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Practice Test Hardware Flashcards

7 cards from real COMPTIA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Practice Test Hardware flashcards as text

  1. A desktop PC beeps three times on startup and does not display anything. According to common BIOS POST codes, what does three beeps typically indicate?

    Answer: RAM error

    Three beeps on most BIOS implementations (AMI, Award) signals a RAM failure or incompatibility, requiring reseating or replacement of memory modules.

  2. Which storage interface standard uses a differential signal pair for each lane and supports hot-plugging in its SAS implementation?

    Answer: SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)

    SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) uses differential signaling for noise immunity, supports hot-plugging, and is designed for enterprise storage environments.

  3. A technician needs to upgrade RAM in a laptop that uses SO-DIMM slots. What distinguishes SO-DIMM from standard DIMM modules?

    Answer: SO-DIMMs are physically smaller, designed for compact devices

    SO-DIMM (Small Outline DIMM) modules are roughly half the length of standard DIMMs, allowing them to fit in laptops, mini-PCs, and some embedded systems.

  4. What does a 80 PLUS Gold certification on a power supply indicate?

    Answer: The PSU is at least 87% efficient at 20%, 92% at 50%, and 87% at 100% load

    80 PLUS Gold certification means the PSU achieves a minimum efficiency of 87%/92%/87% at 20%/50%/100% load on a 115V AC line.

  5. A technician is adding a PCIe x16 GPU to a system but only a PCIe x8 physical slot with x8 electrical lanes is available. What is the result?

    Answer: The GPU will function but at reduced bandwidth compared to x16

    PCIe is backward compatible; a x16 card in an x8 slot will operate at x8 bandwidth, which may slightly limit performance but allows the GPU to function.

  6. Which cooling solution is BEST suited for extreme overclocking scenarios where air cooling is insufficient?

    Answer: Custom open-loop liquid cooling system

    Custom open-loop liquid cooling offers the highest thermal capacity and flexibility, allowing larger radiators and specialized coolants needed for extreme overclocking.

  7. When disposing of a CRT monitor, which hazardous material makes special handling mandatory?

    Answer: Lead in the cathode ray tube glass

    CRT monitors contain significant amounts of lead in the funnel glass of the cathode ray tube, requiring proper e-waste disposal rather than standard trash.