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B. The extra four USB ports require an add-on expansion card.

C. The FireWire port will have a splitter that makes it four USB ports.

D. The motherboard chipset might support eight USB ports, but the manufacturer only included four ports.

5. Martin bought a new motherboard to replace his older ATX motherboard. As he left the shop, the tech on duty called after him, “Check your standouts!” What could the tech have meant?

A. Standouts are the connectors on the motherboard for the front panel buttons, such as the on/off switch and reset button.

B. Standouts are the metal edges on some cases that aren’t rolled.

C. Standouts are the metal connectors that attach the motherboard to the case.

D. Standouts are the dongles that enable a motherboard to support more than four USB ports.

6. Amanda bought a new system that, right in the middle of an important presentation, gave her a Blue Screen of Death. Now her system won’t boot at all, not even to CMOS. After extensive troubleshooting, she determined that the motherboard was at fault and replaced it. Now the system runs fine. What was the most likely cause of the problem?

A. Burn-in failure

B. Electrostatic discharge

C. Component failure

D. Power supply failure

7. Solon has a very buggy computer that keeps locking up at odd moments and rebooting spontaneously. He suspects the motherboard. How should he test it?

A. Check settings and verify good components.

B. Verify good components and document all testing.

C. Replace the motherboard first to see if the problems disappear.

D. Check settings, verify good components, replace components, and document all testing.

8. Depending on the age of the motherboard, the Northbridge chip provides either communication with the RAM or communication with what component?

A. Hard drive

B. Memory controller

C. Onboard networking

D. Video card

9. When Jane proudly displayed her new motherboard, the senior tech scratched his beard and asked, “What kind of ICH has she got?” What could he possibly be asking about?

A. The AMR slot

B. The CNR slot

C. The Northbridge

D. The Southbridge

10. What companies dominate the chipset market? (Select two.)

A. ATI

B. Intel

C. NVIDIA

D. SiS

Answers

1. B. Almost all modern motherboards follow the ATX form factor.

2. C. Although not widely adopted by the industry, BTX motherboards offer superior cooling to ATX systems.

3. B. The Northbridge enables communication between the CPU and RAM.

4. A. The extra four USB ports most likely connect to the front of the case or via a dongle to an expansion slot.

5. C. Standouts are the metal connectors that attach the motherboard to the case.

6. A. Although all of the answers are plausible, the best answer here is that her system suffered burn-in failure.

7. D. Solon needs to check settings, verify good components, replace components, and document all testing.

8. D. On older motherboards, the Northbridge handled RAM. Newer CPUs have the memory controller built in, so the Northbridge handles the communication with the video card.

9. D. Intel calls their Southbridge chips the I/O Controller Hub (ICH) on many of their chipsets.

10. B, C. Intel and NVIDIA produce the vast majority of the chipsets used in personal computers.

CHAPTER 10

Power Supplies

In this chapter, you will learn how to

Explain the basics of electricity

Describe the details about powering the PC

Install, maintain, and troubleshoot power supplies

Powering the PC requires a single box—the power supply—that takes electricity from the wall socket and transforms it into electricity to run the motherboard and other internal components. Figure 10-1 shows a typical power supply inside a case. All of the wires dangling out of it connect to the motherboard and peripherals.

Figure 10-1 Typical power supply mounted inside the PC system unit

As simple as this appears on the surface, power supply issues are of critical importance for