Assignment 4

Question 1

Who are the two major manufacturers of processors?

Answer 1

The two major manufacturers of processors are Intel and AMD.

Question 2

What is the name of the memory cache that is on the same die as the processor?

Answer 2

The memory cache that is located on the same die as the processor is called the Level 1 cache (L1 cache).

Question 3

What is the name of the memory cache that is closest to the processor die but is not housed on the die?

Answer 3

The memory cache that is closest to the processor die (but not housed there) is called the Level 2 cache (L2 cache).

Question 4

What is the name of the Intel technology that allows a processor to handle two threads at the same time?

Answer 4

The intel technology that allows a processor to handle two threads at the same time is called Hyper-Threading.

Question 5

How many threads can a quad-core processor handle at once?

Answer 5

Using multithreading, each core can handle 2 threads at once so a quad core can handle 8 threads at the same time.

Question 6

Which two Intel processor sockets use a screw head to hold down the socket load plate?

Answer 6

Both the LGA1150 and the LGA1155 are

Question 7

What is the purpose of the Execute Disable Bit?

Answer 7

The purpose of the execute disable bit is to designate an area of memory for holding data or instructions. The data or instructions stored in this area are not executed which protects from a buffer overflow attack by malicious software that attempt to run the code from an area of memory assigned to another program for its data.

Question 8

Which is faster, SRAM or DRAM? Why?

Answer 8

SRAM is faster than DRAM because it doesn’t need to be refreshed and can hold its data for as long as power is available to it.

Question 9

How many pins are on a DDR3 DIMM? DDR2 DIMM?

Answer 9

On both the DDR3 and DDR2 DIMM there are 240 pins.

Question 10

How many pins are on a DDR DIMM?

Answer 10

There are 184 pins located on the DDR DIMM.

Question 11

How many notches does a DDR3 DIMM have?

Answer 11

A DDR DIMM has 1 notch.

Question 12

Which DIMM performs better, a double-sided dual-ranked DIMM or a double-sided single-ranked DIMM?

Answer 12

A double sided single-ranked DIMM performs better than a double-sided dual-ranked DIMM.

Question 13

What prevents a DDR DIMM from being installed in a DDR2 DIMM slot on a motherboard?

Answer 13

The user is unable to install a DDR DIMM in the slot of a DDR2 DIMM slot because of the location of the notches on it.

Question 14

Which module, a DDR3 or DDR2 DIMM, uses lower voltage?

Answer 14

The DDR3 Module uses lower voltage then the DDR2 DIMM.

Question 15

In a memory ad for DIMMs, you notice 64Meg ×72 for one DIMM and 64Meg ×64 for another DIMM. What does the 72 tell you about the first DIMM?

Answer 15

The 64Megx72 for the one DIMM lets us know that 72 is the data path width and also indicates that it is using ECC memory.

Question 16

What type of DIMM supports triple channeling?

Answer 16

The DDR3 DIMM supports triple channeling.

Question 17

If 2 bits of a byte are in error when the byte is read from ECC memory, can ECC detect the error? 
Can it fix the error?

Answer 17

Yes, the ECC would be able to detect the error but it would not be able to fix the error.

Question 18

A DIMM memory ad displays 5-5-5-15. What is the CAS Latency value of this DIMM?

Answer 18

The CAS Latency value of that DIMM is 5. The CAS Latency value is the first value.

Question 19

What is the most amount of RAM that can be used by a 32-bit installation of Windows 7 Professional?

Answer 19

The most amount of RAM that can be used by a 32-bit installation of Windows 7 Professional is 4GB of RAM.

Question 20

A motherboard uses dual channeling, but you have four DIMMs available that differ in size. The motherboard supports all four sizes. Can you install these DIMMs on the board? Will dual channeling be enabled?

Answer 20

You would be able to install these DIMMS on the motherboard but dual channeling would not be enabled.

Question 21

How many pins does a DDR3 SO-DIMM have? A DDR2 SO-DIMM?

Answer 21

The DDR3 SO-DIMM has 204 pins and the DDR2 SO-DIMM has 200 pins.

Question 22

Which is faster, CL3 memory or CL5 memory?

Answer 22

CL3 memory is faster than CL5 memory.

Question 23

You are looking to purchase two DIMMs running at 400 MHz. You find DIMMs advertised at PC4000 and PC3200. Which do you purchase?

Answer 23

I would purchase the PC3200 over the PC4000. You divide the PC number by 8 to find the BUS speed.

Question 24

You need to find out how much RAM is installed in a system. What command do you execute to launch the System Information utility?

Answer 24

You would use the msinfo32 command in the search box to launch the System Information Utility.

Question 25

Although ECC memory costs more than non-ECC memory, why would you choose to use it? Which type of computer typically requires ECC memory?

Answer 25

Generally people choose ECC memory for its reliability. A computer being used as a server would typically require the use of ECC memory.

Question 26

You need to upgrade memory in a system but you don’t have the motherboard documentation available. You open the case and notice that the board has four DIMM slots; three slots are coloured yellow and one slot is black. What type of DIMM does the board likely use? How can you be sure?

Answer 26

The colouring on the slots indicate their channeling. Yellow is generally used to indicate triple channeling which would mean that most likely the board is using DDR3 DIMM. In order for you to be sure, remove a DIMM and verify the position of the notching.

Question 27

.If your motherboard supports DIMM memory, will RIMM memory still work on the board?

Answer 27

No, RIMM memory would not work on a motherboard that supports DIMM memory because it is an incompatible type. You can only use the type of memory module that the motherboard supports.

Question 28

If your motherboard supports ECC DDR3 memory, can you substitute non-ECC DDR3 memory?

Answer 28

You are able to substitute non-ECC DDR3 memory on a motherboard that supports ECC DDR3 memory but the error-checking feature will be disabled on the BIOS.

Question 29

You have just upgraded memory on a computer from 1 GB to 2 GB by adding one DIMM. When you first turn on the PC, the memory count shows only 1 GB. Which of the following is most likely the source of the problem? What can you do to fix it?

Answer 29

c. The new DIMM is not properly seated. —> You can fix it by turning off the computer and reseating the DIMM, it needs to stand at the same height as the other DIMMS that are installed.

Question 30

Your motherboard supports dual channeling and you currently have two slots used in Channel A on the board; each module holds 1 GB. You want to install an additional 1 GB of RAM. Will your system run faster if you install two 512-MB DIMMs or one 1-GB DIMM? Explain your answer.

Answer 30

Your system would be able to run faster (due to its ability to support dual channeling) if you install the two 512MB DIMMS because at that point it would be dual channeling. Dual channeling is faster than single channeling.