CPH Micro-Project

Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education

Puranmal Lahoti Government

Polytechnic, Latur

2022-2023

COMPUTER ENGINEERING
1ST YEAR

Subject:- Computer Peripheral and

Hardware

TITLE- Motherboard and its Components.

Name of the Students :- Roll No.

1) Khangle Snehal. 31

2) Kharbad Vaishnavi. 32

3) Lavhrale Vaishnavi. 33

➢ Class :- CO2I (C2)

➢ Under Guidance of :- Prof. N.D.Agwane

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Introduction

❖ Motherboard

Alternatively referred to as the mb, mainboard, mboard, mobo, mobd, backplane board, base
board, main circuit board, planar board, system board, or a logic board on Apple computers.
The motherboard is a printed circuit board and foundation of a computer that is the biggest
board in a computer chassis. It allocates power and allows communication to and between
the CPU, RAM, and all other computer hardware components.
A motherboard provides connectivity between the hardware components of a computer, like
the processor (CPU), memory (RAM), hard drive, and video card. There are multiple types of
motherboards, designed to fit different types and sizes of computers.
Each type of motherboard is designed to work with specific types of processors and memory,
so they don't work with every processor and type of memory. However, hard drives are
mostly universal and work with the majority of motherboards, regardless of the type or brand.
Below is a picture of the ASUS P5AD2-E motherboard with labels next to each of its major
components. Clicking the image directs you to a larger and more detailed version.

Image 1.1

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➢ Types of Motherboard

Though different motherboards have varying capabilities, limitations, features, Physical

size/shapes (form factor), they are identified/grouped/categorized mostly by their form
factors. Each manufacturer has come out with its form factor to suit the design of computers.
Motherboard manufactured to suit IBM and its compatible computers fit into other case sizes
as well. Motherboards built using ATX form factors were used in most of the computers
manufactured in 2005 including IBM and Apple.

Below are the six different types of Motherboards:

1. AT Motherboard

These motherboards have bigger physical dimensions of hundreds of millimeters and

hence they are not the right fit for the mini desktop category of computers. Bigger physical
size also inhibits installing new drivers. Sockets and six-pin plugs are used as power
connectors in these motherboards. These power connectors are not that easily identifiable and
hence users face difficulties in connecting and using it.

This type of motherboard was in vogue in the 1980s and it enjoyed a substantial self-life.

2. ATX Motherboard

ATX denotes Advanced technology extended, it was developed by Intel during the
1990s and it was an improved version over an earlier version of AT motherboard. It is
smaller in size when compared to AT and it provides interchangeability of the connected
components. There is a marked improvement in the connector aspects.

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3. LPX Motherboard

This board had two improvements over earlier versions. The first one is Input and
Output ports were taken to backside and the second one was the introduction of Riser card to
facilitate more slots and easier connection. Some of these features were deployed in the AT
motherboard. The main disadvantage in this board is the lack of Accelerated Graphic Port
(AGP) slots which led to a direct connection to PCI. Issues in these motherboards were
addressed in NLX boards.

4. BTX Motherboard

BTX denotes Balanced Technology Extended, intended to manage demands of new

technologies in terms of more power requirements hence generation of more heat. Intel
stopped further development of BTX boards during the mid-2000s to concentrate on low
power CPU.

5. Pico BTX motherboard

These boards are smaller in size and hence the word Pico. Two expansion slots are
supported in spite of being sharing the top half of BTX. Half-height or riser cards are its
unique features and it supports the demands of digital applications.

6. Mini ITX motherboard

It’s a miniature version of motherboard over its earlier versions. Designed in the early
2000s and its dimension is 17 x 17 cm. Mainly used in small form factor (SFF) computer due
to its lower power consumption and faster cooling ability. This motherboard is the most
preferred in the home theater domain due to its lower level of fan noise that will improve the
quality of the theatre system.

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➢ Major Components found on motherboard

1. CPU (Central Processing Unit) Slot

CPU is the electronic circuitry in a computer that executes instructions that make up a
program. It is also known as a central processor or the main processor. The CPU executes the
basic logic, arithmetic, controlling as well as input/output (I/O) operations specified by the
instructions in the desktop programs.

Image 1.2

2. RAM (Random Access Memory) slots

RAM is a kind of computer memory that can be read and written. It is mainly used to
save data and machine code. A RAM device permits data to be read or written in nearly the
same amount of time no matter where the data’s physical location is in the memory.
Compared to the direct-access storage devices like hard drives, CD/DVD and magnetic tapes,
RAM media is much faster for data reading and writing.

Image 1.3

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3. Southbridge/northbridge

They are the two chips in the core logic chipset on the motherboard. Typically, the
southbridge implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a
northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture.

The northbridge, also known as host bridge or Memory Controller Hub, is connected
directly to the CPU via the front-side bus (FSB). It is responsible for tasks requiring the
highest performance. Together with the southbridge, they manage communications between
the CPU and other motherboard components.

4. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

BIOS, also called system BIOS, PC BIOS or ROM BIOS, is firmware that is used to
perform hardware initialization during the booting process; and to provide runtime services
for operating system and programs. The BIOS firmware is the first software to run when
powered on; it is re-installed on a PC’s system board.

5. I/O port

Input/output ports are the connections between the CPU and peripheral devices on a
motherboard. There are two complementary methods to perform input and output processes:
memory-mapped I/O (MMIO) and port-mapped I/O (PMIO). Alternatively, you can use
dedicated I/O processors, called channels on mainframe computers, which execute their own
instructions.

6. USB (Universal Serial Bus)

USB is an industry standard that creates specifications for connectors, cables and
protocols for connection; power supply (interfacing) and communication among computers,
computer peripherals as well as other desktops. There are a great many USB hardware
including several different connectors, of which USB-C is the latest kind.

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7. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slot

Peripheral Component Interconnect is a local computer bus for connecting hardware

to a computer. It supports all the functions of a processor bus. PCI is usually been called
Conventional PCI to distinguish it from its successor PCI Express (PCIe, PCI-e or PCI-E).

PCI Express is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard designed to

replace the older PCI, PCI-X and AGP bus standard. It is a general-use motherboard interface
for the graphics card, SSDs, hard drives, Wi-Fi as well as Ethernet hardware connections.

8. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot

AGP was designed as a high-speed point-to-point channel for connecting a video card
(graphics card) to a computer system. Primarily, it was used to assist in the acceleration of 3D
computer graphics. AGP is originally designed to be a descendant of the PCI series of
connections for video cards. Yet, it was replaced by the PCIe slots.

9. 3.5mm Audio Jacks

One of the popular and most common types of motherboard audio ports is the 3.5mm jack. We
use them to connect headphones as speakers. These ports accept the widely popular 3.5mm
TRS Audio Connector.

Most motherboards have at least three 3.5mm jacks in the colors Green, Blue, and Pink.

In this, the Green 3.5mm Audio Port is known as the Line Out Port. This is the main audio port
for connecting two-channel (stereo) headphones or speakers using a 3.5mm Audio Cable.

The Blue 3.5mm Audio Port is known as Line In. We use this port to connect external audio
equipment such as CD Players, Amplifiers, Certain Musical Instruments, Audio Mixers,
Microphones, etc. to the computer.

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Image 1.4

10. Parallel port

A parallel port is a kind of interface for attaching peripherals on desktops. The name
of this kind of port is derived from the way the data is sent. That is, the parallel ports send
multiple bits of data at the same time. Serial interfaces, on the contrary, send bits one data at
once. To achieve parallel data transfer, there are multiple data lines in the parallel port cables.
The parallel port cable is larger than the cable of a contemporary serial port, which only has
one data line within.

Image 1.5

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11. SATA Port

SATA ports are basically, used to connect storage devices to your PC. The hard disk
drives, optical drives and SATA SSDs all use the SATA interface in order to connect to your
system.
The SATA interface is used for three primary devices:

1. Hard Disk Drives

2. SATA Solid State Drives (SSDs)
3. Optical Drives i.e CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Drives

12. CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide-semiconductor) battery

CMOS battery, also called memory battery, clock battery or real-time clock (RTC), is
generally a CR2032 lithium coin cell. The lifespan of the CMOS battery is estimated to be
three years when the power supply unit (PSU) is unplugged or switch off.

13. Power supply connector

A power supply provides the necessary electrical power to let the computer to work. It
takes standard 110-Volt AC (Alternative Current) power to DC (Direct Current) power of 12
Volt, 5 Volt, 3.3 Volt, etc.

14. Mouse and keyboard ports

All computers have a keyboard port connected directly to the motherboard. There are
two types of connectors. The oldest one is a special DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung)
connector while the newest one is the mini DIN PS/2-style connector. Many PCs use the
PS/2-style connectors for both keyboard and mouse; and the connectors are marked clearly
for different usage.

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15. Heat sink/heatsink (cooling system)

A heat sink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by parts
of motherboard into a fluid medium like liquid or air. The fluid medium will dissipate away
from the device. Thus, the temperature of the device is kept within a tolerable range. On the
motherboard, the heatsink is usually used to cool CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit),
chipsets and RAM modules.

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Conclusion

A motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer that connects

the different parts of a computer together. It has sockets for the CPU, RAM and
expansion cards and it also hooks up to hard drives, disc drives and front panel
ports with cables and wires.
Motherboard is also known as a mainboard, planar board or logic board, system
board. It links all the individual parts of a computer together and also, allows the
CPU to access and control these separate parts. Other than bridging internal
components, the motherboard ports also allow you to connect external devices to
the computer. Such external devices would include the monitor, speakers,
headphones, microphone, keyboard, mouse, modem and other USB devices.
The motherboard is the backbone that ties the computer’s components
together at one spot and allows them to talk to each other. Without it, none of
the computer pieces, such as the CPU, GPU, or hard drive, could interact. Total
motherboard functionality is necessary for a computer to work well. If your
motherboard is on the fritz, expect some big problems.

Thank you…!!!

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References

https://www.tutorialsweb.com/computers/pc-motherboard.htm

https://www.educba.com/what-is-a-motherboard/

https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/m/mothboar.htm

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmanager/motherboard-
components.html%3famp

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