220-1101 Question 4
Single answerRandom-access memory (RAM)A technician is upgrading a small office desktop that currently has one 8 GB DDR4-2666 DIMM installed in slot A2. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and has four DIMM slots labeled A1, A2, B1, and B2. The user reports slow performance when many browser tabs and spreadsheets are open. The technician wants to improve performance without replacing the existing module. Which action is the BEST choice?
- A
Install a second 8 GB DDR4-2666 DIMM of matching specifications in slot B2
- B
Install a 16 GB DDR3 DIMM in slot B2 so the system has more total memory
- C
Move the existing 8 GB DIMM from A2 to A1 and leave the other slots empty
- D
Install a second 8 GB DDR4-3200 DIMM in slot A1 to maximize memory speed
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best upgrade is to add a matching DDR4 DIMM in the correct paired slot so the system gains both additional capacity and dual-channel performance. For A+ Core 1, candidates should recognize that RAM upgrades require matching the motherboard's supported memory technology, such as DDR4 versus DDR3, and following the board manufacturer's population rules for dual-channel operation. In real-world practice, technicians verify the supported memory type, maximum capacity, and recommended slot order in the motherboard manual or system documentation. With one 8 GB module, the user may experience paging to disk under heavier workloads. Expanding to 16 GB reduces memory pressure, and using the proper paired slot commonly enables dual-channel mode, which can improve overall responsiveness.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Adding a second DIMM with the same capacity, type, and speed as the existing DDR4-2666 module is the best way to increase RAM capacity while also enabling dual-channel operation on a typical motherboard when installed in the paired slot. On many boards, the correct paired slots are color-matched or documented as A2 and B2 when using two modules. This improves multitasking performance and memory bandwidth without replacing the existing RAM.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. DDR3 and DDR4 are not cross-compatible. They use different signaling, voltages, and keying notches, so a DDR3 module will not fit or function in a DDR4 motherboard slot. A user might choose this because it offers more capacity, but the memory type must match what the motherboard supports.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Moving the existing module to a different slot without adding more memory does not address the user's need for better multitasking performance. The system would still have only 8 GB of RAM and would still operate in single-channel mode with one module installed.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Although some systems can downclock mixed-speed RAM to the slowest installed module, installing the second module in A1 is typically not the correct paired slot for dual-channel when the first module is already in A2. Also, buying DDR4-3200 does not guarantee the system will run at 3200 MT/s; it will usually operate at the motherboard and slowest module's supported speed, in this case likely 2666 MT/s.