Technical Terms - Hardware (A-Z) - IRQ

What does IRQ stand for?

• Information Retrieval Query

• Internal Request Queue

• Interrupt Request

• Input Request Queue

What type of signal is an IRQ?

• Hardware signal

• Data signal

• Control signal

• Software signal

Which hardware devices send IRQs to the CPU?

• Printers

• Speakers

• Keyboards

• Monitors

Why do hardware devices send IRQs to the CPU?

• To turn off the CPU

• To alert the CPU about new information

• To slow down the CPU

• To restart the CPU

How many IRQ addresses could early PCs support?

• 16

• 64

• 8

• 32

What happened when two devices shared the same IRQ address in early PCs?

• They worked faster

• They crashed the system

• They increased CPU speed

• They communicated better

What is the name of the interrupt controller in modern computers?

• Standard Interrupt Controller (SIC)

• Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC)

• Enhanced Interrupt Controller (EIC)

• Basic Programmable Interrupt Controller (BPIC)

What is the function of the I/O APIC in a motherboard's chipset?

• Receive incoming interrupts and prioritize them

• Distribute interrupt requests among multiple cores

• Send IRQs to hardware devices

• Control the CPU speed

How many processor cores do modern CPUs use?

• Multiple cores

• Quad core

• Dual core

• Single core

Why are IRQ conflicts extremely uncommon in modern computers?

• Due to limited IRQ channels

• Due to sharing IRQ addresses

• Due to multiple processor cores

• Due to slow CPU processing