3.5 - CompTIA A+ Core 1

Motherboard

The main circuit board in a computer responsible for connecting all components such as CPU, memory, storage, and peripherals.

Advanced Technology Extended (ATX)

A standard motherboard form factor established by Intel in 1995, commonly used in laptops and desktops.

microATX

A smaller motherboard form factor designed to be a more compact version of the ATX standard.

Mini Information Technology eXtended (Mini ITX)

A low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies in 2001, suitable for compact systems.

Small form factor

Refers to motherboards that are designed to fit into smaller cases, optimizing space and cooling.

Power connectors

The main power for ATX motherboards typically uses a 20-pin or 24-pin connector and may include additional 4/8-pin connectors for the CPU.

Screw-compatible with ATX

Refers to the ability of smaller ITX motherboards to use screws designed for ATX motherboards.

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)

Standard for connecting external devices (i.e., expansion slots) to a computer.

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)

Newer and faster standard used to connect external devices to a motherboard, utilizing a serial interface.

SATA

Connector/communication interface used to connect storage devices like HDDs and SSDs.

eSATA

External form of SATA used for connecting external hard drives and solid-state drives.

Pin headers

Simple electrical interfaces used to attach connectors for various functions such as power, peripheral connections, lights, and buttons.

M.2

Smaller form factor hard drive for SSDs that allows for high-speed data transfer with modular installation into the motherboard.

Desktop Motherboard

A full-size motherboard for desktops, typically featuring a single CPU and 2-4 memory slots.

Laptop Motherboard

A compact motherboard designed to be small, light, and portable, with limited modification options and usually proprietary.

24-pin Motherboard Connector

The main source of power for the motherboard, which connects to the power supply and provides power to internal components.

4-pin ATX 12V Connector

An additional power connector providing 12V to older motherboards, often labeled as ATX12V, P4, or CPU.

Multi-Socket

A motherboard configuration that allows support for multiple physical CPU packages to handle higher loads.

AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)

Historically known as the more cost-effective CPU vendor.

Intel

Typically recognized as the higher-performance CPU vendor.

Thermal Throttling

A mechanism that reduces CPU speed to prevent overheating, commonly experienced in laptop CPUs.

Expansion Slots

Slots on a motherboard that allow additional hardware components to be added, with more available on desktops than laptops.

Server Motherboard

A type of motherboard designed for servers, often featuring multiple CPU support and larger ATX form factors.

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System - software used to start your computer.

POST

Power-On-Self-Test - checks for the memory, CPU, and input devices during startup.

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

Standard form of BIOS that can be used across multiple manufacturers; designed to replace legacy BIOS systems.

CMOS battery

Legacy BIOS component used for date/time configuration, not required in modern flash-based storage.

USB permissions

Security settings that restrict USB device use to maintain security, configured in UEFI/BIOS.

Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

Hardware designed for encryption on hard drives, generating keys with a cryptographic processor.

Secure Boot

A UEFI feature that checks digital signatures to prevent unauthorized BIOS updates.

Boot/BIOS password

Prevents system startup without the user password; the supervisor password is needed for configuration changes.

Temperature monitoring

Process of tracking computer heat, essential for ensuring appropriate cooling.

Fan considerations

Different cooling fans are used for CPU and chassis to manage heat generated by computing power.

Virtual computing capabilities

It allows other operating systems to be run within a single hardware platform.

Virtualization addition to CPU

It is typically added to hardware components like the CPU for faster and easier management.

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT)

Technology that supports virtualization for Intel CPUs.

AMD Virtualization (AMD-V)

Technology that supports virtualization for AMD CPUs.

x86

Alternate name for a 32-bit CPU architecture

x64

Alternate name for a 64-bit CPU architecture

Data access for a 32-bit processor

A 32-bit processor can access up to 2³² bits of information, which is 4,294,967,296 values.

Data access for a 64-bit processor

A 64-bit processor can access up to 2^64 bits of information, which is 18,446,774,073,709,551,616 values.

What is the maximum memory capacity a 32-bit OS can manage?

A 32-bit OS can only support up to 4 GB of memory.

64-bit OS application support

A 64-bit OS can support both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

Benefits of Advanced RISC (ARM) architecture

It includes efficient/fast processing, less power use, and less heat production.

Deices that use ARM architecture

Traditionally mobile and IoT devices.

Core configurations in motherboards

Motherboards can have multiple CPU cores that distribute processing demands.

Different core types

They are referred to as dual-core, multi-core, or quad-core.

Purpose of CPU caches

Caches are designed to speed up information processing to and from the CPU.

Expansion Card

A hardware component that allows extended computer functionality, requiring insertion into a motherboard slot and possibly driver installation.

Sound Card

An expansion card that outputs high-end audio for applications like headphones or home theaters and allows multiple inputs for music capture or podcasting.

Video Card

Also known as a discrete graphics card, this component provides higher performance graphics than integrated options and is typically used for gaming and high-performance applications.

Capture Card

A device that allows video input and capture into a system, commonly used for live streaming or connecting external cameras.

Network Interface Card (NIC)

An expansion card that provides Ethernet or wireless connectivity, used when the motherboard lacks a functional onboard NIC.

PCI Express

A high-speed interface standard used for connecting expansion cards like video cards due to its high bandwidth capabilities.

Check the manufacturer documentation for ___ installation

driver

Some expansion cards may require old drivers to be removed via ____

Windows Device Manager

You can also manually install drivers via ______

Windows Device Manager

Cooling

The process of removing heat from computer components to maintain optimal operating temperatures.

Active Cooling

A method that uses fans or liquid coolants to actively remove heat from components in a computer.

On-board fans

Fans designed to cool an entire adapter or expansion card, often bulky and typically seen on high-end graphics cards.

Heat Sink

A component made of copper or aluminum that transfers heat away from internal components and dissipates it into a medium.

Passive Cooling

Cooling method that relies on heat sinks and does not use fans or active components.

Thermal Paste

A conductive grease placed between a heat sink and a component to enhance thermal conductivity.

Thermal Pads

Non-reusable materials placed between heat sinks and components, requiring replacement each time a heat sink is removed.

Liquid Cooling

A type of active cooling that uses liquid coolant to circulate through a computer for enhanced cooling.