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Core Hardware — System Components & Storage

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Core Hardware — System Components & Storage

Instructors: Mike Meyers

Included with

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6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

How to navigate and configure BIOS/UEFI firmware settings to control boot order, enable hardware features, and apply security options
How to identify motherboard form factors, expansion slots, and components, and install compatible power supplies based on system requirements
How to implement storage solutions including HDDs, SSDs, NVMe drives, optical drives, and RAID configurations for both performance and redundancy

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Cloud Storage

Details to know

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There are 6 modules in this course

This course builds on foundational hardware knowledge by covering the critical system components that make a PC function: firmware, motherboards, power supplies, and storage. Covering approximately 5 hours of expert instruction, learners gain the skills to configure BIOS/UEFI settings, identify motherboard components, select and replace power supplies, and implement a wide variety of storage solutions.

Learners benefit by developing hands-on proficiency with the internal architecture of a modern PC. Online labs reinforce BIOS/UEFI navigation, storage device identification, RAID configuration, and power supply selection. By the end of this course, learners will be able to configure system firmware, identify and replace motherboard components, size and install power supplies, and implement storage solutions from traditional HDDs to modern NVMe SSDs.

Module details

This chapter covers the essential types and characteristics of DRAM, explaining how memory capacity, configuration, and virtual memory work while teaching you how to upgrade, install, and troubleshoot RAM for better system performance.

What's included

6 videos1 reading1 assignment1 plugin

6 videosTotal 44 minutes

Course Introduction1 minute
BIOS and UEFI9 minutes
Post8 minutes
System Setup9 minutes
Troubleshooting Firmware12 minutes
Touring the UEFI BIOS (Show)5 minutes

1 readingTotal 2 minutes

BIOS and UEFI Slide Handout2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

BIOS and UEFI Assignment10 minutes

1 pluginTotal 5 minutes

Touring the UEFI BIOS (Click-through)5 minutes

This chapter explains how motherboard form factors, chipsets, and component compatibility shape a PC’s design, and guides you through selecting and properly installing a motherboard within a case.

What's included

4 videos1 reading1 assignment6 plugins

4 videosTotal 23 minutes

Form Factor6 minutes
Chipsets5 minutes
Choosing the Right Motherboard5 minutes
Installing and Troubleshooting a Motherboard7 minutes

1 readingTotal 2 minutes

Motherboards Slide Handout2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 12 minutes

Motherboards Assignment12 minutes

6 pluginsTotal 18 minutes

Label Motherboard Connections (Challenge)3 minutes
Label Motherboard Part 1 (Challenge)3 minutes
Label Motherboard Part 2 (Challenge)3 minutes
Label Motherboard Part 3 (Challenge)3 minutes
Label Motherboard Part 4 (Challenge)3 minutes
Label Motherboard - Compendium (Challenge)3 minutes

This chapter explores the major types of mass storage—HDDs, SSDs, and SCSI—explaining how they work, how systems communicate with them, and the maintenance needs and use cases for each technology.

What's included

5 videos1 reading1 assignment3 plugins

5 videosTotal 30 minutes

The Power Supply8 minutes
Choosing a Power Supply7 minutes
Cooling Your System7 minutes
Installing and Troubleshooting a PSU7 minutes
HWMonitor and the PSU (Show)1 minute

1 readingTotal 2 minutes

Power Supplies Slide Handout2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 8 minutes

Power Supplies Assignment8 minutes

3 pluginsTotal 11 minutes

Your Power Source (Challenge)3 minutes
HWMonitor and the PSU (Click-through)5 minutes
Identify Power Supply Connectors (Challenge)3 minutes

This chapter explains how modern systems use various mass‑storage technologies—HDDs, SSDs, and SCSI—and highlights their operation, maintenance needs, and boot‑order configuration.

What's included

5 videos1 reading1 assignment2 plugins

5 videosTotal 42 minutes

Introduction to Mass Storage12 minutes
Magnetic Disk Drives10 minutes
Solid State Drive10 minutes
SCSI3 minutes
Boot Order7 minutes

1 readingTotal 2 minutes

Mass Storage Technologies Slide Handout2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 12 minutes

Mass Storage Technologies Assignment12 minutes

2 pluginsTotal 6 minutes

SATA Speeds (Challenge)3 minutes
RAID Arrays (Challenge)3 minutes

This chapter covers how RAID improves speed and reliability through various array levels, explains hardware and software RAID configuration, explores storage‑encryption methods, and outlines how to diagnose and repair mass‑storage failures.