CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) Full Course & Practice Exam

Explore various cable types and connectors, their speeds and power capabilities, while distinguishing bits versus bytes and reviewing USB, video, and data-storage cables for exams 3.2 and 3.4.

Explore different PC case types—office towers, gaming rigs, and all-in-one—while identifying front and back port layouts, including USB, audio, video, Ethernet, and expansion slots.

Explore usb connector types including type a, type b, type b mini and micro, and type c, detailing compatibility, form factors, and common device uses from printers to portable storage.

Learn usb cables fundamentals, from db9/db25 serial roots to usb versions, daisy-chaining up to 127 devices, bandwidth sharing, cable length limits, and power delivery across generations.

Explore the major video cables and connectors, including hdmi, displayport, dvi, vga, thunderbolt, and usb-c, covering 1080p to 8k resolutions, hdcp, and port types for compatibility.

Understand storage cables such as Thunderbolt, Lightning, SATA, eSATA, SCSI, and SAS, their connector types, speeds, and compatibility for internal and external storage.

Explore motherboards as the computer's central communication backbone that supports input, output, processing, and storage. Learn form factors, sockets, and expansion card connections while assembling a personal computer.

Explore motherboard form factors and how shape, size, and case compatibility determine expansion slots, memory, and storage connectors, including ATX, Mini-ITX, microATX, and ITX options.

Explore CPU socket types used by Intel and AMD, including LGA and PGA, and learn how ZIF mechanisms protect pins while matching sockets to motherboards across desktops, workstations, and mobiles.

Explore CPU features including multithreading (SMT/hyper-threading), symmetric multiprocessing, and multi-core design, then learn hardware assisted virtualization with VT or AMD-V and SLAT (EPT/RVI) for virtual machines.

Explore CPU architectures from x86/ia-32 and x64 to ARM, and how fetch, decode, execute cycles, caches, and units like ALU and FPU drive instruction processing, memory limits, and compatibility.

Explore a gaming MSI B550 AM4 motherboard and its PGA socket. Identify CPU and main power, memory sockets, PCIe slots, M.2, SATA, USB headers, audio, ethernet, and CMOS battery.

Explore expansion cards from PCI and PCI-X to AGP and PCIe, focusing on PCIe x1 and x16, lanes, power, and up-plugging, down-plugging, plus mini PCIe.

Install the motherboard and CPU into the case using the seven-step process, align the port cluster with the rear of the case, and secure the standoffs and screws.

Understand expansion cards such as video cards, capture, sound, and network interface cards; PCIe slots, GPUs, and ports like HDMI or DisplayPort enable enhanced performance.

Install PCIe x16 graphics cards and PCIe x1 video capture cards into a PC case. Follow ESD safety, blanking plates, and proper power connections.

Explore cooling methods, including passive, active, and liquid cooling, and power fundamentals such as power supply units, DC voltages (3.3, 5, and 12 V), and safe installation.

Learn to reduce a computer's thermal load with passive cooling via heatsinks and thermal paste, and active cooling with case and CPU fans to improve airflow and prevent overheating.

Explore liquid cooling for high-end gaming rigs, comparing closed-loop and open-loop designs, including pumps, water blocks, reservoirs, and radiators, to remove heat, reduce noise, and save power.

Install active cooling for the CPU using a heat sink, thermal paste, and a CPU fan, and add case fans for full system cooling.

Explore how power supply units convert AC from wall outlets into clean DC power for computer components, using transformers, regulators, and cooling, with notes on modular and redundant PSUs.

Power supply connectors, including motherboard 20/24 pin, CPU power, PCIe, SATA, and Molex, plus Y adapters, with guidance on matching connectors to devices and ensuring correct polarity with keyed connectors.

Explain worldwide differences between 120/230 volt AC power, multi-voltage and voltage-sensing power supplies, and how 3.3V, 5V, and 12V DC rails power PC components.

Understand wattage ratings and how to sum device power (amps times voltage) to size a PSU, and learn how wall-outlet efficiency affects energy use and savings.

Install a power supply in a case and connect 24-pin motherboard power, 8-pin cpu power, PCIE 6+2, SATA, and Molex cables; auto sensing 120/230 volt input.

Explore system memory fundamentals, including ram and 32-bit vs 64-bit addressing, memory types such as ddr3, ddr4, ddr5, and sodimm. Examine multi-channel configurations, ecc memory, virtual memory, and a demo.

Explore how memory tiers work, from cache to RAM and mass storage, and how addressing, memory controllers, and bus width determine usable RAM and system performance.

Explore memory modules by motherboard form factor, including DDR3, DDR4, and DDR5, pins and keying, and learn installation basics for DIMM and SODIMM to optimize performance.

Explore how multi-channel memory interleaves modules to boost throughput, delivering 128-256 bit data paths across single through quad-channel configurations with motherboard guidance and matched memory specs.

Explore how non-parity memory lacks error checking, how parity adds basic detection, and how ECC uses error correcting code to detect and fix single-bit errors for reliable servers.

Explore virtual memory and page files or swap space as a temporary extension of RAM, how the OS uses four-kilobyte pages, and when to add physical RAM.

Learn how to install memory modules into a motherboard, align by the notch, seat and lock the modules, and understand single- and dual-channel configurations.

Explore BIOS and UEFI, from 32-bit BIOS and firmware to 64-bit UEFI, covering boot options, security features, TPM and HSM roles, and cooling feature configurations.

Examine how BIOS and UEFI boot options control system startup, including POST, CMOS, boot order, MBR to GPT, and safe practices like disabling optical/USB boot, flashing updates, and PXE.

Explore bios and uefi security features—passwords, secure boot, and usb port controls—to protect the pre-operating-system environment and boot integrity across mbr and gpt systems.

Explore how the hardware root of trust uses the TPM to attest boot integrity and enable storage encryption, and contrast with HSMs.

Explore BIOS/UEFI cooling options, including quiet, balanced, and cool modes, fanless and custom settings, and temperature-based RPM control to manage processor and case cooling.

Learn to configure the bios on a ThinkStation P410, including language, system summary, usb and mass storage, memory and processor options, security, boot order, and saving settings.

Explore the uefi interface to view and configure settings, including overclocking, m-flash updates, hardware monitor, and board explorer, and manage usb, sata, and boot options.

Explore storage devices, including hard disk drives, solid state drives, RAIDs, removable storage, and optical drives, and compare non-volatile storage with volatile memory.

Explore how hard disk drives store data on magnetic platters, and compare internal and external forms, rpm speeds, buffers, interfaces like sata, ide, scsi, and sas, and cost versus performance.

Explore solid state drives (SSDs) that use flash memory for fast, durable, non-rotating mass storage. Compare 2.5, 1.8, and M.2 form factors and SATA, NVMe, and PCIe interfaces.

Explore RAID concepts and common configurations (RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10) to compare speed, redundancy, and parity, with exam-focused guidance on failure resistance, fault tolerance, and disaster tolerance.

Explore removable storage devices—drive enclosures, flash drives, memory cards, tape drives, and floppy disks—and hot-swappable interfaces like USB, Thunderbolt, and eSATA with AHCI-enabled SATA hot-swapping.

Explore optical drives—CD, DVD, and Blu-ray—and compare storage capacities (CD: 650–700 megabytes; DVD: 4.7 gigabytes / 8.4 gigabytes; Blu-ray: 25 / 50 gigabytes), read/write formats (ROM, R, RW, RAM, BD-RE), speeds, and installation options.

Mount an M.2 SSD into the motherboard and install a 4 terabyte SATA hard drive in the case, then route cables and secure components.

Configure raid in bios/uefi using a hardware raid controller. Create raid volumes (raid0, raid1, raid5, raid10) by selecting disks and stripe size, considering redundancy.

Explore virtualization concepts, including virtual machines, hypervisors, containers, and desktop virtualization, and learn how virtualization powers cloud computing and secure VM deployment.

Master virtualization with a hypervisor to run multiple guest OSs on a single on-premise or cloud-based host. Explore type 1 and type 2 hypervisors and terminal services and application streaming.

Containerization uses a shared host OS kernel and container managers like Docker to run apps with less storage, offering strong isolation but risk if the host is compromised.

Explore virtualization concepts, including hypervisors, type 1 vs type 2, container-based virtualization, and VDI, and learn how virtual machines, sandboxes, and emulation support secure, scalable cloud labs.

Identify virtualization resource requirements, including CPU extensions (VT-x, AMD-V, SLAT), memory, storage, and networking, and note how architectures (x86/x64/ARM) affect guest operating systems and performance.

Explore virtual machine attacks, including vm escapes, vm hopping, and sandbox escapes, and learn security practices for migrations, data remnants, and vm sprawl.

Learn to install virtual machines with VirtualBox across Windows, Mac, and Linux, create a Kali Linux guest from a live ISO, and tailor memory, CPUs, and disk settings.

Learn to secure virtual machines with VirtualBox by configuring disk encryption, host-guest restrictions, and network isolation while balancing usability through shared folders and device filters.

Explore cloud computing concepts, including virtualization and desktop virtualization (VDI), cloud service models SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, deployment models, VDI, AWS demonstrations, and key traits like multi-tenancy.

Explore the six characteristics of cloud computing—shared versus dedicated resources, metered utilization, elasticity, availability, file synchronization, and multitenancy—and learn how they drive cost efficiency, scalability, and reliability.

Explore cloud deployment models, including public, private, hybrid, and community clouds, and weigh security, cost, risk, and data considerations for modern organizations.

Compare software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service, and see how each uses hardware, operating systems, and middleware to deliver applications.

VDI centralizes processing on a server, letting users access virtual desktops from any device via thin clients or browsers, with centralized, hosted (DaaS), and remote models and outage considerations.

Explore cloud storage services, including cloud storage applications, file synchronization, and content delivery networks, and see how providers like Dropbox and Google Drive keep files accessible across devices.

Learn to use Amazon Lightsail to launch and manage cloud servers, choosing Linux or Windows, selecting regions, sizing plans, attaching disks, and backing up with snapshots.

Explore the fundamentals of computer networks, from PANs and WLANs to converged networks and five nines uptime, including IoT devices.

Explore networking hardware from NICs and hubs to switches and firewalls, and learn how patch panels, PoE, SDN, MAC addresses, and collision domains shape secure networks.

Identify network types from personal area networks to wide area networks, including wlan and san. Learn bluetooth, usb, firewire, and basics of 802.3 and 802.11.

Explore the internet of things (IoT) as a network of connected devices. Segment IoT on separate networks and secure hubs, devices, wearables, and sensors.

Learn how twisted pair cables, including utp and stp, support local networks via cat five to cat eight standards, with emi, bandwidth vs throughput, and length considerations.

Explore T568A and T568B ethernet wiring standards for twisted pair cables and RJ-45 connectors. Learn pinouts, straight-through and crossover cables, and DTE/DCE roles.

Explore fiber optic cables that use light to achieve long-distance, high-speed data transmission. Learn single mode and multimode types and how to identify SC, ST, LC, and MTRJ connectors.

Explore coaxial cable anatomy, including the center core and braided shield for EMI protection, and learn modern uses like RG-6 internet, RG-59 video, and F-type or BNC connectors.

Master essential networking tools, including snips, cutters, strippers, crimpers, testers, punchdown tools, toner probes, loopback plugs, network taps, and Wi-Fi analyzers, to build, test, and optimize wired and wireless networks.

Learn to build and test cables using straight-through and crossover pinouts, with tools like RJ45 crimper, wire stripper, and cable tester; understand practical limits, costs, and exam relevance.

Learn to test networks using a fox and hound toner probe and built-in cable tester to locate breaks, identify the correct port on a patch panel, and document network wiring.

Learn hands-on network wiring by punching down cables on patch panels and wiring keystone wall jacks to switches. Understand CAT5e wiring, T568A/B diagrams, and rack-mounted setups.