3.4 Motherboards and 3.5 Power

Question 1

What is RAM used for?

Answer 1

Loading applications and files into a non-persistent and fast storage area

Question 2

Define cache

Answer 2

High-speed memory

Question 3

Define Storage

Answer 3

Mass storage device that holds more data but is slower than a cache

Question 4

What does a disk cache do?

Answer 4

Pulls the files from the disc into memory and replaces the old file

Question 5

What specifications can an SCMC (Single Channel Memory Controller) come in?

Answer 5

x86, 32 bits, can access up to 4GB RAM
x64, 64-bit, can access up to 32GB RAM

Question 6

What is the most common type of memory?

Answer 6

DDR (Double data rate), PC133, 133MHz

Question 7

How is throughput calculated?

Answer 7

Based on the bus speed and the width of the data bus

Question 8

What is the oldest type of memory (it requires frequent refreshing)?
What type of storage cell does it have?

Answer 8

Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
Dynamic

Question 9

What was significant about Synchronous DRAM and how many pins did it have?

Answer 9

It was the first memory module to operate at the same speed as the motherboard bus. It had 168 pins

Question 10

List the three versions of SDRAM.

Answer 10

PC66, PC133, PC266

Question 11

What doubled the transfer speed of a 184-pin connector SDRAM module?

Answer 11

DDRSDRAM

Question 12

How many GB/s is PC3-10600?

Answer 12

4.2GB/s

Question 13

What are the three classifications of SODIMM?

Answer 13

DDR3, DDR4, DDR5

Question 14

What does DDR2SDRAM offer?

Answer 14

High latency and faster access to the external bus
240-pin connector
PC2-4200, 4.2GB/s

Question 15

DDR3SDRAM has a throughput of how many GB/s and a maximum module size of how many GB/s per memory module?

Answer 15

Throughput between 6.4 and 17GB/s
Maximum module size of 8GB

Question 16

Does DDR3SDRAM run at lower or higher voltages and speed than DDR2?

Answer 16

Lower voltage, higher speed

Question 17

Describe the features of single-channel memory.

Answer 17

• Communication channel between system memory and CPU (system/memory bus)
• “Highway” channel with 64 “lanes” (bits)

Question 18

Is channel labeling or colour more important?

Answer 18

Channel labeling

Question 19

Name the three sub-pathways of the memory bus

Answer 19

Data pathway, control (including timing) pathway, and address pathway

Question 20

What hardware is required for dual-channel memory?

Answer 20

2 memory modules and 2 memory slots on the motherboard

Question 21

How would you increase the overall capacity in dual-channel memory?

Answer 21

Increase the capacity of the chips (paired chips don’t have to match)

Question 22

Define how many bits the data bus has for each memory mode (single through quadruple)

Answer 22

Single - 64-bit data bus
Dual - 128-bit data bus
Triple - 192-bit data bus (3 64-bit buses)
Quad - 256-bit data bus

Question 23

What is the benefit of adding more memory modules?

Answer 23

Gives faster speeds and more memory for storage

Question 24

What is best practice when using 4 chips in triple channel mode?

Answer 24

Use four chips in two slots and configure as dual-channel to avoid timing issues

Question 25

What does ECC stand for, and what does it do?

Answer 25

Error Correcting Code
Detects and corrects single-bit memory errors

Question 26

Describe how ECC works.

Answer 26

There is a ninth chip implemented on the ECC chip to perform parity. This means that for every 8 bits written there is a ninth stored. This is the total number of ones, expressed as an even or odd number.
Then, when the data is read, it is compared against the parity value. If it doesn’t match, the ECC attemps to repair the byte by using algorithms generated when the data was originally written.

Question 27

Can ECC correct two-bit errors, and why or why not?

Answer 27

No. If there were only four ‘1’s written originally but it corrupted to be 6, the system would not pick up on that as the parity only stores if the number of ones is even or odd.

Question 28

What is buffered/registered memory?

Answer 28

Additional hardware (register) between memory and CPU. It is used to help reduce the electrical load on the system. This helps improves the reliability and stability of the memory.

Question 29

What is virtual memory/page file?

Answer 29

Space on a hard drive that is allocated by the OS and pretends to be memory.

Question 30

When would virtual memory be used?

Answer 30

When RAM is insufficient.

Question 31

What distinguishes physical from virtual addresses?

Answer 31

The MMU (Memory Management Unit)

Question 32

What is swapping/paging?

Answer 32

Locating data and returning it to memory

Question 33

What could excessive paging indicate?

Answer 33

That there is not enough RAM in the system

Question 34

What is a page file or swap space?

Answer 34

A file that is hidden on a storage device pretending to be system memory