The Motherboard and its Components and Their Functions

Definition of Motherboard
A motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer that connects the different parts of a
computer together. It has sockets for the CPU, RAM and expansion cards (e.g. discrete graphics
cards, sound cards, network cards, storage cards etc)... and it also hooks up to hard drives, disc
drives and front panel ports with cables and wires.

The Motherboard..

links all the individual parts of a computer together... and in doing so, allows the CPU (brain) to
access and control these separate parts.

allows you to connect external devices to the computer such as the monitor, speakers,
headphones, microphone, keyboard, mouse, modem and other USB devices.
Is the home to the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), making it the control center of your
computer as well.

Motherboard BIOS
The motherboard BIOS performs hardware checks whenever your computer powers on and allows
you to access system settings such as:

view hardware information and status

change your computers boot-up device (e.g. hard drive, disc drive, flash drive, etc.)
manage power settings and savings
overclock or underclock the CPU and RAM

The Different Motherboard Components:

1. Back Panel Connectors Connectors and ports for connecting the computer to external devices
& Ports
such as display ports, audio ports, USB ports, Ethernet ports, PS/2
ports etc. See image below for a close-up view.

2. PCI Slots

PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect

Slot for older expansion cards such as sound cards, network cards,
connector cards. See image below for a close-up view.

3. PCI Express x1 Slots

Have been largely replaced by PCI-Express x1 slots (see motherboard

parts #3 below).
Slot for modern expansion cards such as sound cards, network cards
(Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth), connector cards (USB, FireWire, eSATA)
and certain low-end graphics cards. See image below for a close-up
view.

4. PCI Express x16 Slot

5. Northbridge

Slot for discrete graphic cards and high bandwidth devices such as topend solid state drives. See image below for a close-up view.
Also known as Memory Controller Hub (MCH).
Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate with the RAM and
graphics card.

6. CPU Socket
7. ATX 12V Power
Connector

Beginning from Intel Sandy Bridge in 2011, this motherboard

component is no longer present as it has been integrated within the
CPU itself.
Insert CPU here.
Connects to the 4-pin power cable of a power supply unit which
supplies power to the CPU.

8. Front Panel USB 2.0

Connectors
9. Front Panel
Connectors

Connects to USB 2.0 ports at the front or top of a computer case. See
image above for a close-up view.
Connects to the power switch, reset switch, power LED, hard drive LED
and front audio ports of a computer case. See image above for a close-up
view.

10. IDE Connector

Connects to older hard drive disks and optical drives for data transfer. See
image above for a close-up view.

11. CMOS Battery

Have been replaced over by SATA connectors (see motherboard

component #13 below).
CMOS: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor

12. Southbridge

Supplies power to store BIOS settings and keep the real-time clock
running. See image above for a close-up view.
The CMOS battery found on most motherboards is the CR2032 lithium
coin cell.
Also known as the Input/Output Controller Hub (ICH).

Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate with PCI slots, PCI-Express
x 1 slots (expansion cards), SATA connectors (hard drives, optical drives),
USB ports (USB devices), Ethernet ports and on-board audio.
13. SATA Connectors
Connects to modern hard disk drives, solid state drives and optical drives
for data transfer. See image above for a close-up view.
14. Fan Headers
Supplies power to the CPU heat sink fan and computer case fans. See
image above for a close-up view.
15. RAM Slots
Insert RAM here.
16. ATX Power Connector Connects to the 24-pin ATX power cable of a power supply unit which
supplies power to the motherboard.

17. mSATA Connector

Connects to a mSATA solid state drive. In most cases, this SSD is used as
cache to speed up hard disk drives, but it's possible to re-purpose it as a
regular hard drive.
Connects to USB 3.0 ports at the front or top of the computer case.

18. Front Panel USB 3.0

Connector
19. Power & Reset Button Onboard button to turn on, turn off and reboot the computer.

This motherboard component is more common among high end boards.

What are the Different Motherboard Form Factors?

What are the popular motherboard form factors and how are they different?

While there are dozens of form factors for desktop computers, most of them are either obsolete or
developed for specialized purposes.

As a result, almost all consumer motherboards sold today belong to one of these form factors : MiniITX, MicroATX and ATX.

To help you compare the difference in motherboard sizes, we have laid out all three standard
motherboard form factors side by side in the image below:

Motherboard Form Factor Comparison Chart

Maximum Size

Mini-ITX

MicroATX

ATX

17 x 17 cm

24.4 x 24.4 cm

30.5 x 24.4 cm

6.7 x 6.7 in

9.6 x 9.6 in

12 x 9.6 in

RAM Slots

2 to 4

2 to 8

RAM Type

DIMM, SODIMM

DIMM

DIMM

Expansion Slots

2 to 4

4 to 7

Graphics Cards

0 to 1

1 to 3

1 to 4

SATA ports

2 to 6

4 to 8

4 to 12

In addition to the above difference, you will often find that the cheapest motherboards are in
MicroATX form. This makes sense since Mini-ITX boards require more refined manufacturing while
ATX boards have more components.

What do Mini-ITX, MicroATX and ATX Motherboards Have in Common?

Despite their difference in size and features, all three types of motherboards share a surprising
number of common traits:

1. They can support the same CPU

As long as they are of the same generation, all three form factors will have the same CPU socket.
This is a big deal, since it means that a Mini-ITX motherboard is able to pack as much as computing
punch as its full-sized ATX cousin (provided you're not overclocking or going for top end CPUs like
Intel-E).

2. They run the same graphics cards

...IF the motherboard has a PCI-Express x 16 slot AND the graphics card is able to fit into the
computer case. However, high-end graphics cards tend to be massive so most Mini-ITX cases (and
some MicroATX ones) won't have enough space to accommodate these behemoths.

For those of you relying on integrated graphics, the good news is that motherboard size no longer
affects graphics performance ever since Intel and AMD fused their graphics processing unit with the
CPU (instead of leaving it on the motherboard).

3. Their back panel ports are similar

The space taken up by back panel ports and connectors (see image below) on a motherboard is
about the same regardless of its size. Rather, the number and type of back panel ports on a
motherboard are influenced by its price (expensive board = more and better ports).

How to Install a Motherboard

With our step-by-step picture guide, installing a motherboard is a breeze even if you're a total
beginner. Learn how to install a motherboard in a case now.

Before installing a new motherboard, you should have already done all of the following:
1. Installed the CPU
2. Mounted the CPU cooler
3. Inserted RAM memory

Even if your computer case has a CPU cut-out (to allow for CPU installation), it's still easier to install
the above parts first before squeezing your motherboard into the cramped quarters of a case.

1. Install I/O Shield (Metal Back Plate)

All motherboards should come with a metal plate with cutouts for the back connectors and ports. This
metal plate is called the I/O shield (Input/Output shield). The I/O shield snaps into the back end of
computer cases - No screws needed.

Before installing a motherboard in a case, you have to make sure the I/O shield is inserted in the
correct direction. If your I/O shield is the type with tiny protruding bits, they should point towards the
insides of the computer case (see image below):

2. Install Motherboard into Case

Now let's turn our attention to the motherboard standoffs (circled in yellow above). Also known as
motherboard pegs, these brass-colored objects are used to secure your motherboard to the case.

Some computer cases come with motherboard standoffs pre-installed, while for others you will have
to screw in the standoffs yourself. Remember to tighten the pegs with a pair of pliers instead of just
using your thumbs.

Installing a motherboard: Lower your motherboard slowly into the computer case such that
1. the motherboard holes align with the standoffs on the case
2. the rear motherboard ports line up with the I/O shield

How to install a motherboard: Grab a screwdriver and fasten your motherboard to the computer case
with the screws that come with your computer case (see image below). For a motherboard to be
properly secured, it should be fastened with at least four screws.

3. Connect Front Panel Connectors to Motherboard

In order for the power button, reset button, front USB ports, front audio ports and LED lights of the
computer case to work, you will need to plug their front panel connectors into the front panel header on
the motherboard.

Manufacturers tend to use abbreviations to label front panel connectors and headers. When installing a
motherboard, it's important that you know what these abbreviations stand for:

H.D.D LED, HD - hard drive LED

POWER LED, PWR LED, PLED, - power LED
POWER SW, PWR SW, PW - power switch
RESET SW, RESET, RES - reset switch
SPEAKER, SPEAK - internal PC speaker
HD AUDIO, AC' 97, F_AUDIO - front panel headphone and microphone jack
USB, F_USB - front panel USB port

Let's take a look at the front panel connectors:

How to connect front panel connectors to motherboard: Locate the F_panel front panel header which is a
cluster of small upright pins on your motherboard (see image below). Now it's a good time to take out your
motherboard manual if you need help finding this header.

The front USB and audio connectors are the easiest to connect: Not only are they are larger in size, but
they also have a foolproof design such that you can only connect them in one direction. The only thing to
note is that if you have both HD AUDIO and AC' 97 audio connectors, always choose HD AUDIO for better
sound quality.

The power switch and reset switch connectors will work in any orientation so no worries there.

The power LED and hard drive LED are the biggest
headaches you will encounter when installing a
motherboard. In order for the LEDs to light up, you
will need to plug in a positive connector into a
positive header pin and the same goes for their
negative counterparts.

While the positive and negative pins on motherboard

are always labeled, it's common to find front panel
connectors without any positive and negative
labeling. As a general guideline, the connectors with
white/black wires are positive and the connector with
colored wires are negative. In case the LEDs don't light up, simply swap the positions of the connectors.

4. Connect Case Fans to Motherboard

Now we're down to the last step of installing a
motherboard and it's a simple one: Connecting
the computer case fans to your motherboard.

All you have to do is take the case fan's

connector (circled in yellow below) and plug it into
a 3-pin or 4-pin fan header on your motherboard.
This header is often labelled as SYS_FAN or
PWR_FAN.

No worries if you don't have enough fan headers

for all your case fans - We will show you how to
power them with molex connectors in a later section of this guide.

How to Install a Power Supply

Are you installing a power supply into a computer? Learn how to install a power supply today with these
simple steps.
With its big assortment of cables and connectors, a power supply unit (PSU) can appear daunting to
hardware newbies, but PSU installation is often easier than most would expect.
Installing a computer power supply is a two step process:
1. Secure the power supply unit inside the computer case (explained below).
2. Connect the power supply cables to the other internal components.
Here we have a standard ATX power supply unit that can be found in most desktop computers:

Look for the power supply cut-out at the back of the computer case - It should be located either at the
topmost or the bottommost of the case:

Now place the power supply unit inside the computer case with its fan facing down (doesn't matter
whether it's mounted at the top or bottom of the case). Slide the PSU towards the back of the case:

There are four screw holes at the back of your power supply (the side with the 1-0 on-off switch). Align
them with the four screw holes at the back of the computer case (circled in yellow below). Using a screw
driver, secure the power supply unit to the case with screws:

Now that the power supply is sitting pretty inside your computer case, let's move to the next step of a
installing a PC power supply:

How to Connect PC Power Connectors

Connecting a power supply? Learn how to identify and connect PC power supply connectors with this full
picture guide.
Let's begin with some good news: All computer power supply connectors have a foolproof design such
that they can only be connected in a single direction (so there's no way to mess up here).
And while a power supply looks like a big mess of cables to the untrained eye, there's only a few types of
PC power connectors that you'll need to know when connecting a power supply.
Since SATA and Molex power connectors do not have clips, be sure to insert them firmly so that they won't
come loose or get disconnected.

1. (20 + 4 Pin) ATX Power Connector

Also known as main power connector

Connects to: ATX motherboard power connectors (see image below)

2. (4 + 4 Pin) ATX 12V Power Connector

Also known as CPU power connector, P4 power connector

Connects to: ATX 12V power connectors on motherboards (see image below)
Note: For most computers, you will just need to connect a single 4 pin connector.

3. SATA Power Connector

Also known as SATA power cable, Serial-ATA power cable

Connects to: power connectors on SATA hard drives and SATA optical drives
Note: Always make sure that your SATA power connectors are fully inserted. Since it doesn't have a clip,
this PC power connector tends to loosen and detach itself.

4. (4 Pin) Molex Connector

Also known as peripheral connector

Connects to: power connectors of IDE hard drives and IDE optical drives
Note: IDE drives are going the way of dinosaurs but Molex connectors are still well and alive... thanks to
the following adapters that allow them to power SATA drives and computer case fans:

Molex to SATA Power Adapter

Connects to: power connectors of SATA hard drives and SATA optical drives

Molex to 3 Pin Fan Adapter

Connects to: power connectors of computer case fans

5. (6 Pin) PCI Express Connector

Also known as PCI Express power cable, PCI-E connector, PCIe connector

Connects to: power connectors of PCI Express graphics cards (see image below)
Note: Whether a graphics card requires this power supply connector will depend on its power
consumption. Low end graphics cards may not need it at all, while high end graphics card (such as the
one pictured below) may require up to two such connectors to run. There are also 8 pin (6 + 2) PCI
Express connectors that deliver more power than the regular 6 pin connectors.

6. (4 Pin) Floppy Drive Connector

Also known as FDD connector

Connects to: power connectors of floppy disk drives

Note: This connector has been obsolete for ages, but we are including it in this PC power connectors
guide because you can still (strangely) find it on modern power supply units.

Installing a Hard Drive

Installing a hard drive only takes a few simple steps - let us show you how. Learn how to install a hard
drive today with this full picture guide.

In this guide we shall be installing a hard disk drive (HDD) - The steps for installing a solid state drive
(SSD) are the same since they both have the same SATA power and data connectors.

A desktop hard disk drive belongs inside a 3.5" drive bay within your computer case.

With its SATA connectors facing outwards, slide the hard drive into an empty bay. Align the hard drive's
screw holes with the bay holes, then secure your hard drive inside the bay with screws or toolless
fasteners:

A SATA hard drive has two L-shaped connectors: The larger connector (on the left) is the power connector
while the smaller one is the data connector. See image below:

Connect a SATA power cable (see image below) from the power supply unit to the hard drive's power
connector. SATA power cables are notorious for coming loose so be sure to insert it fully into the
connector.

Connect one end of a SATA data cable to the hard drive's data connector. Here's how a SATA data cable
looks like:

Plug the other end of the SATA cable into a SATA connector on your motherboard (see image below).

Most modern motherboards have both SATA 2 and SATA 3 connectors. On a motherboard, SATA 2
connectors are often labelled as SATA2 or SATA_3G, while SATA 3 connectors are tagged as SATA3 or
SATA_6G. As always, your motherboard manual is your best friend when learning how to install a hard
drive.

In addition, most motherboards will also color-code the connectors to help you differentiate them. In the
image below, SATA 2 connectors are blue in color while the SATA 3 connectors are white.
While SATA 3 motherboard connectors are backwards compatible and works with SATA 2 hard drives,
save them for your SATA 3 drives (especially solid state drives).

Once you are done installing a hard drive, it should end up looking something like this:

Installing a DVD Drive

Installing a DVD drive in a PC only takes a few simple steps - Learn how to install a DVD drive in a
computer today with this full picture guide.

First step of installing a DVD burner: Mounting it into a 5.25 inch bay of your computer case.

Before you can install a DVD burner into the bay, you'll need to remove the front 5.25 bay cover (see
image below). Since most bay covers have their retaining clips hidden on the inside, we'll have to take out
the front panel of the computer case first.

Most front panels are attached to their cases by tabs (circled in yellow below), so you'll need to look for
any gap, handle or lever that allows you to pull the panel outwards. For this computer case, you will notice
that that is a gap at the bottom of the front panel.

While it can take a bit of nudging to remove the front panel, you should never yank it too hard. One, you
may break its plastic tabs. Two, you may damage the front panel connectors that are attached to it.

Now that the front panel has been taken off, you can go ahead and remove the bay cover. In most cases,
you should be able to detach the bay cover by pressing on the retaining clips. With your bay cover out of
the way, snap the front panel back into place.
Take your DVD drive and slide it into the 5.25 bay, taking care to align the DVD drive's screw holes with
the bay holes (see image below). Using a screw driver, secure the DVD drive to the bay with screws or
toolless fasteners (that are included with your computer case).

Next step of installing a DVD drive: Connecting the drive to your computer.

You will find two L-shaped connectors at the back of a SATA DVD drive: A larger power connector (on the
left) and a smaller data connector (on the right):

Connect a SATA power cable (see image below) from the power supply unit to the DVD drive's power
connector.

Connect one end of a SATA data cable to the DVD drive's data connector. Here's how a SATA data cable
looks like:

Plug the other end of the SATA data cable into a SATA 2 connector on your motherboard (see image
below). SATA 2 connectors are often labeled as SATA2 or SATA_3G on a motherboard:

Once you are done installing a DVD drive, it should end up looking like this:

Installing a Graphics Card

What's the best method of installing a graphics card in a desktop computer? Learn how to install a
graphics card step by step here.

Now that most current Intel and AMD processors have integrated graphics, installing a video card (also
known as discrete graphics card, dedicated graphics card or graphics processing unit GPU) is an optional
upgrade rather than an essential step.

Still, integrated graphics have a long way to go before they can match the raw power of a mid to high end
graphics card and this makes them important to demanding users such as gamers and design
professionals.

Installing a new graphics card: Locate the PCI Express x16 slot on your motherboard (outlined in yellow
below). In most cases, it's the longest expansion slot and has a small clip at one end:

Before you can install a video card, you'll first have to remove the metal bracket that is next to the PCI
Express x16 slot. Depending on your computer case's design, you remove this bracket by unscrewing it,
releasing its toolless fastener or simply twisting it off.

Once the metal bracket has been removed, it should look something like this:

How to install a graphics card: Align the golden contacts at the bottom of your graphics card with the PCI
Express x16 slot on your motherboard. Make sure the graphic card's metal bracket is facing the back of
the computer case.

Apply gentle downward pressure on the graphics card until it is fully inserted into the slot. For those of you
who grew up in the 1980s, this step of installing a graphics card is remarkably similar to loading a video
game cartridge into a Sega Genesis Drive or Super NES console.

Screw the graphics card's metal bracket to the back of the computer case (see image below):

Here's how it should look once you're done installing a graphics card in a desktop computer:

While a PCI Express x16 slot is able to power a low-end graphics card by itself, mid to high end graphics
cards often require additional power from the power supply unit.
In that case, you will need to connect a PCI Express power cable from the power supply to the graphics
card power connector. For high end graphics cards like the one pictured below, you will need two PCI
Express power cables to fuel the graphics card.

Computer Cable Management

Computer cable management is essential for your PC to not just look good... but perform better as well.
Learn how to organize computer cables and wires right here.
So why should you organize the cables inside your computer? The reasons are numerous:

With your cables tidied and tucked away, there will be better airflow within your computer case.
This lowers the temperature inside your case, prolonging the life span of your hardware in general.
Messy cables and tangled wires trap dust inside your computer. Dust clogs up your heat sinks and
fans, impairing their effectiveness. This in turn leads to overheating (especially for your CPU and
graphics card), which can damage or even kill your computer hardware in the long run.
It looks good... that's why so many computer cases come with a window. Even if you have a
monster machine loaded with state-of-the-art goodies, nobody's going to be impressed when all
they can see is a mess of cables.

Now let's find out how to organize computer wires and cables inside a PC. We shall demonstrate using a
basic computer case with no cable management features.
With this computer cable management guide, you'll be able to transform this sad-looking mess...

... into this tame bundle of neatness (in under 20 minutes):

Please allow us to introduce you to the humble computer cable tie (see image below). To most people it's
just a little strip of plastic but it's quite possibly the superstar of computer cable management.
10 cm (4 in) and 15 cm (6 in) cable ties are most suited for organizing the cables and wires inside a
computer case:

There are three general guidelines for computer cable management:

1. Make sure that your cables and wires aren't blocking any of the fans in the case (CPU fan, case
fans, power supply fan etc).
2. Don't over-tighten cable ties, especially around slimmer cables such as case connectors and fan
wires.
3. Cut off the excess ends of the computer cable ties that stick out. We have purposely left them
uncut for this PC cable management guide so that it's easier for you to spot them.
First let's work on the power supply cables since they make up most of the mess. Tie up all the extra
power cables that aren't in use as shown in the image below:

Once you have tied up your power supply cables, find a hiding place to tuck them away from sight. The
extra space next to your 3.5" drive bays (outlined in yellow below) often makes a perfect hiding spot:

Next let's draw our attention to the computer case connectors. Since these cables tend to be quite long,
it's a good idea to tie them along several points:

To hold your computer cables and wires in place (and to prevent them from blocking any fans inside the
case), you can simply fasten them to any open screw holes with cable ties:

Computer Cable Connections

Learn how to identify computer cable connections and hook up your computer in minutes today... with our
computer cable guide (with pictures).

Let's begin with display cables. There are four types of computer cable connections to a monitor: VGA,
DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort.

If your monitor accepts two or more cables types (e.g. VGA and DVI), you should just connect a single
display cable to it. For this example, you can hook up your monitor to either a VGA cable or DVI cable (but
not both).

If your CPU has integrated graphics and you install a discrete graphics card, you'll end up with two sets of
display ports. In this case, ALWAYS connect your display cable to your graphics card and not the
motherboard.

1. VGA Cable
Also known as D-sub cable, analog video cable

Connect one end to: computer monitor, television (PC input port)
Connect other end to: VGA port on computer (see image below)

2. DVI Cable

Connect one end to: computer monitor

Connect other end to: DVI port on computer (see image below)

3. HDMI Cable

Connect one end to: computer monitor, television

Connect other end to: HDMI port on computer (see image below)
Note: If you're hooking up a television to your computer, then we would recommend that you use a HDMI
cable as your PC cable connection since it is able to transmit both display and sound - So you can not
only use your TV screen as a monitor, but also make use of your TV speakers to play PC audio.

4. PS/2 Cable

Connect one end to: PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse

Connect other end to: PS/2 ports on computer (see image below)

Purple PS/2 port: keyboard

Green PS/2 port: mouse

5. Ethernet Cable
Also known as RJ-45 cable

Connect one end to: router, network switch

Connect other end to: Ethernet port on computer (see image below)

6. 3.5mm Audio Cable

Also known as phone connector (since 3.5mm jacks are often found on mobile phones too)

Connect one end to: computer speakers, 3.5mm headphones, 3.5mm microphone
Connect other end to: audio ports on computer (see image below)

Green audio port: computer speakers or headphones

Pink audio port: microphone
Blue audio port: MP3 player, CD player, DVD player, turntable, electric guitar etc (line-in port to
play and record sounds from the above devices)

7. USB Cable
For USB computer cable connections, there are two popular formats: USB 2.0 and the newer USB 3.0
How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 cables apart: USB 3.0 cables have a blue tip, and sometimes you can find a
SS "Super Speed" label on it. See image below:

Since USB was intended to be the one computer cable connection to replace them all, it's no surprise that
the possible uses for a USB port are quite mind-blowing. For this computer cable guide, we have listed its
more common uses below:
Connect one end to: USB device

Storage devices: USB flash drive, external hard drive, external optical drive
Input devices: USB keyboard (wired and wireless), USB mouse (wired and wireless), webcam,
scanner, gamepad
Output devices: printer, all-in-one office machine, USB speaker
Wireless adapters: network (Wi-Fi) adapter, bluetooth adapter, 3G adapter
Data (and charging) cable for mobile devices such as mobile phone, tablet, MP3 player

Connect other end to: USB ports on computer (see image below)
How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports apart: USB 2.0 ports have black tips while USB 3.0 ports come with
blue tips. See image below:

USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible... meaning that you can connect a USB 2.0 device to a USB 3.0 port
and vice versa (but the USB 3.0 devices hooked up to a USB 2.0 port will perform at lowered rates)

8. Computer Power Cord

Connect one end to: AC power socket

Connect other end to: power supply unit (see image below), computer monitor
Note: Always turn off your power supply unit (with the 1-0 switch at the back) before connecting a power
cord to it.