Deck 1: Hardware

Question 1

When replacing a CPU, where do you apply the thermal compound?

A)Between the motherboard and the CPU.
B)Between the CPU and the heatsink.
C)Between the Heatsink and the Fan.
D)Between the Fan and the CPU.

Answer 1

Between the CPU and the heatsink.

Question 2

Which CPU cache is furthest from the CPU, but also the largest capacity?

A)L1
B)L2
C)L3
D)L0

Answer 2

L3

Question 3

Every time a user boots-up their computer, they notice the system date is incorrect during the boot-sequence. Once the computer loads into Windows, however, the date corrects itself. What is likely the issue?

A)The computer's power supply needs to be replaced.
B)Windows is corrupt and must be reinstalled.
C)The BIOS is corrupt and must be flashed.
D)The CMOS battery needs to be replaced.

Answer 3

The CMOS battery needs to be replaced.

Question 4

You are connecting an IDE hard drive to your new system. Which of the following power connectors do you need?

A)Berg
B)SATA
C)PCIe
D)Molex

Question 5

When working with SCSI hard drives, of which of the following need you be aware (select all that apply)?

A)The SCSI chain must be terminated.
B)All SCSI devices must have a unique ID.
C)All SCSI devices must be configured for a RAID array.
D)The Windows installation automatically installs SCSI drivers.

Question 6

You are installing UPSs in a client's office. Which of the following devices should you not plug into a UPS?

A)Workstation
B)Server
C)Monitor
D)Laser Printer

Question 7

A user in the process of upgrading the RAM on their system; what does dual-channel RAM describe?

A)Each DIMM has two channels to the CPU.
B)The system is limited to two DIMMs.
C)All RAM share two 32-bit channels.
D)All RAM share two 64-bit channels.

Question 8

A business user is relocating to Europe, and must bring a computer with him. Which of the following best prepares the computer for use in Europe?

A)Set the power supply to use 220V.
B)Set the power supply to use 110V.
C)Set the power supply to use DC.
D)Provide the user with a power converter.

Question 9

A user is attempting to install Windows 8 but is having trouble since the system will not boot off of the DVD. What is most likely the issue?

A)The DVD is corrupt.
B)Optical drive booting is not enabled in BIOS.
C)The Optical drive has a lower boot priority than the HD.
D)The BIOS has been configured with a Password.

Question 10

Jonathan has added several new components to his computer and wants to replace the power supply. Which of the following should he check for before replacing the power supply?
I. Color sequence on the motherboard power supply connector
II. Type and number of supply connections
III. Support for international power supply voltages above 241 V
IV. Total wattage of power supply

A)I and IV
B)I and III
C)I and II
D)II and IV

Question 11

A colleague is working on an older Intel motherboard with a high-speed PCI Express video card. Which of the following chips is responsible for the connection between the processor and this device?

A)Northbridge
B)Southbridge
C)CMOS
D)Front Side Bus

Question 12

You are replacing the Baby AT motherboard in an older system. The computer has two power connections labeled P8 and P9. How are the wires installed?

A)Red wires face out.
B)Black wires face out.
C)Black wires face each other.
D)Red wires face each other.

Question 13

You are searching for a new power supply for an ATX motherboard. On the power connector, what voltage would a red pin indicate?

A)+3.3V
B)+12V
C)+5V
D)+3V

Question 14

A technician explains she diagnosed an error on a problem computer by listening to the number of beeps emitted when the computer first booted-up. Which of the following best defines what she is describing?

A)BIOS
B)POST
C)CMOS
D)EEPROM

Question 15

Which of the following has a 64-bit wide bus and was designed specifically for servers?

A)Mini-PCI
B)PCI-X
C)AGP
D)PCIe

Question 16

After upgrading an optical drive in their system, a user complains they cannot play audio CDs. Upon further investigation, you learn that data from all optical media can be read without an issue. What is most likely the problem?

A)The optical drive's SATA connection is loose.
B)The optical drive's IDE connection is loose.
C)The audio drivers are not installed correctly.
D)The optical drive's audio connection is loose.

Question 17

A user that is new to computer hardware moves an old IDE hard drive to a new system, but has trouble getting the new system to recognize the drive. What is a likely cause of the issue?

A)The HD jumpers are not correctly set.
B)The new system is not IDE compliant.
C)The BIOS needs to be updated.
D)The power connector is incompatible.

Question 18

A user complains their optical drive will not play Blu-ray disks, even though DVDs play fine. What is most likely the issue?

A)The system does not have playback software installed.
B)The Optical Drive's drivers need to be updated.
C)The Optical Drive does not support Blu-ray disks.
D)The Blu-ray disks are faulty.

Question 19

Which RAID configuration provides redundancy, but not necessarily faster speeds?

A)RAID 0
B)RAID 1
C)RAID 5
D)RAID 10

Question 20

A user has a physically thin desktop computer that does not allow expansion cards to be installed as they normally would. What does the computer likely have to compensate for this?

A)Serial Card
B)USB Ports
C)Storage Card
D)Riser Card

Question 21

A customer is building a system to host a VMM. What would you recommend to the user?

A)Fast CPU and Maximum RAM.
B)High-end graphics card and fast network connection.
C)Small form factor and wireless network connection.
D)TV Tuner and Stereo Sound Card.

Question 22

A customer wants to run a hypervisor on a system. To what are they referring?

A)A mechanism through which a single CPU processes two sets of instructions.
B)A mechanism through which a system allows multiple virtual OSes.
C)A mechanism through which a system accesses multiple networks.
D)A mechanism through which an LCD monitor processes 3D graphics.

Question 23

You are asked to explain motherboard chipsets to an IT intern. How do you describe the use of chipsets? (choose all that apply)

A)The southbridge chip is the CPU controller hub and directly connected to the CPU
B)The northbridge and southbridge chips are rarely combined on one die
C)The northbridge is the memory controller hub; some can contain video controllers
D)Designed to be "processor agnostic" and not favor one CPU family over another

Question 24

What is the most reliable source of an up-to-date flash update for the BIOS?

A)Manufacturer CD that came with the System.
B)Manufacturer's website.
C)Automatic Microsoft or Windows Updates.
D)The BIOS should not be updated.

Question 25

An employee complains that her computer clock is running slow and her attempts to keep it updated fail by the following day. What is the most probable cause of this issue?

A)BIOS is not configured correctly.
B)The CMOS battery is failing.
C)A software program is taking too much memory.
D)The network connection is failing.

Question 26

A user has connected their computer to their television. The connection usually works fine, but when they attempt to play a high-graphics game through their HDTV the screen goes blank. The game works fine on their monitor. What is most likely the issue?

A)The HDTV does not support the game's required color depth.
B)The HDTV does not support the game's required resolution.
C)The HDTV does not support the game's required refresh rate.
D)The HDTV does not support the game's required connection.

Question 27

When a user boots-up an older system, they see a notice during the POST and BIOS Startup that states an intrusion was detected. To what does this refer?

A)A virus has infected the system.
B)A system case was opened.
C)The system's network card was compromised.
D)A user failed to login correctly.

Question 28

A power user in the Art Department complains that his computer automatically shuts down after a few hours of work. The computer starts back up again, but if used, it will shut down again. What do you suspect may be an issue?

A)The system has a virus.
B)The system's power supply is faulty.
C)The user is accidentally shutting down his system.
D)The system is overheating.

Question 29

When visiting the library, you notice the computer terminals used for catalogue access are very small, and run a bare-bones version of the operating system that allows users to access the library catalogue on another server within the library. What type of system is this?

A)A Thin Client
B)A Thick Client
C)An HTPC
D)A Virtualization Workstation

Question 30

When inspecting the inside of their computer, a user notices what looks like a second processor in the system. Although located on an expansion card rather than the motherboard, the processor has a heat-sink and fan attached. Based on the information provided, what best describes what the user sees?

A)Motherboard Chipset
B)GPU
C)Dual Core CPU
D)Additional CPU

Question 31

A user wants to be able to easily connect her computer to her HD Television. Which connection would you recommend when she is searching for a new system?

A)SVGA
B)DVI
C)S-Video
D)HDMI

Question 32

You purchase a USB Flash Drive from the store and plug-it into your computer. What file system was most likely used to format the drive?

A)FAT16
B)FAT32
C)NTFS
D)UFS

Question 33

A DVD-RW drive rated to write at 8x, is equivalent to

A)150 KB/s
B)150 MB/s
C)2MB/s
D)2,000 MB/s

Question 34

You are installing SDRAM with the most recent (prior to 2013) DDR implementation. Which DDR is the most current implementation?

A)DDR4 SDRAM
B)DDR3 SDRAM
C)DDR2 SDRAM
D)DDR1 SDRAM

Question 35

A user in the Art Department at a bank has a CAD Computer. She calls the helpdesk to complain that the desktop computer in her office is running slowly. What is most likely the issue?

A)The user needs to shut down some programs.
B)The computer has a lot of spyware.
C)The computer needs more RAM.
D)The computer is being used incorrectly.

Question 36

A colleague is building a Home Server PC with Windows 7 OS. You remind your colleague to remember the following when building the system, EXCEPT:

A)Use a RAID Array for speed and redundancy.
B)Use a Wireless Network connection for mobility.
C)Use Windows 7 HomeGroup to centrally store information.
D)Centralize print sharing through the Home Server.

Question 37

A user has a set of earphones that use 1/4-inch mini-jacks as connectors and wants to use them with his computer. You recommend the user purchase an adapter to convert the earphone connector to which of the following:

A)DVI
B)RCA
C)RJ11
D)1/8-inch mini-jacks

Question 38

Of the following resolutions used in Windows, which provides a 16:9 aspect ratio signal for use with widescreen monitors?

A)WXGA
B)SXGA+
C)UXGA
D)WUXGA

Question 39

You want to control several physical computers using one monitor, one mouse, and one keyboard. What device do you need?

A)USB Hub
B)KVM Switch
C)PS/2
D)Serial Loopback

Question 40

Of the following, which items are required to support hyper-threading on an Intel machine? Choose three.

A)An operating system that supports HT
B)A system BIOS that supports HT
C)A chipset that supports HT
D)A system CMOS that supports HT

Question 41

Which cache has the fastest data retrieval time and why?

A)L1 cache is the fastest because it is the smallest.
B)L2 cache is the fastest because it is bigger than the L1 cache.
C)L1 cache is the fastest because it is on the CPU.
D)L2 cache is the fastest because it is on a separate chipset.

Question 42

Which of the following are Intel and AMD hexa-core CPUs? Choose two.

A)Intel Core i7-980X
B)AMD Phenom II X2 545
C)Intel Pentium D 940
D)AMD Athalon64 FX-62

Question 43

You need to upgrade the memory on a computer with a 64-bit data bus that runs an automated program. You are able to upgrade the computer using a single stick of DRAM. How is this possible?

A)The computer has SO DIMM slots.
B)The computer has SIMM slots.
C)The computer has DIMM slots.
D)The computer has RIMM slots.

Question 44

The Technology Department needs a computer that runs different operating systems, or at least different versions of the same operating system. Which multiprocessing solution do you recommend?

A)Bound multiprocessing (BMP)
B)Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)
C)Asymmetric multiprocessing (AMP)
D)Homogenous multiprocessing (HMP)

Question 45

As you are replacing a failed PCI NIC card, the customer wants you to use a newer PCI Express card as the replacement. He heard he would receive faster network and Internet speeds. What do you tell the client?

A)A PCI Express card will greatly increase network and Internet speeds.
B)The PCI and PCI Express cards are not compatible and cannot use the same slots.
C)The PCI and PCI Express cards are compatible and can use the same slots.

Question 46

You've been given two memory modules, each with 184 pins and possessing heat spreaders. What type of slot will accept these modules?

A)SIMM slots
B)SODIMM slots
C)DIMM slots
D)SDIMM slots

Question 47

A manager's assistant wants to purchase an external hard drive that has a storage capacity of or near 500 GB and that can connect to computers using a wide variety of interfaces. For which of the following interface types is the assistant likely to find a compatible external hard drive? Choose three.

A)USB 2.0
B)Fire Wire 400
C)ATA/IDE
D)eSATA

Question 48

Which of the following combinations of components can deliver the best performance on a computer?

A)PCI for sound card; AGP for the video card
B)ISA for the sound card; PCI for the video card
C)AGP for the sound card; PCI for the video card
D)PCI for both cards.

Question 49

While installing a new power supply, you notice the connector on the power supply cable has 20 pins and the power connector on the motherboard has 24 pins. Is this okay?

A)This is not a problem because the motherboard is using a proprietary ATX power supply and the four extra pins are used for redundant grounding.
B)This may work, but this is taking a chance.
C)No, the power supply will not work.

Question 50

The Customer Service Department manager is looking to upgrade his 32-bit processor machines with AMD Athlon 64-bit processors. The manager wants to know if his 32-bit applications (like the 32-bit Windows XP Professional) will run on the 64-bit hardware. What do you tell the manager?

A)The AMD Athlon 64-bit processor is backward compatible with 32-bit software but not 32-bit operating systems.
B)The AMD Athlon 64-bit processor is backward compatible with 32-bit operating systems but not 32-bit software.
C)The AMD Athlon 64-bit processor is not backward compatible with 32-bit operating systems or software.
D)The AMD Athlon 64-bit processor is backward compatible with 32-bit operating systems and software.

Question 51

The Accounting Department needs to create an exact copy of the data from disk 1 onto disk 2. What level of RAID do you use?

A)RAID 5
B)RAID 0
C)RAID 1
D)RAID does not provide this duplication option.

Question 52

How many bits does a 168-pin DIMM with parity use to store eight bytes of data?

A)80
B)76
C)72
D)68

Question 53

While working on an older computer, you notice that the modem and audio interfaces are not integrated into the PC. These are located on a riser card mounted in a slot containing two rows, each with 23 pins. What kind of card is this?

A)AMR
B)CNR
C)PCMCIA
D)AGP

Question 54

Mary is a graphic interface designer who intends to use many heavy applications on her computer. She has added two new applications, and her work involves keeping at least four applications running concurrently. Unfortunately, her computer slows down if she opens more than three applications concurrently. Which of the following components should she consider upgrading?

A)Motherboard
B)Processor
C)Hard drive
D)Memory

Question 55

The local manager uses a USB keyboard and mouse but would like to use wireless input devices. The USB keyboard and mouse are plugged in and work fine. What additional configurations or parts are necessary for the wireless keyboard and mouse? Choose all that apply.

A)None; the wireless components should work automatically.
B)A USB wireless transmitter is required
C)The mouse and keyboard will need batteries for power.
D)The USB transmitter will need batteries for power.

Question 56

While working on a computer you notice RDRAM memory is installed. What are some of the disadvantages of using RDRAM? Choose two.

A)RDRAM runs much more slowly than SDRAM.
B)RDRAM modules generate significantly more heat.
C)RDRAM can only be used in PCs and cannot be adapted for other uses.
D)RDRAM modules have a memory controller on each module.

Question 57

A memory module that uses a 64-bit path and takes on non-Rambus memory is called:

A)SIMM.
B)SO RIMM.
C)DIMM.
D)RIMM.

Question 58

You are building a custom PC that requires the following: • A processor with 6 cores
• Max clock speed of 3.0 GHz
• A total of L2 and L3 cache of 9 MB
Which of the following processors meets these requirements?

A)Intel Core i7 930
B)AMD Phenom II 1075T
C)Intel Core i5 750
D)AMD Phenom II 1090T

Question 59

John is troubleshooting a display issue on his computer. He is not able to get any display on the screen. After a series of troubleshooting steps, he connects his monitor to another computer. Now he is able to get a display on the computer. Which of the following components need to be replaced?

A)Motherboard
B)VGA port
C)Monitor
D)Monitor Cable

Question 60

How much physical memory does a 64-bit Windows 8 Professional computer support?

A)64 GB of DRAM
B)512 GB of DRAM
C)256 GB of DRAM
D)4 GB of DRAM