Practice Test Questions. 2

Basic Computer Service Concepts. 13

PC Architecture. 15

PC Memory Architecture. 17

The System Board. 17

Understanding and Managing Memory. 22

 

Practice Test Questions

  1. Which of the following memory types offers the highest transfer rate and bandwidth rate?
    1. FPM DRAM
    2. EDO RAM
    3. DDR SDRAM
    4. RIMM
      d. Direct Rambus (RIMM) is a relatively new technology that uses a fast (up to 800MHz) technology.
  2. What is the main purpose of WRAM?
    1. It is a special type of memory designed for laptop computers.
    2. It is a specialized type of memory for video accelerators.
    3. It is a specialized type of memory for Windows accelerator cards.
    4. It is a specialized type of memory for sound accelerator cards.
      c. Windows RAM (WRAM) is a specialized memory for Windows accelerator cards. It is similar to video RAM, but it is much faster.
  3. Which IRQ is typically assigned to LPT2?
    1. IRQ3
    2. IRQ5
    3. IRQ10
    4. IRQ15
      b. IRQ5 is typically assigned to LPT2. Since most computers do not use LPT2, this IRQ is typically available for use with other devices.
  4. Which bus architecture is typically associated with IBM PS/2 computers?
    1. ISA
    2. EISA
    3. MCA
    4. VESA
      c. The Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus was developed by IBM for their PS/2 computers as an upgrade to the ISA architecture.
  5. What is the maximum resolution supported by the VGA standard?
    1. 320 x 480
    2. 480 x 600
    3. 640 x 480
    4. 800 x 600
      c. The maximum resolution supported by VGA is 640 x 480. The SVGA standard supports up to 1024 x 768 resolution.
  6. What is the primary purpose of the transfer corona assembly in a laser printer?
    1. It charges the paper so that the toner sticks to the paper.
    2. It fuses the toner to the paper.
    3. It moves the paper through the printer.
    4. It is a laser that scans the image to the printer.
      a. After the laser writes the image to a photosensitive drum, the transfer conrona wire charges the paper so that the toner is pulled from the drum to the paper.
  7. Which IEEE specification is responsible for defining fiber optic standards?
    1. 802.1
    2. 802.4
    3. 802.6
    4. 802.8
      d. The IEEE 802 workgroup has designated 802.8 as the Fiber Optic Technical Advisory Group.
  8. What is the maximum data rate that can be transmitted over UTP Category 3 Cable?
    1. 4Mbps
    2. 10Mbps
    3. 16Mbps
    4. 100Mbps
      b. Category 3 UTP cable contains four twisted pairs of wires and has three twists per foot. It is only capable of transmitting data at 10Mbps.
  9. Which DMA channel is typically assigned to the hard disk controller?
    1. DMA 1
    2. DMA 2
    3. DMA 3
    4. DMA 4
      a. DMA 1 is the default assignment for the hard disk controller.
  10. Which one of these voltages is used to provide power to disk drive motors?
    1. +5V
    2. -5V
    3. +12V
    4. +3.3V
      c. The +5V supplies power for electronic components on the optional devices, but the +12V is used for disk-drive motors and other devices that require higher voltage.
  11. Which RAID level can be used to provide fault tolerance if you only have two equal-sized disks?
    1. 5
    2. 2
    3. 1
    4. 10
      c. RAID level 1 is called disk mirroring or disk duplexing if you have two controllers. One requirement is that both drives be equal in size.
  12. A __________ takes a digital signal and changes it to a corresponding analog signal. It can also convert it back from analog to digital.
    1. Video adapter
    2. Sound card
    3. Mouse card
    4. None of the above
      b. A sound card samples an analog signal and converts it to a corresponding digital signal using an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and back by using a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter.
  13. DOS can be divided into three components. What are they?
    1. Boot files, BIOS, and utility files
    2. File management files, boot files, and utility files
    3. Utility files, BIOS, and file management files
    4. BIOS, CMOS, and boot files
      b. File management files, boot files, and utility files. Boot files take over from the BIOS. File management files allow the system to manage information within itself. Utility files allow for troubleshooting.
  14. Which one of the following is not an operating system?
    1. DOS 5
    2. DOS 3.5
    3. Windows NT 3.51
    4. Windows 3.x
      d. Windows 3.x is an operating environment and runs on top of DOS, which is an operating system.
  15. You have just installed a new modem and now the PC will not pass POST. What should be your first step in troubleshooting?
    1. Check to make sure the telephone cables are plugged in
    2. Check Device Manager to see if the drivers are installed correctly
    3. Remove all the cards and see if the PC passes POST.
    4. Boot the PC in Safe Mode
    5. None of the above.
      e. The telephone cables have nothing to do with POST. You can’t get to Device Manager if you can’t get past POST. Although removing all the cards would eventually work, it should not be your first step; you should check the last card installed before you remove them all. You can’t get to Safe mode without passing POST.
  16. You have installed a new hard drive. When you turn the PC back on, what is the first thing you should do?
    1. Partition the hard drive
    2. Format the hard drive
    3. Load software on the hard drive
    4. Set up the drive in CMOS
      d. Before you can perform any of the other steps, the system must recognize that the new hard drive is there. You must set it up in CMOS first.
  17. Which DMA ports can be used as spares? (select all that apply)
    1. CH 0
    2. CH 1
    3. Ch 4
    4. CH 5
      a, b, d. DMA channels 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 are all available for use.
  18. Which one of these stages is not included in the six stages of the Electrophotographic (EP) print process?
    1. Writing
    2. Fusing
    3. Bonding
    4. Developing
      c. The six stages in the Electrophotographic (EP) are cleaning, conditioning, writing, developing, transferring, and fusing.
  19. You turn the PC on and see a “CMOS CHECKSUM FAILURE” error message on the screen. What does this indicate? (select all that apply)
    1. CMOS shutdown register failure
    2. Low CMOS battery
    3. Failed CHECKSUM test
    4. Incorrect time and date settings
      b, c. This error message indicates that the CMOS battery is low or the CHECKSUM test failed.
  20. If you turn on a computer and hear five beeps, what is the possible cause?
    1. RAM failure
    2. Keyboard failure
    3. CPU failure
    4. Display test failure
      c. If you hear five beeps, the CPU is bad. Six beeps indicates that there is a problem with the keyboard. Two beeps are for the RAM. One long beep and eight short beeps tells you the display test failed.
  21. What should be used to clean the outer plastic surface of a PC?
    1. Detergent
    2. Soft scrub cleanser
    3. Bleach
    4. A damp cloth
      d. You should not use any strong cleanser. Of the four options, a damp cloth is the best answer.
  22. Most hard drives are damaged by ______________.
    1. Static
    2. Excessive use
    3. Lack of use
    4. Rough handling
      d. More hard drives are damaged by rough handling than by anything else. They are sealed in dust-free compartments so dust is not a factor. Lack of use does not affect a hard drive, nor does excessive use. Hard drives today are not affected much by static either.
  23. Inexpensive power-line filters can protect your PC from what?
    1. Loosing power
    2. Thunderstorms
    3. Strange voltage
    4. Power surges
      d. Power line filters are designed to protect your PC from power spikes. They can’t, however, protect your PC from large power surges caused by a restoration in power or severe thunderstorms.
  24. What purpose does a UPS serve?
    1. It serves as a power backup system
    2. It serves as a surge suppressor
    3. It serves as the main source of power
    4. All of the above
      a. A UPS serves as a backup power source in case there is a loss of power. If the power goes out, a UPS senses it and provides power to the PC.
  25. Which of the following are the most common causes of electrostatic discharge (ESD)?
    1. People walking across carpeting
    2. Unshielded cables
    3. Improper grounding
    4. Hot and dry room
    5. All of the above
      e. all of these things cause ESD and produce up to 1, 000 volts. ESD will not hurt humans, but it can destroy electric components.
  26. Which CPUs are known to work with a Socket 7 system board? (select all that apply)
    1. Intel
    2. Cyrix
    3. AMD
    4. Microsoft
      d. Microsoft does not produce a CPU. All the other CPUs (except the Pentium II and beyond) will work with a socket 7.
  27. What are some of the characteristics of a peer-to-peer network? (Select all that apply)
    1. Central administration
    2. Lower cost
    3. Ten or fewer computers
    4. Security not an issue
      b, c. A peer-to-peer network is used when you have fewer than 10 users. The cost is low because you do not have to have a separate server or a network administrator.
  28. What is the maximum segment length for 10Base5 cable?
    1. 100m
    2. 200m
    3. 185m
    4. 500m
      d. The max length for 10Base5, better known as thicknet, is 500m. The conductor it uses is RG-58.
  29. If you took a resistance reading from a USB cable to determine whether it is good, what should it be?
    1. 75 ohms
    2. 50 ohms
    3. 90 ohms
    4. 25 ohms
      c. If you measured resistance on a USB cable by connecting one lead to the D+ and the other to D-, you would get a reading of 90 ohms.
  30. What primary component applies a -600v to the drum?
    1. Fuser
    2. Transfer roller
    3. Primary corona wire
    4. Voltage wire
      c. The primary corona wire applies -600v. The primary corona wire charges the drum with -600v before the image is written on it.
  31. Which IRQ is used for the floppy drive controller?
    1. 13
    2. 1
    3. 11
    4. 6
      d. IRQ 6 is used for the floppy drive controller. IRQ 11 is available for use. IRQ 1 is used for the keyboard, and IRQ 13 is for the coprocessor.
  32.  Which components store electricity in a computer?
    1. Battery
    2. Resistor
    3. Capacitor
    4. Integrated chip
      a, c. There is a battery in the PC that keeps a charge to store the CMOS settings when the PC is turned off. Capacitors also store a charge to allow for the power supply and other components. The resistor will resist charges on certain components. An integrated chip is a chip that has many chips in one.
  33. Which of the following processors are used with the Socket 8 CPU connector?
    1. Pentium Pro
    2. Pentium II
    3. Pentium III
    4. Pentium 75+ Overdrive
      a. The Pentium Pro CPU will fit in the Socket 8 connector. The Pentium II CPU will fit in the SECC Type I socket. The Pentium III CPU will fit in the SECC Type II socket. The Pentium 75+ Overdrive CPU will fit in the Socket 7 connector.
  34. Which of the following tells the CPU how to interact with the rest of the PC?
    1. CMOS
    2. BIOS
    3. Math coprocessor
    4. Operating system
      b. The basic input/output system (BIOS) controls the input/output operations of the PC hardware, including the CPU. Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) stores the settings of the components in the PC and how the motherboard should use them. Instead of the CPU managing the processing and mathematical computations, the math coprocessor manages the major number-crunching. The operating-system allows the user to interact with the PC hardware.
  35. Which parallel port type allows for the printer and PC to communicate with one another?
    1. Standard
    2. Bidirectional
    3. ECP
    4. EPP
      b, d. Bidirectional ports allow communication to travel to and from the PC. Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) allows for bidirectional communications at higher speeds than a regular bidirectional port would allow. Standard ports allow for a unidirectional communication that travels only from the PC to the printer. Enhanced Capabilities Port (ECP) ports are unidirectional also, but they allow data to travel at higher speeds.
  36. You are installing a second hard drive into a PC that has two IDE controllers and currently has a CD-ROM on the second controller. How should the new hard drive be configured?
    1. Slave
    2. Master
    3. Should be terminated
    4. With a diagnostics disk
      a. The first device installed on an IDE controller should be the master and the secondary device should be the slave. Because both controllers already have a device and your are adding a secondary, it should be configured as a slave. On SCSI controllers, the two end devices on the chain should be terminated. SCSI devices are given an address rather than assigned master or slave designation. A diagnostic disk is not required to configure and IDE drive.
  37. What dictates how fast data can be transferred over a bus?
    1. CPU clock
    2. Bus clock
    3. Bus timer
    4. System timer
      b. The bus clock determines the speed at which data is transferred over the bus. The CPU clock determines how fast the CPU operates. Bus timer and system timer are not valid options.
  38. Which type of PCMCIA card is commonly used for memory cards?
    1. Type I
    2. Type II
    3. Type III
    4. Type IV
      a. Type I PCMCIA cards are commonly used for memory cards due to their small size. Type II cards are mostly used for modems and LAN cards. Type III cards are used mainly for hard disks. There are no such things as Type IV cards.
  39. Which assembly will permanently press the toner into the paper?
    1. Transfer corona
    2. Fuser
    3. Printer controller circuitry
    4. Paper transport assembly
      b. The fuser assembly will press and melt the toner into the paper. The transfer corona transfers the toner from the drum to the paper. The printer controller circuitry converts signals from the PC into signals for the various printer assemblies. The paper transport assembly actually controls the movement of the paper through the printer.
  40. What is included in the EP laser printer toner cartridge?
    1. Toner
    2. Print drum
    3. Laser
    4. Cleaning blade
      a, b, d. In an Electrophotographic (EP) laser printer toner cartridge, the toner print drum, and cleaning blade are all contained in the toner cartridge. The laser is contained within the printer, not within the toner cartridge.
  41. What voltage does the corona wire or corona roller hold?
    1. +600v
    2. -600v
    3. 0Vdc
    4. -100Vdc
      a. For the toner (which has a charge of -100Vdc) to be transferred from the print drum (which has a charge of -600Vdc) to the paper, there must be a positive, or opposite, charge of greater difference to bread the -100Vdc charge from the drum.
  42. Instead of using a hub, what is used in a Token Ring network?
    1. Bridge
    2. Router
    3. MAU
    4. Smart Hub
      c. A MAU, or Multiple Access Unit, it used in a Token Ring network instead of a hub. The MAU will pass the token from port to port in the MAU. Bridges are used to separate a large physical network into two smaller networks to reduce network traffic. Routers are used to join dissimilar network topologies or subnets. Smart hubs are hubs with memory. They track which PC is connected to which port, which helps reduce network traffic because packets don’t need to be broadcast to all ports.
  43. What program in Windows 95 or above can be used to determine available and used resources?
    1. DIAG
    2. WINDIAG
    3. MSD
    4. WINMSD
      d. WINMSD is used on Windows 95 and above operating systems to run the Windows equivalent of the MSD program in DOS. Windows 3.11 still uses the DOS MSD utility.
  44. You are going to make some additions to the programs installed on a Windows 3.x PC. You want to make sure that you are able to put the system back the way it was if the new programs fail. Which INI files should you back up?
    1. WINDOWS.INI
    2. SYSTEM.INI
    3. WIN.INI
    4. PROGMAN.INI
      b, c, d. The three primary configuration files that Windows uses are SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, and PROGMAN.INI.
  45. When turning on a PC, you receive a 601 error. What is the problem?
    1. Memory error
    2. Floppy drive error
    3. Mouse error
    4. IRQ conflict
      b. A 601 error is generated when the PC cannot contact and activate the floppy drive.
  46. You are accessing a modem through a command-line prompt. You hear the phone ring and you want the modem to answer it. What command do you type in?
    1. ATZ
    2. ATH
    3. ATA
    4. AT
      c. AT is used to get the attention of the modem and to tell it to carry out the command that follows. ATA gets the modem’s attention and tells it to answer the phone. ATZ resets the modem to the defaults. ATH hangs up the modem.
  47. You have just installed a new laser printer. You install all the cables, you install the toner cartridge, you install the printer driver on your PC, and you fill it with paper. When you print, the pages come out blank. What is the problem?
    1. You forgot to remove the tape from the cartridge
    2. You installed the toner cartridge backwards
    3. You installed the wrong printer driver
    4. The fuser is malfunctioning
      a. Toner cartridges are shipped with a plastic tab that is connected to tape that seals the cartridge so toner does not leak out. Before using the cartridge, you must bread off the tab and then remove the tab and the tape connected to it.
  48. Which of the following can be used to create a network?
    1. SCSI cards and cables
    2. Laplink cable
    3. Null modem cable
    4. Printer cable
      a, b, c. If two PCs have a SCSI card and are connected externally by SCSI cables, they will be able to share data. A laplink cable is a printer cable that has a DB-25 connector on both ends (no Centronics connector). This allows two PCs to be connected by their printer ports to share data. A null modem cable allows two PCs to be connected by their serial ports to share data. A printer port will not work; there is no Centronics connector on a PC as there is on a printer.
  49. Which of the following buses can an 8-bit expansion card work in properly?
    1. 8-bit bus
    2. 16-bit bus
    3. PCI bus
    4. Vesa Local Bus
      a, b. An ISA bus can operate using only 8 bits of the bus. This will allow for 8-bit cards to be used in the 160bit bus. Eight-bit cards are incompatible with PCI and Vesa Local Bus.
  50. The _____________________ is used to store frequently accessed data and instructions.
    1. Hard drive
    2. RAM
    3. Internal cache memory
    4. ROM
      c. An internal cache memory is a storage area for frequently used data and instructions. It requires a small amount of physical RAM that can keep up with the processor.
  51. Which processor was introduced with 1.2 million transistors and a 32-bit internal and external data path?
    1. 386SX
    2. 486DX
    3. 486DX2
    4. Pentium
      b. While the 386DX was the first Intel processor to use a 32-bit data bus and a 32-bit address bus, the 486DX was the first Intel processor that used both a 32-bit internal and a 32-bit external data path.
  52. Which power device would be best to attach to your computer if you were having undervoltage power problems?
    1. Surge protector
    2. UPS
    3. Line conditioner
    4. SPS
      b. The better choice for undervoltage problems would be the UPS. The computer equipment is always running off the battery. While the line voltage is normal the battery gets charged. When power fluctuates, only the charging circuit is affected.
  53. The most important component in the computer is the _____________.
    1. Hard drive
    2. System board
    3. Peripheral ports
    4. CPU
    5. Memory system
      e. Because the computer needs a place to store instructions and data in a quickly and easily retrievable format, the memory system is the most important component.
  54. Which switch will cause MEM.EXE to give the most detailed information about the current memory configuration?
    1. /A
    2. /B
    3. /C
    4. /D
      d. /D signifies to run MEM.EXE in the debug mode. As such, you can think of this as a verbose mode in that it will give you the most detailed information about your memory utilization.
  55. Which area of memory is used for running most DOS programs, loading drivers, and loading TSRs?
    1. Conventional memory
    2. Extensive memory
    3. Extended memory
    4. Expanded memory
      a. When the 8088 and 8086 were first produced, the programs, drivers, and TSRs were given an area of memory to run called conventional memory. This is the first 640K of memory. Later this would change, and other areas of memory would become available, but conventional memory would remain the default memory area to use.
  56. Which processors can access as much as 4GB of RAM?
    1. 8088
    2. 8086
    3. 80286
    4. 80386
    5. 80486
    6. Pentium
      d, e, f. As address busses expanded beyond the 24-bit capability of the 80286, this allowed them to access even more memory. With a 32-bit address bus width, the 80386, 80486, and Pentium processors can now access as much as 4GB of RAM.
  57. What type of error-checking routine do modem communications most often use?
    1. Parity
    2. Error correction
    3. Addition
    4. Checksumming
      a. Modem communications are serial-based, so the most efficient error-checking method for them is parity. Checksumming would cause too much overhead in transmissions.
  58. Which of the following indicates a hard memory error?
    1. 201 BIOS error
    2. 301 BIOS error
    3. One long beep, three short beeps
    4. Two long beeps, two short beeps
    5. Parity error
      a, c, e. Memory errors can be indicated by a beep code and/or by an error message that states that there is a parity error or a 201 BIOS error.
  59. Which driver must be loaded in the CONFIG.SYS to give DOS access to extended memory?
    1. C:\DOS\EXTMEM.SYS
    2. C:\DOS\UPPMEM.SYS
    3. C:\DOS\MEMORY.SYS
    4. C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE
    5. C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
      e. EMM386.EXE grants access to the expanded memory area, but it is HIMEM.SYS that grants access to the extended memory area.
  60.  

 

Basic Computer Service Concepts

  1. Standard Color Codes for Resistors:

Color

1st Band (Left Digit)

2nd Band (Right Digit)

3rd Band (Multiplier)

Black

0

0

1

Brown

1

1

10

Red

2

2

100

Orange

3

3

1,000

Yellow

4

4

10,000

Green

5

5

100,000

Blue

6

6

1,000,000

Violet

7

7

10,000,000

Gray

8

8

100,000,000

White

9

9

N/A
  1. The variable resistor is also called a rheostat or potentiometer (pots). The most common use in a computer for a variable resistor is for a volume control or brightness control. The resistance is varied between the center pole and either of the end poles. It can be used to vary resistance directly from zero to infinity by hooking the target to one pole and the source to the center pole.
  2. A capacitor is used to store electrical charge.
  3. The most common package for an IC is the Dual Inline Package, or DIP.
  4. The Quad Small Outline Package (QSOP – also called a surface mount) is among the most commonly used types of chips today.
  5. Single Inline Package (SIP): characterized by a small circuit board with several small pins coming out of it.
  6. PGA stands for Pin Grid Array, describing the array of pins used to connect the chip to the circuit board. ZIF stands for zero insertion force, which describes how easy it is to place a chip in this kind of socket.

Connector

Number of Pins or Sockets

Male or Female

Common Applications

DB-9

9 pins

Male

Serial port.

DB-9

9 sockets

Female

EGA/CGA video port. (Might also be a Token Ring adapter port.)

Db-15

15 sockets

Female

If there are three rows of five, it’s probably a VGA/SVGA video adapter. If it’s one row of eight and one row of seven, it might be a network transceiver port or, more commonly a joystick port.

DB-25

25 pins

Male

Serial port.

DB-25

25 sockets

Female

Most often a parallel port. On Macintoshes, however, this type of connector is used for the external SCSI bus.

RJ-11

4 pins

Male

Telephone wall jack phone cord.

RJ-12

4 pins

Male

Telephone handset cord.

RJ-45

8 pins

Male

10BaseT Ethernet cable.

Centronics 36

36 pins

Male

Parallel cable.

Centronics 50

50 pins

Male

SCSI Connector.

PS/2

6 sockets

Female

PS/2 Mouse port.

DIN-8

8 sockets

Female

Macintosh printer connector

DIN-9

9 sockets

Female

Bus mouse port.
  1. 8-bit binary postitions:

Position

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Power of 2

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

Decimal Value of a 1 in this position

128

64

32

16

8

4

2

1

 

  1. Decimal, Binary, and Hex Equivalents:

Decimal Number

Binary Number

Hex Number

0

0000

0

1

0001

1

2

0010

2

3

0011

3

4

0100

4

5

0101

5

6

0110

6

7

0111

7

8

1000

8

9

1001

9

10

1010

A

11

1011

B

12

1100

C

13

1101

D

14

1110

E

15

1111

F

 

  1. Antistatic wrist wrap is the best method for preventing ESD damage.
  2. The maximum resistance of a resistor with red, brown, red markings is 2520W. Each colored band stands for a number. The first two bands represent the digits of a two-digit number. The third band represents a multiplier. The presence or absence of a fourth band represents a margin-of-error factor commonly referred to as the tolerance range. So red equals 2, brown equals 1, and red equals 100. Putting this together, take the 21 from the first 2 bands and multiply by the third, 100, to equal 2100. The tolerance range, because no fourth band is present, would be +-20%, adding another 420 for a grand total of 2520W.
  3. A male DB-25 port is most likely a serial port.

 

PC Architecture

  1. Socket Types and the Processors They Support

Connector Type

Processor

Socket 1

486SX/SX2, 486 DX/DX2, 486 DX4 Over Drive

Socket 2

486SX/SX2, 486 DX/DX2, 486 DX4 Over Drive, 486 Pentium Over Drive

Socket 3

486SX/SX2, 486 DX/DX2, 486 DX4 Over Drive, 486 Pentium Over Drive

Socket 4

Pentium 60/66, Pentium 60/66 Over Drive

Socket 5

Pentium 75-133, Pentium 75+ Over Drive

Socket 6

DX4, 486 Pentium Over Drive (paper standard)

Socket 7

Pentium 75-200, Pentium 75+ Over Drive

Socket 8

Pentium Pro

SECC (TYPE I)

Pentium II

SECC (TYPE II)

Pentium III
  1. The Intel Family of Processors

Chip

Year Added

Data Bus Width (in bits)

Address Bus Width (in bits)

Speed (in MHz)

Transistors

Other Specifications

8080

1974

8

8

2

6000

Used only in appliances

8086

1978

16

20

5-10

29000

Internal bus ran at 8 bits

8088

1979

8

20

4.77

29000

 

80286

1982

16

24

8-12

134000

First to use PGA

386DX

1985

32

32

16-33

275000

 

386SX

1988

32

24

16-20

275000

 

486DX

1989

32

32

25-50

1.2 million

8KB of level 1 cache

486SX

1991

32

32

16-33

1.185 million

Math coprocessor disabled

487SX

1991

32

32

16-33

1.2 million

Math coprocessor for 486SX computers

486DX2

1991

32

32

33-66

2.0 million

 

486DX4

1992

32

32

75-100

2.5 million

 

Pentium

1993

32

32

60-166

3.3 million

Superscalar

Pentium Pro

1995

64

32

150-200

5.5 million

Dynamic execution

Pentium II

1997

64

64

233-300

7.5 million

32KB of level 1 cache, dynamic execution, and MMX technoloby

Pentium II Xeon

1998

64

64

400-600

7.5 million

Multiprocessor version of Pentium II

Celeron

1999

64

64

400-600

7.5 million

“Value” version of Pentium II

Pentium III

1999

64

64

350-1000

9.5 million

 

Pentium III Xeon

1999

64

64

350-1000

9.5 million

Multiprocessor version of Pentium III

Pentium IV

2000

64?

64?

1000-4000

Up to 55 million

Also have Celeron and Xeon versions
  1. Physical Characteristics of Pentium-Class Processors

Processor

Speeds (MHz)

Socket

Pins

Voltage

Cache

Pentium-P5

60-66

4

273

5V

16K

Pentium-P54C

75-200

5 or 7

320 or 321

3.3V

16K

Pentium-P55C

166-333

7

321

3.3V

32K

Pentium Pro

150-200

8

387

2.5V

32K

Pentium II

233-450

SECC

N/A

3.3V

32K

Pentium III

450-1130

SECCII

N/A

3.3V

32K
  1. AMD Processors and Their Intel Equivalents

CPU

Clock Speed (MHz)

Intel Equivalent

Socket/Slot Type

Am486DX4-100

100

486DX4

Socket 5

Am486DX4-120

120

486DX4

Socket 5

Am5x86

75

Pentium Overdrive

Socket 5

K5 PR75

75

Pentium

Socket 5

K5 PR90

90

Pentium

Socket 5

K5 PR100

100

Pentium

Socket 5

K5 PR120

90

Pentium

Socket 5

K5 PR133

100

Pentium

Socket 5

K5 PR166

116.66

Pentium

Socket 5

K6-166

166

Pentium

Socket 7

K6-200

200

Pentium II

Socket 7

K6-233

233

Pentium II

Socket 7

K6-II

500-550

Pentium III

Socket 7

K6-III

400-450

Pentium III

Socket 7
  1. Cyrix Processors and Their Intel Equivalents

CPU

Clock Speed (MHz)

Intel Equivalent

Socket/Slot Type

6x86-PR120

100

Pentium

Socket 7

6x86-PR133

110

Pentium

Socket 7

6x86-PR150

120

Pentium

Socket 7

6x86-PR166

133

Pentium

Socket 7

6x86-PR200

150

Pentium

Socket 7

6x86MX-PR166

150

Pentium II

Socket 7

6x86MX-PR200

166

Pentium II

Socket 7

6x86MX-PR233

188

Pentium II

Socket 7
  1. Access time refers to Latency. Two factors, seek time and latency, make up the drive’s access time. The average seek time plus the average latency equals the drive access time.
  2. The internal cache memory is used to store frequently accessed data and instructions. An internal cache memory is a storage area for frequently used data and instructions. It requires a small amount of physical RAM that can keep up with the processor.
  3. The 486DX was introduced with 1.2 million transistors and a 32-bit internal and external data path. While the 386DX was the first Intel processor to use a 32-bit data bus and a 32-bit address bus, the 486DX was the first Intel processor that used both a 32-bit internal and 32-bit external data path.
  4. If you wanted to connect a LapLink cable (a parallel data transfer cable) so that you could upload and download files from a computer, your computer can have a Bidirectional, EPP, or ECP parallel port. Bidirectional parallel port can both transmit and receive data. An ECP was designed to transfer data at high speeds. EPP parallel ports provide for greater transfer speeds and the ability to send memory addresses as well as data through a parallel port.

 

PC Memory Architecture

  1. P 114

 

The System Board

  1. The system board is the most complicated of all the components inside the computer. It contains the CPU and accompanying chip set, the real-time click, ROM BIOS, CMOS configuration ship, RAM, RAM cache, system bus, expansion slots, jumpers, ports and power supply connections. The system board you select determines both the capabilities and limitations of your system.
  2. The most important component on the system board is the CPU, or central processing unit. The CPU is the microprocessor at the heart of a PC system, where almost all operations must ultimately be processed. The CPU is rated according to its speed, efficiency of programming code, word size, data path size, maximum memory addresses, size of internal cache, multiprocessing abilities, and special functions. Earlier Intel CPUs include the 80386DX, 80386SX, 80486DX, and 80486SX. The latest family of Intel CPUs is the Pentium family, including the Classic Pentium, Pentium MMX, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Celeron, Pentium III, and Pentium IV. AMD and Cyrix are Intel’s chief competitors for the CPU market. CPUs can use either RISC or CISC technology or a combination of the two.
  3. Newer CPUs require extra cooling, which can be accomplished with a CPU heat sink and cooling fan located on top or near the CPU.
  4. The common CPU sockets and slots today are Socket 7, Socket 370, Slot 1, Slot A, and Slot 2.
  5. Because some CPUs require one voltage for internal core operations and another voltage for external I/O operations, system boards might have a voltage regulator on board.
  6. Some components can be built into the system board, in which case they are called on-board components, or they can be attached to the system in some other way such as on an expansion card.
  7. ROM chips contain the programming code to manage POST and system BIOS and to change the CMOS settings. The setup or CMOS chip holds configuration information.
  8. A chip set is a group of chips on the system board that supports the CPU. Intel is the most popular manufacturer of chip sets.
  9. The total BIOS of a system includes the ROM BIOS on the system board as well as BIOS on expansion cards. Plug and Play BIOS is designed to work in harmony with Windows 9x or Windows 2000 to resolve resource conflicts from expansion cards and other devices. Flash ROM allows the ROM BIOS to be upgraded without having to change the ROM chip.
  10. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) is slower than Static RAM (SRAM) because dynamic RAM must be refreshed. RAM usually comes packaged as a SIMM or DIMM memory module.
  11. Two kinds of static RAM cache for the slower DRAM are internal and external cache, sometimes called Level 1 and Level 2 cache.
  12. Level 1 cache is contained on the CPU microchip, and level 2 cache is external to this microchip.
  13. A bus is a path on the system board that carries electrical power, control signals, memory addresses, and data to different components on the board.
  14. A bus can be 16, 32, 64, or more bits wide. The first ISA bus had an 8-bit data path. The second ISA bus had a 16-bot data path.
  15. Some well-known buses are the 16-bit ISA bus, 32-bit MCA and EISA buses, and the two local buses, the VESA bus and the PCI bus. A local bus is designed to allow fast devices quicker and more direct access to the CPU than that allowed by other buses.
  16. The VESA local bus is a standard designed by the Video Electronics Standards Association. The PCI bus is presently the most popular local bus. To gain the maximum overall computer performance, the multiplier relating the bus speed to the CPU speed should be small.
  17. Expansion slots can be located on the system board, but they are sometimes stacked vertically in the computer case on a second board devoted to the purpose.
  18. Jumpers on the system board can be used to set the system-board speed and the CPU multiplier that determines the CPU speed.
  19. Sometimes the CPU must be slowed down to accommodate slower devices, enduring wait states that cause it to wait one clock beat. Wait states often mean a significant reduction in performance.
  20. Accelerated graphics port (AGP) – A slot on a system board for a video card that provides transfer of video data from the CPU that is synchronized with the memory bus.
  21. Advanced Transfer Cache (ATC) – A type of L2 cache contained within the Pentium processor housing that is embedded on the same core processor die as the CPU itself.
  22. Backside Bus – The bus between the CPU and the L2 cache inside the CPU housing.
  23. Bus – Strips of parallel wires or printed circuits used to transmit electronic signals on the system board to other devices. Most Pentium systems use a 32-bit or 64-bit bus.
  24. Bus speed – The speed or frequency at which the data on the system board is moving.
  25. Chip set – A set of chips on the system board that collectively controls the memory cache, external buses, and some peripherals.
  26. Clock speed – The speed or frequency that determines the speed at which devices on the system bus operate, usually expressed in MHz. Different components on a system board operate at different speeds, which are determined by multiplying or dividing a factor by the clock speed. The clock speed is itself determined by a crystal or oscillator located somewhere on the system board.
  27. Data path – The number of bits of data transmitted simultaneously on a bus. The size of a bus, such as a 32-bit-wide data path in a PCI bus.
  28. DIMM (dual in-line memory module) – A miniature circuit board that holds memory chips and has a 64-bit data path. Because Pentium system boards also use a 64-bit memory bus, it is possible to use only a single DIMM on these system boards.
  29. Discrete L2 cache – A type of L2 cache contained within the Pentium processor housing, but on a different die, with a cache bus between the processor and the cache.
  30. Dual voltage CPU – A CPU that requires two different voltages, one for internal processing and the other for I/O processing.
  31. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) – The most commonly used type of system memory, it requires refreshing every few milliseconds.
  32. EISA (Extended Standard Industry Architecture) bus – A 32-bit bus that can transfer 4 bytes at a time at a speed of about 20 MHz.
  33. ESCD (extended system configuration data) – A list written to the BIOS chip of information about legacy devices that Plug and Play uses to configure those devices.
  34. Expansion bus – A bus that does not run synchronized with the system clock.
  35. External cache – Static cache memory, stored on the system board or inside the CPU housing, which is not part of the CPU (also called level 2 or L2 cache).
  36. Field replaceable unit – A component in a computer or device that can be replaced with a new component without sending the computer or device back to the manufacturer.
  37. FireWire – An expansion bus that can also be configured to work as a local bus. It is expected to replace the SCSI bus, providing an easy method to install and configure fast I/O devices. Also called IEEE 1394 and i.Link.
  38. Frontside bus – The bus between the CPU and the memory outside the CPU housing.
  39. Heat sink – A piece of metal, with cooling fins, that can be attached to or mounted on an integrated chip (such as the CPU) to dissipate heat.
  40. Hot-swapping – When a device can be plugged into a computer while it is turned on and the computer will sense the device and configure it without rebooting.
  41. Instruction set – The set of instructions, on the CPU chip, that the computer can perform directly (such as ADD and MOVE).
  42. Internal cache – Memory cache that is faster than external cache, and is contained inside 80486 and Pentium chips (also referred to as primary, Level 1, or L1 cache).
  43. ISA bus – An 8-bit industry standard architecture bus used on the original 8088 PC. Sixteen-bit ISA buses were designed for the 286 AT, and are still used in Pentiums for devices such as modems.
  44. Local bus – A bus that operates at a speed synchronized with the CPU speed.
  45. Local I/O bus – A local bus that provides I/O devices with fast access to the CPU.
  46. Low insertion force (LIF) – A socket feature that requires the installer to manually apply an even force over the microchip when inserting the chip into the socket.
  47. MCA (Micro Channel Architecture) bus – A proprietary IBM PS/2 bus, seldom seen today, with a width of 16 or 32 bits and multiple master control, which allowed for multitasking.
  48. Memory bus – The bus between the CPU and memory on the system board. Also called the system bus or the host bus.
  49. Memory cache – A small amount of faster RAM that stores recently retrieved data, in anticipation of what the CPU will request next, thus speeding up access.
  50. Multiplier – The factor by which the bus speed or frequency is multiplied to get the CPU clock speed.
  51. North bridge – The portion of the chip set hub that connects faster I/O buses to the system bus.
  52. On-board ports – Ports that are directly on the system board, such as a built-in keyboard port on on-board serial port.
  53. Overclocking – Running a system board at a speed that is not recommended or guaranteed by CPU or chip set manufacturers.
  54. P1 connector – Power connection on an ATX system board.
  55. Parity – An error-checking scheme in which a ninth, or “parity,” bit is added. The value of the parity bit is set to either 0 or 1 to provide and even number of ones for even parity and an odd number of ones for odd parity.
  56. Parity error – An error that occurs when the number of 1s in the byte is not in agreement with the expected number.
  57. PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus – A bus common on Pentium computers that runs at speeds of up to 33MHz or 66MHz, with a 32-bit-wide data path. For most chip sets, it serves as the middle layer between the memory bus and expansion buses.
  58. Pin grid array (PGA) – A feature of a CPU socket whereby the pins are aligned in uniform rows around the socket.
  59. Plug and play – A technology in which the operating system and BIOS are designed to automatically configure new hardware devices to eliminate system resource conflicts.
  60. Processor speed – The speed or frequency at which the CPU operates.
  61. Refresh – The process of periodically rewriting the data for instance, on dynamic RAM.
  62. RISC (reduced instruction set computer) chips – Chips that incorporate only the most frequently used instructions, so that the computer operates faster.
  63. SECC (Single Edge Contact Cartridge) – A type of cartridge that houses the Pentium III processor.
  64. SC330 (Slot Connector 330) – A 330-pin system board connector used to contain the Pentium III Xeon. Also called Slot 2.
  65. SIMM (single in-line memory module) – A miniature circuit board that holds memory chips and has a 32-bit data path. Because Pentium system boards us a 64-bit memory bus, you must install two SIMMs at a time.
  66. Single voltage CPU – A CPU that requires one voltage for both internal and I/O operations.
  67. South bridge – That portion of the chip set hub that connects slower I/O buses to the system bus.
  68. Staggered pin grid array (SPGA) – A feature of a CPU socket whereby the pins are staggered over the socket in order to squeeze more pins into a small space.
  69. Static RAM (SRAM) – RAM chips that retain information without the need for refreshing, as long as the computer’s power is on.
  70. System bus – Today the system bus usually means the memory bus. However, sometimes it is used to refer to other buses on the system board.
  71. Turbo mode – A means of doubling the external clock speed by pressing a button on the case of some older computers.
  72. Universal serial bus (USB) – A bus that is expected to eventually replace serial and parallel ports, designed to make installation and configuration of I/O devices easy, providing room for as many as 127 devices daisy-chained together. The USB uses only a single set of resources for all devices on the bus.
  73. VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) VL bus – An outdated local bus used on 80486 computers for connecting 32-bit adapters directly to the local processor bus.
  74. Wait state – A clock tick in which nothing happens, used to ensure that the microprocessor isn’t getting ahead of slower components. A 0-wait state is preferable to a 1-wait state. Too many wait states can slow a system down.
  75. Zero insertion force (ZIF) – A socket feature that uses a small lever to apply even force when installing the microchip into the socket.

 

Understanding and Managing Memory

  1. System BIOS is stored on a ROM chip on the system board. In addition, expansion boards sometimes have ROM chips on them, holding BIOS programming to manage a device.
  2. The CPU uses memory in two ways, as main memory and as a memory cache.
  3. SRAM is fast, static RAM and is used as a memory cache, which speeds up the overall computer performance by temporarily holding data and programming that may possibly be used by the CPU in the near future. SRAM does not require refreshing.
  4. DRAM is slower that SRAM because it needs constant refreshing.
  5. DRAM is stored on two kinds of miniboards: SIMMs and DIMMs.
  6. SIMM memory modules can use either EDO or FPM technology. EDO is faster and only slightly more expensive than FPM, but the system board must support this type of memory to make use of its increased speed.
  7. DIMM memory modules can use either BEDO or synchronous DRAM.
  8. Direct Rambus DRAM and Double Data Rate SDRAM are two technologies that are contending to be the next DRAM technology.
  9. Flash memory holds data permanently until it is overwritten, and is commonly used on Flash ROM chips and memory cards for notebook computers.
  10. SRAM comes as either synchronous or asynchronous memory. Synchronous is faster and slightly more expensive than asynchronous memory.
  11. Synchronous SRAM can come as either burst or pipelined burst memory.
  12. COAST is a cache memory module holding pipelined burst SRAM chips.
  13. Logical memory is divided into conventional memory, upper memory, and extended memory.
  14. Upper memory is traditionally used to hold BIOS and device drivers. Drivers for legacy video cards normally fill the A, B, and C range of upper memory addresses.
  15. The beginning of extended memory is called the high memory area and can hold a portion of DOS.
  16. Expanded memory is located on an expansion board and is accessed by page frames given upper memory addresses.
  17. Windows can emulate expanded memory, taking some of RAM and presenting it to applications software as expanded memory.
  18. The practice of copying BIOS from slower ROM chips to faster RAM chips for processing is called shadowing ROM. The area of RAM holding the BIOS is called shadow RAM.
  19. Virtual memory is space on the hard drive that is used by the OS as a pseudo-memory.
  20. DOS and Windows 9x use the device driver HIMEM.SYS to manage extended memory.
  21. DOS uses EMM386.EXE to make more efficient use of upper memory addresses and to emulate expanded memory.
  22. An upper memory block (UMB) is a group of upper memory addresses made available to TSRs.
  23. Storing device drivers and TSRs in upper memory is called loading high.
  24. DOS can load device drivers into upper memory blocks by using the DEVICEHIGH command in CONFIG.SYS.
  25. DOS can load a TSR high by using the LOADHIGH command in AUTOEXEC.BAT.
  26. MemMaker is a DOS utility that can help in managing upper memory addresses.
  27. A swap file is the file on the hard drive that is used by the OS as virtual memory.
  28. Windows NT and Windows 2000 use an approach to memory management that is altogether different from that of a DOS and Windows 9x. Conventional, upper, and extended memory concepts do not exist in Windows NT or Windows 2000.
  29. Memory modules must be installed on a system board in the slots of a memory bank according to the rules specified in the system-board documentation. There are a fixed number of memory configurations that a board supports.
  30. Buffer – A temporary memory area where data is kept before being written to a drive or sent to a printer, thus reducing the number of writes needed when devices communicate at different speeds.
  31. Burst EDO – A refined version of EDO memory that significantly improved access time over EDO. BEDO is not widely used today because Intel chose not to support it. BEDO memory is stored on 168-pin DIMM modules.
  32. Burst SRAM – Memory that is more expensive and slightly faster than pipelined burst SRAM. Data is send as a two-step process; the data address is sent, and then the data itself is send without interruption.
  33. COAST (cache on a stick) – Chips on a module available for pipelined burst synchronous SRAM.
  34. Conventional memory – Memory addresses between 0 and 640K.
  35. Double-data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM or SDRAM II) – A type of memory technology used on DIMMs that runs at twice the speed of the system clock.
  36. Direct Rambus DRAM – A memory technology by Rambus and Intel that uses a narrow, very fast network-type memory bus. Memory is stored on a RIMM module.
  37. Dynamic RAM – Common system memory with access speeds ranging from 70 to 50 nanoseconds, requiring refreshing every few milliseconds.
  38. ECC (error checking and correction) – A chip set feature on a system board that checks the integrity of data stored on DIMMs and can correct single-bit errors in a byte.
  39. EDO (extended data output) memory – A type of RAM that may be 10-20% faster than conventional RAM because it eliminates the delay before it issues the next memory address.
  40. EMM386.EXE – A DOS utility that provides both emulated expanded memory (EMS) and upper memory blocks (UMBs).
  41. Expanded memory (EMS) – Memory outside of the conventional 640K and the extended 1024K range that is accessed in 16K segments, or pages, by way of a window to upper memory.
  42. Extended memory – Memory above the initial 1024 KB or 1 MB, area.
  43. Flash memory – A type of RAM that can electronically hold memory even when the power is off.
  44. FPM (fast page mode) memory – An earlier memory mode used before the introduction of EDO memory.
  45. General Protection Fault (GPF) error – A Windows error that occurs when a program attempts to access a memory address that is not available or is no longer assigned to it.
  46. High memory area (HMA) – The first 64K of extended memory. The method of storing part of DOS in the high memory area is called loading DOS high.
  47. HIMEM.SYS – A device driver that manages memory above 640K. It is often executed by the line DEVICE = C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS in a CONFIG.SYS file.
  48. Load size – The largest amount of memory that a driver needs to initialize itself and to hold its data. It is always a little larger than the size of the program file.
  49. Loading high – The process of loading a driver or TSR into upper memory.
  50. MEM command – A DOS utility used to display how programs and drivers are using conventional, upper, and extended memory.
  51. MemMaker – A DOS utility that can increase the amount of conventional memory available to DOS-based software applications, by loading drivers and TSRs into upper memory.
  52. Memory caching – Using a small amount of faster RAM to store recently retrieved data, in anticipation of what the CPU will next request, thus speeding up access.
  53. Memory management – The process of increasing available conventional memory required by DOS-based programs, accomplished by loading device drivers and TSRs into upper memory.
  54. Page – Memory allocated in 4K or 16K segments within a page frame.
  55. Pipelined burst SRAM – A less expensive SRAM that uses more clock cycles per transfer than nonpipelined burst, but does not significantly slow down the process.
  56. Program Information File (PIF) – A file used by Windows to describe the environment for a DOS program to use.
  57. Shadow RAM or shadowing ROM – The process of copying ROM programming code into RAM to speed up the system operation, because of the faster access speed of RAM.
  58. Swapping – A method of freeing some memory by moving a “page” of data temporarily to a swap file on the hard drive.
  59. Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) – A type of memory stored on DIMMs that run in sync with the system clock, running at the same speed as the system board.
  60. Synchronous SRAM – SRAM that is faster and more expensive than asynchronous SRAM. It requires a clock signal to validate its control signals, enabling the cache to run in step with the CPU.
  61. SyncLink (SLDRAM) – A synchronous memory technology that increased the number of memory banks from 4 to 16.
  62. System variable – A variable that has been given a name and a value; it is available to the operating system and applications software programs.
  63. Temp directory – A location to which inactive applications and data can be moved as a swap file, while Windows continues to process current active applications.
  64. Upper memory – The memory addresses from 640K up to 1024K, originally reserved for BIOS, device drivers, and TSRs.
  65. Upper memory block (UMB) – A group of consecutive memory addresses in RAM from 640K to 1 MB that can be used by device drivers and TSRs.
  66. Virtual device driver (VDD) or VxD driver – A 32-bit device driver running in protected mode.

 

 

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