SH1608

Computer Motherboard

I. Computer Motherboard
 A printed circuit board that is the foundation of a computer, located inside the computer case.
 It allocates power to the CPU, RAM, and all other computer hardware components.
 Allows hardware components to communicate with one another.

II. Parts of the Motherboard

Photo source from mpsaz.org

A. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot

 This board has two (2) PCI slots. These can be used for components such as Ethernet
cards, sound cards and modems.
B. PCI- E (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) 16x Slot
 There are two on this motherboard diagram. These are used for graphics card. With two
(2) of them onboard, you can run two (2) graphic cards, which is good if you are a
gamer.
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 card
or Ethernet card.
D. North Bridge
 This allows communication between the CPU and the system memory and PCI-E slots.

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E. 4-Pin power Connector

 It is a 12V power supply cable like that shown in the picture used with motherboards
that have an Intel Pentium 4 processor. The P4 cable has two (2) black wires that serve
as a ground and two (2) yellow wires that are +12VDC.
F. CPU Fan Connection
 This is where your CPU fan will connect. Using this connection over one (1) from your
power supply will allow the motherboard to control the sped of your fan, based on the
CPU temperature.
G. CPU Socket
 CPU socket or processor socket is a connection that allows a computer processors to
be connected to a motherboard.
H. Memory Slots
 A memory slot, memory socket, or RAM slot is what allows computer memory (RAM)
to be inserted into the computer. Depending on the motherboard, there may be two (2)
to four (4) memory slots (sometimes more on high-end motherboards) and are what
determine the type of RAM used with the computer.
I. ATX Power Connector
 It is one (1) of the largest connectors inside a computer. It connects a power supply to
an ATX style motherboard. This is the main power connection of motherboard and
comes from the power supply.
J. IDE Connection
 Short for Integrated Drive Electronics or IBM Disc Electronics, IDE is more
commonly known as ATA or Parallel ATA (PATA). It is a standard interface for IBM
compatible hard drives and CD or DVD drives.
K. Southbridge
 It is an IC on the motherboard responsible for the hard drive controller, I/O controller
and integrated hardware. Integrated hardware can include the sound card and video card
if on the motherboard, USB, PCI, ISA, IDE, BIOS, and Ethernet.
L. SATA Connections
 SerialATA is capable of delivering 1.5 Gbps (1500 MBps) of performance to each drive
within a disk array. It has the benefit of being backwards-compatible with ATA and
ATAPI devices, and offers a thin, small cable solution, as seen in the photo on the right.
This cable helps make a much easier cable routing and offers better airflow in the
computer when compared to the earlier ribbon cables used with ATA drives.
M. Front Panel Connections
 This is where you will hook in the connections from your case. These are mostly the
different controls on your case such as power on, reset button and LEDs.
N. FDD Connection
 It is where the floppy drive connects to the computer motherboard.
O. External USB Connections
 This is where you will plug in external USB connections for your case or USB
bracket.
P. CMOS Battery
 CMOS is an on-board, battery powered semiconductor chip inside computers that
stores information. This information ranges from the system time and date to system
hardware settings for your computer.

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III. Types of Motherboards

Photo source from Cengage learning

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References:
 Adrian, B. a. (2003-2016). Retrieved from study.com: http://study.com/
 Kopplin, J. (2002). An illustrated history of computers. Retrieved from Computer Science Lab:
http://www.computersciencelab.com/ComputerHistory/History.htm
 M., M., & Verma, G. K. (2016). Retrieved from Tutorial Point: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/
 Marcelo, A. (2008). Understanding PC hardware. Jemma Inc.
 Parsons, J., & Oja, D. (2014). Computer concepts. Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd.

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