220-1101 - Hardware (25% of the exam) - Section 3.4

Install and configure motherboards, CPUs, and add-on cards, including form factors, expansion slots, BIOS/UEFI, and cooling in a given scenario.

Match motherboard form factors (ATX, microATX, ITX) to a case, identify expansion slots (PCIe x1/x4/x8/x16), and install a CPU into the correct socket with appropriate thermal paste and cooling. Configure firmware settings in BIOS/UEFI - boot order, virtualization support, and Secure Boot - and recognise CPU architecture features such as multicore, multithreading, and integrated graphics.

ATX form factorPCIe slotsCPU socketBIOS and UEFI

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleHardwarehard

Which capability is provided by UEFI firmware but not by traditional legacy BIOS?

ABooting from GPT-partitioned drives larger than 2.2 TB and enforcing Secure Boot. Correct
BLoading 16-bit real-mode option-ROM drivers from add-on expansion cards during startup.
CRunning a power-on self-test that checks memory and video before handing off to the OS.
DStoring configuration in a battery-backed CMOS chip that is cleared by removing the coin cell.

Identify GPT large-disk boot support and Secure Boot as capabilities UEFI adds over legacy BIOS firmware. Legacy BIOS boots from MBR disks and is limited to roughly 2.2 TB, whereas UEFI can boot from GPT disks beyond that size and adds Secure Boot to verify signed bootloaders before execution.

Why A is correct: Correct: UEFI adds GPT boot support beyond the roughly 2.2 TB MBR limit and the Secure Boot signature-checking feature.

Why B is wrong: Tempting as a firmware feature, but real-mode option ROMs are a legacy BIOS trait, so this is not UEFI-exclusive.

Why C is wrong: Both firmware types run a POST at startup, so this is not something unique to UEFI and is wrong.

Why D is wrong: Battery-backed settings storage is a shared legacy trait, so it does not distinguish UEFI and is incorrect.

See more 220-1101 practice questions, answers explained.

Exam traps in Hardware

Answers that look right on this material and are not. Each one is a distractor from a different question in the 220-1101 bank for this domain.

Mini-ITX boards measure 305 by 244 mm and provide up to seven expansion slots.
Why it is wrong: Tempting because those are real board figures, but 305 by 244 mm with seven slots describes full-size ATX, not the far smaller Mini-ITX.
On the underside of the CPU package, so the chip must be handled only by its edges to protect them.
Why it is wrong: That describes a PGA socket where pins are on the chip; LGA moves the pins off the processor, so this misidentifies the socket type.
The CMOS clear jumper, because shorting it reloads firmware from the internet and adds the new microcode automatically.
Why it is wrong: Clearing CMOS only resets settings to defaults; it does not download firmware or add CPU microcode, so it cannot fix the support gap.

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