Chapter 2

Storage Devices and Power Supplies

The following CompTIA A+ 220-801 Exam objectives are covered in this chapter:

• 1.5 Install and configure storage devices and use appropriate media.
  • Optical drives: CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blu-Ray
  • Combo drives and burners: CD-RW, DVD-RW, Dual Layer DVD-RW, BD-R, BD-RE
  • Connection types
  • External: USB, Firewire, eSATA, Ethernet
  • Internal SATA, IDE and SCSI: IDE configuration and setup (Master, Slave, Cable Select), SCSI IDs (0 – 15)
  • Hot swappable drives
  • Hard drives: Magnetic, 5400 rpm, 7200 rpm, 10,000 rpm, 15,000 rpm
  • Solid state/flash drives: Compact flash, SD, Micro-SD, Mini-SD, xD, SSD
  • RAID types: 0, 1, 5, 10
  • Floppy drive
  • Tape drive
  • Media capacity: CD, CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD, Blu-Ray, Tape, Floppy, DL DVD
• 1.8 Install an appropriate power supply based on a given scenario.
  • Connector types and their voltages: SATA, Molex, 4/8-pin 12v, PCIe 6/8-pin, 20-pin, 24-pin, Floppy
  • Specifications: Wattage, Size, Number of connectors, ATX, Micro-ATX
  • Dual voltage options

As a PC technician, you need to know quite a bit about hardware. Given the importance and magnitude of this knowledge, the best way to approach it is in sections. The first chapter introduced the topic via the primary core components, and this chapter follows up where it left off. Specifically, this chapter focuses on storage devices and power supplies.