Advanced Computer Hardware Concepts and Components

What does POST stand for in computer booting?

Power-On Self-Test.

What is the role of BIOS during the boot process?

BIOS performs a hardware check and controls communication between the operating system and hardware.

What type of memory chip stores the BIOS settings?

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) memory chip.

What happens if the CMOS battery fails?

Important BIOS settings can be lost.

What is UEFI and how does it differ from legacy BIOS?

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) provides additional features and addresses security issues, supporting larger boot drives and secure boot.

What are some common security features found in BIOS/UEFI systems?

Passwords, drive encryption, LoJack, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), and secure boot.

What is the purpose of the Trusted Platform Module (TPM)?

To secure hardware by storing encryption keys, digital certificates, passwords, and data.

What does flashing the BIOS mean?

Updating the BIOS by downloading a new version from the manufacturer's website.

What are the four basic units of electricity that a computer technician must know?

Voltage (V), Current (I), Resistance (R), and Power (P).

How is voltage measured?

In Volts (V).

What does current measure in a circuit?

The amount of electrons moving through a circuit per second, measured in Amperes (A).

What does resistance refer to in an electrical circuit?

The opposition to the flow of current, measured in Ohms (Ω).

How is power defined in electrical terms?

The work required to move electrons through a circuit multiplied by the current, measured in Watts (W).

What is a dual voltage power supply?

A power supply with a switch that sets the input voltage to either 110V/115V or 220V/230V.

What is a blackout in terms of power fluctuations?

A complete loss of AC power.

What is a brownout?

A reduced voltage level of AC power that lasts for a period of time.

What causes noise in electrical power?

Interference from generators and lightning.

What is a spike in electrical terms?

A sudden increase in voltage that lasts for a short period and exceeds 100 percent of the normal voltage.

What does BIOS identify during the boot process?

Available drives, bootable drives, memory configuration, PCIe and PCI slot configurations, SATA and USB port configurations, and power management features.

What is the significance of the BIOS ROM chip on the motherboard?

It contains the program that controls communication between the operating system and hardware.

How does UEFI enhance security compared to legacy BIOS?

By implementing secure boot and addressing security issues inherent in older BIOS systems.

What is the function of the voltage selector switch on a power supply?

To set the input voltage to the power supply.

What can happen if power fluctuations occur?

They can cause data loss or hardware failure.

What is a power surge?

A dramatic increase in voltage above the normal flow of electrical current.

What device helps protect against damage from power surges and spikes?

Surge protector.

How does a surge suppressor work?

It diverts extra electrical voltage that is on the line to the ground.

What is the purpose of an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)?

It protects against potential electrical power problems and provides consistent quality of power during brownouts and blackouts.

What is a Standby Power Supply (SPS) and how does it differ from a UPS?

An SPS provides a backup battery on standby during normal operation but is less reliable than a UPS due to the time it takes to switch to battery power.

What is the difference between Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) and Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC)?

RISC uses a small set of instructions designed for rapid execution, while CISC uses a broad set of instructions, resulting in fewer steps per operation.

What is Hyper-Threading in Intel processors?

A technology that allows multiple pieces of code (threads) to be executed simultaneously, making a single CPU perform as though there are two CPUs.

What is HyperTransport in AMD processors?

A high-speed connection between the CPU and the Northbridge chip that enhances CPU performance.

How is the power of a CPU measured?

By its speed in cycles per second (megahertz or gigahertz) and the amount of data it can process.

What is overclocking?

A technique used to make a processor work at a faster speed than its original specification, which can damage the CPU.

What is CPU throttling?

A technique where the processor runs at less than the rated speed to conserve power or produce less heat.

What is CPU virtualization?

A hardware feature that enables a single processor to act as multiple processors, allowing multiple operating systems to run in parallel on virtual machines.

What are multicore processors?

Processors that have two or more processors on the same integrated circuit, allowing for faster execution of instructions.

How do multicore processors improve performance compared to single-core processors?

They execute instructions more quickly by distributing tasks to all processors simultaneously.

What is shared between processors in multicore systems?

RAM, because the cores reside on the same chip.

What is the advantage of multicore processors in terms of power and heat?

They conserve power and produce less heat than multiple single-core processors, increasing performance and efficiency.

What is an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU)?

A GPU that is embedded on the CPU and dependent on system RAM.

What is a dedicated GPU?

A separate chip with its own video memory dedicated exclusively for graphical processing.

What are the benefits of integrated GPUs?

Cost-effectiveness and less heat dissipation.

What are integrated GPUs best suited for?

Less complex tasks like watching videos and processing graphical documents.

What is the purpose of a case fan in a computer?

To increase air flow in the computer case and allow more heat to be removed.

How does a CPU heat sink work?

It has a large surface area with metal fins to draw heat away from the CPU and dissipate it into the surrounding air.

What role does thermal compound play in CPU cooling?

It is placed between the heat sink and the CPU to increase the efficiency of heat transfer.

What is the function of a CPU fan?

To move heat away from the metal fins of the heat sink.

What cooling system is used for graphics cards?

Graphics card cooling systems manage the excessive heat generated by the GPU.

Describe how a water cooling system works.

A metal plate is placed over the processor and water is pumped over it to collect the heat generated by the processor.

What is RAID technology used for?

To store data across multiple storage devices for availability, reliability, capacity, and redundancy or performance improvement.

What is striping in RAID?

It enables data to be distributed across multiple drives, increasing performance, but if one drive fails, all data is lost.

What does mirroring in RAID provide?

It stores duplicate data on one or more other drives, providing redundancy so that the failure of a drive does not cause data loss.

What is the purpose of parity in RAID?

It provides basic error checking and fault tolerance by storing checksums separately from data, allowing reconstruction of lost data.

What does double parity in RAID allow?

It provides fault tolerance for up to two failed drives.

What is the function of a serial port?

To connect various peripherals such as printers, scanners, modems, and console connections to network devices.

What is the use of a parallel port?

To connect to various peripheral devices, commonly printers.

What do PS/2 ports connect?

They are used for connecting a keyboard (purple) and mouse (green).

What is VGA?

An analog port and one of the oldest graphics ports still used on some PCs.

What does HDMI do?

Carries video information and is capable of providing digital audio and control signals.

What is the difference between USB Type-A and USB Type-C?

USB Type-A is the typical rectangular connector, while USB Type-C is rectangular with four rounded corners and is the newest USB interface.

What is the purpose of a SATA cable?

To connect internal storage devices to a motherboard; it does not provide power.

What is an eSATA cable used for?

To connect external SATA drives.

What is a Lightning connector?

A small proprietary 8-pin connector used by Apple mobile devices for both power and data.

What is the function of a micro-USB connector?

A common connector on smartphones and tablets, characterized by two corners pushed in at an angle.

What does a USB Type-B connector typically connect to?

Printers or external hard drives.

What is the purpose of an eSATA cable?

To connect external SATA drives.

What is commonly used to provide eSATA ports?

An expansion card.

What type of cable is used in wired Ethernet networks?

Twisted pair cable.

What is the most common form of twisted pair cabling?

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cabling.

What does Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cabling include?

Foil or braiding for additional shielding against electromagnetic interference.

What connector is used at each end of a UTP cable?

RJ-45 connector.

What type of cable is terminated with an RJ-11 connector?

A four-wire UTP cable used in older telephone networks.

Describe the construction of coaxial cable.

It has an inner center conductor surrounded by insulating material, which is then surrounded by a foil shield.

What is RG-6 cable used for?

High-bandwidth, high-frequency applications like Internet, Cable TV, and Satellite TV.

What is RG-59 cable used for?

Low bandwidth and lower frequency applications such as analog video and CCTV.

What is SCSI?

A standard for connecting peripheral and storage devices in a daisy-chained format.

What is the purpose of an external SCSI cable?

To connect older external SCSI devices like scanners and printers.

What is the common connector for internal SCSI cables?

A 50-pin connector arranged in two rows attached to a ribbon cable.

What does an IDE cable typically connect?

It connects to the IDE port on the motherboard and attaches to IDE drives.

What are the key characteristics used to describe computer monitors?

Screen size, resolution, monitor resolution, native resolution, and connectivity.

What does native resolution refer to?

The best monitor resolution for a specific monitor.

What is pixel in the context of monitors?

A tiny dot capable of displaying red, green, and blue.

What does dot pitch measure?

The distance between pixels on the screen.

How is brightness measured in monitors?

In candelas per square meter (cd/m2).

What does contrast ratio measure in monitors?

The measurement of how white and how black a monitor can get.

What is refresh rate?

The amount of seconds for your monitor to redraw the screen, measured in Hertz (Hz).

What is the difference between interlaced and non-interlaced scanning?

Interlaced scans the screen two times (odd lines then even lines), while non-interlaced scans one line at a time from top to bottom.

What does CGA stand for and what is its resolution?

CGA stands for Color Graphics Adapter with a resolution of 320 x 200.

What is the resolution of VGA?

VGA stands for Video Graphics Array with a resolution of 640 x 480.

What resolution does SVGA support?

SVGA stands for Super Video Graphics Array with a resolution of 800 x 600.

Define HD in terms of resolution.

HD stands for High Definition with a resolution of 1280 x 720, also known as 720p.

What is the resolution for FHD?

FHD stands for Full High Definition with a resolution of 1920 x 1280, also known as 1080p.

What does QHD stand for and what is its resolution?

QHD stands for Quad High Definition with a resolution of 2560 x 1440, also known as 1440p.

What is UHD and its resolution?

UHD stands for Ultra High Definition with a resolution of 3840 x 2160, also known as 4k.

What are the benefits of adding multiple monitors to a computer?

Adding monitors can increase visual desktop area and improve productivity by allowing expansion of the monitor size or duplication of the desktop.

What is required to connect multiple monitors to a computer?

You need to enable your computer to support multiple monitors and gather the appropriate display cables.

What are some reasons for upgrading a computer's motherboard?

User requirements change, upgraded software packages require new hardware, and new hardware offers enhanced performance.

What components might need to be replaced when upgrading a motherboard?

You might need to replace the CPU, heat sink and fan assembly, and RAM.

What is the first step in upgrading a motherboard?

Record how the power supply, case fans, case LEDs, and case buttons attach to the old motherboard.

What should you do after removing the old motherboard from the case?

Identify where all of the connectors are on the new motherboard.