CompTIA Hardware Practice 5

Question 1

A technician is upgrading a workstation to support NVMe storage but the motherboard only has older PCIe 3.0 slots and no M.2 slots. What is the best solution?

Accepted Answer

Install a PCIe add-in card with an M.2 NVMe slot

Answer

PCIe add-in cards with M.2 slots allow NVMe SSDs to be installed in standard PCIe slots, enabling NVMe on older motherboards.

Question 2

A desktop system is randomly shutting down under load. Temperatures appear normal. What component should the technician suspect?

Accepted Answer

Power supply unit failing under load

Answer

A failing PSU may deliver insufficient or unstable power under load, causing abrupt shutdowns even when temperatures are acceptable.

Question 3

What does 'TDP' (Thermal Design Power) represent for a CPU or GPU?

Accepted Answer

The amount of heat the cooling solution must dissipate under sustained load

Answer

TDP represents the maximum heat generated under sustained workloads that the cooling system must be rated to handle.

Question 4

A technician is installing a new PCIe x16 graphics card but the slot cover screw is stripped. What is the safest immediate action?

Accepted Answer

Use a screw extractor tool or a rubber band to grip and remove the stripped screw

Answer

A screw extractor or rubber band grip technique removes stripped screws safely without damaging the chassis or nearby components.

Question 5

Which characteristic differentiates DDR5 RAM from DDR4 RAM in terms of physical installation?

Accepted Answer

DDR5 has a different notch position making it physically incompatible with DDR4 slots

Answer

DDR5 DIMMs have a keying notch in a different position than DDR4, preventing accidental installation in incompatible motherboards.

CompTIA Practice Test

CompTIA Practice Test

CompTIA Hardware Practice 5