CompTIA Hardware Practice 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A laptop's built-in keyboard stops working after a liquid spill, but an external USB keyboard works fine. What is the most cost-effective repair?
- Replace the entire motherboard
- Replace the laptop keyboard ribbon cable or keyboard assembly (Correct answer)
- Reinstall the operating system
- Update the keyboard firmware
Correct answer: Replace the laptop keyboard ribbon cable or keyboard assembly
Liquid damage typically affects only the keyboard assembly; replacing the keyboard or its ribbon cable restores functionality without a costly motherboard swap.
Question 2: Which power supply specification describes its efficiency at converting AC input to DC output?
- Wattage rating
- 80 Plus certification (Correct answer)
- Rail amperage
- Form factor
Correct answer: 80 Plus certification
80 Plus certification levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium) indicate the PSU's AC-to-DC conversion efficiency at various load levels.
Question 3: A technician is installing a CPU and notices one corner of the socket has a small triangle indicator. What does this indicate?
- The socket voltage regulator location
- CPU pin 1 alignment for correct installation orientation (Correct answer)
- The socket locking mechanism release point
- The integrated graphics output pin
Correct answer: CPU pin 1 alignment for correct installation orientation
The triangle on both the CPU and socket marks pin 1, ensuring the processor is inserted in the correct orientation to avoid damage.
Question 4: A workstation needs to run four 4K monitors simultaneously. Which hardware consideration is most critical?
- Total system RAM capacity
- GPU with sufficient video outputs and VRAM (Correct answer)
- Number of USB ports on the motherboard
- CPU cache size
Correct answer: GPU with sufficient video outputs and VRAM
Driving four 4K displays requires a GPU with enough video outputs and VRAM to buffer and render all four high-resolution framebuffers.
Question 5: What is the function of the EPS 12V connector on a motherboard?
- Provides power to PCIe slots
- Supplies dedicated 12V power to the CPU voltage regulator (Correct answer)
- Powers SATA devices on the board
- Connects the front panel power button
Correct answer: Supplies dedicated 12V power to the CPU voltage regulator
The EPS 12V (8-pin) connector delivers dedicated 12-volt power directly to the motherboard's CPU voltage regulator module.
Question 6: A technician suspects a hard drive is failing. Which built-in drive technology provides real-time health monitoring data?
- TRIM
- S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) (Correct answer)
- NCQ (Native Command Queuing)
- AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface)
Correct answer: S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)
S.M.A.R.T. monitors drive health attributes such as reallocated sectors and spin-up time, providing early warning of potential failure.
Question 7: Which bus standard is used by modern CPUs to communicate directly with RAM, bypassing the traditional northbridge chipset?
- PCIe
- Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) on-die (Correct answer)
- FSB (Front Side Bus)
- HyperTransport
Correct answer: Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) on-die
Modern CPUs include an on-die Integrated Memory Controller that connects directly to RAM, eliminating northbridge latency.
CompTIA Hardware Practice 4
A laptop's built-in keyboard stops working after a liquid spill, but an external USB keyboard works fine.
What is the most cost-effective repair?