

Motherboard Components
Chapter 2
Learning Outcomes

 What physical components are on the system board

 How the system board

▪ Transports data
▪ Follows programming logic
▪ Coordinates timing and execution of each processing task

 How to select system boards and CPUs for your system

 How to upgrade some components on a system board

Motherboard
Primary purpose of system board
▪ To house the CPU and
allow all devices to
communicate with it

Two popular types

▪ AT (older)
▪ ATX (newer)

AT and ATX differ not in overall

performance, but in size, convenience
features, type of case into which they fit,
and type of power connection they have
Motherboard Components 
 Motherboard Components

Processing
Communication
Programming
with other
/setup
devices
Motherboard
Components

Temporary Electrical
storage system
The CPU
The central processing unit (CPU) of a computer is a piece of hardware that carries
out the instructions of a computer program. It performs the basic arithmetical, logical,
and input/output operations of a computer system.
The CPU
Chipset
▪ Every motherboard has a chipset
▪ Chipsets controls most activities on the motherboard
▪ Chipset determines
▪ The type of processor the motherboard accepts
▪ The type and capacity of RAM
▪ What sort of internal and external devices the motherboard supports

▪ Two main chipsets on motherboard:

▪ Northbridge – controls the communication between processor, memory
and I/O
▪ Southbridge – controls the communication between PCI slot, and IDE
controller
Chipsets
Communication with other devices
A bus is the path through which a device
sends its data so that it can communicate
with the CPU and/or other devices.

The motherboard’s bus system has been

compared to a mass transit system that
carries data over many routes through the
city (your motherboard) and uses different
types of vehicles (fast and slow, and small
and large) to carry it.
Electrical system
• There are several important basic electrical components that are commonly found
in the circuits of virtually all PC parts and peripherals.

• These devices are the fundamental building blocks of electrical and electronic
circuits, and can be found in great numbers on motherboards, hard disk logic
boards, video cards and just about everywhere else in the PC

• Major electrical components on system boards are;

• Battery
• Resistor
• Capacitor
• Inductor
• Transformer
Electrical system

A direct current electricity source of a specific

voltage, used primarily in small circuits such as
CMOS.

The main purpose of this is to reduce the flow of

electricity in a circuit. Resistors come in all
different shapes and sizes.
Electrical system

A capacitor is a device that can store electrical charge.

Because it can store a charge and then release that
charge, it resists any change of voltage across it.

When current flows through an inductor, a magnetic

field is created, and the inductor will store this
magnetic energy until it is released. In some ways,
an inductor is the opposite of a capacitor.
Electrical system

One of the most important components in the world of

power, it is used to change one AC voltage into
another.
Temporary storage
• Temporary storage that holds information for short periods of
time and only when the computer is on.

• RAM is often associated with volatile types of memory where its

stored information is lost if the power is turned off.

Memory slots
Programming / Setup
• Bios are programmed by manufactures and basic machine language is used for initial
programming but a programmer can also program it with computer high level
languages with in using the operating system.

• Bios can be programmed for running the specific operating system such as in early
1980s the bios which are used in Mac computer don't allow user to run Microsoft OS
or other OS.

• But now Bios are programmed to a specific way and the OS which we are using are
built on that specific principle or we can say universal principle to boot as computer
runs.
 
Form factors
Form Factors (AT)
 Form factors are industry standardized shapes
and layouts that enable motherboards to work
with cases and power supplies

 Set of specification that determines the internal

size and shapes of a computer case

 Invented by IBM in the early 1980s, was the

predominant

 Form factor for motherboards through the mid-

1990s. AT is now obsolete

 The AT type of motherboard had a large

keyboard plug in the same relative spot on the
motherboard
Form Factors (AT)
The greatest problem with AT motherboards was the lack of external ports. When PCs
were first invented, the only devices plugged into the average PC were a monitor and
a keyboard. That’s what the AT was designed to handle – the only dedicated
connector on AT motherboard was the keyboard plug.

Keyboard connector on the

back of an AT motherboard
Form Factors (AT)
Form Factors (ATX)
 ATX form factor includes many improvements over AT
▪ use a The position of the power supply enables better air movement
▪ The CPU and RAM are placed to enable easier access
▪ Placement of RAM closer to the CPU than on AT boards offer users enhanced
performance as well
▪ The shorter the wires, the easier to shield them and make them capable of handling
double or quadruple the clock speed of the motherboard
▪ ATX motherboards feature called soft power. This means that they can use software
to turn the PC on and off
Form Factors (micro ATX)
 About 30 percent smaller than standard ATX, yet still uses the standard ATX
connections
 A micro ATX motherboard fits into a standard ATX case or in the much
smaller micro ATX cases
Form Factors (BTX)
◆ Created to provide better
ventilation
▪ BTX standard is designed to
improve cooling
▪ BTX CPUs are moved to the
front of the motherboard so
they get cool air coming in
from the front of the case
▪ BTX defines a special heat
sink and fan assembly
called the thermal unit
▪ The thermal unit ’ s fan
blows the hot CPU air
directly out the back of the
case, as opposed to the ATX
method of just blowing the
air into the case
Form Factors (BTX)
Air ventilation ATX vs BTX
Form Factors (BTX)
Motherboard sizing
Form factors comparison (ATX)
 
Choosing Motherboards
Choosing motherboard
While there may be a host of reasons why an individual selects a particular
motherboard, there are only four major factors that one must consider. The following
selection criteria should be used to narrow down the available motherboards so that
the motherboard which is selected can be used for the intended application.

Processors Chipset

Memory
Form factor
type
Choosing motherboard
(Processor)

• CPUs vary in size and pin configurations.

• Typically, a motherboard will work for a number of different CPUs, but not all will fit
in the same motherboard.

• Intel and AMD, the two major CPU manufacturers, each use different pinouts for
their chips, so a motherboard that works for one will not work for the other.

Intel Socket 2011 AMD Socket AM3

Choosing motherboard
(Processor)

Each of these manufactures uses several different socket pinouts. The socket must
match the CPU exactly for the two to be able to work together
Manufacturer Socket Used For

Intel Socket 2011 Intel’s most recent LGA socket. Used mostly by gamers for six core i7 processors.

Workstation class computer using the i7 core or the Xenon 3XXX series. Has the pins on the
Intel Socket 1366
motherboard.

Intel Socket 1156 The average consumer socket for i3, i5, and i7 processors.

A newer version of the socket 1156. Although it supports everything the 1156 does, it adds
Intel Socket 1155
additional support for SATA III.

Intel Socket 775 Intel’s first LGA socket. Still a very popular socket. The first with the CPU pins on the motherboard.

Intel Socket 771 The first Intel socket which allows for the use of dual processors. Used only for server applications.

AMD Socket AM3 AMD’s latest consumer socket. Same as AM2+ but uses only DDR3 memory.

AMD Socket AM2+ The most common AMD socket. Supports both AM2 and AM3 processors.

AMD Socket AM2 The oldest AMD socket in current production. Cannot support AM3 CPUs or DDR3 memory.

The latest server socket by AMD. The first socket by AMD with the pins on the motherboard instead
AMD Socket F
of on the CPU.
Choosing motherboard
(Form factor)

• Not all motherboards are the same physical size. The most common size is ATX;
however, the specification which created the ATX standard also provided for several
alternate configurations.

• All ATX motherboards will have the same general configuration, with the major
components located in the same places.
Choosing motherboard
(Memory type)

• It is important to verify that the memory modules will fit into the new motherboard.
Most modern computers use either DDR 2 or DDR 3 memory, with some of the
older ones still using DDR (sometimes referred to as DDR1).
Choosing motherboard
(Chipsets)

• The chipset configures the motherboard and controls how the computer’s CPU
communicates with the rest of the computer. It also controls the bus speed of the
motherboard.
• Besides features, the chipset also controls what features the motherboard has.
Things like RAID control, surround sound, and support for USB 3 are all controlled
by the chipset.
 Selecting Motherboard
Selecting a motherboard consists of following some basic steps. These steps work to
eliminate all the motherboards which are not what the user wants, leaving them with a
reasonable number of choices to review and compare when making the final decision.

1.Choose the microprocessor CPU.

2.Eliminate motherboards which do not support that CPU.
3.Eliminate motherboards which do not fit the form factor of the computer case.
4.Compare chipsets for the ones which best meets the user’s needs.
5.Compare features to determine which is best for the specific application.
 
Selecting Case
 Selecting case
• Computer cases protect, cool and provide stability for those components. It's
important to know a few things about computer cases and how they affect how you
build your computer.

• Selecting computer case can be determined by few factors which are;

• Case size & motherboard
• Connection ports
• Number of drive bays
• Expansion slots
• Power Supply
 Selecting case
(Case size & motherboard)

• Computer cases are typically built to house specific sizes, or "form factors," of
motherboards. If you buy a large computer case, it should fit most motherboards.
Check the form factor and dimensions specifications for the motherboard you plan
on using and be sure your computer case can hold that size.

• Typically there are 6 basic sizes;

Slimline Desktop Mini tower

Mid-Tower Cube
Tower
 Selecting case
(Connection ports)

• Most of your computer's connection ports will be in the back of the computer case,
but you may want ports located in the front as well.

• It may be convenient to have a headphone jack, USB ports or Firewire ports on the
front side of the computer tower so they can be easily accessed.
 Selecting case
(Number of drive bays)

• Drive bays are spaces inside your computer case that hold optical disk drives. Some
computer cases come with drive bay clips which hold the drives in place.

• Other cases hold bays on sliding rails. Rails tend to offer more stability. Check
descriptions to find out which system your case will use.
 Selecting case
(Expansion slots)

• If you plan on installing expansion

cards like a sound card or video
graphics card, you will need both a
motherboard that has expansion slots
and a computer case that has
expansion slot panels on the back.

• These panels can be removed to

expose the connection ports on the
back end of expansion cards. Your
computer case will need a number of
expansion slots equal to or greater
than the number of slots on your
motherboard.
 Selecting case
(Power Supply)

• Computer cases may or may not include a power supply. You will need to review the
technical specifications of all the computer components you plan on running to
ensure you purchase a power supply that can power all of your components
simultaneously.
• Usually, a power supply of 400W or more will be enough to power your computer. If
you are building a computer with really powerful components or multiple
components, you may want to buy a bigger power supply.
 A
• PCI Slot - This board has 2 PCI
slots.
• These can be used for
components such as Ethernet
cards, sound cards, and modems
 B
• PCI-E 16x Slot - There are 2 of them on this
motherboard diagram, both are blue.
• These are used for your graphics card. With
two of them onboard, you can run 2 graphics
cards in Scan Line Interleaving (SLI) (NVDia).
• You would only need this if you are a gamer,
or working with high end video / graphics
editing.
• These are the 16x speed versions, which are
currently the fastest
 C
• PCI-E 1x Slot - Single slot - In the PCIe 1.x
generation, each lane (1x) carries 250 MB/s
compared to 133 MB/s for the PCI slots.
• These can be used for expansion cards such
as Sound Cards, or Ethernet Cards.
 D
• Northbridge - This is the Northbridge for this
motherboard.
• This allows communication between the CPU
and the system memory and PCI-E slots.
• The chipset is resides at the bottom of the
heatsink
 E
• ATX 12V 2X and 4 Pin Power Connection
Power Connection - This is one of two power
connections that supply power to the
motherboard.
• This connection will come from your Power
Supply.
 F
• CPU-Fan Connection - This is where your CPU
fan will connect.
• Using this connection over one from your
power supply will allow the motherboard to
control the speed of your fan, based on the
CPU temperature.
 G
• Socket - This is where your CPU will plug in.
• The orange bracket that is surrounding it is
used for high end heat sinks.
• It helps to support the weight of the heat
sink
 H
• Memory Slots - These are the slots for your
RAM. Most boards will have 4 slots, but some
will only have 2.
• The color coding you see on the motherboard
diagram is used to match up RAM for Dual-
Channel.
• Using them this way will give your memory a
speed boost
 I
• ATX Power Connector - This is the second of
two power connections.
• This is the main power connection for the
motherboard, and comes from the Power
Supply.
 J
• IDE Connection - The IDE (Integrated Drive
Electronics) is the connection for your hard
drive or CD / DVD drive.
• Most drives today come with SATA
connections, so you may not use this.
 K
• Southbridge - This is the controller for
components such as the PCI slots, onboard
audio, and USB connections.
 L
• SATA Connections - These are 4 of the 6 SATA
connections on the motherboard.
• These will be used for hard drives, and CD /
DVD drives.
 M
• Front Panel Connections - this is where you
will hook in the connections from your case.
• These are mostly the different lights on your
case, such as power on, hard drive activity
etc
 N
• DD Connection - The FDD is the Floppy Disk
controller.
• If you have a floppy disk drive in your
computer, this is where you will hook it up.
 O
• External USB Connections - This is where you
will plug in external USB connections for your
case or USB bracket
 P
• CMOS battery - This is the motherboard's
battery.
• This is used to allow the CMOS to keep its
settings.
 Q
• The advent of processors and other devices
running at different voltages--in the "old
days" they all used to run at the 5V provided
by a standard power supply--has led to the
necessity of one or more voltage regulators
on most modern motherboards.
• These regulators reduce the 5V signal to
those voltages typically needed by
processors: 3.3V or lower.
 R
• The BIOS chip is host to the Basic
Input/Output System, without this chip a
computer would not be able to boot-up.
• It contains a low-level program which
carries out a POST (power-on self-test) as
soon as the computer is turned on
 S
• Capacitors are electrical components that are
used to filter and smooth signals on the
motherboard
• Capacitors of the type used on motherboards
generally come in two flavors: tantalum or
electrolytic
 T
• A network interface controller is a computer
hardware component that connects a
computer to a computer network.
• The controller may also be referred to as a
network adapter, or a LAN adapter
• Whereas network interface controllers were
commonly implemented on expansion cards
that plug into a computer bus and known as
a network interface card, network card or
LAN card, the low cost and ubiquity of the
Ethernet standard means that most newer
computers have a network interface built
into the motherboard.
 U
• Transistor is a type of electronic switch. It is
made up of sections of n-typeand p-type
semiconductors that switch a current on or
off
• A transistor is a semiconductor device used
to amplify and switch electronic signals
 V
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a specification
to establish communication between devices
and a host controller (usually a personal
computer)
• USB can connect computer peripherals such
as mice, keyboards, digital cameras, printers,
personal media players, flash drives,
Network Adapters, and external hard drives.
For many of those devices, USB has become
the standard connection method.
 W
• The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin Mini-DIN
connector used for connecting some
keyboards and mice to a PC compatible
• Jumpers are pins on a motherboard or other
computer system. Its name comes from the
device, that are used to provide
IBM Personal System/2 series of personal
configuration information to the hardware.
computers, with which it was introduced in
• A single jumper consists of a pair of pins,
1987
with a small rectangular shunt that can be
placed over both pins to short them
together.
• The hardware is programmed to act one way
when the jumper is shorted, and another
way when it is left open
 W
X
• The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin Mini-DIN
connector used for connecting some
• A POST card
keyboards andis amice
diagnostic
to a tool that reports
PC compatible
error codes
computer produced
system. by a POST.
Its name comes from the
• TheyPersonal
IBM are used System/2
by technicians to troubleshoot
series of personal
computers with
computers, that refuse
which toit boot.
was introduced in
• The cards relay POST codes generated by the
1987
system, and the system must therefore have
a working CPU and BIOS, in addition to
whatever I/O interface the POST card relies
on.
• Thus, POST cards cannot be used to diagnose
the cause of e.g. a dead motherboard.
 W
Y
• Audio Port:
• Used to connect speakers,
• The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin Mini-DIN
microphones, and other audio
connector used for connecting some
devices
keyboards and mice to a PC compatible
computer system. Its name comes from the
IBM Personal System/2 series of personal
computers, with which it was introduced in
1987
 W
Z
• The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin Mini-DIN
• connector
Printed circuit
usedboard,
for or PCB, is used
connecting someto
mechanically
keyboards support
and mice to a and electrically
PC compatible
connect system.
computer electronic components
Its name comes fromusingthe
conductive
IBM Personalpathways,
System/2tracks or of
series signal traces
personal
etched fromwith
computers, copper sheets
which laminated
it was ontoina
introduced
non-conductive substrate
1987
• PCBs are inexpensive, and can be highly
reliable.
• They require much more layout effort and
higher initial cost than either wire wrap or
point-to-point construction, but are much
cheaper and faster for high-volume
production.
 That’s all for
today. C U ALL
in next class!!