220-1101 CPU — Timed 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is tasked with selecting a CPU for a small form factor (SFF) office PC that must run quietly and efficiently. Which CPU characteristic is most important for this build?

Accepted Answer

Low thermal design power (TDP). In SFF builds, heat dissipation is limited, so a CPU with low TDP generates less heat, allowing for smaller, quieter cooling solutions. This tests understanding of how TDP impacts system design and noise levels.

Answer

Highest possible clock speed

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Integrated GPU

Answer

Support for overclocking

Question 2

A user complains that their computer shuts down unexpectedly after a few minutes of gaming. You check the CPU temperature and find it is 105°C. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Degraded thermal paste. High CPU temperature under load indicates a cooling problem. The most common cause is dried or improperly applied thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink. This prevents efficient heat transfer, leading to thermal throttling or shutdown.

Answer

Insufficient RAM

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Failing power supply

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Outdated BIOS

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that fails to POST. The CPU fan spins, but there is no display output. The motherboard has a diagnostic LED that shows a CPU error. Which step should the technician take first to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Reseat the CPU. A CPU error LED indicates a problem with the processor or its installation. The most common cause is improper seating or bent pins. Reseating the CPU is a logical first step before replacing components. This tests systematic troubleshooting methodology.

Answer

Replace the power supply

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Update the BIOS using a USB flashback

Answer

Replace the CPU

Question 4

A customer says their PC randomly freezes and sometimes displays a blue screen error. You run diagnostics and find that the CPU passes all tests, but the system still crashes. Which component should you check next as a likely cause of CPU-related instability?

Accepted Answer

The CPU fan. Even if the CPU itself is functional, instability can arise from other factors. Overheating due to a failing fan can cause intermittent crashes. The CPU fan is critical for maintaining safe temperatures under load.

Answer

The hard drive

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The power supply unit

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The motherboard BIOS

Question 5

A technician is configuring a new PC for a user who runs multiple virtual machines. The motherboard has an AM5 socket. Which CPU feature is most important for this workload?

Accepted Answer

High core and thread count. Virtual machines benefit from many cores and threads because each VM can be assigned to a separate core. AMD AM5 CPUs offer high core counts, making them ideal for virtualization. This tests understanding of how CPU architecture affects specific tasks.

Answer

High clock speed

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Large L3 cache

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Integrated graphics

Question 6

A user reports that their computer is making a loud grinding noise and then shuts down after a few minutes. The CPU temperature is normal at idle. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

CPU fan bearing failure. A grinding noise typically indicates a mechanical bearing failure in a fan. The CPU fan may still spin but fail under load, causing overheating and shutdown. This scenario tests the ability to correlate auditory symptoms with hardware failure.

Answer

Hard drive failure

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Power supply fan failure

Answer

Loose CPU cooler

Question 7

A technician is building a new workstation for video editing. The motherboard supports LGA 1700 socket CPUs. Which of the following CPUs is compatible with this socket?

Accepted Answer

Intel Core i5-13600K. This question tests knowledge of CPU socket compatibility. LGA 1700 is used by Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th generation processors. Choosing the correct socket ensures the CPU physically fits and operates.

Answer

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

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Intel Core i7-9700K

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AMD Threadripper 3970X

Question 8

A technician is upgrading a workstation and notices that the new CPU is not listed in the motherboard's supported CPU list. The motherboard uses an LGA 1200 socket. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's chipset does not support that CPU generation. CPU compatibility depends on both socket and chipset. Even with the correct socket, the chipset may not support the CPU's power delivery or microcode. This question tests deeper knowledge of motherboard-CPU compatibility beyond just the socket.

Answer

The CPU is physically too large for the socket

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The CPU requires more power than the motherboard can provide

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The CPU is a server-grade processor not meant for workstations

Question 9

A customer reports that their desktop PC is running very slowly, especially when opening multiple applications. The system has 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB HDD. You check Task Manager and see that the CPU is consistently at 100% usage even with only a few apps open. Which CPU characteristic is most likely causing this bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

Clock speed. This scenario tests understanding of how CPU clock speed affects multitasking performance. A low clock speed means the processor cannot execute instructions quickly enough, leading to high usage and sluggishness. Upgrading to a CPU with a higher clock speed would directly address the bottleneck.

Answer

Number of cores

Answer

Cache size

Answer

Thermal design power (TDP)

Question 10

A technician is upgrading a server CPU and needs to select a processor that supports ECC memory. Which CPU feature is required for ECC support?

Accepted Answer

Memory controller. ECC memory requires support from the CPU's memory controller. Not all CPUs support ECC; it is typically found in workstation or server-class processors. This question tests knowledge of CPU features beyond just speed and cores.

Answer

Integrated GPU

Answer

Hyper-Threading

Answer

Overclocking capability

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that fails to boot. The motherboard has a POST code display showing '00'. The CPU fan spins, but there is no display output. Which component is most likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

The CPU. POST code '00' typically indicates a CPU-related issue, such as a faulty CPU, incorrect installation, or bent pins. Since the fan spins, power is reaching the board, but the CPU is not initializing. The technician should reseat the CPU and check for damage.

Answer

The power supply unit

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The RAM modules

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The graphics card

Question 12

A user complains that their PC is running slowly and the fan is constantly running at high speed. Task Manager shows the CPU is consistently at 100% usage even when idle. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A background process is consuming CPU cycles, such as a mining script or system update. High CPU usage at idle is often due to background processes, such as malware or a runaway application. The constant high fan speed indicates the CPU is generating excess heat from this activity.

Answer

The CPU is overheating due to dried thermal paste

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The power supply is failing and cannot provide enough power

Answer

The CPU has been overclocked beyond its limits

Question 13

A user reports that their computer randomly restarts when playing games. The technician suspects the CPU is overheating. Which tool should the technician use to monitor the CPU temperature under load?

Accepted Answer

A third-party utility like HWMonitor. To diagnose overheating, a technician needs real-time temperature monitoring. A tool like HWMonitor or Core Temp provides accurate CPU temperature readings. BIOS/UEFI shows idle temps only, and Event Viewer logs crashes but not temperatures.

Answer

Windows Task Manager

Answer

The BIOS/UEFI hardware monitor

Answer

Windows Event Viewer

Question 14

A technician is upgrading a workstation from a dual-core CPU to a quad-core CPU. After installation, the system boots but only shows two cores in the operating system. The technician has already verified the CPU is properly seated. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard BIOS is outdated and does not fully support the new CPU. If the OS only detects half the cores, the CPU might be faulty, but a more common cause is that the motherboard's BIOS needs an update to support the new CPU's full feature set. Older BIOS versions may not recognize all cores.

Answer

The CPU is counterfeit and only has two functional cores

Answer

The operating system is limited to two cores due to licensing

Answer

The CPU cooler is too tight, causing physical damage to the CPU

Question 15

During a routine hardware upgrade, a technician installs a new CPU into a workstation. After powering on, the system emits a series of long beeps and the screen remains blank. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The RAM is not seated properly. POST beep codes are used to indicate hardware errors. A series of long beeps typically points to a memory issue, not a CPU problem. The technician should reseat the RAM modules to resolve this.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard socket

Answer

The CPU is installed backwards

Answer

The CPU fan is not connected to the motherboard