Cooling and Power

Question 1

What is passive cooling?

Answer 1

Passive cooling relies on components without moving parts or power.

Question 2

What is active cooling?

Answer 2

Active cooling uses fans powered by electricity to increase airflow and dissipate heat

Question 3

What do case fans do?

Answer 3

Case fans circulate cool air into the case and expel hot air out

Question 4

What causes the power supply to generate heat?

Answer 4

AC to DC conversion

Question 5

What is closed loop system cooling?

Answer 5

Cooling of a single component

Question 6

Where does the heat go in a closed loop system?

Answer 6

Heat goes from the heat sink to the radiator

Question 7

What does the water loop/tubing do in an open loop cooling system?

Answer 7

It circulates coolant throughout the system

Question 8

What does the pump do in an open loop cooling system?

Answer 8

It pushes liquid through the system

Question 9

What does the reservoir do in an open loop cooling system?

Answer 9

It holds coolant, accommodating expansion and contraction

Question 10

What does the Water Block/Bracket do in an open loop cooling system?

Answer 10

It transfers heat from components to the liquid

Question 11

What does the radiator do in an open loop cooling system?

Answer 11

It dissipates heat from coolant as air passes over its surface

Question 12

What kind of power is delivered to computer components via the PSU?

Answer 12

Direct Current (DC)

Question 13

What kind of power is provided from wall outlets?

Answer 13

Alternating Current (AC)

Question 14

What is the standard AC power in the US

Answer 14

110-120 volts, 60 Hz (low-line power)

Question 15

What is the standard AC power in Europe and Asia

Answer 15

230-240 volts (high-line power)

Question 16

What does the transformer do in a PSU?

Answer 16

The transformer reduces high AC voltage to lower levels suitable for computers

Question 17

What do regulators and filters do in a PSU?

Answer 17

They ensure clean and stable DC output for components

Question 18

What is a modular PSU?

Answer 18

A modular PSU allows for unused cables to be detached from the PSU

Question 19

What are redundant power supplies?

Answer 19

They provide dual power supplies for continuous operation

Question 20

What is a benefit of redundant power supplies?

Answer 20

One PSU can fail without shutting down the whole system; ideal for servers

Question 21

How many pins can a CPU connector have?

Answer 21

4, 6 or 8

Question 22

How many pins can PCIe power connectors have?

Answer 22

6 or 8

Question 23

What is a Molex connector?

Answer 23

A Molex connector is a legacy power connector used for older IDE/PATA hard disks and optical drives

Question 24

How many pins did Molex have?

Answer 24

4 pins

Question 25

What are two common uses for a Y connector?

Answer 25

Splitting one power connector into two and converting one type of connector to another

Question 26

What best describes something that alternates between positive and negative voltages?

Answer 26

AC power alternation

Question 27

What could happen if you plug in a 120-volt power supply into a 230-volt outlet?

Answer 27

Power failure or a fire

Question 28

What happens if you plug in a 230-volt device into a 120-volt outlet?

Answer 28

It will fail to power on

Question 29

What are the main DC voltages used today?

Answer 29

3.3, 5 and 12 volts DC

Question 30

How does voltage transformation happen?

Answer 30

Input AC voltage is reduced and converted to DC using transformers, filters and rectifiers

Question 31

What is a rail?

Answer 31

A rail refers to a wire or circuit providing a specific voltage level

Question 32

What does wattage rating refer to?

Answer 32

Wattage rating refers to the power supply unit's output capacity

Question 33

What wattage requirement is needed for office desktop PCs?

Answer 33

200-300 Watts

Question 34

What wattage requirement is needed for higher end gaming PCs?

Answer 34

500-900 Watts

Question 35

Which devices require power from the PSU?

Answer 35

Powerful processor, graphics cards, multiple hard drives, optical drives

Question 36

What is the formula for converting Amps to Watts?

Answer 36

Amps x Voltage

Question 37

What is the efficiency of standard power supplies?

Answer 37

70-75%

Question 38

What is the efficiency of Energy Star-rated power supplies?

Answer 38

80%

Question 39

What happens to the remaining percentage of power efficiency?

Answer 39

It is lost as heat