Motherboard and Its Components

The most important component in any PC is the motherboard, also called as system board. It houses a
microprocessor, memory and slots for expansion, of the system. Some motherboards also contain the
drive interface logic, printer interface logic and serial interface logic integrated on it. Motherboard
comes in different sizes, shapes and models. The height and width of the motherboard is known as
motherboard form factor.
The main functional blocks of a motherboard are as follows:
i. CPU
ii. BIOS
iii. RAM
iv. Cache memory
v. Bus expansion slots
vi. On-board IO connectors
vii. On-board IDE connectors.
i. CPU: The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer in which majority of the
computing tasks are performed. The CPU may have a heat sink installed on it, to dissipate heat
generated by the CPU.
ii. BIOS (Basic Input Output System): BIOS is a ROM chip. It contains programs that are necessary for the
PC to boot and to access the various system components. BIOS also contains the programs for POST
(Power On Self Test).
iii. RAM (Random Access Memory): RAM is used for storing programs temporarily. Generally RAM is
located on SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module) or DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module).
iv. Cache Memory: The cache is the fastest memory which lies between CPU and RAM. The CPU can
access the frequently required data from cache more rapidly than from RAM.
v. Bus Expansion Slots/I/O Slots: System expansion is possible using the bus expansion slots in which
the adapters are installed. The different types of slots such as ISA, VESA, PCI are available on
motherboard.
vi. On-board I/O Connectors: In recent systems one or two serial ports (com1, com2) and parallel ports
(LPT1, LPT2) are present on motherboard.
vii. On-board IDE Connectors: Similar to serial and parallel parts the motherboard may have IDE
connectors for connecting. Floppy Disk Drives (FDD), Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and CD Drives.