220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Question
A user reports that their desktop computer loses network connectivity for a few seconds whenever they start a large video rendering application. The technician has already updated the network adapter driver, replaced the Ethernet cable, and verified that the switch port is not faulty. The computer uses an integrated NIC on the motherboard. The system's CPU and GPU temperatures are within normal limits during rendering. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent network drops?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume the issue is network-related (bandwidth or cable) or overheating, but the key clue is the symptom occurring only under a high-power load, pointing to a power delivery problem rather than a data or thermal issue.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The power supply unit (PSU) is failing under load.
When a large rendering application starts, it draws significant power from the PSU. If the PSU is failing or underrated, the voltage supplied to the integrated NIC may drop below its operational threshold, causing the NIC to momentarily reset or lose link. This explains the intermittent drops despite the NIC, cable, and switch port being verified as functional.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The rendering application is saturating the network bandwidth.
Why it's wrong here
While heavy network traffic from a rendering application can cause severe performance degradation, it cannot cause the NIC to completely drop link or show a disconnected cable state. Bandwidth saturation causes packet loss, high latency, and slow transfers, but the physical and logical network interface remains up and connected, just congested. The symptoms described—intermittent, complete loss of connectivity—are consistent with a hardware electrical fault, not traffic overload.
- ✗
The motherboard's chipset is overheating.
Why it's wrong here
If the chipset were overheating, it would likely cause system crashes, freezes, or display issues, not isolated network drops. The scenario states CPU and GPU temps are normal, but chipset temp may not be monitored. However, network drops alone are less likely from chipset overheating.
- ✓
The power supply unit (PSU) is failing under load.
Why this is correct
Under heavy load, a failing PSU may deliver unstable voltage to the motherboard. The integrated NIC can lose connection momentarily if it receives insufficient or fluctuating power. This is a known symptom of a PSU nearing failure.
- ✗
There is an IRQ conflict between the NIC and the graphics card.
Why it's wrong here
IRQ conflicts are a legacy issue from the ISA bus era; modern Windows systems using ACPI, PCIe, and Message Signaled Interrupts (MSI) dynamically assign and share interrupt lines without direct manual configuration. Even if a conflict existed, it would typically result in device errors, system hangs, or blue screens during initialization, not a transient network link drop after the system has been running under load. The NIC and GPU are also on separate PCIe controllers in most desktop motherboards, making a physical interrupt conflict essentially nonexistent in this scenario.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1101 exam.