220-1101 Hardware Practice Question
A technician upgrades a workstation's memory. The motherboard has four DIMM slots and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory. Two 8 GB DDR4-3200 modules are installed in slots A1 and B1. The system boots, detects 16 GB of RAM, but reports the memory speed at 2133 MHz. Which step should the technician take to achieve the rated speed of 3200 MHz?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that memory speed is determined by slot placement or driver updates, when in fact the BIOS profile (XMP/DOCP) must be enabled to unlock the rated frequency beyond the JEDEC default.
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
✓
Enable XMP/DOCP in the BIOS
The memory is running at the JEDEC default speed of 2133 MHz, not the rated 3200 MHz. To achieve the higher speed, the technician must enable Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) or AMD DOCP (Direct Overclock Profile) in the BIOS, which loads the manufacturer's overclocking profile for the rated frequency and timings.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Install the modules in slots A1 and A2 instead
Why it's wrong here
Dual-channel operation requires matched modules in paired slots, typically A1/B1 or A2/B2; A1/A2 places both on the same channel, halving bandwidth. It is tempting because populating adjacent slots looks tidy, and single-channel configurations do boot, but the memory controller then runs at the JEDEC fallback of 2133 MHz rather than the XMP-rated 3200 MHz.
- ✓
Enable XMP/DOCP in the BIOS
Why this is correct
DDR4 modules default to the JEDEC baseline of 2133 MHz until a higher profile is applied. Enabling XMP/DOCP in the BIOS loads the module's rated 3200 MHz profile, satisfying the stem's requirement to reach the advertised speed.
- ✗
Replace the modules with DDR4-2666
Why it's wrong here
DDR4-2666 modules cap at 2666 MHz, so they cannot reach the 3200 MHz target; the installed 3200 modules are merely defaulting to 2133 MHz until an XMP or DOCP profile is enabled. It is tempting because mismatched or slower memory can cause downclocking, and would be correct if the existing modules were the limiting factor.
- ✗
Update the motherboard chipset drivers
Why it's wrong here
Chipset drivers do not govern memory frequency; the modules are running at DDR4's default 2133 MHz because XMP or DOCP has not been enabled in firmware. It is tempting because driver updates often resolve hardware quirks, and would be correct for chipset-related stability faults, but the rated 3200 MHz profile must be selected in BIOS/UEFI.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
BIOS/UEFI Update Procedures
Key term
RAM
RAM (Random-Access Memory) is volatile computer memory that temporarily stores data for quick access by the CPU.
Key term
Double Data Rate
Double Data Rate (DDR) is a technology that doubles the data transfer rate of a memory or bus by sending data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal, effectively doing twice as much work per clock cycle.
About these practice questions
This 220-1101 question is part of Courseiva's 896-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.