Essential Peripherals

Week 10 · Module 10: Essential Peripherals · Download .docx

Objectives

Compare monitor resolutions, panel types, and refresh rates
Identify USB standards and connector types by speed and shape
Distinguish display interface cables and their capabilities
Describe KVM switches and their lab use cases

Key terms

IPS: In-Plane Switching — wide viewing angles and accurate color reproduction.
USB Type-C: 24-pin reversible connector — speed depends on host port spec, not connector shape.
KVM switch: Keyboard-Video-Mouse switch — shares one set of peripherals among multiple computers.
HDMI 2.0: 18 Gbps AV interface — supports 4K at 60 Hz maximum.
DisplayPort 1.4: 32.4 Gbps display interface — supports 4K@120Hz with DSC.

The concept

Peripherals are the user-facing layer of the PC. Monitor quality is defined by resolution (1080p/1440p/4K), panel type (IPS for color, TN for speed, VA for contrast), and refresh rate (60 Hz baseline; 144+ Hz for gaming). Display cable choices matter: VGA is legacy analog; DVI-D is digital-only; HDMI carries audio + video; DisplayPort is the high-refresh standard. HDMI 2.0 caps 4K at 60 Hz — you need HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 for 4K@120Hz+. USB-C is a connector shape, not a speed guarantee — verify the port spec before assuming it is USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt.

Worked examples

Example 1: [object Object]

Common mistakes

Assuming all USB-C ports deliver USB 3.2 speed — a budget laptop's USB-C may be USB 2.0.
Using HDMI 2.0 on a 4K 120Hz monitor — you will be limited to 60 Hz regardless.
Connecting a second monitor to the motherboard when a discrete GPU is installed — use GPU outputs for both.

Self-check

Try each one before you look. A miss here costs nothing and tells you exactly what to reread.

1. Which panel type has the widest viewing angles and best color accuracy?

2. HDMI 2.0 supports 4K at what maximum refresh rate?

3. USB Type-C is best described as:

4. A KVM switch serves what purpose in a multi-computer lab?

5. A VGA connector carries which signal type?

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