Motherboard

Motherboard for desktop personal computer,

showing the typical components and interfaces
that are found on a motherboard. This model was
made by Intel in 2008 and follows the microATX
layout (known as the "form factor") usually
employed for desktop computers. It is designed
to work with Intel's Pentium Dual-Core, Core 2
Duo, Pentium D, Pentium 4 and Celeron processor

A motherboard (sometimes
alternatively known as the mainboard,
main circuit board, system board,
baseboard, planar board or logic
board,[1] or colloquially, a mobo) is the
main printed circuit board (PCB) found
in general purpose computers and
other expandable systems. It holds,
and allows, communication between
many of the crucial electronic
components of a system, such as the
central processing unit (CPU) and
memory, and provides connectors for
other peripherals[2]. Unlike a backplane,
a motherboard usually contains
significant sub-systems such as the
central processor, the chipset's
input/output and memory controllers,
interface connectors, and other
components integrated for general
purpose use and applications.

Motherboard specifically refers to a

PCB with expansion capability and as
the name suggests, this board is often
referred to as the "mother" of all
components attached to it, which often
include peripherals, interface cards,
and daughtercards: sound cards, video
cards, network cards, hard drives, or
other forms of persistent storage; TV
tuner cards, cards providing extra USB
or FireWire slots and a variety of other
custom components.

Similarly, the term mainboard is applied

to devices with a single board and no
additional expansions or capability,
such as controlling boards in laser
printers, televisions, washing machines,
mobile phones and other embedded
systems with limited expansion
abilities.

History
Prior to the invention of the
microprocessor, the digital computer
consisted of multiple printed circuit
boards in a card-cage case with
components connected by a backplane,
a set of interconnected sockets. In very
old designs, copper wires were the
discrete connections between card
connector pins, but printed circuit
boards soon became the standard
practice. The Central Processing Unit
(CPU), memory, and peripherals were
housed on individual printed circuit
boards, which were plugged into the
backplane. The ubiquitous S-100 bus of
the 1970s is an example of this type of
backplane system.

The most popular computers of the

1980s such as the Apple II and IBM PC
had published schematic diagrams and
other documentation which permitted
rapid reverse-engineering and third-
party replacement motherboards.
Usually intended for building new
computers compatible with the
exemplars, many motherboards offered
additional performance or other
features and were used to upgrade the
manufacturer's original equipment.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s,

it became economical to move an
increasing number of peripheral
functions onto the motherboard. In the
late 1980s, personal computer
motherboards began to include single
ICs (also called Super I/O chips)
capable of supporting a set of low-
speed peripherals: keyboard, mouse,
floppy disk drive, serial ports, and
parallel ports. By the late 1990s, many
personal computer motherboards
included consumer-grade embedded
audio, video, storage, and networking
functions without the need for any
expansion cards at all; higher-end
systems for 3D gaming and computer
graphics typically retained only the
graphics card as a separate
component. Business PCs,
workstations, and servers were more
likely to need expansion cards, either
for more robust functions, or for higher
speeds; those systems often had fewer
embedded components.

Laptop and notebook computers that

were developed in the 1990s integrated
the most common peripherals. This
even included motherboards with no
upgradeable components, a trend that
would continue as smaller systems
were introduced after the turn of the
century (like the tablet computer and
the netbook). Memory, processors,
network controllers, power source, and
storage would be integrated into some
systems.
Design

The Octek Jaguar V motherboard from 1993.[3]

This board has few onboard peripherals, as
evidenced by the 6 slots provided for ISA cards
and the lack of other built-in external interface
connectors. Note the large AT keyboard
connector at the back right is its only peripheral
interface.
The motherboard of a Samsung Galaxy SII; almost
all functions of the device are integrated into a
very small board

A motherboard provides the electrical

connections by which the other
components of the system
communicate. Unlike a backplane, it
also contains the central processing
unit and hosts other subsystems and
devices.
A typical desktop computer has its
microprocessor, main memory, and
other essential components connected
to the motherboard. Other components
such as external storage, controllers
for video display and sound, and
peripheral devices may be attached to
the motherboard as plug-in cards or via
cables; in modern microcomputers it is
increasingly common to integrate
some of these peripherals into the
motherboard itself.

An important component of a
motherboard is the microprocessor's
supporting chipset, which provides the
supporting interfaces between the CPU
and the various buses and external
components. This chipset determines,
to an extent, the features and
capabilities of the motherboard.

Modern motherboards include:

Sockets (or slots) in which one or

more microprocessors may be
installed. In the case of CPUs in ball
grid array packages, such as the VIA
C3, the CPU is directly soldered to
the motherboard.[4]
Memory Slots into which the
system's main memory is to be
installed, typically in the form of
DIMM modules containing DRAM
chips
A chipset which forms an interface
between the CPU's front-side bus,
main memory, and peripheral buses
Non-volatile memory chips (usually
Flash ROM in modern motherboards)
containing the system's firmware or
BIOS
A clock generator which produces
the system clock signal to
synchronize the various components
Slots for expansion cards (the
interface to the system via the buses
supported by the chipset)
Power connectors, which receive
electrical power from the computer
power supply and distribute it to the
CPU, chipset, main memory, and
expansion cards. As of 2007, some
graphics cards (e.g. GeForce 8 and
Radeon R600) require more power
than the motherboard can provide,
and thus dedicated connectors have
been introduced to attach them
 directly to the power supply.[5]
Connectors for hard drives, typically
SATA only. Disk drives also connect
to the power supply.

Additionally, nearly all motherboards

include logic and connectors to support
commonly used input devices, such as
USB for mouse devices and keyboards.
Early personal computers such as the
Apple II or IBM PC included only this
minimal peripheral support on the
motherboard. Occasionally video
interface hardware was also integrated
into the motherboard; for example, on
the Apple II and rarely on IBM-
compatible computers such as the IBM
PC Jr. Additional peripherals such as
disk controllers and serial ports were
provided as expansion cards.

Given the high thermal design power of

high-speed computer CPUs and
components, modern motherboards
nearly always include heat sinks and
mounting points for fans to dissipate
excess heat.

Form factor …
Motherboards are produced in a variety
of sizes and shape called computer
form factor, some of which are specific
to individual computer manufacturers.
However, the motherboards used in
IBM-compatible systems are designed
to fit various case sizes. As of 2007,
most desktop computer motherboards
use the ATX standard form factor —
even those found in Macintosh and Sun
computers, which have not been built
from commodity components. A case's
motherboard and power supply unit
(PSU) form factor must all match,
though some smaller form factor
motherboards of the same family will
fit larger cases. For example, an ATX
case will usually accommodate a
microATX motherboard. Computers
generally use highly integrated,
miniaturized and customized
motherboards. This is one of the
reasons that laptop computers are
difficult to upgrade and expensive to
repair. Often the failure of one laptop
component requires the replacement of
the entire motherboard, which is
usually more expensive than a desktop
motherboard
CPU sockets …

A CPU socket (central processing unit)

or 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 a physical structure to
support the CPU, support for a heat
sink, facilitating replacement (as well
as reducing cost), and most
importantly, forming an electrical
interface both with the CPU and the
PCB. CPU sockets on the motherboard
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. A CPU socket type
and motherboard chipset must support
the CPU series and speed.

Integrated peripherals …
Block diagram of a modern motherboard, which
supports many on-board peripheral functions as
well as several expansion slots

With the steadily declining costs and

size of integrated circuits, it is now
possible to include support for many
peripherals on the motherboard. By
combining many functions on one PCB,
the physical size and total cost of the
system may be reduced; highly
integrated motherboards are thus
especially popular in small form factor
and budget computers.

Disk controllers for a floppy disk

drive, up to 2 PATA drives, and up to
6 SATA drives (including RAID 0/1
support)
integrated graphics controller
supporting 2D and 3D graphics, with
VGA and TV output
integrated sound card supporting 8-
channel (7.1) audio and S/PDIF
 output
Ethernet network controller for
connection to a LAN and to receive
Internet
USB controller supporting up to 12
USB ports
IrDA controller for infrared data
communication (e.g. with an IrDA-
enabled cellular phone or printer)
Temperature, voltage, and fan-speed
sensors that allow software to
monitor the health of computer
components.

Peripheral card slots …

A typical motherboard will have a
different number of connections
depending on its standard and form
factor.

A standard, modern ATX motherboard

will typically have two or three PCI-
Express 16x connection for a graphics
card, one or two legacy PCI slots for
various expansion cards, and one or
two PCI-E 1x (which has superseded
PCI). A standard EATX motherboard
will have two to four PCI-E 16x
connection for graphics cards, and a
varying number of PCI and PCI-E 1x
slots. It can sometimes also have a
PCI-E 4x slot (will vary between brands
and models).

Some motherboards have two or more

PCI-E 16x slots, to allow more than 2
monitors without special hardware, or
use a special graphics technology
called SLI (for Nvidia) and Crossfire (for
AMD). These allow 2 to 4 graphics
cards to be linked together, to allow
better performance in intensive
graphical computing tasks, such as
gaming, video editing, etc.
Temperature and reliability …

A motherboard of a Vaio E series laptop (right)

A microATX motherboard with some faulty

capacitors
Motherboards are generally air cooled
with heat sinks often mounted on
larger chips, such as the Northbridge, in
modern motherboards.[6] Insufficient or
improper cooling can cause damage to
the internal components of the
computer, or cause it to crash. Passive
cooling, or a single fan mounted on the
power supply, was sufficient for many
desktop computer CPU's until the late
1990s; since then, most have required
CPU fans mounted on their heat sinks,
due to rising clock speeds and power
consumption. Most motherboards have
connectors for additional computer
fans and integrated temperature
sensors to detect motherboard and
CPU temperatures and controllable fan
connectors which the BIOS or operating
system can use to regulate fan
speed.[7] Alternatively computers can
use a water cooling system instead of
many fans.

Some small form factor computers and

home theater PCs designed for quiet
and energy-efficient operation boast
fan-less designs. This typically requires
the use of a low-power CPU, as well as
a careful layout of the motherboard and
other components to allow for heat
sink placement.

A 2003 study found that some spurious

computer crashes and general
reliability issues, ranging from screen
image distortions to I/O read/write
errors, can be attributed not to
software or peripheral hardware but to
aging capacitors on PC
motherboards.[8] Ultimately this was
shown to be the result of a faulty
electrolyte formulation,[9] an issue
termed capacitor plague.
Standard motherboards use electrolytic
capacitors to filter the DC power
distributed around the board. These
capacitors age at a temperature-
dependent rate, as their water based
electrolytes slowly evaporate. This can
lead to loss of capacitance and
subsequent motherboard malfunctions
due to voltage instabilities. While most
capacitors are rated for 2000 hours of
operation at 105 °C (221 °F),[10] their
expected design life roughly doubles
for every 10 °C (18 °F) below this. At
65 °C (149 °F) a lifetime of 3 to 4 years
can be expected. However, many
manufacturers deliver substandard
capacitors,[11] which significantly
reduce life expectancy. Inadequate
case cooling and elevated
temperatures around the CPU socket
exacerbate this problem. With top
blowers, the motherboard components
can be kept under 95 °C (203 °F),
effectively doubling the motherboard
lifetime.

Mid-range and high-end motherboards,

on the other hand, use solid capacitors
exclusively. For every 10 °C less, their
average lifespan is multiplied
approximately by three, resulting in a 6-
times higher lifetime expectancy at
65 °C (149 °F).[12] These capacitors
may be rated for 5000, 10000 or 12000
hours of operation at 105 °C (221 °F),
extending the projected lifetime in
comparison with standard solid
capacitors.

Bootstrapping using the

Basic Input/Output System
Motherboards contain some non-
volatile memory to initialize the system
and load some startup software,
usually an operating system, from
some external peripheral device.
Microcomputers such as the Apple II
and IBM PC used ROM chips mounted
in sockets on the motherboard. At
power-up, the central processor would
load its program counter with the
address of the boot ROM and start
executing instructions from the ROM.
These instructions initialized and
tested the system hardware displayed
system information on the screen,
performed RAM checks, and then
loaded an initial program from a
peripheral device. If none was available,
then the computer would perform tasks
from other memory stores or display an
error message, depending on the
model and design of the computer and
the ROM version. For example, both the
Apple II and the original IBM PC had
Microsoft Cassette BASIC in ROM and
would start that if no program could be
loaded from disk.

Most modern motherboard designs use

a BIOS, stored in an EEPROM chip
soldered to or socketed on the
motherboard, to boot an operating
system. Non-operating system boot
programs are still supported on
modern IBM PC-descended machines,
but nowadays it is assumed that the
boot program will be a complex
operating system such as Microsoft
Windows or Linux. When power is first
supplied to the motherboard, the BIOS
firmware tests and configures memory,
circuitry, and peripherals. This Power-
On Self Test (POST) may include
testing some of the following things:

Video adapter
Cards inserted into slots, such as
conventional PCI
Floppy drive
Temperatures, voltages, and fan
speeds for hardware monitoring
CMOS memory used to store BIOS
setup configuration
Keyboard and Mouse
Network controller
Optical drives: CD-ROM or DVD-ROM
SCSI hard drive
IDE, EIDE, or Serial ATA Hard disk
drive
Security devices, such as a
fingerprint reader or the state of a
 latching switch to detect intrusion
USB devices, such as a memory
storage device

On recent motherboards, the BIOS may

also patch the central processor
microcode if the BIOS detects that the
installed CPU is one for which errata
have been published.

Many motherboards now use an

update to BIOS called UEFI.

See also
Accelerated Graphics Port
Computer case screws
CMOS battery
Daughterboard
List of computer hardware
manufacturers
Memory Reference Code – the part
of the BIOS which handles memory
timings on Intel motherboards
Overclocking
Single-board computer
Switched-mode power supply
applications
Symmetric multiprocessing
References
1. Miller, Paul (2006-07-08). "Apple
sneaks new logic board into
whining MacBook Pros" .
Engadget. Archived from the
original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved
2013-10-02.
2. https://www.wepc.com/tips/how-
are-motherboards-made-
manufacturing/
3. "Golden Oldies: 1993
mainboards" . Archived from the
original on 2007-05-13. Retrieved
2007-06-27.
4. "CPU Socket Types Explained:
From Socket 5 To BGA
[MakeUseOf Explains]" . 2013-01-
25. Archived from the original on
2015-04-07. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
5. W1zzard (2005-04-06). "Pinout of
the PCI-Express Power
Connector" . techPowerUp.
Archived from the original on
2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
6. Karbo, Michael. "The CPU and the
motherboard" . Karbos Guide.
Archived from the original on 27
April 2015. Retrieved 21 June
2015.
7. "Temperatures" . Intel® Visual
BIOS Wiki. Google. Archived from
the original on 21 June 2015.
Retrieved 21 June 2015.
8. c't Magazine, vol. 21, pp. 216-221.
2003.
 9. Chiu, Yu-Tzu; Moore, Samuel K.
(2003-01-31). "Faults & Failures:
Leaking Capacitors Muck up
Motherboards" . IEEE Spectrum.
Archived from the original on
2003-02-19. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
10. "Capacitor lifetime formula" . Low-
esr.com. Archived from the
original on 2013-09-15. Retrieved
2013-10-02.
11. Carey Holzman The healthy PC:
preventive care and home
remedies for your computer
McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003
ISBN 0-07-222923-3 page 174
12. "-- GIGABYTE --Geeks Column of
the Week - All Solid Capacitor" .
www.gigabyte.com. Archived
from the original on 2017-03-27.
Retrieved 2017-05-06.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Computer motherboards.
"true"area&tid=wh11_008
Motherboard Form Factors -
Silverstone Article
Motherboards at Curlie
List of motherboard manufacturers
and links to BIOS updates
What is a motherboard?
The Making of a Motherboard: ECS
Factory Tour
The Making of a Motherboard:
Gigabyte Factory Tour
Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design
Guide - v1.3 (pdf file)
Motherboard form factor and uses
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Motherboard&oldid=938008531"

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