3.12.6 Practice Questions Video

Which of the following expansion buses are most commonly used for video cards in modern computer systems?

PCI Express Explanation The PCI Express expansion buses are most commonly used for video cards in modern computer systems. PCI buses are most commonly used for devices such as sound cards, modems, network cards, and storage device controllers. While you can use PCI for video, better performance is obtained from PCI Express. CNR is a legacy on-motherboard slot to support networking, wireless communication, sound, or modem functions. AMR slots are also legacy buses provided on some motherboards for riser cards to support sound or modem functions.

You are in the process of building a new computer. You would like to configure your computer to use Crossfire to improve performance when playing your favourite game. Which of the following will be part of the configuration process?

Purchase two identical video cards. Explanation For increased performance, especially in games, you can install multiple video cards and link those cards together so that multiple GPUs draw a single screen. Scalable Link Interface (SLI) from NVIDIA and CrossFire from AMD are two different methods for linking video cards. In most cases you will need to install identical video cards, or at least video cards with very similar specifications. Cards are linked using a special bridge clip or through software (depending on the implementation). The motherboard and the video cards must each support the selected method (either SLI or CrossFire). The motherboard must have multiple 16 x PCIe slots. Connect the monitor to an output port on the first video card. Select a video card that supports NTSC for analogue video capture or analogue TV tuner capabilities. Select a video card that supports ATSC for digital TV. HDCP is a copy-protection method that prevents playback of protected content (such as movies on Blu-ray discs) devices that do not support HDCP.

You are in the process of building a new computer. You would like to configure your computer to use SLI to improve performance when playing your favourite game.

Which of the following will be part of the configuration process?

Purchase two graphics cards with SLI and similar specifications. Connect at least one monitor to the graphics card. Purchase a motherboard with two (or more) PCIe x16 slots. Explanation For increased performance, especially in games, you can install multiple video cards and link those cards together so that multiple GPUs draw a single screen. Scalable Link Interface (SLI) from NVIDIA and CrossFireX from AMD are two different methods for linking video cards. In most cases you will need to install identical video cards, or at least video cards with very similar specifications. Cards are linked using a special bridge clip or through software (depending on the implementation). Both the motherboard and the video cards must support the selected method (either SLI or CrossFireX). The motherboard must have at least two 16x PCIe slots. Some motherboards are able to link an onboard graphic controller a video card installed in a single PCIe slot. Connect the monitor to an output port on the first video card ATSC signals are digital TV signals and are not used for SLI.

You are installing a high-end PCIe x16 video card in a new computer. The video card has connectors for two displays. The card also has dual fans to cool the unit.

Which of the following will be part of the installation?

Connect a 6- or 8-pin power connector to the video card. Explanation Most high-end PCIe x16 video cards require a special 6-pin or 8-pin power connector for additional power. Be sure to connect the power after inserting the card in the system and prior to turning the system on. If the motherboard has integrated graphics, it should be disabled in the BIOS when installing a dedicated video card. Cross Fire bridge cables are used when installing two video cards in a multi- GPU configuration. Multiple display connectors on a video card do not need to be configured or enabled.

A customer wants to add an additional video card to her computer so she can play the latest computer games.

Which of the following statements are true of a multi-GPU configuration?

The motherboard should support either SLI or CrossFire. For the best performance, both video cards should be identical. Explanation For increased performance, especially in games, multiple video cards can be linked together using a special bridge clip. This allows multiple GPUs to draw a single screen. For the best performance, both video cards should be identical. In addition, the motherboard must be compatible with either SLI (used by NVIDA cards) or CrossFire (used by AMD cards). Because each card is sharing the processing load, the memory banks and GPU in both video cards are being used. In a multi-GPU configuration, the secondary (bottom) card’s display connectors are typically disabled.

You want to be able to watch and record live TV on your computer. Your computer already has a video card, so you want to purchase an additional card that provides TV tuner input capabilities.

Which of the following should be part of the configuration process?

Connect the TV input to the tuner card using coaxial cable and F-type connectors. Purchase a card that supports ATSC. Explanation A TV tuner allows your video card to accept a cable TV input and change channels from within the computer. In North America, digital TV signals are sent using the ATC standard. When purchasing a new TV tuner, make sure it supports ATSC. NTSC is analogue standard that was used in North America but has been replaced by ATSC. Video cards and monitors with a built-in TV tuner have an F-type cable TV connector. The DMS-59 connector is used to allow multiple video ports from a single connection. The DMS-59 connector uses a special cable that splits the signal into separate video interfaces. You do not need to link the TV tuner card to the video card; the TV tuner is used for input, while the video card is used for output. Bridge clips are used for multi-GPU configurations.

You’ve just installed a new video card in an employee’s Windows workstation. When you power the system on and load the OS, everything on the screen looks enlarged and pixelated. You try to change the resolution, but the only available option is 640×480.

Which of the following will resolve this problem?

Download and install the latest driver from the video card manufacturer’s website. Explanation You should download and install the latest video driver from the manufactuer’s website. Because Windows didn’t have the appropriate driver, it used a generic driver instead, which supports a very limited resolution. Windows Safe Mode is used to troubleshoot system issues and disables all unnecessary software and drivers. A monitor’s refresh rate does not affect a systems max resolution. If BIOS compatibility was an issue, nothing would be displayed on the monitor.

You are building an HTPC (home theatre PC) that will be connected to an HDTV. You want to be able to play Blu-ray movies on the HTPC.

Which of the following features should you make sure your video card and HDTV support?

HDCP Explanation High-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) is a method for protecting digital media, such as Blu-ray movies, from being intercepted and copied. When playing protected content from a PC, the optical device, video card, and external display must all support HDCP. Both DirectX and OpenGL are API collections that are used to improve graphic, animation, and multimedia creations. ATSC is a signal standard used to broadcast digital TV signals.

Installed in an expansion slot on the motherboard.

Dedicated video cards.

Have a GPU and a dedicated high-speed video memory bank.

Dedicated video cards.

Are more powerful and more expensive.

Dedicated video cards.

GPU is integrated with another hardware component such as a motherboard or CPU.

Integrated video cards.

Shares system memory for graphic processing.

Integrated video cards.

Are much cheaper and less powerful

Integrated video cards.

Explanation

Video cards process graphical information for output to an external display. Video cards can be implemented as a dedicated expansion board or integrated with other components (e.g., the motherboard or CPU). Dedicated video cards: – Are installed in an expansion slot on the motherboard. -Have a GPU and a dedicated, high-speed video memory bank. – Are more powerful than integrated video cards, but are also more expensive. Integrated video cards: – Integrate the GPU with another hardware component (e.g., a motherboard or CPU) – Share system memory for graphic processing. – Are much cheaper than dedicated video cards, but are also less powerful.

Your company has decided to hire a full-time video editor. You have been asked to find a system with the level of display quality needed by someone who will be working with video all day.

Which of the following video card specifications will have the greatest impact on display quality?

Refresh rate Resolution Explanation The quality of video is determined by both the video card and the external display. When selecting a video card, the following specifications should be considered: – Resolution: The number of pixels displayed on the screen. A higher resolution means that more information can be shown on the screen (screen "real estate"). A video card is rated by its max resolution, which is the highest possible resolution it can display (e.g., 1920 x 1080 or 4096 x 2160). A video editor is going to need as much estate as you can afford. – Refresh rate: The number of times in one second that the GPU draws a frame. Refresh rates are measured in hertz. A refresh rate of 70 Hz or lower may cause eye fatigue. An optimal refresh rate is between 75Hz and 85Hz. The display specifications should match the video card specifications. Memory, GPU configuration, and display connection type are all factors that will contribute to video performance or compatibility with the display. But these factors do not directly determine the display quality.

You need to connect a monitor that provides an HDMI port and a VGA port to a video adapter in a PC system that uses a DVI-D connector.

Which option would provide the best display quality at the lowest cost?

Use an adapter to connect the monitor HDMI port to the DVI-D connector on the PC. Explanation Using an adapter to connect the DVI-D connector on the video adapter to the HDMI port would provide the best quality output at the lowest cost. Because DVI-D and HDMI both use digital signalling, the signal is not degraded during conversion. In fact, HDMI was specifically designed to support DVI-D signalling. DVI-D to HDMI converters can be purchased for less than $20.00 USD. Using a DVI-D to VGA adapter would allow you to connect the video board to the monitor, however, this type of adapter must convert digital signals to analogue signals, which would likely degrade the signal slightly. Purchasing a new monitor with a DVI-D port would provide a high-quality signal but would coat much more that the other alternatives.