My Better CompTIA > Internal Hardware Components > Flashcards

Internal Hardware Components Flashcards

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1
Q

What does BIOS stand for?

A

Basic Input Output System

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2
Q

What is BIOS?

A

Essential firmware on a computer’s motherboard that runs first when you power it on. It:
initialises/configure hardware
performs a Power-On Self-Test (POST)
loads the operating system

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3
Q

What is a Power-On Self-Test (POST)?

A

When a device is turned on POST checks that hardware components are present and functioning

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4
Q

Where is BIOS stored?

A

Embedded on the motherboard

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5
Q

What options are available for BIOS?

A
  • Pre-Execution Environment (PXE
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
  • Boot order options
  • USB ports, boot capabilities
  • Fan / heat monitoring
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6
Q

What is Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)?

A

Standard that lets computers boot an operating system over a network

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7
Q

What is Trusted Platform Module (TPM)?

A

A specialized chip on a motherboard that securely stores cryptographic keys, credentials and certificates to protect against unauthorized access and software tampering

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8
Q

What does CMOS stand for?

A

Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor

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9
Q

What does the CMOS do?

A

Stores configuration settings for BIOS/UEFI.

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10
Q

How does CMOS retain information?

A

Using a CR202 battery (disc battery)

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11
Q

What is UEFI?

A

Similar to BIOS, but has additional features such as:
- clickable settings
- GPT disk boot
- Secure boot

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12
Q

What does UEFI stand for?

A

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

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13
Q

What is secure boot?

A

A boot option that ensures that software operating system files have not been tampered/corrupted with and are industry standard

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14
Q

What are GPT disks?

A

GUID Partition Table. A standard for organizing partitions, especially for large drives (> 2TB), offering better data integrity and reliability

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15
Q

What is the motherboard?

A

The primary digital circuit board in a computer

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16
Q

What does the motherboard do?

A

Connects and allows communication between all critical components, while also distributing power from the power supply

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17
Q

What are motherboard form factors?

A

The size and orientation of how it fits in the case

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18
Q

What are the common form factors for motherboards?

A
  • ATX, Micro ATX
  • ITX, mini ITX
  • Blade servers
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19
Q

Do motherboard connectors/slots vary?

A

Yes you may have various numbers of the following:
- CPU sockets
- PCI Express (PCIe) slots
- USB ports
- Power connectors, SATA connectors

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20
Q

How does heat affect computer systems?

A

It reduces performance, e.g. reduces RAM access or how fast the CPU performs operations. These components slow down in an attempt to cool down

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21
Q

What is thermal throttling?

A

When processors get too hot, they reduce their clock speed (performance) to generate less heat.

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22
Q

What are the two main CPU architectures?

A

x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit)

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23
Q

What is the RAM limitation for 32-bit CPUs?

24
Q

Do 64 bit machines have RAM limitations?

25
What is a multi-core CPU?
Multiple CPUs withing a single physical chip
26
What is a multi-socket motherboard?
Allows you to have multiple physical CPU chips on one motherboard e.g. dual socket
27
How can we measure CPU speed?
Gigahertz (GHz)
28
What do you need to consider when upgrading a CPU?
Is it compatible with the motherboard. And would a new motherboard be compatible with the old RAM
29
What are some CPU characteristics and options?
- Socket compatibility (LGA/PGA) - L1, L2, L3 Cache - 32-bit vs 64 bit - Virtualization extensions - Overclocking
30
Which of the caches have the highest speeds (L1, L2, L3)?
L1 (but typically the least space)
31
What are some examples of socket compatibility
Land Grid Array (LGA) - Intel Pin Grid Array (PGA) - AMD
32
What is Virtualization extensions for CPUs?
For newer CPUs, this allows virtualization features such as running Hypervisor
33
What is a hypervisor OS?
An OS designed to run multiple virtual machines guests at the same time.
34
What is overclocking?
Pushing the CPU to run faster than beyond safely tested limits to boost performance
35
What is the risk of overclocking?
- Damaging/burning out the hardware - Voiding warranties
36
What is CPU Hyper-threading?
An attribute of CPUs that allow multiple threads of execution to run at the same time
37
What processors do we use for smaller devices?
Advance RISC Machine (ARM)
38
What are Advanced RISC Machine (ARM)?
Specialized processor architecture for smaller devices/consumer electronics
39
What are some examples of ARM devices?
- Smart watch - Smartphone - Tablets
40
Can virtual machines have TPM?
Yes, virtual TPM
41
What does TPM do?
- Ensures boot integrity (boot configurations haven't been tamped) - Encrypts data and stores keys
42
What does BitLocker do?
Encrypt entire disk volumes (NOT individual files)
43
What is a hardware Security Modules (HSM)?
External or removable cryptographic component that can perform cryptographic operations
44
What operations can HSM do that TPM cannot?
- Generate key pairs - Key storage - Encryption / decryption - Hashing - SSL / TLS offload
45
What are expansion cards?
Mini circuit boards that interact with the motherboard.
46
What are some common expansion card examples?
- Storage Area Network (SAN) - Host Bus Adapter (HBA) - Video card -RAID controller
47
What is Storage Area Network (SAN) Host Bus Adapter (HBA) expansion cards for?
Allows servers to connect and access storage a high-speed specialized storage network
48
What does a video card do?
Used to process and render graphic and video
49
What is a RAID controller?
Allows you to organize multiple physicals disks to together
50
What is the benefit of RAID?
- Increase performance as multiple disks are being used - Fault tolerance if one disk fails
51
What are form factors for expansion cards?
Their physical characteristics such as size and orientation
52
What is Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) 3.0?
A lane/slot for computer components such as graphic cards, SSDs and network adapters
53
What is a Riser Card?
A card that can slot onto a motherboard that has more slots, used to help cases with certain orientation
54
What are SATA expansion cards?
Use for motherboards that don't have built in SATA connectors
55
What are eSATA expansion cards?
Used for external storage drives
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