Simulation IV

Using the image of the motherboard above, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?

• AGP

• PATA connector

• Front connection

• Port cluster

Answer explanation

The area circled indicates the port cluster on the rear of the motherboard. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of the motherboard by sight.

Using the image above, which of the following correctly indicates the port labeled as E?

• VGA

• DVI-D

• DVI-I

• HDMI

Answer explanation

This port is the VGA connection. A video graphics array (VGA) connector is a 15-pin HD connector that has been used to connect the graphics adapter to a monitor since 1987. The use of digital flat-panel displays rather than CRTs has made this analog connector increasingly obsolete. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of a motherboard's rear port cluster by sight.

Using the image of the motherboard above, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?

• Front panel connector

• PATA connector

• Audio connector

• USB connector

Answer explanation

The area circled indicates the audio connector on this motherboard. This is used to connect the CD/DVD audio cable from the drive to the motherboard for digital audio. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of the motherboard by sight.

Using the image of the motherboard above, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?

• PCI

• AGP

• PCIe x4

• PCIe x16

Answer explanation

The area circled indicates the PCIe x16 (PCI Express x16) slots. PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) is an interface standard for connecting high-speed components. Every desktop PC motherboard has some PCIe slots you can use to add GPUs (video cards or graphics cards), RAID cards, network adapters, Wi-Fi cards, or SSD (solid-state drive) add-on cards. The types of PCIe slots available in your PC will depend on your motherboard and are designated as PCIe x1, x4, x8, and x16. Graphics cards almost exclusively rely on PCIe x16 expansion slots for their connectivity. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of the motherboard by sight.

Using the image above, which of the following correctly indicates the port labeled as C?

• FireWire

• USB

• SPDIF

• PS2

Answer explanation

This port is the SPDIF (Sony-Philips Digital Interface Format) connection. This is a fiber optic port used to transmit digital audio. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of a motherboard's rear port cluster by sight.

Using the image above, which of the following correctly indicates the port labeled as I?

• DB-9

• PS/2

• RJ-45

• RJ-11

Answer explanation

his port is the RJ-45 connection or network interface card (NIC) port that is used to connect a computer to a wired network. An RJ-45 connector is used to terminate a copper twisted-pair Ethernet cable. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of a motherboard's rear port cluster by sight.

Using the image of the motherboard above, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?

• Audio connector

• 
  USB connector

• Front panel connector

• PATA connector

Answer explanation

The area circled indicates the USB connectors on this motherboard. These connectors are used to connect the front panel USB ports to the motherboard. Universal serial bus (USB) is the main type of connection interface used on desktops and laptops. A larger Type A connector attaches to a port on the host; Type B and Mini- or Micro-Type B connectors are used for devices. USB 1.1 supports 12 Mbps while USB 2.0 supports 480 Mbps and is backward compatible with 1.1 devices which run at the slower speed. USB devices are considered hot-swappable and each device can draw up to 2.5 W of power over a USB port. USB 3.0 and 3.1 define 5 Gbps (SuperSpeed) and 10 Gbps (SuperSpeed+) rates and can deliver up to 4.5 W of power. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of the motherboard by sight.

Using the image of the motherboard above, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?

• AGP

• PCIe x8

• PCI

• PCIe x16

Answer explanation

he area circled indicates the AGP slot on this motherboard. The accelerated graphics port (AGP) is a parallel expansion card standard that was originally designed for attaching a video card to a computer system to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. AGP has been replaced with PCIe due to its faster speeds. For the exam, it is important that you can identify the different parts of the motherboard by sight.

Using the image above, which of the following correctly identifies the fiber optic connector shown as Connector A?

• F

• LC

• ST

• SC

Answer explanation

his is an SC connector. A ST, SC, LC, or MTRJ connector is used to terminate a fiber optic cable. An SC, or subscriber connector, is a general-purpose push/pull style connector that has a square, snap-in connector that latches with a simple push-pull motion. SC connectors are widely used in single-mode fiber optic systems. An ST, or straight tip, connector is a quick-release bayonet-style connector that has a long cylindrical connector. An LC, or Lucent connector, is a small form factor connector that combines the transmit and receive cables into a single square, snap-in connector. The F-type connector is used with coaxial cables, not fiber optic cables.