CompTIA A+ Study Guide
What class of fire extinguisher should you use on computer fires? -
☑️Class C
Electrical fires require a Class C extinguisher formulated with halon
What type of fire extinguishing substance interrupts the chemical reaction of burning materials? -
☑️Halon
True or false? The reason you need to be concerned about electrostatic discharge is because it can
be fatal to humans. -
☑️False
True or false? Batteries, toner cartridges, and ink cartridges can be disposed of in landfills without
any consequences. -
☑️False
Which type of bus connects the processor to the main memory? (Choose all that apply) -
☑️ Address bus, Data bus
A specific location in main memory is accessed by placing its address on the address bus and its
contents are then either read or written across the data bus
By convention, PCI slots are typically what color? -
☑️ White
What color are AGP slots? -
☑️Usually brown - sometimes maroon or some other dark color
Typically, the PCI bus is a(n) _____ bit bus -
☑️32-bit bus running at 33MHz - A 66 MHz bus speed exists too
*less common variant of PCI bus is one that supports a 64-bit bus*
The bus speed of a 2x, 4x, or 8x AGP card is ____ -
☑️66 MHz - regardless of transfer rate
*Higher transfer rates are achieved by pumping up the # of bits transferred per clock cycle in the
#x speed variants*
When should you update your system BIOS? -
☑️In the event that something isn't working as expected - This includes a recent
malfunction or in the event of upgrading hardware
True or false? Every BIOS manufacturer uses the same flashing utility. -
☑️False - Always make certain that you obtain both the flashing utility and BIOS
update from the manufacturer of your PC
What is the best source for BIOS updates? -
☑️Manufacturer of PC
1
, *BIOS manufacturer creates core image if PC, but it is them delivered to the manufacturer in
incomplete form - PC manufacturer then finalizes the configuration so it is essentially "set and
forget" for the end user*
You wish to install a high-performance video adapter in your PC to improve your gaming
experience. What do you need to do to disable the cheap, integrated video adapter so it doesn't
cause a conflict? -
☑️Disable the integrated video adapter from the CMOS setup
*Low-level hardware configuration (i.e. disabling integrated video adapter) is performed from
within the BIOS CMOS utility*
What are the three main components of a CPU? -
☑️ A control unit, an execution unit, and a set of registers
CPU itself sits on a _____________ that interconnects it to the main memory and other components
within the system -
☑️Bus architecture
Single-core processor has one of what component? -
☑️Execution unit
*multi-core processors have multiple execution units*
What are very small, very fast memory locations for holding instructions or units of data? -
☑️Registers
*During operation, CPUs store data and instructions in registers. Registers operate at the same
speed as the CPU and provide much faster access than main memory*
Which processor caching level is the fastest for accessing data? -
☑️Level 1
*fastest caching level since it's physically located closest to the CPU's internal bus*
What performance feature can overheat the processor? -
☑️Overclocking
*a non-supported performance method that involves increasing the system clock to achieve a
higher CPU instruction rate - it comes at the cost of increased CPU heat dissipation and
increased error rate*
What are some methods used to boost processor performance? -
☑️multiprocessing
pipelining
superpipelining
overclocking
Which package type has no pins, but uses small raised contacts instead? -
☑️ A land grid array (LGA) package
*uses raised contacts that may either be soldered directly to a circuit board using surface mount
techniques or inserted into socket*
True or false? CPUs of the same class are interchangeable. For example, you can replace any
Pentium 4 CPU on a motherboard with any other Pentium 4-class CPU. -
2
What class of fire extinguisher should you use on computer fires? -
☑️Class C
Electrical fires require a Class C extinguisher formulated with halon
What type of fire extinguishing substance interrupts the chemical reaction of burning materials? -
☑️Halon
True or false? The reason you need to be concerned about electrostatic discharge is because it can
be fatal to humans. -
☑️False
True or false? Batteries, toner cartridges, and ink cartridges can be disposed of in landfills without
any consequences. -
☑️False
Which type of bus connects the processor to the main memory? (Choose all that apply) -
☑️ Address bus, Data bus
A specific location in main memory is accessed by placing its address on the address bus and its
contents are then either read or written across the data bus
By convention, PCI slots are typically what color? -
☑️ White
What color are AGP slots? -
☑️Usually brown - sometimes maroon or some other dark color
Typically, the PCI bus is a(n) _____ bit bus -
☑️32-bit bus running at 33MHz - A 66 MHz bus speed exists too
*less common variant of PCI bus is one that supports a 64-bit bus*
The bus speed of a 2x, 4x, or 8x AGP card is ____ -
☑️66 MHz - regardless of transfer rate
*Higher transfer rates are achieved by pumping up the # of bits transferred per clock cycle in the
#x speed variants*
When should you update your system BIOS? -
☑️In the event that something isn't working as expected - This includes a recent
malfunction or in the event of upgrading hardware
True or false? Every BIOS manufacturer uses the same flashing utility. -
☑️False - Always make certain that you obtain both the flashing utility and BIOS
update from the manufacturer of your PC
What is the best source for BIOS updates? -
☑️Manufacturer of PC
1
, *BIOS manufacturer creates core image if PC, but it is them delivered to the manufacturer in
incomplete form - PC manufacturer then finalizes the configuration so it is essentially "set and
forget" for the end user*
You wish to install a high-performance video adapter in your PC to improve your gaming
experience. What do you need to do to disable the cheap, integrated video adapter so it doesn't
cause a conflict? -
☑️Disable the integrated video adapter from the CMOS setup
*Low-level hardware configuration (i.e. disabling integrated video adapter) is performed from
within the BIOS CMOS utility*
What are the three main components of a CPU? -
☑️ A control unit, an execution unit, and a set of registers
CPU itself sits on a _____________ that interconnects it to the main memory and other components
within the system -
☑️Bus architecture
Single-core processor has one of what component? -
☑️Execution unit
*multi-core processors have multiple execution units*
What are very small, very fast memory locations for holding instructions or units of data? -
☑️Registers
*During operation, CPUs store data and instructions in registers. Registers operate at the same
speed as the CPU and provide much faster access than main memory*
Which processor caching level is the fastest for accessing data? -
☑️Level 1
*fastest caching level since it's physically located closest to the CPU's internal bus*
What performance feature can overheat the processor? -
☑️Overclocking
*a non-supported performance method that involves increasing the system clock to achieve a
higher CPU instruction rate - it comes at the cost of increased CPU heat dissipation and
increased error rate*
What are some methods used to boost processor performance? -
☑️multiprocessing
pipelining
superpipelining
overclocking
Which package type has no pins, but uses small raised contacts instead? -
☑️ A land grid array (LGA) package
*uses raised contacts that may either be soldered directly to a circuit board using surface mount
techniques or inserted into socket*
True or false? CPUs of the same class are interchangeable. For example, you can replace any
Pentium 4 CPU on a motherboard with any other Pentium 4-class CPU. -
2
