Test 1 – Study Guide
End-of-Chapter Questions & Answers
Chapter 1 - First Look at Computer Parts and Tools
Reviewing the Basics
1. Which is faster, a Hi-Speed USB port or a SuperSpeed USB port?
SuperSpeed USB is faster than Hi-Speed USB
2. What type of output does a S/PDIF port provide?
High quality sound to an audio system
3. List five types of video ports.
VGA, S-Video, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort video ports
4. What is the purpose of an expansion slot on a motherboard?
An expansion slot on a motherboard is used for an expansion card, which provides a port or other function that is not provided by
the motherboard.
5. What should be the setting for a dual-voltage selector switch on a power supply when using the computer in the United States?
Set the switch to 115 volts
6. What unit of measure is used to describe the amount of work a surge suppressor can do before it stops protecting the circuit
from an electrical surge?
Joule
7. Hot wires in home wiring are normally colored ____ and ground wires in computers are normally colored _____.
Black, black
8. What is the difference between a transformer and a rectifier? Which are found in a PC power supply?
A rectifier is a device that converts alternating current to direct current. A transformer is a device that changes the ratio of current
to voltage. A computer power supply functions as both.
9. What device can you use to make sure a computer is protected against power surges?
A surge suppressor
10. A power supply receives 120 volts of ___ power from a wall outlet and converts it to 3.3, 5, and 12 volts of ____ power.
AC, DC
11. Why is a power supply dangerous even after the power is disconnected?
Capacitors inside a PC power supply create the even flow of current needed by the PC. Capacitors maintain their charge long after
current is no longer present, which is why the inside of a power supply can be dangerous even when power is disconnected.
12. Which two tools can a PC support technician use when taking apart a computer to best protect computer components against
ESD?
Ground bracelet and antistatic gloves
13. What is the purpose of a POST diagnostic card?
To report errors at POST
14. What are the three purposes accomplished by the motherboard BIOS?
System BIOS manages essential devices, startup BIOS starts the computer, and BIOS setup is used to configure the motherboard
15. How is the best way to determine if a cable inside a computer is a data and instruction cable or a power cable?
Follow the cable from its source to its destination
16. What technology standard provides for up to four drives installed in a system?
PATA (parallel ATA), also called EIDE (enhanced integrated drive electronics) or IDE
17. How many pins does the P1 connector have that uses the ATX Version 2.2 standard?
24
18. What device might require extra power so that it uses the 12V 6-pin power connector? In what two locations might you find
the connector?
A PCI Express video card. The connector might be located on the video card or on the motherboard.
19. What is the purpose of the 4-pin auxiliary connector on a motherboard?
To provide extra voltage or power for a processor
20. What is the purpose of the 4-pin Molex connector?
To power IDE (PATA) drives
Thinking Critically
1. You purchase a new computer system that does not have wireless capability, and then you decide that you want to use a
wireless connection to the Internet. What are the least expensive ways (pick two) to upgrade your system to wireless?
a. Trade in the computer for another computer that has wireless installed
b. Purchase a second computer that has wireless
c. Purchase a wireless expansion card and install it in your system
d. Purchase a USB wireless adapter and connect it to your PC by way of a USB port
Answers: c. Purchase a wireless expansion card and install it in your system, and d. Purchase a USB wireless adapter and connect
it to your PC by way of a USB port
2. How much power is consumed by a load drawing 5 A with 120 V across it?
600 watts
3. When working on a computer, which of the following best protects against ESD? Why?
a. Always touch the computer case before touching a circuit board inside the case
b. Always wear a ground bracelet clipped to the side of the case
c. Always sit a computer on an antistatic mat when working on it
d. Always work on a computer in a room without carpet
Answer: b. Always wear a ground bracelet clipped to the side of the case
4. When troubleshooting a computer hardware problem, which tool might help with each of the following problems?
a. You suspect the network port on a computer is not functioning.
b. The system fails at the beginning of the boot and nothing appears on the screen.
c. A hard drive is not working and you suspect the Molex power connector from the power supply might be the source
of the problem.
Answers: a. Loopback plug, b. POST diagnostic card, c. Multimeter
Chapter 2
Working Inside a Computer
Reviewing the Basics
1. When taking a computer apart, why is it important to not stack boards on top of each other?
You could accidentally dislodge a chip.
2. Why is it important to remove loose jewelry before working inside a computer case?
Because the jewelry might get caught in cables and components as you work.
3. When assembling a system, which do you install first, the drives or the motherboard?
Drives
4. What is the purpose of raised screw holes or standoffs installed between the motherboard and case?
To prevent a short that might happen if lines on the bottom of the motherboard touch the case when the system is running.
5. When installing the front panel wires to the motherboard front panel header, how do you know which pins to use for each wire
if the pins on the header are not labeled?
You can find this information in the motherboard user guide.
6. What are the two major components of a processor cooler assembly?
Heat sink and fan
7. How many pins does the CPU fan header on a motherboard have?
4 pins
8. If the power connector from the CPU fan has only three pins, it can still connect to the 4-pin header, but what functionality is
lost?
Adjustable speed control of the fan to lessen the noise in the system
9. How do you determine the wattage capacity needed by a power supply?
Add up all wattage requirements for all devices that will use the power supply and then add an additional 30%
10. Which one component in a high-end gaming computer is likely to draw the most power?
The video card
Thinking Critically
1. You disassemble and reassemble a computer. When you first turn it on, you see no lights and hear no sounds. Nothing appears
on the monitor screen. What is the most likely cause of the problem? Explain your answer.
a. A memory module is not seated properly in a memory slot.
b. You forgot to plug up the monitor external power cord.
c. A wire in the case is obstructing a fan.
d. Power cords to the motherboard are not connected.
Answer: d. Power cords to the motherboard are not connected. All the other answers would still cause the system to start the
boot even though it might fail. If the motherboard is not getting power, it will not start the boot.
2. How much power is consumed by a load drawing 5 A with 120 V across it?
600 watts
3. What is a reasonable wattage capacity for a power supply to be used with a system that contains a DVD drive, three hard
drives, and a high-end video card?
a. 250 watts
b. 1000 watts
c. 700 watts
d. 150 watts
Answer: c. 700 watts
Chapter 4
All About Motherboards
Reviewing the Basics
1. What are the three most popular form factors used for motherboards?
ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX
2. Which type of Intel chipsets was the first to support the graphics controller to be part of the processor?
Sandy Bridge or second generation chipsets
3. How many pins does the Intel Socket B have? What is another name for this socket?
1366 pins, LGA1366
4. What type of memory does the LGA1155 socket work with? Which socket was it designed to replace?
DDR3 memory, LGA1156
5. Does the Sandy Bridge chipset family use two chipset housings on the motherboard or a single chipset housing? The Nehalem
chipset?
A single chipset housing, two chipset housings
6. How many pins does the AMD socket AM2 have?
940 pins
7. Which socket by AMD uses a land grid array rather than a pin grid array?
Socket F
8. Which is a better performing Intel chipset, the X58 or the H67?
H67
9. Which part of a Nehalem chipset connects directly to the processor, the North Bridge or the South Bridge?
The North Bridge
10. What are the names of the two technologies used to install multiple video cards in the same system?
SLI and CrossFire
11. What are the two different voltages that a PCI slot can provide?
5 volts and 3.3 volts
12. How does the throughput of PCI Express Version 1.1 compare to PCIe Version 1? How does PCIe Version 2 compare to
Version 1?
PCIe Version 1.1 and PCIe Version 1 have the same throughput. PCIe Version 2 doubles the throughput of PCIe Version 1.
13. What is the maximum wattage that a PCIe Version 2.0 expansion card can draw?
300 watts
14. What new type of power connector on the motherboard was introduced with PCIe Version 1.0? How much power does this
connector provide?
6-pin PCIe connector, 75 watts
15. What new type of power connector was introduced with PCIe Version 2.0? How much power does this connector provide?
8-pin PCIe connector, 150 watts
16. If you are installing an expansion card into a case that does not have enough clearance above the motherboard for the card,
what device can you use to solve the problem?
A riser card
17. What is the purpose of an AGP slot?
To hold a video card
18. Which is faster, a PCI Express x16 bus or the latest AGP bus?
PCI Express x16 is about 4 times faster than the latest AGP bus
19. Which chip on the motherboard does Windows Bitlocker Encryption use to secure the hard drive?
TPM chip
20. How can you find out how many memory slots are populated on a motherboard without opening the computer case?
View the information on a BIOS setup screen
21. What are two reasons you might decide to flash BIOS?
To add new features made available by the BIOS manufacturer or to attempt to solve problems with the motherboard
22. What is the easiest way to obtain the latest software to upgrade BIOS?
Go to the Web site of the BIOS or motherboard manufacturer.
23. What can you do if the power-on password and the supervisor password to a system have been forgotten?
Use the jumpers on the motherboard to reset the passwords
24. Where is the boot priority order for devices kept?
In CMOS RAM
25. How is CMOS RAM powered when the system is unplugged?
By the CMOS battery
26. Describe how you can access the BIOS setup program.
By pressing certain keys (depending on the specific computer and BIOS program) during the boot process
27. If a USB port on the motherboard is failing, what is one task you can do that might fix the problem?
Go to the motherboard manufacturer web site, download and install updated drivers.
28. What might the purpose be for a SATA-style power connector on a motherboard?
To provide auxiliary power to PCIe cards
29. What is the purpose of installing standoffs or spacers between the motherboard and the case?
So that components on the back of the motherboard do not touch the case and cause a short
30. When installing a motherboard, suppose you forget to connect the wires from the case to the front panel header. Will you be
able to power up the system? Why or why not?
No, because the power button will not work until the power wire is connected to the motherboard.
Thinking Critically
1. Why does a motherboard sometimes support more than one system bus speed?
So that it can support different processors running at different speeds
2. Why don’t all buses on a motherboard operate at the same speed?
Because not all devices to which the buses are connected transmit data at the same speed. The speeds of different hardware
components are evolving at different rates.
3. When you turn off the power to a computer at night, it loses the date, and you must reenter it each morning. What is the
problem and how do you solve it?
The CMOS battery is dead and needs replacing.
4. Why do you think the trend is to store configuration information on a motherboard in CMOS RAM rather than by using
jumpers or switches?
Possible answers:
Because changing setup using jumpers or switches requires opening the computer case, and BIOS setup is easier to
change.
Because there are many more settings on today’s newer motherboards that would require too many jumpers and switches
5. Why do you think the trend is to put more control such as the graphics controller and the memory controller in the processor
rather than in the chipset?
Possible answer: Because the processor is faster than the chipset
6. When troubleshooting a motherboard, you discover the network port no longer works. What is the best and least expensive
solution to this problem? If this solution does not work, which solution should you try next?
a. Replace the motherboard
b. Disable the network port and install a network card in an expansion slot.
c. Use a wireless network device in a USB port to connect to a wireless network.
d. Return the motherboard to the factory for repair.
e. Update the motherboard drivers.
All the above solutions might be possible. The least expensive and simplest solution is e. Update the motherboard drivers. If
that doesn’t work, you do do b. Disable the network port and install a network card in an expansion slot.
7. A computer freezes at odd times. At first you suspect the power supply or overheating, but you have eliminated overheating
and replaced the power supply without solving the problem. What do you do next?
a. Replace the processor
b. Replace the motherboard
c. Reinstall Windows
d. Replace the memory modules
e. Flash BIOS
Try the simple and least expensive things first: Flash BIOS
