code. How should the student respond? A. CPU B. RAM C. Cache D. HDD

Answer 30

**A. CPU** *The student should respond with CPU, or central processing unit. The CPU in a computing device executes the program instruction code. Random access memory (RAM) is a space where the computing device loads applications and files so that users can perform operations on that data. Cache is a small block of memory that works at the speed of the CPU or close to it, depending on the cache level. A hard disk drive (HDD) stores data on metal or glass platters coated with a magnetic substance. The top and bottom of each platter has its own read/write head, moved by an actuator mechanism.*

Question 31

A hardware technician is scanning a computer’s non-volatile storage devices for errors and infections. Which of the following will the technician include in the scanning? (Select all that apply.) A. Hard disk drives (HDD) B. Solid-state drives (SSD) C. Random access memory D. Mass storage devices

Answer 31

**A. Hard disk drives (HDD) B. Solid-state drives (SSD) D. Mass storage devices** *The technician will include hard disk drives in their scanning. Hard disk drives are non-volatile storage that store data on metal or glass platters coated with a magnetic substance. The technician will include solid-state drives in their scanning. Solid-state drives are non-volatile storage that use flash memory technology to implement persistent mass storage. Non-volatile storage devices, or mass storage devices, hold data when the system is off. Mass storage devices use magnetic, optical, or solid-state technology to store data. Random-access memory (RAM) storage technology is nonpersistent. Nonpersistent means that the RAM devices can only hold data when the PC is on.*

Question 32

A hardware technician is purchasing mass storage devices and tells the salesperson that they must use flash memory technology. What type of devices will the salesperson show the technician? A. HDD (Hard disk drive) B. SSD (Solid-state drive) C. RAM D. CDs

Answer 32

**B. SSD (Solid-state drive)** *The salesperson will show the technician solid-state drives (SSDs) which use flash memory technology to implement persistent mass storage. Hard disk drives (HDDs) store data on metal or glass platters that have a magnetic coating on them. The drive accesses the top and bottom of each platter by its own read/write head. Random-access memory (RAM) storage technology is nonpersistent. Nonpersistent means that the RAM devices can only hold data when the PC is on. Compact Discs (CDs) are a mainstream storage format for music and video. All types of optical media use a laser to read the data encoded on the disc surface.*

Question 33

A hardware technician installed a new power supply unit (PSU) in a workstation and removed any unnecessary power connector cables. What type of PSU did the technician install? A. Modular B. Redundant C. ATX D. ATX12V

Answer 33

**A. Modular** *The hardware technician is installing a modular PSU which has detachable power connector cables that allow the technician to reduce the number of cables to the minimum required. A redundant power supply unit, also called a failover power supply unit, is a second power supply unit in a computer system. Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) is the original PSU standard in which the P1 connector is 20-pin (2x10) and wires with black insulation are ground, yellow are +12 V, red are +5 V, and orange are +3.3 V. ATX12V is the version 2 PSU standard which defines a 24-pin (2x12) P1 form factor to replace the 20-pin one.*

Question 34

An employee is leaving the company and must return any removable storage devices they may have. What devices will the employee most likely return? (Select all that apply.) A. Wireless card B. USB flash drive C. SD card D. RAM

Answer 34

**B. USB flash drive C. SD card** *The employee will most likely return universal serial bus (USB) drives which are a type of flash drive and are simply a flash memory board with a USB connector and protective cover. The employee will most likely return secure digital (SD) cards. SD cards are a proprietary type of memory card that can have different sizes and performance ratings. Computers can have an installed wireless card that allows internet connectivity without the requirement for a hard connection. This is connected directly to the motherboard and is not a removable storage device. Random-access memory (RAM) is not removable storage. RAM is nonpersistent. Nonpersistent means that the RAM devices can only hold data when the PC is on.*

Question 35

A hardware technician is purchasing more servers for an organization and needs to ensure the power supply units in the data center have the correct output to support them. What is a power supply unit’s output capability measured as? A. Power B. Voltage C. Energy star D. Wattage rating

Answer 35

**D. Wattage rating** *The wattage rating is the measurement of the power supply unit’s output capability. Servers have units rated over 300 W to meet the demands of multiple CPUs, additional memory modules, etc. Power is the rate at which things generate or use energy and scientists measure it in watts (W) and calculate it for electrical components as voltage multiplied by current (V*I). Voltage is the difference in potential between two points in an electric field and voltage multiplied by current (V*I) calculates power. Energy Star is a model for determining efficiencies and electric consumption but is not associated with determining the output capability of a PSU.*

Question 36

A software developer is creating an application that will run multiple parallel threads through the central processing unit (CPU) at the same time to reduce the amount of "idle time" the CPU spends waiting for new instructions to process. What type of process is the developer taking advantage of? A. Multi-socket B. Multithreading C. Multicore D. Processor extensions

Answer 36

**B. Multithreading** *The developer is taking advantage of multithreading which is when software runs multiple parallel threads through the CPU at the same time to reduce "idle time." Server motherboards are often multi-socket which means they use two or more physical CPUs, referred to as symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), to deliver performance benefits. Multicore refers to a CPU design that puts two chips onto the same package. Most CPUs are multicore (more than two cores). Multicore and multithreading features are designated by nC/nT notation. Processor extensions support virtualization, also referred to as hardware-assisted virtualization, and make the VMs run much more quickly.*

Question 37

To mitigate the heat a high-end gaming system will generate, an engineer is using a liquid-based cooling system in the design. Which of the following components are NOT a part of an open-loop, liquid-based cooling system? A. Fans B. Traditional heat sinks C. Water blocks D. Water loop

Answer 37

**B. Traditional heat sinks** *Traditional heat sinks are not a part of a liquid-based cooling system. A heat sink is a block of copper or aluminum with fins which expose a larger surface area around the component to the air. Fans are a part of a liquid-based cooling system and engineers position them at air vents to dispel the excess heat. Water blocks and brackets attach to each device to remove heat by convection. These attach in a similar way to heat sink/fan assemblies and then connect to the water loop. A water loop is a part of a liquid-based cooling system and the water loop/tubing and pump push the coolant added via the reservoir around the system.*

Question 38

A hardware technician is tearing apart a non-functioning computer to salvage parts and pulls out a memory stick that synchronizes its speed to the motherboard system clock and has a peak transfer rate of 1600MBps. What type of memory has the technician removed? A. SDRAM B. Dynamic RAM C. DDR SDRAM D. ECC RAM

Answer 38

**C. DDR SDRAM** *Modern system RAM is double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM) and makes two data transfers per clock cycle and has a peak transfer rate of at least 1600MBps. Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) is so-called because its speed is synchronized to the motherboard system clock. Dynamic RAM stores each data bit as an electrical charge within a single bit cell. A bit cell consists of a capacitor to hold a charge and a transistor to read the contents of the capacitor. Error correcting code (ECC) RAM runs in workstations and servers that require a high level of reliability.*