Motherboards

The Main Printed Circuit Board

Inside The PC That Contains and
Controls The Components That Are
Responsible For Processing Data.
 Motherboard is

Multi-layered printed circuit board

Copper circuit paths called traces
carry signals and voltages across the
motherboard
Some layers carry data for
input/output while other layers carry
voltage and ground returns
Think of a Motherboard as:

Futuristic City with many modular

plug-in buildings, using power from a
common electrical system
Multiple-lane highways of various
widths transporting data between
buildings
Data and power infrastructure for the
entire computer
 Motherboard

Holds The Processor

Memory
Expansion Slots
Connects Directly or
Indirectly to Every Part of The
PC
Basic Motherboard
Motherboard Made Up Of:

A Chipset (known as the glue logic)

Some Code in ROM
Various Interconnections or Buses
Basic Input/Output System

All motherboards include a small block of Read

Only Memory (ROM) which is separate from
the main system memory used for loading and
running software. The ROM contains the PCs
BIOS.
 CMOS RAM

Motherboards include a separate block of

memory made for low power consumption
CMOS RAM chips, which is kept alive by a
battery even when the PCs power is off.
Motherboard Determines:

CPU type and Number of memory

speed sockets and
Chipset maximum memory
Secondary cache Type of case
type ROM
Types of slots Plug & Play
Number of slots compatibility
Type of memory Type of keyboard
 Form Factors

Form factor means the size and

shape of the actual motherboard
3 most common Form Factor
classifications:
Baby AT
ATX
Slimline NLX
 Advice on Buying
Motherboards

Deal with reputable Verify the form

manufacturer factor of your
Ensure that it has computer case
same form factor as matches the form
current case factor of any
motherboard you
Check the power
plan to buy
supply requirements
Avoid tweaking
and AMD processors
voltages and timings