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CompTIA A+ Core 1 — Hardware and Mobile Devices flashcards

10 of 79 cards free to study here · 3 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys

Laptop and mobile hardware, cables and connectors, RAM, storage and RAID, motherboards and CPUs, power supplies, laser and other printers, plus virtualization and cloud basics for Core 1.

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Learn deck · part of CompTIA A+ · written against: Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202) exam objectives. Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. A customer wants more RAM in a laptop. Which memory module form factor will you most likely order?
    A SO-DIMM (small outline DIMM), the short module used in laptops and small form factor PCs. It must also match the laptop's DDR generation.

    Watch out: many thin laptops have RAM soldered to the board and cannot be upgraded at all.
    Mobile Devices › Laptop Hardware
  2. Before buying an M.2 SSD for a laptop, which three things about the slot should you confirm?
    The keying (M key or B+M key), whether the slot supports NVMe/PCIe or only SATA, and the supported length (for example 2280 = 22 mm wide, 80 mm long).
    Mobile Devices › Laptop Hardware
  3. A laptop's case is bulging and the touchpad is being pushed upward. What is the likely cause and what should the technician do?
    A swollen lithium-ion battery. Power the laptop off, remove the battery carefully without puncturing or bending it, and send it for recycling as hazardous waste.

    Why: a damaged lithium-ion cell can overheat and catch fire.
    Mobile Devices › Laptop Hardware
  4. Which laptop key, pressed together with a top-row key, toggles functions such as external display output, Wi-Fi and screen brightness?
    The Fn (function) key. It activates the secondary function printed on the F-keys, such as switching video to an external monitor or toggling airplane mode.
    Mobile Devices › Laptop Hardware
  5. What are the maximum data rates of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (now called USB 3.2 Gen 1)?
    USB 2.0: 480 Mbps; USB 3.0 / USB 3.2 Gen 1: 5 Gbps. USB 3.2 Gen 2 doubles that to 10 Gbps.
    Hardware › Cables and Connectors
  6. Why does seeing a USB-C port tell you nothing certain about its speed?
    USB-C is a reversible connector shape, not a speed standard. A USB-C port might carry anything from USB 2.0 to USB4 or Thunderbolt, and may or may not support video or high-wattage Power Delivery.
    Hardware › Cables and Connectors
  7. What maximum bandwidth do Thunderbolt 3 and 4 provide, and which connector do they use?
    40 Gbps, over the USB-C connector. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used the Mini DisplayPort connector instead.
    Hardware › Cables and Connectors
  8. What is the difference between a Type 1 and a Type 2 hypervisor?
    A Type 1 (bare-metal) hypervisor runs directly on the hardware, as in Hyper-V or VMware ESXi. A Type 2 (hosted) hypervisor runs as an application on top of an existing OS, as in VirtualBox or VMware Workstation.
    Virtualization and Cloud Computing › Virtualization
  9. A hypervisor refuses to start 64-bit virtual machines on a new PC. What firmware setting should be checked?
    That hardware-assisted virtualization is enabled in UEFI/BIOS: Intel VT-x or AMD-V.
    Virtualization and Cloud Computing › Virtualization
  10. Give two common reasons to run an application inside a virtual machine instead of directly on the host.
    To sandbox untrusted software or tests away from the host, and to keep a legacy application running on an older OS the host no longer supports.
    Virtualization and Cloud Computing › Virtualization

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About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Checked against vendor documentation from the USB Implementers Forum, PCI-SIG, JEDEC and Microsoft Learn (reference only; no text copied).
  • CompTIA A+ exam objectives 220-1201/220-1202 (topic outline only; no text copied)

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