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Testout PC Pro Chapter 3 Questions
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ATX - Answer Back plate measurements (6.25" × 1.75") Power supply specifications: 24-pin ATX power connector On/off switch runs from the case to the motherboard Soft-power control (OS can turn the computer off) Expansion slot locations and spacing (0.8" between slots) Mounting hole locations CPU location (top of board near power supply) Standard ATX - Answer The standard ATX form factor is the form factor that all other variants are modeled after. ATX motherboards: Measure 12" × 9.6" Have up to seven expansion slots Have between six and nine mounting holes Extended ATX(EATX) - Answer The EATX form factor is the largest ATX variant. EATX: Measures 12" × 13" Typically uses extra space for additional memory slots microATX - Answer The microATX form factor is a smaller version of the ATX form factor. The microATX form factor: Measures 9.6" × 9.6" Has four expansion slots ITX - Answer The ITX form factor was designed for low-power, small form factor (SFF) computers. The most common ITX form factor is the Mini-ITX form factor. The Mini-ITX form factor: Specifies a maximum motherboard size of 6.7" × 6.7" Has only one expansion slot Allows for small (100 watt) power supplies Is typically used with a home theater PC (HTPC)
Other ITX form factors include the following: Nano-ITX (4.7" × 4.7") Pico-ITX (3.9" × 2.85") Mobile-ITX (2.9" × 1.7") NLX - Answer NLX (new low profile extended) is an old form factor that was designed for use in slimline desktop computers. NLX: Uses a detachable riser card to provide expansion slots (the motherboard itself has no expansion slots). Allows the motherboard to slide in or out of the system case easily. Was replaced by microATX and Mini-ITX. BTX - Answer The BTX (balanced technology extended) form factor was designed as a replacement for the ATX form factor. However, it did not gain widespread adoption. With BTX: The CPU is positioned in such a way that air flow is increased. There is no heatsink fan. Instead, a thermal module or shroud fits over the CPU to move heat directly out of the system. The back panel orientation and mounting location is reversed. ATX Full-tower - Answer ATX full-tower cases are the largest computer cases. Full- tower cases have a lot of space for external and internal components. ATX full-tower cases are compatible with the following form factors: Standard ATX EATX microATX ATX Mid-tower - Answer ATX mid-tower cases are slightly smaller than full-tower cases. Mid-tower cases have fewer external and internal bays. ATX mid-tower cases are compatible with the following form factors: Standard ATX microATX Mini-ITX EATX (some)
The 8-pin EPS12V was originally used with some older dual processor systems. All modern multi-core processors use this connector. Some power supplies have two 4-pin connectors (4+4) that are meant to be used side-by-side in the 8-pin plug. 6+2-pin PCIe - Answer Newer video cards require more power than can be supplied through the PCI Express bus. The 6+2-pin PCIe connector plugs directly into the video card to supply additional, dedicated power. The 6+2-pin PCIe: Provides up to 150 watts Is also known as a PEG6+2 (PCI Express Graphics 6+2 pin) Some motherboards have only a 6-pin PCIe connector. These connectors provide up to 75 watts. 4-pin peripheral power - Answer The 4-pin peripheral power connector (colloquially called a 4-pin Molex connector) is used by legacy components (e.g., IDE hard drives and PATA optical drives), case fans, and other accessory devices. The connector provides both 5 V (red wire) and 12 V (yellow wire). Each power supply cable typically has multiple 4-pin connectors on the same cable. When connecting devices, try to balance the devices connected to each cable. SATA power - Answer The SATA power connector has 15 pins and provides 3.3, 5, and 12 volts. As its name implies, it powers SATA devices. You can use a special adapter to convert a 4-pin peripheral power connector to a SATA connector. When using an adapter, or on some power supplies, the connector supplies only 5 and 12 volts. 4-pin mini-Molex - Answer The 4-pin mini-Molex connector provides both 5 and 12 volts and is used by floppy drives. A voltage rail refers to a single voltage provided by the power supply unit (PSU). A dual-rail power supply provides separate rails used to balance the power load between multiple circuits, which prevents any one circuit from becoming overloaded. A high-capacity power supply designed to deliver all of its power over a single rail can melt the insulation from the wires and may cause a fire. - Answer AC (alternating current) - Answer The type of current distributed through wall sockets.
DC (direct current) - Answer The type of current used inside a computer. Motherboard - Answer A circuit board that either houses or is connected to all of the components operating in the computer. CPU socket - Answer The CPU socket houses the CPU. There are a variety of CPU socket types, each of which have unique shapes, pin arrangements, or mounting configurations. Because of this, it's important to match the motherboard socket type with the processor socket type. Some motherboards support multiple processors and have a socket for each CPU. Expansion slots - Answer Allow you to expand the capabilities of your computer. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended) PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Chipset - Answer The chipset is a group of chips that facilitates communication between the processor, memory, and peripheral devices. With chipsets: The memory controller and graphics controller are on the CPU. The remaining functionality is combined into a single controller chip. Intel processors use the Platform Controller Hub (PCH). AMD processors use the Fusion Controller Hub (FCH). The front-side bus is replaced by the Direct Media Interface (DMI). Firmware - Answer The firmware on a motherboard is stored on integrated flash memory. Motherboards use one of two firmware implementations: BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
High Disk Usage - Answer Some operating systems send data to the hard disk drive if there is not enough physical memory available. If you hear the hard drive constantly operating as you work, or if the hard drive light on the front of the system case stays illuminated for long periods of time, you may need to add more physical memory to the computer. Not Enough Memory Errors - Answer If you receive Not Enough Memory or Out of Memory errors when you try to open and use more than one program at a time, you may need more physical memory. The system boot fails and sounds a beep code - Answer Either no memory is installed or the memory was not detected. The system boots, but the display remains blank - Answer Either a card or memory module is not seated, or the system includes unsupported memory. Non-parity RAM is incompatible with ECC memory and SDRAM is incompatible with EDO memory. The system boots, but the memory count is incorrect - Answer The POST failed to recognize all of the memory. This can happen with incompatible memory installation. Remember to avoid combining dual-bank with single-bank memory. If any problem is detected during system boot, check the BIOS settings. The system will check only for memory installed in memory slots on the motherboard. Memory that is on expansion cards or installed on other devices will not be counted and tested. Error Messages - Answer Memory error usually indicate a failing module or discrepancies between new and old memory. Avoid the latter problem by not mixing new and old memory. Ensure that the memory is functioning properly and is compatible with the system. If the memory is good and fully compatible, these error messages could mean that the motherboard has a problem. The following are some common error messages you may encounter: Memory mismatch error Memory parity interrupt at x Memory address error at x Memory failure at x, read y, expecting z Memory verify error at x
Software-generated memory problems - Answer generated memory problems Software errors include: Registry error - Parts of the registry are written to faulty sections of RAM. Exception error - A software bug can cause this type of error. General-protection fault - A software bug can cause this type of error. Page fault - A software bug can cause this type of error. For software errors, check to see if the memory address indicated in the error is consistently the same. If so, check the memory. Otherwise, reboot the system or update the software. Intermittent problems - Answer One of the tougher detection challenges is the intermittent occurrence of error messages, crashes, or sudden reboots. The trouble in diagnosing this situation is the number of potential problems, including timing, heat, corrosion, fluctuating power, loose connections, EMI, or a combination of these problems. Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) - Answer I/O firmware that will, eventually, completely replace BIOS. Basic Input Output System (BIOS) - Answer Firmware that controls input and output operations. Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) - Answer A RAM chip that replaced the CMOS chip. Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) - Answer A technology for constructing integrated circuits. Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) - Answer A connection slot for a 32-bit computer bus. PCI Extended (PCI-X) - Answer A PCI design that overcomes PCI bandwidth limitations.
Sound card - Answer An expansion card that manages sound input and output. ADC - Answer An analog-to-digital converter. DSP - Answer A digital signal processor. DAC - Answer A digital-to-analog converter. Sampling rate - Answer A number of analog signal samples taken in over a period of time. Feature support - Answer DirectSound 3D, EAX, THX, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS, MIDI. Analog output - Answer An output that allows sound to be played through external devices. Analog input - Answer An input that allows audio to be recorded through the sound card. Audio file types - Answer WAV, AIFF, AU, MP3, AAC, WMA, MIDI. I/O - Answer Acronym for input/output. Mini TRS - Answer A port that accepts 3.5mm plugs for analog audio I/O. TOSLINK - Answer A digital optical I/O for S/PDIF audio. RCA - Answer A coaxial digital I/O for S/PDIF audio. IEEE 1394 - Answer A FireWire port.
HDMI - Answer A port that sends HD audio to an HDMI device.
