220-1101 Practice Test 12 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician builds a new desktop computer. When powered on, all fans spin and LEDs light up, but the monitor shows 'No Signal'. The monitor is known to work. The motherboard has no onboard video output. The GPU fans spin. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify the GPU power cables are fully seated.. The GPU fans spinning indicates the card is receiving power from the PCIe slot, but the monitor showing 'No Signal' suggests the GPU may not be receiving sufficient supplemental power. The most common cause is a loose or unseated PCIe power cable from the PSU to the GPU. Checking and reseating these cables is the quickest, least invasive step before attempting reseating or replacement.

Answer

Reseat the GPU in its PCIe slot.

Answer

Connect the monitor to the motherboard's video output.

Answer

Replace the GPU with a known-working unit.

Question 2

A systems administrator needs to run multiple virtual machines on a single physical server for a high-performance computing environment. The administrator requires the lowest possible overhead and direct access to hardware resources. Which of the following should be installed on the server?

Accepted Answer

Type 1 hypervisor. A Type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal hypervisor) runs directly on the physical hardware without a host operating system, providing the lowest possible overhead and direct access to hardware resources such as CPU, memory, and I/O. This makes it ideal for high-performance computing (HPC) environments where minimal latency and maximum resource efficiency are critical.

Answer

Type 2 hypervisor

Answer

Cloud computing software

Answer

Server operating system

Question 3

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC. The motherboard is an LGA1700 socket type, and the technician installs the CPU, heatsink, and RAM. When powering on, the system turns on for a few seconds then shuts off and restarts repeatedly. The technician has verified that the power supply is functional and all power cables are connected. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU cooler is not making proper contact. The LGA1700 socket requires the CPU cooler to apply even and sufficient pressure to prevent thermal runaway. If the cooler is not making proper contact, the CPU rapidly overheats, triggering thermal protection that shuts down the system within seconds, followed by a restart loop. This matches the symptom of powering on briefly then repeatedly cycling.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The RAM is installed in the wrong slots

Answer

The motherboard is shorting against the case

Question 4

A technician builds a new desktop computer and installs a high-end dedicated graphics card. The system boots into Windows, but the display resolution is locked at 800x600 and the option to change it is grayed out. In Device Manager, the graphics card is listed under 'Other devices' with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following steps should the technician perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Install the latest graphics driver from the manufacturer's website.. The yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager under 'Other devices' indicates that Windows has not loaded a proper driver for the graphics card, which is why the display is stuck at the generic VGA resolution of 800x600. Installing the latest driver from the manufacturer's website is the correct first step because the operating system cannot utilize the dedicated GPU's capabilities without the correct driver, and this is the most common cause of the described symptoms.

Answer

Enable the device in the system BIOS.

Answer

Reseat the graphics card in the PCIe slot.

Answer

Disable the integrated graphics in the BIOS.

Question 5

A technician builds a PC with a CPU that supports PCIe 4.0, a motherboard with PCIe 4.0-capable slots, and a PCIe 4.0 GPU. After installation, the GPU is running at PCIe 3.0 speeds according to GPU-Z. The technician has updated the motherboard BIOS to the latest version and installed the latest chipset drivers. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the GPU not running at PCIe 4.0?

Accepted Answer

A. The GPU is installed in a secondary PCIe slot that is limited to PCIe 3.0. The most likely cause is that the GPU is installed in a secondary PCIe slot that is limited to PCIe 3.0. Even though the motherboard supports PCIe 4.0, not all slots on the board are necessarily wired for PCIe 4.0; secondary slots often run at PCIe 3.0 or lower due to chipset lane limitations. Installing the GPU in the primary (top) x16 slot, which is directly connected to the CPU, would allow PCIe 4.0 speeds.

Answer

B. The GPU firmware (vBIOS) is outdated

Answer

C. The power supply unit does not provide enough wattage

Answer

D. The GPU is not fully seated in the PCIe slot

Question 6

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC with an AMD Ryzen processor on a B550 motherboard. After installing the CPU, cooler, RAM, graphics card, and connecting all power cables, the technician powers on the system. The case fans spin, the motherboard LEDs light up, but there is no video output and no beep codes. The technician has verified that the monitor works with another PC, the graphics card is properly seated and has its power cables connected, and the RAM is installed in the correct slots. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

CPU power connector (8-pin EPS) on the motherboard. The correct answer is A because the 8-pin EPS12V CPU power connector supplies dedicated power to the processor. If this connector is not plugged in, the CPU will not initialize, resulting in no video output and no beep codes, even though case fans and motherboard LEDs receive power from the 24-pin ATX connector. The B550 motherboard requires this connection for the Ryzen CPU to operate.

Answer

BIOS version compatibility with the CPU

Answer

Power supply unit wattage rating

Answer

CMOS battery voltage

Question 7

A technician is assembling a new workstation. The motherboard supports DDR4 memory and has four DIMM slots: A1, A2, B1, B2. The technician installs two 16 GB DDR4-3200 modules. After powering on, the system detects 32 GB of RAM but reports a speed of 2133 MHz. The technician confirms the modules are rated for 3200 MHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the lower speed?

Accepted Answer

The BIOS memory profile is not set to XMP/DOCP. The motherboard detects the RAM capacity correctly but runs at the JEDEC default speed of 2133 MHz because the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) or DOCP (Direct Overclock Profile) has not been enabled in the BIOS. DDR4-3200 modules require an overclocking profile to operate at their rated speed; without it, the system defaults to the standard 2133 MHz speed.

Answer

The modules are not installed in the correct slots for dual-channel mode

Answer

The CPU does not support 3200 MHz

Answer

The power supply is insufficient

Question 8

A technician is building a high-performance gaming PC for a client. The technician installs a motherboard that supports DDR4-3200, an Intel Core i7-10700K CPU, and 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) of DDR4-3600 RAM rated at 1.35V. The system boots normally, but the BIOS reports the RAM running at 2133 MHz. The technician enables XMP Profile 1 in the BIOS, but the system fails to POST and must be reset via CMOS clear. After clearing CMOS, the system boots again at 2133 MHz. The technician has verified that the CPU and motherboard support DDR4-3200. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the failure?

Accepted Answer

The RAM speed is higher than the motherboard's supported maximum. The motherboard supports DDR4-3200, but the installed RAM is rated at DDR4-3600, which exceeds the motherboard's maximum supported speed. When XMP Profile 1 is enabled, it attempts to run the RAM at 3600 MHz, causing the system to fail POST because the motherboard's memory controller cannot reliably handle that speed. The CMOS clear restores default settings, returning the RAM to the JEDEC standard 2133 MHz.

Answer

The RAM modules are not installed in the correct slots for dual-channel mode

Answer

The XMP profile requires a higher voltage than the motherboard can provide

Answer

The CPU does not support any RAM speed above 2133 MHz

Question 9

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, heatsink, RAM, and connecting all cables, the system powers on but displays no video. The motherboard has integrated graphics. The technician hears a series of short beeps. What should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

The RAM. The series of short beeps is a common POST (Power-On Self-Test) code indicating a memory failure. Since the motherboard has integrated graphics and the system powers on, the CPU and power supply are likely functioning. The RAM is the most probable cause because improper seating or faulty modules prevent the system from completing POST and initializing video output.

Answer

The power supply

Answer

The CPU

Answer

The video cable

Question 10

A technician is building a high-performance workstation for video editing. The system uses an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU, a Z790 motherboard, and 64GB DDR5 RAM. After assembly, the system powers on, all fans spin, but there is no POST and no display output. The motherboard's CPU debug LED is lit. The technician has reseated the CPU and verified no bent pins, and tested the power supply with a multimeter (voltages within spec). The RAM is listed on the motherboard's QVL. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU is not supported by the BIOS version. The Intel Core i9-13900K (Raptor Lake) requires a BIOS version that supports 13th-gen CPUs. Many Z790 motherboards shipped with an initial BIOS that only supported 12th-gen (Alder Lake) processors. The CPU debug LED lit with no POST, despite correct seating and known-good PSU voltages, strongly indicates a BIOS incompatibility — the motherboard cannot initialize the CPU without the proper microcode update.

Answer

The RAM is not seated properly

Answer

The power supply is insufficient

Answer

The GPU is faulty

Question 11

A technician is assembling a new desktop with a Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and an ASUS B550 motherboard. After installing two 16GB DDR4-3600 sticks in the slots color-coded as 'A1' and 'A2' (both blue slots), the system powers on but shows no display. The motherboard's DRAM_LED remains lit. The technician has reseated the RAM and tested each stick individually in the A2 slot, but the problem persists. The CPU and motherboard are listed as compatible on the manufacturer's website. Which of the following should the technician try NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Install the two RAM sticks in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots from the CPU). The ASUS B550 motherboard typically requires dual-channel memory to be installed in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots from the CPU) for proper operation. Placing both sticks in A1 and A2 (both in the same channel) violates the recommended population order, which can prevent the system from posting even if the RAM is functional. The persistent DRAM_LED indicates a memory training or configuration issue, and correcting the slot placement is the logical next step before considering BIOS updates or hardware replacement.

Answer

Check the CPU cooler mounting pressure and ensure it is not too tight

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Replace the RAM with a kit that is on the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List (QVL)

Question 12

A technician is building a PC for a stock trader who needs to connect four external monitors. The motherboard has one HDMI port and one DisplayPort. Which of the following components should the technician add to support all four monitors?

Accepted Answer

Install a second graphics card in a PCIe x16 slot. The motherboard has only one HDMI and one DisplayPort, which supports only two monitors. Adding a second graphics card in a PCIe x16 slot provides additional video outputs (e.g., two more HDMI/DisplayPort ports), enabling a total of four monitors. This is the most straightforward and reliable method for multi-monitor support without relying on adapters or shared bandwidth.

Answer

Connect all monitors via a USB-C adapter

Answer

Use a KVM switch to connect the monitors

Answer

Enable onboard and dedicated graphics simultaneously

Question 13

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing the motherboard, CPU, heatsink, RAM, and power supply, the computer powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down immediately. The technician has checked all power connections and they are secure. What is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU cooler is not installed correctly or the thermal paste is absent.. The system powers on briefly and then shuts down, which is a classic symptom of thermal overload protection. If the CPU cooler is not installed correctly or thermal paste is missing, the CPU temperature skyrockets within seconds, triggering the motherboard's thermal protection circuit to shut down the system to prevent damage. This is the most likely cause given that all power connections are secure.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The RAM is not seated properly.

Answer

The power supply is defective.

Question 14

A technician is building a new gaming PC. After installing all components, the system powers on but there is no display output. The motherboard has no onboard video, and the dedicated GPU fans spin. The monitor is connected to the GPU and is known to work. What should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify the GPU power cables are connected. The GPU fans spinning indicates the card is receiving power through the PCIe slot, but the dedicated 6- or 8-pin PCIe power cables from the PSU may be missing or loose. Without these supplementary cables, the GPU cannot deliver enough power to initialize the display output, even though the fans spin due to minimal power from the slot. This is the most common oversight when building a gaming PC, so verifying the GPU power cables is the logical first step.

Answer

Replace the GPU

Answer

Reseat the CPU

Answer

Update the BIOS

Question 15

A technician is building a workstation for a memory-intensive application. The motherboard has four DIMM slots and supports dual-channel memory. The CPU memory controller supports a maximum of two memory channels and a limit of one rank per channel. The technician installs four quad-rank 32 GB memory modules (total 128 GB). When the system boots, only 64 GB of RAM is recognized. Each module works correctly when tested individually. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The quad-rank modules exceed the CPU's rank limit per channel.. The CPU memory controller supports a maximum of one rank per channel. With two channels, the system can only address two ranks total. Installing four quad-rank modules places eight ranks across two channels, far exceeding the limit. The controller ignores the extra ranks, resulting in only 64 GB being recognized (the capacity of two ranks).

Answer

The memory modules are not compatible with the motherboard's chipset.

Answer

The memory is being downclocked due to populating all four slots.

Answer

The CPU memory controller cannot address more than 64 GB total.