220-1201 Motherboard Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is replacing a faulty motherboard in a workstation. After installing the new board, the system powers on but there is no display output from the integrated graphics port. The CPU does not have integrated graphics. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Install a dedicated GPU into a PCIe slot. If the CPU lacks integrated graphics, the motherboard's video output ports will not function. A dedicated GPU must be installed. This is a common oversight when switching from a CPU with integrated graphics to one without.

Answer

Clear the CMOS to reset BIOS settings

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS

Answer

Check the monitor cable connection

Question 2

During a motherboard replacement, you install the new board and connect all cables. When you power on, the system beeps continuously (long beeps). The CPU fan spins, but there is no display. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM is not seated correctly or is faulty. Continuous long beeps typically indicate a memory (RAM) issue. This could be due to improperly seated RAM, incompatible memory, or a faulty memory slot. The CPU fan spinning suggests power is reaching the board, but the POST process halts at memory initialization.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the new motherboard

Answer

The power supply is underpowered

Answer

The motherboard is shorting against the case

Question 3

During a desktop build, you install a new M.2 NVMe SSD into the M.2 slot. When you power on the system, the BIOS does not detect the drive. The SSD is known to be working. What is the most likely motherboard-related cause?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot is SATA-only and the drive is NVMe. Many motherboards share PCIe lanes between M.2 slots and SATA ports. Installing an M.2 NVMe drive often disables certain SATA ports, but the drive itself should still be detected if properly seated. The most common oversight is not checking the motherboard manual for M.2 slot compatibility or lane sharing.

Answer

The CMOS battery needs replacement

Answer

The motherboard BIOS is corrupted

Answer

The CPU is not seated properly

Question 4

You are upgrading a customer's gaming PC to support faster memory. The motherboard supports DDR4-3200, but after installing two 8GB DDR4-3200 modules, the system only runs at 2133 MHz. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

XMP is not enabled in the BIOS. By default, most motherboards run RAM at a standard JEDEC speed (often 2133 MHz) for stability. To achieve the rated speed of 3200 MHz, you must enable XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) in the BIOS. This is a common step that new builders overlook.

Answer

The RAM modules are defective

Answer

The motherboard does not support dual-channel memory

Answer

The CPU does not support DDR4-3200

Question 5

A customer reports that their desktop PC will not power on at all. The power supply fan does not spin, and no LEDs are lit. You have verified the power cord is good and the outlet has power. Which motherboard component should you check first?

Accepted Answer

The 24-pin ATX power connector. The ATX power connector (main power connector) supplies power from the PSU to the motherboard. If it is loose or disconnected, the motherboard will not receive power, causing a no-power condition. Always check this first before assuming PSU failure.

Answer

The CMOS battery

Answer

The front panel power switch header

Answer

The CPU fan header

Question 6

A technician is upgrading a workstation from DDR3 to DDR4 memory. The motherboard currently has two DDR3 DIMM slots occupied. What must the technician verify before installing the new memory?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard has DDR4 DIMM slots. DDR3 and DDR4 have different notch positions and voltage requirements, so they are not interchangeable. The motherboard must physically support DDR4, which means it must have DDR4 DIMM slots. The CPU socket type and chipset are secondary; the key factor is the motherboard's memory generation support.

Answer

The CPU supports DDR4 memory

Answer

The power supply has a 4-pin connector for memory

Answer

The chipset supports dual-channel configuration

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that randomly freezes during boot. The technician notices that the motherboard has a 24-pin ATX power connector and an 8-pin EPS12V connector. The power supply only has a 4+4 pin CPU power cable. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Combine the two 4-pin halves to form an 8-pin connector and attach it. The 4+4 pin CPU power cable is designed to be used as an 8-pin EPS12V connector by combining the two halves. This is standard for modern power supplies. Using only a 4-pin connector may cause instability under load, but the 4+4 pin cable is fully compatible. The 24-pin main connector is separate and already connected.

Answer

Connect only the 4-pin portion of the cable to the 8-pin header

Answer

Use a 6-pin PCIe power cable in the 8-pin CPU header

Answer

Leave the 8-pin header unconnected and rely on the 24-pin connector

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that fails to boot and emits a series of long beeps. The motherboard documentation indicates this is a memory error. Which component on the motherboard is responsible for generating these beep codes?

Accepted Answer

BIOS/UEFI chip. The BIOS/UEFI firmware is responsible for the Power-On Self-Test (POST) and uses the speaker to emit beep codes to indicate hardware errors. The CMOS battery only retains settings, the chipset handles data flow, and the Super I/O manages I/O but not POST beep codes.

Answer

CMOS battery

Answer

Chipset

Answer

Super I/O chip

Question 9

A user reports that their PC randomly shuts down after about 30 minutes of use. You suspect a thermal issue. Which motherboard component is most directly responsible for monitoring CPU temperature and initiating a shutdown if it exceeds safe limits?

Accepted Answer

Super I/O chip. The Super I/O chip is responsible for monitoring hardware sensors, including CPU temperature, and can trigger a hardware-level shutdown if thresholds are exceeded. The BIOS/UEFI configures these thresholds, but the actual monitoring is done by the Super I/O. The chipset and voltage regulator module do not perform thermal monitoring.

Answer

BIOS/UEFI firmware

Answer

Chipset (PCH)

Answer

Voltage regulator module (VRM)

Question 10

A technician is replacing a failed motherboard in a desktop PC. The original motherboard had an LGA1151 socket. The replacement motherboard has an LGA1200 socket. The technician attempts to install the original CPU but finds it does not fit. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The CPU has a different number of pins. LGA sockets are keyed for specific generations of CPUs. LGA1151 is used for 6th/7th/8th/9th gen Intel, while LGA1200 is for 10th/11th gen. The physical pin count and keying are different, so a CPU designed for LGA1151 cannot be inserted into an LGA1200 socket. The chipset is irrelevant to physical fit, and the power connector is unrelated.

Answer

The CPU is incompatible with the new motherboard's chipset

Answer

The power supply connector is different

Answer

The CPU is an AMD processor

Question 11

A customer wants to add a dedicated graphics card to their PC for gaming. The motherboard has one PCIe x16 slot, but it is currently occupied by a Wi-Fi card. The customer asks if they can use the PCIe x1 slot for the graphics card. What should the technician advise?

Accepted Answer

No, the graphics card requires a PCIe x16 slot. PCIe x1 slots are physically shorter and provide only one lane of bandwidth, which is insufficient for a modern graphics card's performance needs. A graphics card requires a PCIe x16 slot (electrically x8 or x16) for adequate data transfer. The Wi-Fi card can be moved to the x1 slot, but the graphics card must go in the x16 slot.

Answer

Yes, but the graphics card will run at reduced performance

Answer

Yes, but only if the motherboard supports SLI

Answer

No, because the Wi-Fi card must stay in the x16 slot

Question 12

During a hardware installation, a technician needs to connect the front panel USB 3.0 ports of a new case to the motherboard. The motherboard has a 20-pin USB 3.0 header. Which cable from the case should be connected to this header?

Accepted Answer

A 20-pin (19-pin) USB 3.0 cable. The USB 3.0 internal header is a 20-pin (or 19-pin) connector that carries data for up to two USB 3.0 ports. The case's USB 3.0 cable will have a matching connector. USB 2.0 headers are 9-pin, and the audio header is different. The power LED is a separate 2-pin connector.

Answer

A 9-pin USB 2.0 cable

Answer

A 4-pin power LED cable

Answer

A 10-pin audio cable

Question 13

A technician is tasked with connecting a legacy parallel port printer to a modern motherboard that lacks a parallel port header. The motherboard has an LPT header (25-pin) but it is not populated with a bracket. What is the best way to add a parallel port?

Accepted Answer

Purchase an LPT bracket that connects to the motherboard header. The LPT header on the motherboard provides the necessary signals for a parallel port. A bracket with a ribbon cable that connects to this header is the correct solution. A USB-to-parallel adapter would work but may have compatibility issues and is not the best use of the existing header. A PCIe parallel card is an alternative but unnecessary if the header is present.

Answer

Install a USB-to-parallel adapter

Answer

Use a PCIe parallel port expansion card

Answer

Solder wires directly to the motherboard's LPT header pins

Question 14

A technician is building a PC for video editing and wants to install 32 GB of RAM using four 8 GB modules. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory. Which DIMM slot configuration should the technician use to achieve the best performance?

Accepted Answer

Install two modules in channel A and two in channel B. For dual-channel memory with four modules, the motherboard typically uses slots A1, A2, B1, and B2. To enable dual-channel, matching pairs must be in the same channel (e.g., A1 and A2 for channel A, B1 and B2 for channel B). Installing all four modules in the same channel would force single-channel operation, halving memory bandwidth.

Answer

Install all four modules in the same channel (e.g., A1, A2, A3, A4)

Answer

Install one module in each channel, leaving two slots empty

Answer

Install three modules in channel A and one in channel B

Question 15

A customer reports that their desktop PC will not power on at all. The power supply fan does not spin, and no LEDs light up. You have verified the wall outlet is working. Which motherboard component is most likely preventing the system from starting?

Accepted Answer

Front panel header. The CMOS battery is not involved in the power-on process; it only maintains BIOS settings. The chipset and CPU are not directly responsible for the initial power-up sequence. The power-on process begins with the power button connecting to the front panel header, and if that connection is faulty, the motherboard never receives the signal to start the PSU.

Answer

CMOS battery

Answer

Chipset heatsink

Answer

CPU socket