Capítulo 1 de 524% del examen
PC Hardware Fundamentals
This chapter covers the physical building blocks of a personal computer: the processor, memory, storage, power, and the connectors that tie them together. A support technician must recognize each component, know how it installs, and understand the specifications that determine compatibility and performance.
Memory (RAM)
System memory is volatile storage that holds active data for the CPU. Desktops use DDR SDRAM in DIMM modules while laptops use the smaller SO-DIMM. Matching speed, generation, and channel configuration is essential for stability and performance.
Match the DDR generation to the board
DDR3, DDR4, and DDR5 slots are keyed differently and are not interchangeable; the motherboard dictates which generation is supported.
Populate matching slots for dual channel
Install identical modules in the color-coded slot pairs (often 1 and 3, or 2 and 4) to enable dual-channel bandwidth.
Use ECC only where supported
Error-correcting memory detects and corrects single-bit errors and is used in servers/workstations with compatible boards and CPUs.
RAM is volatile
Contents are lost on power off, so RAM stores active data only, not permanent files.
Storage Devices
Storage retains data without power. Technicians choose between mechanical hard drives, SATA SSDs, and high-speed NVMe drives based on capacity, speed, and cost. Form factor and interface must match the system.
NVMe uses the PCIe bus
NVMe SSDs far exceed SATA III's ~600 MB/s ceiling and typically install in an M.2 slot.
HDD speed is measured in RPM
Common mechanical drives spin at 5400 or 7200 RPM, affecting access time and throughput.
SSDs have no moving parts
Flash storage offers faster access and better shock resistance, while HDDs still lead on cost per terabyte.
Match form factor to the bay or slot
2.5-inch drives fit laptop/SATA bays; M.2 gumsticks fit M.2 slots on the motherboard.
Power Supply and Connectors
The power supply unit converts AC wall power into the DC voltages components need. Choosing the right wattage, efficiency rating, and connector set is critical, especially when adding a graphics card.
80 PLUS rates efficiency, not wattage
Bronze, Gold, and Platinum tiers describe conversion efficiency at typical loads, not maximum output.
24-pin feeds the motherboard
The main ATX connector is 24 pins; the CPU uses a separate 4/8-pin EPS connector.
GPUs use PCIe power connectors
Discrete graphics cards draw supplemental power from 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe leads.
Verify wattage before upgrades
Adding power-hungry components requires enough total wattage and the correct connectors on the PSU.
CPU, Cooling, and Expansion
The processor executes instructions, and it must stay within thermal limits to avoid throttling. Expansion slots and thermal management let a technician tailor and maintain a build.
Apply thermal paste between CPU and cooler
A thin layer fills microscopic gaps to improve heat transfer to the heat sink.
PCIe x16 is for graphics cards
Modern GPUs use the x16 slot; legacy PCI, AGP, and ISA are obsolete.
Multithreading boosts core utilization
Simultaneous multithreading (Hyper-Threading) lets one core process two threads.
Choose cooling for the thermal load
Passive heat sinks, active fans, and closed-loop liquid coolers (AIO) suit different heat outputs.
RAID and Redundancy
RAID combines multiple drives for performance, redundancy, or both. Understanding common levels helps a technician recommend the right configuration for reliability needs.
RAID 0 stripes with no redundancy
It boosts performance but a single drive failure loses all data.
RAID 1 mirrors two drives
Identical copies provide fault tolerance if one drive fails.
RAID 5 needs three or more drives
Striping with distributed parity survives a single drive loss.
RAID 10 combines mirroring and striping
It offers both redundancy and performance at the cost of more drives.
Pon a prueba tus conocimientos
Preguntas de práctica sobre PC Hardware Fundamentals