Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Internal hardware components may include:
adapter card components:
communications:
modem
network interface card (NIC)
I/O:
parallel
small computer system interface (SCSI)
serial
universal serial bus (USB)
multimedia:
capture cards
sound card
TV tuner cards
video:
AGP
peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
PCIe
cooling system components:
CPU and case fans
heat sinks
liquid cooling systems
thermal compound
CPU components and features:
32 bit versus 64 bit
hyper threading
identify CPU types:
AMD
Intel
multi-core:
dual core
quad core
triple core
onchip cache:
L1
L2
speed (real versus actual)
display device components:
connector types:
component or RGB
DVI pin compatibility
HDMi
S-Video
VGA
LCD technologies:
contrast ratio
native resolution
resolution (e.g. XGA, SXGA+, UXGA, WUXGA)
projectors, CRT and LCD
settings:
degauss
multi-monitor
refresh rate
resolution
memory components and features:
ECC versus non-ECC
parity versus non-parity
single channel versus dual channel
single sided versus double-sided
speed:
PC100
PC133
PC2700
PC3200
DDR3-1600
DDR2-667
types:
DRAM
SRAM
SDRAM
DDR or DDR2 or DDR3
RAMBUS
motherboard components:
basic input/output system (BIOS), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or Firmware:
CMOS battery
POST
bus architecture
bus slots:
AGP
AMR
CNR
PCI
PCIe
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA)
chipsets
contrast RAID (levels 0, 1, 5)
form factor:
ATX or BTX
micro ATX
NLX
I/O interfaces:
IEEE 1394 or Firewire
modem
NIC
parallel
PS/2
serial
sound
USB 1.1 and 2.0
video
memory slots:
DIMM
RIMM
SIMM
SODIMM
parallel advanced technology attachment (PATA):
EIDE
IDE
processor sockets
riser card or daughterboard
serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)
eSATA
power supply components:
AC adapter
ATX proprietary
pins (20, 24)
voltage selector switch
voltage, wattage and capacity
storage devices and backup media components:
floppy disk drive (FDD)
hard disk drive (HDD): solid state versus magnetic
optical drives, such as CD, DVD, RW or blu-ray
removable storage:
external CD-RW and hard drive
hot swappable devices and non-hot swappable devices
solid state (e.g. thumb drive, flash, SD cards, USB)
tape drive.
Organisational guidelines may include:
communication methods
content of emails
dispute resolution
document procedures and templates
downloading information and accessing particular websites
financial control mechanisms
opening mail with attachments
personal use of emails and internet access
virus risk.
Appropriate person may include:
authorised business representative
client
supervisor.
Clients may include:
department within the organisation
person within a department
third party.
Organisational requirements may include:
how and what the organisation wants in regard to work environment
preventative maintenance and diagnostic policy
problem solution processes
roles and technical responsibilities in the IT department
vendor and product service level support agreements.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
identify and categorise the different types of internal hardware components
modify system's hardware to meet client requirements
plan the modification and connect internal hardware components according to vendor and technical specifications
install components across a variety of situations and account for unexpected contingencies.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
personal computer and internal hardware components for installation
current industry standard performance testing software
documents detailing organisational guidelines and requirements
technical manuals and tools
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs.
Note: The careful planning and promotion of hardware upgrades and changes are critical to the effective support of business functions. Hardware modifications need to be risk managed similar to other business processes. The effective management and execution of the component maintenance and replacement process may significantly determine the amount of downtime a company encounters.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of system diagnostic software and system functionality
direct observation of candidate connecting internal hardware components
evaluation of client requirements and candidate’s final recommendations
review of candidate’s written notes.
Note: Evidence for assessment from industry or vendor-certified training may be presented for the whole or part of this unit depending on the range of variables and performance criteria.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.