Motherboards

Question 1

What Intel chipset is in charge of the connection to hide data transfer devices such as PCI express video cards and the RAM?

Answer 1

Northbridge

Question 2

What Intel chipset is in charge of the connection to all the secondary controllers such as USB, SATA, FireWire etc?

Answer 2

Southbridge

Question 3

What communication interface transfers data between the CPU and the Northbridge?

Answer 3

Front side bus (FSB)

Question 4

How many pins do SATA drives have?

Answer 4

7 pins.

Question 5

How many pins do IDE drives have?

Answer 5

40 pins

Question 6

What is Intel’s proprietary link between the Northbridge and Southbridge on a motherboard?

Answer 6

Direct Media Interface (DMI)

Question 7

What voltage does an orange pin indicate?

Answer 7

+3.3V

Question 8

What voltage does a red pin indicate?

Answer 8

+5V

Question 9

What voltage does a yellow pin indicate?

Answer 9

+12V

Question 10

What voltage does a blue pin indicate?

Answer 10

-12V

Question 11

What voltage does a purple pin indicate?

Answer 11

+5V standby

Question 12

ATX Form Factor

Answer 12

12 inches x 9.6 inches

RAM and expansion slots perpendicular.

Question 13

microATX form factor

Answer 13

9.6 inches X 9.6 inches

Smaller than ATX but backwards compatible.

Question 14

ITX form factor

Answer 14

From 60mm to 6.7 inches

Designed for HTPCs, UMPCs, and smartphones.

Question 15

BTX form factor

Answer 15

12.8 inches x 10.5 inches

RAM and expansion slots are parallel.

Question 16

Which expansion bus uses lanes to transfer data?

A. PCI
B. PCI-X
C. PCIe
D. AGP

Answer 16

C. PCIe

Question 17

What does a PCIe x16 slot connect to? (Select the two best answers)

A. RAM
B. Southbridge
C. USB 3.0 controller
D. Northbridge
E. Processor

Answer 17

D. Northbridge

E. Processor

Question 18

Which of these are serial technologies? (Select all that apply)

A. USB
B. IEEE 1394
C. PCIe
D. PCI

Answer 18

A. USB
B. IEEE 1394
C. PCIe

Question 19

What component supplies power to the CMOS when the computer is off?

A. Lithium battery
B. POST
C. Power supply
D. BIOS

Answer 19

A. lithium battery

Question 20

To implement a secure boot process which device should be the first in the Boot Device Priority screen?

A. Floppy drive
B. CD-ROM
C. USB
D. Hard drive

Answer 20

D. Hard drive

Question 21

What is the term for how the BIOS readies the computer for and initiates the booting of the operating system?

A. Bootlegging
B. Booting
C. Bootstrapping
D. POST

Answer 21

C. Bootstrapping

Question 22

Which of the following is used by the CPU to communicate with system memory?

A. Southbridge
B. BIOS
C. Northbridge
D. PCIe

Answer 22

C. Northbridge

Question 23

How can you reset a forgotten BiOS supervisory password?

A. Access the BIOS by pressing F2.
B. Remove the battery.
C. Extract the .EXE contents to a floppy.
D. Remove the P1 connector.

Answer 23

B. Remove the battery

Question 24

You just rebooted a PC and it displays a black screen with a white blinking underscore on the top left. What is the most likely problem?

A. BIOS needs to be flashed.
B. Recovery Console is running.
C. PC is in Safe Mode.
D. Incorrect boot order.

Answer 24

D. Incorrect boot order.

Question 25

Before installing a motherboard what should you do? Select the best answer) A. Install the processor. B. Verify that it is compatible with the case. C. Employ ESD prevention methods. D. Test the motherboard win a multimeter.

Answer 25

C. Employ ESD prevention methods.

Question 26

Which of the following are possible reasons for motherboard failure? (Select all that apply) A. Power surge B. Manufacturer defect C. CD-ROM failure D. Incorrect USB device

Answer 26

A. Power surge | B. Manufacturer defect

Question 27

How can you tell if a lithium battery has been discharged? A. Use a power supply tester. B. Check within Windows. C. Use a multimeter. D. Plug it into another motherboard.

Answer 27

C. Use a multimeter

Question 28

A PC reboots without any warning. You ruled out any chance of viruses. When you look at the motherboard, you see that some of the capacitors appear distended and out of shape. What should you do? A. Replace the motherboard. B. Replace the hard drive. C. Remove and replace the capacitors. D. Reconfigure the BIOS.

Answer 28

A. Replace the motherboard.

Question 29

A computer you are troubleshooting won't boot properly. When you power on the computer, the video display is blank, and you hear a series of beeps. What should you do? A. Check power supply connections. B. Consult the vendor documentation for the motherboard. C. Remove all memory and replace it. D. Unplug the speakers because they are causing a conflict.

Answer 29

B. Consult the vendor documentation for the motherboard.