To complete this part of the activity, go to the section describing your topic that you have bee assigned.  Complete the required questions for your topic and then when your group has finished, discuss each topic and teach each other the important features.  Remember that for the game show, you will be quizzed on the required information for each topic as well as additional questions that may not be covered in your assigned questions.  So remember to read carefully!!!

Central Processing Unit (CPU)              Motherboard              Memory (RAM)              Storage Devices

Central Processing Unit (CPU)


Photo courtesy of Intel Corporation

1.   The first microprocessor to make it into a home computer was the ____________.  This chip could process __________ bits at one time.


2.    The Pentium 4 microprocessor was first released in 2000.  How many  transistors does it contain on the one chip?  How many "millions of instructions per second" can the Pentium 4 process?


3.    When the microprocessor starts, it begins executing instructions it finds in the _________.

4.    The two typical components of a CPU are __________________ and __________________.

5.    AMD introduced the world’s first and only Windows®-compatible 64-bit desktop and mobile processor, the AMD Athlon™ 64 processor, in September ________.(what year?)

6.    True/False    The new AMD64 is not compatible with the 32-bit Windows operating system.

7.    True/False    Standard AGP graphics cards support AMD64 processors.

8.    The front side bus (FSB) connects the ____________ with the ________________ and is used to connect other components within the computer.

9.    Intel's new 600 series Pentium 4 processors boast an impressive _____ L2 cache.

10.   List at least two CPU manufacturers.  (You may need to do a bit of research on your own for this one.)
  
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Motherboard


1.   The Motherboard is a ___________  ____________ that is the foundation of a computer and allows the CPU, RAM, and other computer components to function with each other.

2.   Intel released the first microprocessor, the 4004, in what year?

3.   In 1989, which leading motherboard manufacturer was founded?

4.   The ________  ____________ determines the general layout, size and feature placement on the motherboard.

5.   Which form factor is the largest and oldest?

6.   List three (3) components that are built into the motherboard.

7.   True/False    The keyboard and mouse are connected into ports on the back of the motherboard.

8.   What does the acronym BIOS stand for?

9.   True/False   The Windows operating system is loaded into memory before the BIOS.

10.  
List at least two motherboard manufacturers.  (You may need to do a bit of research on your own for this one.)

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Memory (RAM)


1.   True/False   If you are using RAM, you can access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at that cell.

2.   The intersection of a ___________ (column) and ______________ (
row) constitutes the address of the memory cell.

3.   Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMM) contain either _________ pins or _________ pins. (how many pins?)

4.   List four (4) of the "Common RAM Types".  List both, the acronym and full name.

5.  
Next to the __________ itself, RAM is the most important factor in computer performance.

6.   According to ACME, DDR memory comes in four (4) different speeds.  The fastest is listed as PC3200.  List the remaining three (3) DDR memory modules.  (Note: PC4000 memory has recently been released, but is still not used very much due to high cost.)

7.   RAM
serves as the temporary storage area for program code while it is in use by your _____________  ______________ or while it is being worked on by the __________________.

8.   True/False   When you replace your systems RAM, you will need to reload all of your current programs and files, including your Operating System.

9.   True/False    When installing new memory modules, you will not be required to remove the case to your computer, you can install the memory into the back of the computer.

10.   List at least two computer memory manufacturers.  (You may need to do a bit of research on your own for this one.)

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Storage Devices


Hard Drives
1.   The magnetic recording material on a cassette tape is coated onto a thin ____________ strip. In a hard disk, the magnetic recording material is layered onto a high-precision _____________or ___________ disk.

2.  
On a _______  ________, you can move to any point on the surface of the disk almost instantly.

3.  
The ________  ________ is the amount of time between when the CPU requests a file and when the first byte of the file is sent to the CPU. Times between 10 and 20 milliseconds are common.

4.   Inside of a hard drive,
the ________ is able to move the heads from the hub to the edge of the drive. (This is done very quickly, more than 50 times per second!)

Floppy Drives
5.   The floppy disk drive (FDD) was invented at IBM by _______  ____________ in 1967.

6.   True/False    One disadvantage of floppy disks is that they are expensive to buy.

7.  
In your PC, there is a twist in the FDD data-ribbon cable.  What is the purpose of this twist?

DVD and CD Drives
8.   In order to keep the bumps moving past the laser at a constant rate, the player must _________ the spinning speed of the disc as the laser assembly moves outward.

9.   Recordable discs are flat.  Because they have no bumps like traditional CDs and DVDs, they contain a layer of translucent ______ that can be heated to create a dark area on the disc that will not reflect any light.  This allows the player to "think" that the CD or DVD has bumps.

10. List at least one manufacturer for each of the three listed storage devices.

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