What is in a Computer?
Case and power supplies
Motherboards
CPU’s and Cooling
Memory
100
What is ESD
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can occur when there is a buildup of an electric charge (static electricity) that exists on a surface which comes into contact with another, differently charged surface.
100
On the motherboard what uses the 24-pin connector?
100
What is the Chipset and what does it do?
The Chipset consists of the integrated circuits on the motherboard that control how system hardware interacts with the CPU and motherboard. It also establishes how much memory can be added to a motherboard and the type of connectors on the motherboard.
100
What is a CPU?
The central processing unit (CPU) is responsible for interpreting and executing commands. It handles instructions from the computer's other hardware, such as a keyboard, and software. The CPU interprets the instructions and outputs the information to the monitor or performs the requested tasks.
100
What is ROM
Read-Only Memory
An essential computer chip is the read-only memory (ROM) chip. ROM chips are located on the motherboard and other circuit boards and contain instructions that can be directly accessed by a CPU. The instructions stored in ROM include basic operation instructions such as booting the computer and loading the operating system.
ROM is nonvolatile which means that the contents are not erased when the computer is powered off.
200
How do you protect your computer from ESD?
- Keep all components in antistatic bags until you are ready to install them.
- Use grounded mats on workbenches.
- Use grounded floor mats in work areas.
- Use antistatic wrist straps when working inside computers.
200
What are the three voltages a computer power supplies typically delivers to various components inside the computer?
The most common voltages supplied are 3.3 volts, 5 volts, and 12 volts.
200
The Northbridge chip controls the communication between the CPU and… ?
Northbridge – Controls high speed access to the RAM and video card. It also controls the speed at which the CPU communicates with all of the other components in the computer. Video capability is sometimes integrated into the Northbridge.
200
What is Pin Grid Array (PGA)?
Pin Grid Array (PGA) - In PGA architecture, the pins are on the underside of the processor package and is inserted into the motherboard CPU socket using zero insertion force (ZIF). ZIF refers to the amount of force needed to install a CPU into the motherboard socket or slot.
200
What are the types of ROM?
ROM
PROM - Programmable ROM - Written after it is manufactured
EPROM - Erasable programmable ROM - Can be erased by exposing it to strong ultraviolet light.
EEPROM - Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM. Used to store a computer system's BIOS
300
Why should your equipment be grounded?
If a fault causes metal parts of the equipment to become live with electrical current, the ground will provide a path of least resistance for the current to flow harmlessly away.
300
What are the 4 main case types for a desktop?
Horizontal Case
Full-Size Tower
Compact Tower
All-in-one
300
The Southbridge chip controls the communication between the CPU and….. ?
Southbridge – Allows the CPU to communicate with slower speed devices including hard drives, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, and expansion slots
300
What is LGA?
Land Grid Array (LGA) - In an LGA architecture, the pins are in the socket instead of on the processor.
300
What are the characteristics of EEC?
What type of system would use ECC?
Error correcting code memory - It detects multiple bits errors.
It costs more.
To prevent errors from crashing a computer.
Used in servers.
400
How many volts does it take to damage a computer component?
30 Volts
400
What type of connection does a Hard Drives and DVD drive use for power?
What was the old Power cable called?
400
What is the BIOS / EUFI and what does it do?
Basic input/output system (BIOS) chip and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) chip - BIOS is used to help boot the computer and manage the flow of data between the hard drive, video card, keyboard, mouse, and more. Recently the BIOS has been enhanced by UEFI. UEFI specifies a different software interface for boot and runtime services but still relies on the traditional BIOS for system configuration, power-on self -test (POST), and setup.
400
What is active cooling?
Active Cooling solutions require power while passive solutions do not.
A case fan is considered as active cooling.
400
What are the characteristics of GDDR SDRAM?
500
What are the 4 types of Power Supplies?
Including Legacy power supplies
- Advanced Technology (AT) – This is the original power supply for legacy computer systems now considered obsolete.
- AT Extended (ATX) – This is the updated version of the AT but still considered to be obsolete.
- ATX12V – This is the most common power supply on the market today. It includes a second motherboard connector to provide dedicated power to the CPU. There are several versions of ATX12V available.
- EPS12V – This was originally designed for network servers but is now commonly used in high-end desktop models.
500
What are the form factors of a Motherboard?
500
What is passive cooling?
Passive solutions for cooling usually involve reducing the speed at which a component is operating or adding heat sinks to computer chips.
500
What are the different levels of Cache Memory?
L1
L2
L3
What are they?