1.

2 PC Components

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Incomplete 1.2.1 Case and power supplies

1.2.1 Case and power

supplies

Incomplete 1.2.1.1 Cases

1.2.1.1 Cases

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The case of a desktop computer houses

the internal components such as the
power supply, motherboard, central
processing unit (CPU), memory, disk
drives, and assorted adapter cards.
Cases are typically made of plastic,
steel, or aluminum and provide the
framework to support, protect, and cool
the internal components. A device form
factor refers to its physical design and
look. Desktop computers are available
in a variety of form factors including:

Horizontal case
Full-Size Tower
Compact Tower
All-in-one

This list is not exhaustive, as many case

manufacturers have their own naming
conventions. These may include super
tower, full tower, mid tower, mini tower,
cube case, and more.
Computer components tend to generate
a lot of heat; therefore, computer cases
contain fans that move air through the
case. As the air passes warm
components, it absorbs heat and then
exits the case. This process keeps the
computer components from
overheating. Cases are also designed to
protect against static electricity
damage. The computer’s internal
components are grounded via
attachment to the case.

Note: Computer cases are also referred

to as the computer chassis, cabinet,
tower, housing, or simply box.

Select the arrows below for more information

about di"erent types of computer cases.

Horizontal case 

Complete 1.2.1.2 Power Supplies

1.2.1.2 Power Supplies

Electricity from wall outlets is provided

in alternating current (AC). However, all
components inside a computer require
direct current (DC) power. To obtain DC
power, computers use a power supply,
as shown here, to convert AC power
into a lower voltage DC power.

The following describes the various

computer desktop power supply form
factors that have evolved over time:

Advanced Technology (AT) – This

is the original power supply for
legacy computer systems now
considered obsolete.
AT Extended (ATX) – This is the
updated version of the AT but still
considered to be obsolete.
ATX12V – This is the most
common power supply on the
market today. It includes a second
motherboard connector to provide
dedicated power to the CPU.
There are several versions of
ATX12V available.
EPS12V – This was originally
designed for network servers but
is now commonly used in high-
end desktop models.

Incomplete 1.2.1.3 Connectors

1.2.1.3 Connectors
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about di"erent connectors.

Connectors 

Complete 1.2.1.4 Power Supply Voltage

1.2.1.4 Power Supply

Voltage

The di"erent connectors also provide

di"erent voltages. The most common
voltages supplied are 3.3 volts, 5 volts,
and 12 volts. The 3.3 volt and 5 volt
supplies are typically used by digital
circuits, while the 12 volt supply is used
to run motors in disk drives and fans.

Power supplies can also be single rail,

dual rail, or multi rail. A rail is the
printed circuit board (PCB) inside the
power supply to which the external
cables are connected. A single rail has
all of the connectors connected to the
same PCB while a multi rail PCB has
separate PCBs for each connector.

A computer can tolerate slight

#uctuations in power, but a signi$cant
deviation can cause the power supply
to fail.

Complete 1.2.1.5 Check Your Understanding - Cases and Power Supplies

1.2.1.5 Check Your

Understanding - Cases
and Power Supplies

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Match PC cases and power supplies

component to the description.

EPS12V

ATX12V

Molex

6/8 - pin PCIe power connector

AT

 This connects hard drives, optical

drives, or other devices.

 This is the most common power

supply on the market today.It includes
a second motherboard connector to
provide dedicated power to the CPU.

 This connector has two rows of three

to four pins and supplies power to
internal components.

 This is the only choice that does not

allow for +3.3 V.

 This was originally designed for

network servers but is now commonly
used in high-end desktop models.

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Incomplete 1.2.2 Motherboards

1.2.2 Motherboards

Complete 1.2.2.1 Motherboards

1.2.2.1 Motherboards

The motherboard, also known as the

system board or the main board, is the
backbone of the computer. As shown in
the $gure, a motherboard is a printed
circuit board (PCB) that contains buses,
or electrical pathways, that interconnect
electronic components. These
components may be soldered directly to
the motherboard, or added using
sockets, expansion slots, and ports.

Complete 1.2.2.2 Motherboard Components

1.2.2.2 Motherboard
Components

These are some connections on the

motherboard where computer
components can be added, as shown in
the $gure of a motherboard below.

Motherboard Connections

RAM Slots Internal USB Chipset

BIOS/UEFI Chip

Expansion Slots

CPU Socket

The connections labeled in the $gure

are the following:

Central Processing Unit (CPU) -

This is considered the brain of the
computer.
Random Access Memory (RAM) -
This is a temporary location to
store data and applications
Expansion slots - These provide
locations to connect additional
components.
Chipset - This consists of the
integrated circuits on the
motherboard that control how
system hardware interacts with the
CPU and motherboard. It also
establishes how much memory
can be added to a motherboard
and the type of connectors on the
motherboard.
Basic input/output system (BIOS)
chip and Uni!ed Extensible
Firmware Interface (UEFI) chip -
BIOS is used to help boot the
computer and manage the #ow of
data between the hard drive, video
card, keyboard, mouse, and more.
In modern computers BIOS has
been replaced by UEFI. UEFI
speci$es a di"erent $rmware for
boot and runtime services.
Firmware is programming that
allows a computer operating
system to control the hardware.

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Select the arrows below for more information

on some additional important connectors

SATA 

Complete 1.2.2.3 Motherboard Chipset

1.2.2.3 Motherboard
Chipset

The $gure illustrates how a

motherboard connects various
components.

Most chipsets consist of the following

two types:

Northbridge – Controls high

speed access to the RAM and
video card. It also controls the
speed at which the CPU
communicates with all of the other
components in the computer.
Video capability is sometimes
integrated into the Northbridge.
Southbridge – Allows the CPU to
communicate with slower speed
devices including hard drives,
Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports,
and expansion slots

Motherboard Component Connections

PCI Express Graphics Adapter Slot Hard Drives

PCI Adapter Slots
32-bit PCI slot

32-bit PCI slot

CPU Northbridge Southbridge

64-bit PCI slot

64-bit PCI slot

RAM

RAM
Keyboard Mouse
BIOS UEFI USB
RAM

RAM

Complete 1.2.2.4 Motherboard Form Factors

1.2.2.4 Motherboard Form

Factors

The form factor of motherboards

pertains to the size and shape of the
board. It also describes the physical
layout of the di"erent components and
devices on the motherboard.

There have been many variations of

motherboards developed over the
years. There are three common
motherboard form factors:

Advanced Technology eXtended

(ATX) - This is the most common
motherboard form factor. The ATX
case accommodates the
integrated I/O ports on the
standard ATX motherboard. The
ATX power supply connects to the
motherboard via a single 20-pin
connector.
Micro-ATX – This is a smaller
form factor that is designed to be
backward-compatible with ATX.
Micro-ATX boards often use the
same Northbridge and
Southbridge chipsets and power
connectors as full-size ATX
boards and therefore can use
many of the same components.
Generally, Micro-ATX boards can
$t in standard ATX cases.
However, Micro-ATX
motherboards are much smaller
than ATX motherboards and have
fewer expansion slots.
ITX - The ITX form factor has
gained in popularity because of its
very small size. There are many
types of ITX motherboards;
however, Mini-ITX is one of the
most popular. The Mini-ITX form
factor uses very little power, so
fans are not needed to keep it
cool. A Mini-ITX motherboard has
only one PCI slot for expansion
cards. A computer based on a
Mini-ITX form factor can be used
in places where it is inconvenient
to have a large or noisy computer.

The table highlights these and other

form factor variations.

Note: It is important to distinguish

between form factors. The choice of
motherboard form factor determines
how individual components attach to it,
the type of power supply required, and
the shape of the computer case. Some
manufacturers also have proprietary
form factors based on the ATX design.
This causes some motherboards, power
supplies, and other components to be
incompatible with standard ATX cases.

Complete 1.2.2.4-table-0

Motherboard Form Factors

Form
Description
Factor

Advanced Technology
eXtended
ATX Most popular form factor
12 in X 9.6 in (30.5 cm X
24.4 cm)

Smaller footprint than the

ATX
Micro- Popular in desktop and small
ATX form factor computers
9.6 in X 9.6 in (24.4 cm X
24.4 cm)

Designed for small devices

such as thin clients and set-
Mini-
top boxes
ITX
6.7in X 6.7 in (17cm X 17
cm)

Comparable form factor to

Micro-ATX
ITX
8.5 in X 7.5 in (21.5 cm X
19.1 cm)