CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) Study Guide Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Hardware, Networking, Troubleshooting, Mobile Devices, and Virtualization/Cloud domains for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 exam.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

The 'computer's desk' where active work is kept; it is lightning-fast temporary storage that is wiped clean when power is turned off.

DDR5

A $288$-pin desktop memory type (DIMM) with speeds of $4800+ \text{ MT/s}$; its notch is positioned differently than DDR4 so they cannot be mixed.

ECC RAM

Error Correction Code memory that catches memory errors; typically used in servers.

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)

The fastest kind of SSD that plugs directly into high-speed PCIe lanes instead of the older SATA connection.

SATA III

A storage connection standard with a speed ceiling of approximately $600 \text{ MB/s}$ or $6 \text{ Gbps}$.

RAID 0

Striping; data is split across at least $2$ drives for pure speed but provides zero safety ($0 \text{ protection}$).

RAID 1

Mirroring; creates an identical copy of data on at least $2$ drives to survive one drive failure.

RAID 5

Striping plus parity; requires a minimum of $3$ drives and can survive the failure of $1$ drive.

ATX

A full-size motherboard form factor measuring $305 \times 244 \text{ mm}$ with the most expansion and RAM slots.

LGA (Land Grid Array)

A socket type where the fragile pins are located on the motherboard socket and the chip has flat pads; used by Intel and AMD AM5.

PGA (Pin Grid Array)

A socket type where the pins are located on the CPU chip and the socket has holes; used by older AMD AM4.

PCIe x16

A high-speed expansion slot with $16$ lanes, typically used for graphics cards.

80 PLUS

An efficiency rating for Power Supply Units ranging from Bronze to Titanium.

Thermal Paste

A substance that fills microscopic gaps between the CPU chip and the cooler to facilitate heat flow.

USB 3.1 / 3.2 Gen 2

A USB standard offering speeds up to $10 \text{ Gbps}$.

Cat 6a

A network cable standard that supports speeds of $10 \text{ Gbps}$ at distances up to $100 \text{ m}$.

Laser Printing 7-Step Process

The sequential order of laser printing: Processing, Charging, Exposing, Developing, Transferring, Fusing, and Cleaning.

Port 22

The port used for SSH (Secure Shell) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) for secure remote access.

DNS (Domain Name System)

A service using port $53$ that turns human-readable names into IP addresses.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

A service using ports $67$ and $68$ that automatically assigns IP addresses to devices using the DORA process.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

A reliable, connection-oriented protocol that uses a 3-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) and confirms delivery.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

A fast, connectionless protocol that does not confirm delivery; used for streaming, VoIP, and gaming.

APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing)

A self-assigned IP address in the range of $169.254.x.x$ that occurs when a device cannot reach a DHCP server.

802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 / 6E)

A wireless standard operating on $2.4$, $5$, and $6 \text{ GHz}$ bands with speeds of approximately $9.6 \text{ Gbps}$.

CompTIA 6-Step Troubleshooting Method

The official troubleshooting sequence: $1.$ Identify problem, $2.$ Establish theory, $3.$ Test theory, $4.$ Plan and fix, $5.$ Verify functionality, $6.$ Document.

Type 1 Hypervisor

A bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on the physical hardware; commonly used for servers (e.g., ESXi).

SaaS (Software as a Service)

A cloud service model providing fully finished software that the user simply accesses (e.g., Gmail, Office 365).

Digitizer

The component in a mobile device screen that handles touch input.