Computer Hardware and Troubleshooting Quiz

A technician is upgrading a desktop PC and wants to add a new high-performance video card. Upon inspection, they realize the existing motherboard only has PCI slots. The video card requires a PCIe x16 slot. What should the technician do next?

• Install the card into any available PCI slot

• Upgrade to a motherboard with a PCIe x16 slot

• Use a PCI-to-PCIe adapter to make the card compatible

• Remove the video card and enable onboard graphics

Which of the following CPU types is most commonly found in smartphones and tablets due to its power efficiency and small form factor?

• x86

• x64

• ARM

• RISC-V

An organization is concerned about malware being introduced through bootable USB drives. Which firmware feature should the IT administrator enable to prevent unauthorized operating systems from loading during startup?

• Hyper-Threading

• Secure Boot

• TPM

• BIOS Password

Which of the following is a characteristic of the Mini-ITX motherboard form factor?

• Supports multiple video cards for gaming

• Offers the highest number of RAM slots

• Designed for compact systems with limited expansion

• Primarily used in enterprise servers

While installing a CPU on a motherboard, a technician wears an anti-static wrist strap but still touches the metal contacts of the CPU with their bare hands. What is the most likely risk of this action?

• Data loss

• Power surge

• Electrostatic discharge damage

• CPU overheating

A user needs to boot from a USB device to install a new operating system. Which firmware setting determines the order in which the system checks devices for a bootable OS?

• TPM Configuration

• CPU Clock Multiplier

• Boot Option Sequence

• USB Permissions

Which function is provided by a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip on a motherboard?

• Boosts CPU clock speed

• Authenticates users on the network

• Manages cryptographic keys for secure storage

• Enables Wi-Fi connectivity for laptops

A user reports their desktop PC won’t power on. The technician verifies the wall outlet works, but the system remains unresponsive—no lights, no fan spin, no sound. Which of the following should the technician check next?

• UEFI boot sequence

• SATA data cable

• PSU connections and try another power cable

• Thermal paste under the CPU

Which of the following cable types transmits video signals and comes in analog, digital, or both signal types?

• USB

• DVI

• HDMI

• SATA

A technician installs a new SATA SSD in a system, but the computer fails to boot and displays “No bootable device found.” Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

• The drive is formatted as NTFS

• The power supply is too weak

• The drive is not set in the boot order in UEFI

• The CPU fan is unplugged