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Study Guide · A+ Core 1 · CompTIA 220-1201 V15

What each objective is asking you to know

Plain-English reference for every CompTIA A+ Core 1 V15 objective. Each entry covers what the exam tests, key facts, and how the concept connects to neighboring objectives. Pair with Quiz and Flashcards to lock it in.

Objective 3.4

Objective 3.4: Given a scenario, install and configure motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), and add-on cards

Cert: CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) V15 Domain: 3.0 Hardware Weight: ~25% of Core 1 (domain total; 3.5 is one of the largest objectives in the domain) Depth: Given a scenario, install and configure. The candidate must be able to choose components that work together and configure them.

What this objective tests

The widest objective in the Hardware domain. You should be able to pick the right motherboard for a case, match a CPU to a motherboard socket, identify common motherboard connectors, navigate BIOS/UEFI settings, install expansion cards in the correct slot, and choose the right cooling approach for a given workload.

This is also the foundation for 5.1 (troubleshoot motherboards, RAM, CPUs, and power).

Key facts

Motherboard form factors:

  • ATX. Full-size standard. Most expansion slots, most ports. Fits standard mid-tower and full-tower cases.
  • microATX (mATX). Smaller than ATX, usually 4 expansion slots, fits compact mid-towers.
  • ITX (Mini-ITX). Smallest mainstream form factor. Typically 1 expansion slot. Fits small form factor cases and HTPC builds.
  • Cases are backward compatible. A full ATX case fits ATX, mATX, or ITX boards. A mATX case fits mATX or ITX. An ITX case fits ITX only.

Motherboard connector types:

  • PCI. Legacy 32-bit parallel expansion slot. Mostly retired but you may still see it.
  • PCIe (PCI Express). The current expansion standard. Slots are sized x1, x4, x8, and x16. A larger card can run in a longer slot but a longer card cannot run in a shorter slot. PCIe generations (3.0, 4.0, 5.0) double bandwidth per generation.
  • Power connectors. 24-pin main motherboard power, 4 or 8-pin CPU power (EPS), 6 or 8-pin PCIe power for GPUs.
  • SATA. L-shaped data connector for HDDs and SSDs.
  • eSATA. External SATA, less common today.
  • Headers. Pin headers for front-panel power and reset buttons, USB front-panel ports, audio, RGB, fan power.
  • M.2. Small SSD form factor slot. Can be wired for SATA, NVMe (PCIe), or both. Check the motherboard manual for slot capability.

Motherboard compatibility:

  • CPU socket types. AMD and Intel each have their own sockets that change every few generations. AMD AM4 (Ryzen 1000 through 5000), AM5 (Ryzen 7000+). Intel LGA 1700 (12th, 13th, 14th gen), LGA 1851 (Core Ultra). A motherboard supports one specific socket family. Always match motherboard socket to CPU socket.
  • Multisocket. Some server motherboards have two or more CPU sockets. Usually paired with NUMA architectures and ECC RAM.

BIOS/UEFI settings:

  • Boot options. Order of devices to attempt boot from (USB, internal disk, network/PXE).
  • USB permissions. Some firmware allows you to disable USB ports, restrict USB boot, or require admin password for changes.
  • TPM security features. Enable TPM (Trusted Platform Module), required for BitLocker on Windows and for Windows 11.
  • Fan considerations. Fan curves and target temperatures. Modern boards control fan speed based on CPU and chassis temperature sensors.
  • Secure Boot. Verifies the bootloader signature before launching the OS. Helps prevent rootkit and bootkit malware. Required for Windows 11.
  • Boot password. Required to boot the system at all (separate from BIOS password).
  • BIOS password. Required to enter the firmware setup utility.
  • Temperature monitoring. Sensors for CPU, chipset, VRMs, drives. Exposed in BIOS and via OS-level tools.

Virtualization support:

  • Intel VT-x or AMD-V. Must be enabled in BIOS for VMs (Hyper-V, VMware, VirtualBox) to use hardware-accelerated virtualization.

Encryption hardware:

  • TPM (Trusted Platform Module). A small crypto chip (or firmware equivalent) that stores keys. Used by BitLocker, Windows Hello, and other security features.
  • HSM (Hardware Security Module). A dedicated cryptographic device, usually external or as a PCIe card, for high-assurance enterprise key management.

CPU architecture:

  • x86/x64. The mainstream desktop and server architecture. x86 is the older 32-bit version. x64 (also called x86-64 or AMD64) is the 64-bit version that dominates today.
  • ARM (Advanced RISC Machine). A different CPU architecture. Standard for phones, tablets, and increasingly laptops (Apple Silicon, Snapdragon X). Lower power, different instruction set. Not binary-compatible with x86/x64 without translation.
  • Core configurations. Modern CPUs have multiple cores, often with hyperthreading or SMT (each core appears as two logical processors). Some CPUs have performance cores and efficiency cores (Intel hybrid architecture from 12th gen, AMD Ryzen with V-cache variants).

Expansion cards:

  • Sound card. Adds higher-quality audio than integrated audio. Less common today as integrated audio improved.
  • Video card (GPU). Dedicated graphics. Installs in a PCIe x16 slot. Needs supplementary power for higher-end models.
  • Capture card. Captures video input from HDMI or other sources for streaming or recording.
  • Network interface card (NIC). Adds wired or wireless networking. Common reasons to add a NIC: 10 GbE upgrade, redundancy, or a second network segment.

Cooling:

  • Fans. Case fans (intake and exhaust), CPU heatsink fans. Higher RPM is louder. Larger fans push more air at lower RPM.
  • Heat sink. Metal block with fins that contacts the CPU through thermal paste. Pulls heat away from the CPU.
  • Thermal paste/pads. Conductive material between CPU and heat sink that fills microscopic gaps. Required for proper heat transfer. Reapply after removing the heat sink.
  • Liquid cooling. Closed-loop AIO or custom loop. Uses water to carry heat to a radiator. Higher cooling capacity for hot CPUs but more parts to fail.

Common gotchas

  • CPU socket mismatch. The single biggest motherboard purchase mistake. Always verify CPU socket matches motherboard socket BEFORE ordering. Pin counts and keying are different per generation.
  • Form factor and case fit. ATX board does not fit in an ITX case. Always check case dimensions for "ATX support" before buying.
  • PCIe slot size vs card size. A x16 GPU does not fit in a x1 slot. A x1 card does fit in a x16 slot (works at x1 speed). Open-ended slots help. Read the manual.
  • CPU power connector missed. New builders sometimes plug in the 24-pin main power and forget the 4/8-pin CPU power connector (EPS). System will not post.
  • Thermal paste left off. Bare CPU and bare heatsink with no thermal paste leads to immediate overheating and thermal shutdown.
  • Secure Boot vs legacy boot media. Older USB installers or Linux distros that lack signed bootloaders will not boot with Secure Boot enabled. Either sign the bootloader or temporarily disable Secure Boot.
  • TPM disabled by default on older boards. Required for Windows 11 install. Check BIOS settings before declaring incompatibility.
  • Virtualization disabled by default. Common surprise when trying to run a VM. Enable in BIOS.
  • ARM vs x64 software compatibility. Software compiled for x64 needs emulation or translation to run on ARM (Windows on ARM, Apple Rosetta). Mature for most consumer apps; rough for some legacy enterprise software.

Real-world context

For procurement and builds, the order of decisions is: CPU first (sets socket), motherboard second (sets form factor and feature support), case third (must fit motherboard), RAM and storage fourth (must match motherboard).

For troubleshooting, the BIOS/UEFI is the first place to check when:

  • A new RAM stick is not detected (check BIOS, check slot).
  • A drive is not visible (check SATA mode, check enabled slots, check secure boot signing if it is a boot drive).
  • Virtualization fails to start (check VT-x or AMD-V).
  • Windows 11 install fails (check TPM and Secure Boot).

For builds in business environments: prefer microATX or ITX for desktop fleets to save space and cost. Reserve ATX builds for workstations that genuinely need expansion slots.

Sources

  • [CompTIA A+ 220-1201 Exam Objectives Version 4.0, Section 3.5](../../../../../../30-RevyTechJourney/CompTIA%20A%2B%20220-1201%20Exam%20Objectives%20%284.0%29.pdf)
  • [Wikipedia: ATX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX)
  • [Wikipedia: PCI Express](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express)
  • [Wikipedia: List of AMD CPU sockets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_CPU_sockets)
  • [Wikipedia: List of Intel CPU sockets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_microprocessors)
  • [Wikipedia: Trusted Platform Module](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Platform_Module)
  • [Wikipedia: x86-64](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64)
  • [Wikipedia: ARM architecture family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture_family)
  • [Microsoft Learn: TPM fundamentals](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/hardware-security/tpm/trusted-platform-module-overview)
Previous · 3.3
Compare and contrast storage devices
Next · 3.5
Given a scenario, install the appropriate power supply
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