CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) — Question 554
An engineer is experiencing unexpected reboots on a graphics workstation when rendering complex 3-D models. The workstation is configured with a 115V power supply that is rated at 200W and connected to a UPS. The central processing unit contains 16 hyperthreaded cores, and a discrete graphics solution utilizing an 8- pin power connector is installed in a PCI Express x16 slot. Which of the following indicates where the technician should begin troubleshooting?
Answer options
- A. The UPS, as 115V is insufficient for the configuration and should be increased to 220V
- B. The power supply, as 200W is insufficient when the GPU is heavily tasked
- C. The graphics card, as it is the component that triggers the unexpected reboots
- D. The motherboard, as only standard PCI slots should be used for high-end graphics cards, not PCI Express slots
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is B, as a 200W power supply may not provide enough power when the GPU is heavily utilized, leading to unexpected reboots. Option A is incorrect because the 115V supply is standard and not inherently insufficient. Option C is misleading, as the graphics card itself is not necessarily the cause of the reboots but rather its power demands. Option D is incorrect since PCI Express slots are specifically designed for high-end graphics cards.