Comptia A+ 2023 with verified questions and answers

Motherboard the main electronic circuit board in a PC, and typically holds the CPU, memory, various pieces of control logic, and expansion ports. Motherboard Form Factor Attributes -size of the motherboard -location of its components -location of the mounting holders, and -power requirements of the motherboard Motherboard Form Factor The shape and configuration of the motherboard. Motherboard form factor compatibility -Comp. Chassis and PSU also have form factors. - Generally must have same form factor to be compatible with one another. Laptop Form Factors - Proprietary for Motherboard, PSU, Chassis. - To allow for good airflow and heat dissipation given unique and small size of laptops. 4 types of desktop motherboard form factors 1. ATX 2. BTX 3. Micro ATX 4. NLX ATX - Advanced Technology Extended (Intel, 1995) - Standard for most motherboards - Memory: perpendicular to expansion slots: so the processor and memory align with the power supply fan, which cools the components. - Measurements: 12"x 9.6" BTX - Balanced Technology Extended (2004, Intel) (replacement for ATX) - Major heat producing components aligned betweeen air intake vents + power supply's exhaust = reduced heat - BTX non-compat. w/ ATX Chassis - BTX + ATX PSU= Compatible Micro ATX - Micro Advanced Technology Extended (1997) - Compat. w/: ATX case and PSU (but typically uses one with lower wattage: reduce heat production) -Size: 6.75" x 6.75" to 9.6" x 9.6" -Con/downside: Lacks many integrated I/O ports (in regular ATX) b/c of small size. NLX - New Low Profile Extended - Uses ATX PSU + Riser card into motherboard (vs. direct to motherboard) - Extensive use of riser cards: (to optimize use of available space.) - Size: 8 x 10 to 9 x 13.6 (max) *Largely replaced by micro ATX* Riser Card - Designed to provide additional expansion capabilities for motherboards. - Installed perpendicular to motherboard: optimize space. Integrated System Board - Motherboard with integrated components. - i.e.: Sound and Video components built into motherboard circuitry. Non integrated/ Discreet System Boards - Each major component = installed as expansion card in expansion slot. I/O Panel location - Varies by form factor. - ATX: top left of motherboard - BTX: lower left of motherboard PC 99 Standard - By Intel and Microsoft (1999) - Alleviates plugging wrong cord into wrong I/O port. - Utilized standard color coding to identify specific ports. pink(PC 99) A pink port is the microphone input. lime green(PC 99) A lime green port is the front left/right speaker/headphone output. light blue(PC 99) A light blue port is the line level audio input. orange(PC 99) An orange port is the center/subwoofer output. black(PC 99) A black port is the rear left/right surround output. gray(PC 99) A gray port is the mid left/right surround output. gold(PC 99) A gold port is the S-Video port. blue(PC 99) A blue port is for a VGA 15-pin D connector. green(PC 99) A green port is for a round 6 pin mini-din PS/2 mouse connector. purple(PC 99) A purple port is for a round 6 pin mini-din PS/2 keyboard connector.