SKILLCERTPRO
CompTIA A+ Master Cheat Sheet
How to Prepare for Questions about Hardware on
the CompTIA A+ Core Series 1001 Test
General Information
Test 1001 of the CompTIA A+ Core Series contains questions about five topics and one of
them is Hardware. These questions will occupy about 27% of the 1001 test and about two-
thirds of them will begin with the description of a scenario you could encounter in real life.
Then, you’ll be asked to choose a solution. We’ve noted in which topics this might happen
with the designation (of scenario) below.
Cables
You must be able to describe different cable types and their characteristics and uses.
Network Cables
Network cables connect devices to the network. The most common types are Ethernet,
fiber, and coaxial cable.
Ethernet
Ethernet cables use twisted pairs of copper wire. It may be shielded or unshielded. Each
category of cable has specific physical characteristics and a maximum data rate. Ethernet
cables have a maximum length of 100 meters.
Cat 5—Category 5 cable supports data rates up to 100 Mbps.
Cat 5e—Category 5e cable supports data rates up to 1 Gbps.
Cat 6—Category 6 cable supports data rates up to 10 Gbps up to 55 meters and 1 Gbps up
to 100 meters.
Plenum—Plenum cable is used in the plenum space of a building. Any space that handles
air circulation in an HVAC system is plenum space, typically above a drop ceiling or below a
raised floor. Plenum cable uses low-smoke and low-flame materials for fire prevention.
Shielded twisted pair—STP Ethernet cable uses two or four pairs of copper wire. It uses a
foil or braided shield to reduce electromagnetic interference. Depending on the type of
cable, each twisted pair may be shielded or a single shield covers all twisted pairs.
1|Page
, SKILLCERTPRO
Unshielded twisted pair—UTP Ethernet cable uses two or four pairs of copper wire. The
twist in the wires reduces electromagnetic interference.
568A/B—Ethernet cables are terminated with RJ-45 connectors. The pin-out (which wire
connects to which pin) of those connectors is defined in the EIA/TIA 568A & 568B Standards.
The difference between 568A and 568B is that the transmit and receive pairs are reversed.
This allows for two types of cables, straight-through and crossover.
Straight-through is used to connect a device to the network via a switch or hub. It uses the
same pin-out on both ends, whether 568A or 568B. A crossover cable is used to connect
one device directly to another, such as two computers, without a switch or hub between
them. Crossover cables use 568A on one end and 568B on the other.
Fiber
Fiber optic cable uses light pulses to transmit data through a glass or plastic core. The cable
consists of four layers. The core is surrounded by a cladding that refracts light back into the
core. The other two layers are the outer sheath, the part you see, and a strength member
or buffer to protect the fiber.
Fiber is not subject to electromagnetic interference, since it uses light to transmit data.
Transmission distances are longer and data rates are higher on fiber than they are on
copper cable. There are two basic types of fiber, single-mode and multimode. Single-mode
fiber carries only one light path, typically sourced by a laser. Multimode carries multiple
light paths and is sourced by an LED. Single-mode has a much longer transmission distance
than multimode.
Coaxial
Coaxial cable is used primarily for cable Internet service and audio/video applications such
as cable TV. It has a single copper conductor core surrounded by a dielectric insulator and
one or more layers of shielding. The shielding reduces electromagnetic interference. The
two most common types of coaxial cable are RG-6 for data and RG-59 for audio/video.
Speed and Transmission Limitations
Each type of network has speed and distance limitations.
Category 5 cable supports data rates up to 100 Mbps.
Category 5e cable supports data rates up to 1 Gbps.
Category 6 cable supports data rates up to 10 Gbps up to 55 meters and 1 Gbps up to 100
meters.
The most commonly used fiber is multimode and supports data rates up to 100 Mbps up to
2000 meters, 1 Gbps up to 550 meters, and 10 Gbps up to 300 meters.
Video Cables
2|Page
, SKILLCERTPRO
Video cables connect a specific type of video port on a computer to a display. Each has its
own connector type and cable pin-out.
VGA— VGA cables connect older analog Video Graphics Adapters to a display. It uses a 15-
pin connector arranged in three rows of five pins.
HDMI—HDMI cables connect a High Definition Multimedia Interface to a display. It uses
a 19-pin connector arranged in two rows. There are different types of HDMI cables. The
most commonly used is type A but is usually just referred to as an HDMI cable with no type
designation.
Mini-HDMI—HDMI type C is usually referred to as mini-HDMI. It uses a 19-pin connector
arranged in two rows, like the HDMI type A cable, but it is smaller and the pin-out is
different.
DisplayPort—DisplayPort cables connect a DisplayPort interface to a display. It uses a 20-
pin connector arranged in two rows of ten pins.
DVI (DVI-D/DVI-I)—DVI cables connect a Digital Visual Interface interface to a display. DVI-D
(-D for digital) supports only digital signals. DVI-I (-I for integrated) supports digital and
analog signals. There are single-link and dual-link DVI cables. Single-link DVI supports 3.7
Gbps HDTV at 60 frames per second. Dual-link DVI supports 7.4 Gbps HDTV at 85 frames per
second.
Multipurpose Cables
Connecting devices directly together without a network connection can be done with these
cables.
Lightning—Lightning cables are proprietary to Apple™. They are used to connect Apple™
devices to USB ports. The cable has eight wires and is terminated with a USB connector on
one end and a Lightning connector on the other. It can carry both data and power to charge
the device. The Lightning connector is reversible, so it can be plugged into the device
without regard to which side is up.
Thunderbolt—Thunderbolt is another Apple™-proprietary cable. It comes as either copper
or optical cable. The maximum length is 3 meters for copper and 60 meters for optical
cable. The connectors are based on the Mini DisplayPort standard, except Thunderbolt
version 3 uses a USB-C connector on the peripheral end. It provides both data and power to
peripheral devices, most commonly storage and display devices. There are three versions of
Thunderbolt. Total throughput for Thunderbolt 1 and 2 is 20 Gbps and Thunderbolt 3 is 40
Gbps.
USB—Universal Serial Bus cables connect to a wide variety of peripheral devices. USB 1.1
was the first version in common use. It uses a type-A connector on the PC side and a type-B
connector on the peripheral side. There are also mini and micro connectors for smaller
devices such as cell phones and cameras. It supports two speeds. Low speed supports data
transfer rate of 1.5 Mbps at lengths up to 3 meters. Full speed supports data transfer rates
of 12 Mbps at lengths up to 5 meters. It provides power, as well.
USB-C—USB-C is a connector type that is used on USB 3.0 and newer cables.
3|Page
, SKILLCERTPRO
USB 2.0—USB 2.0 maintains the characteristics of USB 1.1 and adds a high-speed data
transfer rate of 480 Mbps at lengths up to 5 meters.
USB 3.0—USB 3.0 maintains the characteristics of USB 2.0 and adds SuperSpeed data
transfer rate of 5 Gbps at lengths up to 3 meters. The connectors are a bit different, adding
pins to some connectors to support the higher transfer rate, as well as adding the type-C
connector.
Other Cable Types
Connections to serial ports and hard drives are done with specific cables discussed in this
section. In some instances, adapters can be used to connect to devices.
Peripheral Cables
Peripheral cables are used to connect a PC to other devices.
Serial—While there are many types of serial cables, the term “serial cable” usually refers to
a specific type of cable that confirms to the RS-232 specification. Serial cables are most
often used to connect a laptop to the console or management port of a network device,
such as a switch, router, or firewall.
Hard Drive Cables
Hard drive cables connect a hard drive to a motherboard or controller card. The same
cables may also be used to connect optical drives and older floppy drives.
SATA—The Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) cable is the most commonly
used hard drive cable. There are different SATA revisions. They all allow a maximum cable
length of one meter. SATA revisions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.2 support speeds of 1.5 Gbps, 3
Gbps, 6 Gbps, and 16 Gbps, respectively.
IDE—Integrated Drive Electronics is an older interface. The IDE cable is a 40-wire (34-wire
for floppy drives) ribbon cable that is connected from the motherboard on one end to one
or two drives on the other end.
SCSI—Small Computer System Interface was designed to support a wide variety of device
types, so there are different types of SCSI cables. They may be ribbon cables or standard
round cables of 50, 68, or 80 wires. Up to 16 devices, including the motherboard or SCSI
controller card, may be connected to one SCSI cable or daisy-chained together.
Adapters
Adapters may be used to connect a device to a port that is different from the connector on
the device. They are most often used to connect to a display or a network.
DVI to HDMI—This connects a DVI port to an HDMI display. DVI does not carry audio, so a
separate connection is needed to carry audio to the display.
4|Page
CompTIA A+ Master Cheat Sheet
How to Prepare for Questions about Hardware on
the CompTIA A+ Core Series 1001 Test
General Information
Test 1001 of the CompTIA A+ Core Series contains questions about five topics and one of
them is Hardware. These questions will occupy about 27% of the 1001 test and about two-
thirds of them will begin with the description of a scenario you could encounter in real life.
Then, you’ll be asked to choose a solution. We’ve noted in which topics this might happen
with the designation (of scenario) below.
Cables
You must be able to describe different cable types and their characteristics and uses.
Network Cables
Network cables connect devices to the network. The most common types are Ethernet,
fiber, and coaxial cable.
Ethernet
Ethernet cables use twisted pairs of copper wire. It may be shielded or unshielded. Each
category of cable has specific physical characteristics and a maximum data rate. Ethernet
cables have a maximum length of 100 meters.
Cat 5—Category 5 cable supports data rates up to 100 Mbps.
Cat 5e—Category 5e cable supports data rates up to 1 Gbps.
Cat 6—Category 6 cable supports data rates up to 10 Gbps up to 55 meters and 1 Gbps up
to 100 meters.
Plenum—Plenum cable is used in the plenum space of a building. Any space that handles
air circulation in an HVAC system is plenum space, typically above a drop ceiling or below a
raised floor. Plenum cable uses low-smoke and low-flame materials for fire prevention.
Shielded twisted pair—STP Ethernet cable uses two or four pairs of copper wire. It uses a
foil or braided shield to reduce electromagnetic interference. Depending on the type of
cable, each twisted pair may be shielded or a single shield covers all twisted pairs.
1|Page
, SKILLCERTPRO
Unshielded twisted pair—UTP Ethernet cable uses two or four pairs of copper wire. The
twist in the wires reduces electromagnetic interference.
568A/B—Ethernet cables are terminated with RJ-45 connectors. The pin-out (which wire
connects to which pin) of those connectors is defined in the EIA/TIA 568A & 568B Standards.
The difference between 568A and 568B is that the transmit and receive pairs are reversed.
This allows for two types of cables, straight-through and crossover.
Straight-through is used to connect a device to the network via a switch or hub. It uses the
same pin-out on both ends, whether 568A or 568B. A crossover cable is used to connect
one device directly to another, such as two computers, without a switch or hub between
them. Crossover cables use 568A on one end and 568B on the other.
Fiber
Fiber optic cable uses light pulses to transmit data through a glass or plastic core. The cable
consists of four layers. The core is surrounded by a cladding that refracts light back into the
core. The other two layers are the outer sheath, the part you see, and a strength member
or buffer to protect the fiber.
Fiber is not subject to electromagnetic interference, since it uses light to transmit data.
Transmission distances are longer and data rates are higher on fiber than they are on
copper cable. There are two basic types of fiber, single-mode and multimode. Single-mode
fiber carries only one light path, typically sourced by a laser. Multimode carries multiple
light paths and is sourced by an LED. Single-mode has a much longer transmission distance
than multimode.
Coaxial
Coaxial cable is used primarily for cable Internet service and audio/video applications such
as cable TV. It has a single copper conductor core surrounded by a dielectric insulator and
one or more layers of shielding. The shielding reduces electromagnetic interference. The
two most common types of coaxial cable are RG-6 for data and RG-59 for audio/video.
Speed and Transmission Limitations
Each type of network has speed and distance limitations.
Category 5 cable supports data rates up to 100 Mbps.
Category 5e cable supports data rates up to 1 Gbps.
Category 6 cable supports data rates up to 10 Gbps up to 55 meters and 1 Gbps up to 100
meters.
The most commonly used fiber is multimode and supports data rates up to 100 Mbps up to
2000 meters, 1 Gbps up to 550 meters, and 10 Gbps up to 300 meters.
Video Cables
2|Page
, SKILLCERTPRO
Video cables connect a specific type of video port on a computer to a display. Each has its
own connector type and cable pin-out.
VGA— VGA cables connect older analog Video Graphics Adapters to a display. It uses a 15-
pin connector arranged in three rows of five pins.
HDMI—HDMI cables connect a High Definition Multimedia Interface to a display. It uses
a 19-pin connector arranged in two rows. There are different types of HDMI cables. The
most commonly used is type A but is usually just referred to as an HDMI cable with no type
designation.
Mini-HDMI—HDMI type C is usually referred to as mini-HDMI. It uses a 19-pin connector
arranged in two rows, like the HDMI type A cable, but it is smaller and the pin-out is
different.
DisplayPort—DisplayPort cables connect a DisplayPort interface to a display. It uses a 20-
pin connector arranged in two rows of ten pins.
DVI (DVI-D/DVI-I)—DVI cables connect a Digital Visual Interface interface to a display. DVI-D
(-D for digital) supports only digital signals. DVI-I (-I for integrated) supports digital and
analog signals. There are single-link and dual-link DVI cables. Single-link DVI supports 3.7
Gbps HDTV at 60 frames per second. Dual-link DVI supports 7.4 Gbps HDTV at 85 frames per
second.
Multipurpose Cables
Connecting devices directly together without a network connection can be done with these
cables.
Lightning—Lightning cables are proprietary to Apple™. They are used to connect Apple™
devices to USB ports. The cable has eight wires and is terminated with a USB connector on
one end and a Lightning connector on the other. It can carry both data and power to charge
the device. The Lightning connector is reversible, so it can be plugged into the device
without regard to which side is up.
Thunderbolt—Thunderbolt is another Apple™-proprietary cable. It comes as either copper
or optical cable. The maximum length is 3 meters for copper and 60 meters for optical
cable. The connectors are based on the Mini DisplayPort standard, except Thunderbolt
version 3 uses a USB-C connector on the peripheral end. It provides both data and power to
peripheral devices, most commonly storage and display devices. There are three versions of
Thunderbolt. Total throughput for Thunderbolt 1 and 2 is 20 Gbps and Thunderbolt 3 is 40
Gbps.
USB—Universal Serial Bus cables connect to a wide variety of peripheral devices. USB 1.1
was the first version in common use. It uses a type-A connector on the PC side and a type-B
connector on the peripheral side. There are also mini and micro connectors for smaller
devices such as cell phones and cameras. It supports two speeds. Low speed supports data
transfer rate of 1.5 Mbps at lengths up to 3 meters. Full speed supports data transfer rates
of 12 Mbps at lengths up to 5 meters. It provides power, as well.
USB-C—USB-C is a connector type that is used on USB 3.0 and newer cables.
3|Page
, SKILLCERTPRO
USB 2.0—USB 2.0 maintains the characteristics of USB 1.1 and adds a high-speed data
transfer rate of 480 Mbps at lengths up to 5 meters.
USB 3.0—USB 3.0 maintains the characteristics of USB 2.0 and adds SuperSpeed data
transfer rate of 5 Gbps at lengths up to 3 meters. The connectors are a bit different, adding
pins to some connectors to support the higher transfer rate, as well as adding the type-C
connector.
Other Cable Types
Connections to serial ports and hard drives are done with specific cables discussed in this
section. In some instances, adapters can be used to connect to devices.
Peripheral Cables
Peripheral cables are used to connect a PC to other devices.
Serial—While there are many types of serial cables, the term “serial cable” usually refers to
a specific type of cable that confirms to the RS-232 specification. Serial cables are most
often used to connect a laptop to the console or management port of a network device,
such as a switch, router, or firewall.
Hard Drive Cables
Hard drive cables connect a hard drive to a motherboard or controller card. The same
cables may also be used to connect optical drives and older floppy drives.
SATA—The Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) cable is the most commonly
used hard drive cable. There are different SATA revisions. They all allow a maximum cable
length of one meter. SATA revisions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.2 support speeds of 1.5 Gbps, 3
Gbps, 6 Gbps, and 16 Gbps, respectively.
IDE—Integrated Drive Electronics is an older interface. The IDE cable is a 40-wire (34-wire
for floppy drives) ribbon cable that is connected from the motherboard on one end to one
or two drives on the other end.
SCSI—Small Computer System Interface was designed to support a wide variety of device
types, so there are different types of SCSI cables. They may be ribbon cables or standard
round cables of 50, 68, or 80 wires. Up to 16 devices, including the motherboard or SCSI
controller card, may be connected to one SCSI cable or daisy-chained together.
Adapters
Adapters may be used to connect a device to a port that is different from the connector on
the device. They are most often used to connect to a display or a network.
DVI to HDMI—This connects a DVI port to an HDMI display. DVI does not carry audio, so a
separate connection is needed to carry audio to the display.
4|Page
