Lesson 4: Power and Expansion Planning Lab

Core path: 42 minutes

Today you build a desktop configuration that has to survive a compatibility review.

The goal is not to create the most expensive PC. The goal is to prove that the power, cooling, expansion, and display paths make sense together.

Scenario

A school media/esports station needs:

• motherboard and CPU from the Week 2 compatibility work;
• 32 GB RAM;
• one NVMe system drive;
• one SATA storage drive;
• discrete GPU;
• wired Ethernet;
• USB capture device or internal capture card;
• digital monitor connection;
• cooling appropriate for the selected CPU/GPU workload.

Build the evidence sheet

1. Power path

Record:

• PSU capacity assumption;
• 24-pin motherboard connector;
• CPU power connector requirement;
• GPU supplemental-power requirement;
• SATA power requirement;
• one reason wattage alone is not enough.

2. Cooling path

Draw:

intake → component cooling → exhaust

Identify the CPU cooler, GPU cooling path, and at least one airflow risk.

3. Expansion path

List each PCIe device and the slot/lane requirement you would verify in the motherboard documentation.

4. Display path

Trace:

GPU → output interface → cable → monitor input

Name one failure at each boundary that could produce a black screen.

Controlled fault injection

Your partner chooses one hidden fault from this list:

• CPU power disconnected;
• GPU power disconnected;
• display cable connected to the wrong output;
• monitor set to wrong input;
• CPU fan disconnected;
• expansion card not fully seated.

You receive only the symptom and three observations.

Use the troubleshooting method:

1. identify the problem;
2. establish a theory;
3. test the theory with one controlled check;
4. plan the safe fix;
5. verify expected operation;
6. document the result.

Lab deliverable

Submit one compatibility/planning sheet containing the four paths plus the fault-injection ticket.

A passing artifact explains why the configuration should work. A shopping list by itself is not evidence.