Flearn Website Header

ComptiaA+ Hardware


Master ComptiaA+ Hardware with our interactive study cards designed for effective learning. These flashcards use proven spaced repetition techniques to help you memorize key concepts, definitions, and facts. Perfect for students, professionals, and lifelong learners seeking to improve knowledge retention and ace exams through active recall practice.


Click any card to reveal the answer

What is the motherboard?

click to flip

Answer:

Main circuit board that connects all computer components together

What is the CPU?

click to flip

Answer:

Central Processing Unit - the brain of the computer that executes instructions

What is RAM?

click to flip

Answer:

Random Access Memory - volatile temporary storage for active programs and data

What is the difference between volatile and non-volatile memory?

click to flip

Answer:

Volatile memory loses data when power is off non-volatile retains data

What is ROM?

click to flip

Answer:

Read-Only Memory - non-volatile memory containing firmware

What is the BIOS?

click to flip

Answer:

Basic Input/Output System - firmware that initializes hardware during boot

What is UEFI?

click to flip

Answer:

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface - modern replacement for BIOS

What is the power supply unit (PSU)?

click to flip

Answer:

Component that converts AC power to DC power for computer components

📢
Advertisement
See Your Advert Here!

What wattage PSU is typical for standard desktop?

click to flip

Answer:

400-600 watts for basic systems 750+ watts for gaming systems

What are the ATX power connectors?

click to flip

Answer:

24-pin main motherboard connector and 4/8-pin CPU power connector

What is a hard disk drive (HDD)?

click to flip

Answer:

Magnetic storage device with spinning platters for data storage

What is a solid state drive (SSD)?

click to flip

Answer:

Storage device using flash memory with no moving parts

What are the advantages of SSD over HDD?

click to flip

Answer:

Faster access times no moving parts more durable and quieter

What interface do modern SSDs typically use?

click to flip

Answer:

SATA or NVMe (M.2)

What is NVMe?

click to flip

Answer:

Non-Volatile Memory Express - high-speed interface protocol for SSDs

What is SATA?

click to flip

Answer:

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment - interface for connecting storage devices

📢
Advertisement
See Your Advert Here!

What are the SATA versions and speeds?

click to flip

Answer:

SATA I (1.5 Gbps) SATA II (3 Gbps) SATA III (6 Gbps)

What is PCIe?

click to flip

Answer:

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express - high-speed expansion bus

What are common PCIe slot sizes?

click to flip

Answer:

x1 x4 x8 and x16

What is a graphics card (GPU)?

click to flip

Answer:

Expansion card that processes and renders graphics and video

What interface do modern graphics cards use?

click to flip

Answer:

PCIe x16 slot

What is integrated graphics?

click to flip

Answer:

Graphics processing built into the CPU or motherboard chipset

What is RAM measured in?

click to flip

Answer:

Gigabytes (GB) with speeds measured in MHz

What are common RAM types?

click to flip

Answer:

DDR3 DDR4 and DDR5

📢
Advertisement
See Your Advert Here!

What is dual-channel memory?

click to flip

Answer:

Using pairs of RAM modules for increased bandwidth

What is ECC memory?

click to flip

Answer:

Error-Correcting Code memory that detects and corrects data corruption

What is a heat sink?

click to flip

Answer:

Metal component that dissipates heat away from processors

What is thermal paste?

click to flip

Answer:

Compound applied between CPU and heat sink to improve heat transfer

What is a CPU socket?

click to flip

Answer:

Physical connection point on motherboard where CPU is installed

What are common CPU socket types?

click to flip

Answer:

LGA (Intel) and PGA/AM (AMD)

What is overclocking?

click to flip

Answer:

Running components at higher speeds than manufacturer specifications

What is the chipset?

click to flip

Answer:

Set of integrated circuits that manages data flow between CPU memory and peripherals

📢
Advertisement
See Your Advert Here!

What is the Northbridge?

click to flip

Answer:

Chipset component handling high-speed components (now often integrated into CPU)

What is the Southbridge?

click to flip

Answer:

Chipset component managing slower I/O devices

What is USB?

click to flip

Answer:

Universal Serial Bus - standard for connecting peripherals

What are USB versions and speeds?

click to flip

Answer:

USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) USB 4.0 (40 Gbps)

What is Thunderbolt?

click to flip

Answer:

High-speed interface combining data video and power up to 40 Gbps

What is DisplayPort?

click to flip

Answer:

Digital display interface for connecting monitors

What is HDMI?

click to flip

Answer:

High-Definition Multimedia Interface for audio and video transmission

What is VGA?

click to flip

Answer:

Video Graphics Array - older analog video standard (being phased out)

📢
Advertisement
See Your Advert Here!

What is DVI?

click to flip

Answer:

Digital Visual Interface - digital video connection standard

What expansion slots are found on motherboards?

click to flip

Answer:

PCIe x1 x4 x8 x16 slots (older systems may have PCI)

What is a sound card?

click to flip

Answer:

Expansion card for processing audio input and output

What is a network interface card (NIC)?

click to flip

Answer:

Card that provides wired or wireless network connectivity

What is RAID?

click to flip

Answer:

Redundant Array of Independent Disks - multiple drives working together

What is RAID 0?

click to flip

Answer:

Striping - data spread across drives for speed but no redundancy

What is RAID 1?

click to flip

Answer:

Mirroring - identical data on two drives for redundancy

What is RAID 5?

click to flip

Answer:

Striping with parity - requires minimum 3 drives with fault tolerance

📢
Advertisement
See Your Advert Here!

What is RAID 10?

click to flip

Answer:

Combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0 - mirroring and striping

What is POST?

click to flip

Answer:

Power-On Self-Test - diagnostic testing during system startup

Remember: Use all available resources to study. Flearn alone cannot guarantee success in any exams—make sure to supplement your learning!