Motherboard Components of a Desktop Computer The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large rectangular board with integrated circuitry that connects the rest of the parts of the computer including the CPU, the RAM, the disk drives ( CD, DVD, hard disk, or any others) as well as any peripherals connected via the ports or the expansion slots. http://computerbasicstutorial.blogspot.com Page 1
1 CPU socket or CPU slot - is an electrical component that attaches to a printed circuit board (PCB) and is designed to house a CPU (also called a microprocessor). It is a special type of integrated circuit socket designed for very high pin counts. A CPU socket provides many functions, including providing a physical structure to support the CPU, providing support for a heatsink, facilitating replacement (as well as reducing cost) and most importantly forming an electrical interface both with the CPU and the PCB. CPU sockets can most often be found in most desktop and server computers ( laptops typically use surface mount CPUs), particularly those based on the Intel x86 architecture on the motherboard. 2 Northbridge Chipset - is typically handles communications among the CPU, RAM, BIOS ROM, and PCI Express (or AGP) video cards. 3 Southbridge Chipset - is typically implements the "slower" capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset systems the southbridge is named Input/Output Controller Hub (ICH). http://computerbasicstutorial.blogspot.com Page 2
4 & 5 Double Data Rate DDR2 Slots - is an improved version of DDR memory slot/connector that is faster and more efficient. 6 The floppy disk interface uses what is likely the strangest cable of all those in PCs today. It is similar to the standard IDE cable in that it is usually a flat, gray ribbon cable. 34-PIN FLOPPY DISK 7 40-PIN IDE 8 Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), is a standard interface for connecting storage devices such as hard disks and CD-ROM drives inside personal computers. Many terms and synonyms for ATA exist, including abbreviations such as IDE, ATAPI, and UDMA. ATA standards only allow cable lengths in the range of 450 to 900 mm, so the technology normally appears as an internal computer storage interface. It provides the most common and the least expensive interface for this application. Serial ATA, or SATA - is a storage-interface for connecting host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives. The SATA host adapter is integrated into almost all modern consumer laptop computers and desktop motherboards. 9 & 10 PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe (or PCI-E, as it is commonly called) - is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP standards. Introduced by Intel in 2004, PCIe is the latest standard for expansion cards that is available on mainstream personal computers. http://computerbasicstutorial.blogspot.com Page 3
11 PCI Express X12 - is a point-to-point connection, meaning it does not share bandwidth but communicates directly with devices via a switch that directs data flow. It also allows for hot swapping or hot plugging and consumes less power than PCI. 12 In ATX motherboards as the main power connector. 24-PIN POWER 13 8-PIN Supplemental Power Connector 14 Supplemental power supplies are a fairly new addition to the PC component market. The main driving force for these devices is the ever increasing power consumption of PC graphics cards. Some video cards now draw more power than the processor in the system. With some gaming systems having the ability to run more than one of these, its no surprise that some performance desktop systems can potentially draw as much as a full kilowatt. The problem is that most purchased desktop PCs have only 350 to 500W power supplies. That is where a supplemental power supply can help. 4-PIN Supplemental Power Connector 15 CPU Power Regulators - A device that maintains the terminal voltage of a generator or other voltage source within required limits despite variations in input voltage or load. Also known as automatic voltage regulator; voltage stabilizer. 16 FIREWIRE HEADER A high-speed serial bus that was developed by Apple, Texas Instruments and others via the IEEE. Standardized as the IEEE 1394 High Performance Serial Bus (HPSB), FireWire supports 63 devices, real-time data transfer, hot swapping and simultaneous multiple speeds. It is widely used to download video from digital camcorders to the computer and is also used in other A/V applications. http://computerbasicstutorial.blogspot.com Page 4
17 AUDIO JACK 18 Audio Codec - Refers to the delivering high-definition audio that is capable of playing back more channels at higher quality than previous integrated audio codecs like AC'97. A - Line In [retaskable as Rear Left/Right Out] B - Line Out [Front Left/Right Out] C - Mic In [retaskable as Center/LFE (Subwoofer) Out] Network Controller - A small external chip to make the interface between the chipset and the network connectors also known as physical layer. This small chip is also known as PHY and it is usually smaller than a network controller chip. 19 The BIOS - is boot firmware, designed to be the first code run by a PC when powered on. The initial function of the BIOS is to identify, test, and initialize system devices such as the video display card, hard disk, floppy disk and other hardware. The BIOS sets the machine hardware into a known state, so that software stored on compatible media can be loaded, executed, and given control of the PC. 20 BIOS/CMOS Battery - A battery that maintains the time, date, hard disk and other configuration settings in the CMOS memory. CMOS batteries are small and are attached directly to the motherboard. http://computerbasicstutorial.blogspot.com Page 5