CertiGuide to A+ (Core Hardware)  9  Chapter 0001:  Power Supplies - System Board

I  Introduction to Chapter 0001 1 III  Power Supplies

At first glance, it may seem odd to discuss power supplies and system boards in the same chapter. In fact, the two are closely related, because power supplies are the energy source for the computer. You will see the choices between different designs impacting the system board and the form factor.

It will become clear how the chipset impacts the size of the system board along with other factors.

The dance between the BIOS interacting with the CMOS to create a POST routine will be revealed. You will discover how to upgrade BIOS that is not capable of meeting your needs.

Further details about various expansion buses and the impact of the choices you can make will become clear.

The sometimes-disastrous interaction with drivers will be demystified so you may become a driver magician.

Various levels of cache and the interaction between them and how they affect performance will guide you though an area frequently fraught with inaccuracy, thus giving a clear understanding to utilize to your benefit.

The ability to improve performance by properly applying techniques such as Bus Mastering and DMA will be explained.

Confusing issues such as PCI Steering and Memory mapping are explained. So let’s get started.

I  Introduction to Chapter 0001 1 III  Power Supplies