CompTIA A+ Core 1: Part 2:

Define: Thermal Load

Heat from different components inside the computer

Define: Passive Cooling

Type of cooling that doesn’t rely on moving parts or power

Define: Heat Sink

Finned metal device that radiates heat away from the processor

Define: Thermal Paste

Compound that ensures heat transfer by eliminating air gaps

Passive cooling requires:

No power to operate and is silent when operating

Define: Active Cooling

Uses a fan to cool down the heat from the device

Define: Closed Loop System

Cooling of a single component

Define: Open Loop System

Liquid cooling-based system of different components

Define: Liquid Cooling

High performance systems

Define: Alternating current (AC)

Cycled between positives and negatives repeatedly

The main purpose of power supply is to:

Deliver DC to all components inside the PC when receiving an AC power supply

Define: Modular PSU / Modular Power Supply Unit

Allows to unhook the connectors and detach from the unit

Frees up space inside of the computer

Define: Main Board / Motherboard Adapter

Provides power to the motherboard

How many pins does ATX Standard use?

20-pin connector

How many pins does ATX 12V use?

24-pin connector

Define: 20+4 Pin

Two connectors are coupled together before plugging into a 24-pin connector

What kind of pin connectors does a Processor Power/ CPU Power have?

Has a four, six, or eight-pin connector

What are Molex Connector’s used for?

Used for IDE and PATA hard disks, CDs, and DVD drives

Define: Y Connector

One connector that can support multiple devices

US-based power supply:

120V AC (Low Line Power)

Europe and Asia power supply:

230V AC (High Line Power)

Most power supplies will support:

Multi-voltage outputs

Define: Voltage Sensing / Dual Voltage Power Supplies

Detects the outlet and converts it into the voltage of DC

Define: Rail

Wire that provides current at a particular voltage

12 VDC Rail

Cable or wire that provides 12 VDC

Most used voltage in the PC

Define: Wattage Rating

Power supply’s output capacity or capability

The devices inside a computer require power from a power supply

What are the formulas used to convert Amperage to Wattage?

A x V (amps x volts = watts)

I x V (amps x volts = watts)

A and I are both symbols for amps.

What should we do if a power supply has increments of 50 or 100 Watts?

Buy a power supply that is bigger than calculated

How much power is being drawn out of a wall outlet?

A 500-watt power supply that is 70% efficient will draw 714 watts

A 500-watt power supply that is 80% efficient will draw 625 watts

Power supplies are:

Not 100% efficient

Define: Random Access Memory (RAM)

Used to load applications and files into a non-persistent and fast storage area

Define: Cache

High-speed memory

Define: Storage

Mass storage device that holds more data but is slower than a cache

Define: Mass Storage Devices

Permanent storage area

Define: Random Access Memory (RAM) / System Memory

Temporary storage area/non-persistent storage

Define: Disk Cache

Pulls the files from the disc into memory and replaces the old file

Define: Mechanical system

Uses an electronic system that can access the RAM with instant speed

Define: Addressing Memory

Processor reaching the files inside RAM

How many bits are in a Single Channel Memory Controller?

32 or 64 bits

How many bits are in a x86?

32-bit

How many bits are in a x64?

64-bit

An x86 or 32-bit processor can address a maximum of how much RAM?

4 GB of RAM

An x64 or 64-bit processor can access:

More than 4 GB of RAM (8, 16, 32, or 64 GB)

Define: Single Bank

Can put any size of module in any slot

What kind of pin connector does a Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) have?

240 or 184-pin connector

Dual Data Rate (DDR) is the:

Most common type of memory

PC133: 133 MHz

Define: Throughput

Calculated based on the bus speed and the width of the data bus

Define: Dynamic RAM (DRAM)

Oldest type of memory that requires frequent refreshing

Storage cell is dynamic

Define: Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)

First memory module that operates at the same speed as the motherboard bus (168-pin connector)

PC66: 66 MHz bus

PC133: 133 MHz bus

PC266: 266 MHz bus

Define: Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR SDRAM)

Doubles the transfer speed of an SRAM module (184-pin connector)

Define: Double Data Rate 2 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR2 SDRAM)

Higher latency and has faster access to the external bus (240-pin connector)

PC2-4200: 4200 MB/s or 4.2 GB/s

Define: Double Data Rate 3 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR3 SDRAM)

Runs at a lower voltage and at a higher speed than DDR2 (240 keyed pin connector)

PC3-10600: 10600 MB/s or 10.6 GB/s

DDR3 throughput is 6.4 to 17 GB/s with a maximum module size of 8GB per memory module

What is a Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module (SODIMM) classified as?

DDR3, DDR4, or DDR5

Define: Multi-Channel Memory

Uses two different memory modules to increase the performance and throughput

Single-channel Memory: ____-bit data bus

64-bit data bus

Dual-channel Memory: ____-bit data bus

128-bit data bus

Interleaving

Provides increased performance

In multi-channel configurations:

Use the same model, speed, and throughput of memory

Define: Single-Channel

Uses one memory module on one bus (64-bit data bus)

Define: Dual-Channel

Requires two memory modules and two memory slots on the motherboard (128-bit data bus)

Define: Triple-Channel

Uses three memory modules and three memory slots (192-bit data bus)

Define: Quad-Channel

Uses four memory modules and four memory slots (256-bit data bus)

Multiple modules give:

Faster speeds and add memory for storage

Define: Non-Parity Memory

Standard memory that does not check for errors and allows data to be put in or taken out

Define: Parity Memory

Performs basic error checking and ensures the memory contents are reliable

A parity check does basic calculation

Every bit has an associated parity bit

Bits can only be a zero or one

Define: Error Correcting Code (ECC)

Detects and corrects an error

Define: Buffered / Registered Memory

Additional hardware (register) between memory and CPU

The system requires buffering or registering the data to reduce the electrical load

Motherboard supports:

ECC modules

DDR5 has:

An internal error checking for its modules

Can still be sold as ECC or non-ECC modules

Define: Virtual Memory/Page File

Space on a hard drive that is allocated by the OS and pretends to be memory

Check the available memory and the free memory

Define: Page File or Swap Space

A file that is hidden on a storage device and pretend as system memory

Define: Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

Program that a CPU uses to start the computer system/Program a computer’s microprocessor uses to start and boot after being turned on

Serves as a method of configuring the motherboard using a textbased interface

Define: Firmware

Software on a chip and contains BIOS program code in the flash memory of a motherboard

Define: Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

Supports 64-bit processors and provides a GUI

BIOS is an example of firmware:

Power-on self-test

Hardware configuration

Boot order setup

Define: Read-Only Memory (ROM)

Type of chip embedded in the motherboard and can be upgraded through flashing

The new CMOS uses an:

Internal lithium-ion battery that can last up to 10 years

Define: Power-On Self-Test (POST)

Diagnostic testing sequence to check the computer’s basic input/output system

Variable beeps are used to:

Tell what is wrong with the system

ie: Keyboard is not detected = Two short beeps and one long beep

The BIOS has a:

Low-level OS which allows to take input and give output to the basic components

To configure the settings inside CMOS, enter the BIOS configuration environment

F2-DEL-ESC-F1-F10-F12

BIOS relied on a:

Text-based menu system and a keyboard as its system of input

Define: Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

Updated form of BIOS that allows keyboard and mouse as input and provides a GUI

● Supports 64-bit systems

● Supports larger HDDs and SSDs (9.4 zettabytes ~ 9.4 x 10^21 bytes)

● Supports the new GUID Partition Table (GPT) format

● Faster boot-up system

● Uses a larger ROM size

Disable booting from an optical drive or USB drive

Configure the system to boot from the installed hard drive using the installed OS

Boot the OS using PXE as the primary option

Define: Flashing

Performed during upgrades, security fixes, or feature improvements

Steps for Flashing:

1.) Back up the configuration and information

2.) Use a USB flash drive to flash the firmware

3.) The BIOS or UEFI will copy the firmware to the system and overwrite the old code

BIOS and UEFI are used during:

Loading and booting up the OS

Computers that rely on BIOS use:

MBR to hold the boot information

Computers that rely on UEFI use:

GPT to hold the boot information

Define: Supervisor/Administrator/Setup Password

Used to protect access to the BIOS or UEFI configuration program and prevents access from unauthorized users

Define: User/System Password

Used to lock access to the computer

Define: Storage/Hard Drive Password

Password that locks access to a hard drive connected to the system and requires the end user’s password

Define: Secure Boot

Enabled in the UEFI interface and settings and is not supported by BIOS

Define: Root kit

A special type of malware

Modern systems are configured to:

Enable or disable the USB ports on the motherboard

Disable the ability of USB to read and write from mass storage devices by:

Set passwords

Enable secure boot

Restrict or disable USB ports

Define: Hardware RoT

The foundation of all secure operations of a computing system

Define: Hardware Root of Trust (RoT)

Cryptographic module embedded in a computer system that endorses trusted execution and attests to boot settings and metrics

A hardware RoT is used to:

Scan the boot metrics in the OS files to verify signatures and then use them to sign the report

Define: Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

Specification for hardware-based storage of digital certificates, keys, hashed passwords, and other user and platform identification information

● Is a hardware RoT

● Secured boot-up

● Provides encryption

Can be managed in Windows via tpm.msc console or through group policy

Define: Hardware Security Module (HSM)

Appliance for generating and storing cryptographic keys that is less susceptible to tampering and insider threats

BIOS and UEFI can configure fans, the modes being:

Quiet mode, Balanced mode, and Cool mode