All-In-One A+ Exam Guide, 4th Ed.
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- How do CPUs measure potential performance?
- In megaHertz and gigaHertz (mHz & gHz)
- What are the most common CPU packages, and what do they look like?
-
SEC (Single Edge Cartridge) - looks like a card
PGA (Pin Grid Array) - a square with pins on the back - What is RAM used for?
- RAM stores programs and data currently in use by the CPU
- How is RAM measured?
- In bytes, megabytes, gigabytes (MB & GB)
- What is the most current (as of 2002) package for RAM, and what sizes does it come in?
- DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) comes in 168-pin and in 72- and 144-pin SO DIMM (Small Outline DIMM) packages
- What is an older package of RAM, and what sizes did it come in?
- SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module) came in 30-pin & 72-pin (the 72-pin more modern)
- How big is a motherboard (usually)?
- Just over the size of a sheet of notebook paper
- What is the purpose of a motherboard?
- The motherboard is what everything connects into and communicates through
- What is the name of the small wires linking components on a motherboard?
- Traces
- Do all motherboards fit any case?
- No, some motherboards require a case specially designed for that type
- What voltage is supplied by US outlets?
- 110-volt
- What voltages does a power supply convert to?
- 3.3-volt, 5-volt, and 12-volt
- How big is a normal power supply?
- About the size of half a shoebox
- What comes out of a power supply?
- Some special connectors for the motherboard and lots of general-use connectors
- What three locations would you normally find a fan inside a PC?
- On the CPU (unless it has a heatsink), in the power supply, and possibly one or two others in the main body
- What size floppy disk is standard?
- 3.5"
- What is the size of the obsolete floppy?
- 5.25"
- What size ribbon cable connects a floppy drive to the motherboard?
- 34-pin, just over 1.5" wide
- What is the name of the place where a floppy drive cable connects to the motherboard?
- Floppy controller
- What does a floppy drive ribbon cable look like? (Width & other features)
- 34-pin ribbon cable just over 1.5" wide and has a twist in it, usually near the drive end
- What other cable needs to go to a floppy drive?
- A power cable
- What is the purpose of a hard drive?
- To store programs and data not currently in use by the CPU
- How is a hard drive’s size measured?
- In bytes, megabytes, gigabytes (MB & GB)
- How many hard drives will a standard PC accept?
- Up to 4 (if EIDE)
- What are the common types of hard drive?
- EIDE & SCSI
- What is the name of the place where a hard drive cable connects to the motherboard?
- Hard drive controller
- Which type of hard drive can connect directly to a standard motherboard? How does the other kind connect?
-
A) EIDE
B) Connects to a special SCSI controller card called a "SCSI host adapter" - How many EIDE controllers are normally found on a motherboard?
- Two
- How many floppy drives can one PC support? How do they connect?
- Two; both go on the same ribbon cable
- What does an EIDE cable look like?
- 2" wide, 40-pin or 80-pin ribbon cable
- What does a SCSI cable look like?
- 2.5" 50-pin or almost 2" 68-pin ribbon cable
- What is usually the largest single component (power supply not included) in a PC?
- The CD-ROM drive
- What are the three types of CD?
-
CD-ROM ("read-only memory")
CD-R ("recordable")
CD-RW ("rewritable") - What other component is a CD drive treated like (connections, etc)?
- A hard drive
- Give a short history of CD-ROM drive controllers
- Used to have own controllers, then controllers were built in to sound cards, now runs on EIDE or SCSI like a hard drive
- What shape is a DB connector?
- Slightly D-shaped (can only be inserted one way)
- What range of pins can a DB connector have?
- Can have 9-37 pins, but rarely has more than 25
- What gender(s) can a DB socket be?
- Male or female
- What are the sizes of DIN connectors?
- DIN and mini-DIN