Introduction to

Computers

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What is a Motherboard?

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 MOTHERBOARD
• It allocates power and allows
communication to the CPU, RAM, and all
other computer hardware components.
• The Heart of the Computer
• It is the Main Circuit Board of a Computer
• Basically, the motherboard is what
makes everything in your computer work
together.

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 MOTHERBOARD
• Largest board of the computer system
• Also known as the mainboard, it
contains circuit that performs various
functions
• Typically the motherboard contains the
CPU, BIOS, memory, mass storage
interfaces, serial and parallel ports,
expansion slots and all other controllers
required to control standard peripheral
devices
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 MOTHERBOARD
• mb 
• mainboard 
• Mboard
• mobo 
• mobd 
• backplane board 
• base board
• main circuit board 
• planar board 
• system board
• logic board
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Where is the motherboard of
a computer located?
• Motherboard is
usually located on
the back side or
at the bottom of
the computer
chassis.

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How do they make a
motherboard?

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How does a motherboard
work in a computer?

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 Specification of a
Motherboard
• The Specification of a Motherboard
is really cannot be measure.
• it is said that MOBO specs are
identify by the specs of its
components.
• The Difference of a MOBO from
another MOBO is its size, quantity
and quality of its components.

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 Manufacturer of Motherboard
• There are almost 520 Companies known in
manufacturing Motherboard.
Here are some of the well known Companies.

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Parts of a Motherboard

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 CPU (Central
Processing Unit)
• It is the chip that functions as the “brain of
the computers”
• Sometimes referred to simply as the
processor or central processor
• The CPU is where most calculations take place
• It has the ability to fetch, decode, and
execute instructions and transfer information
• Most important element of a computer
system, in terms of computing power

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 Why would I need to know the
socket on my motherboard?
• The processor socket helps determine
what computer processors your computer
motherboard is capable of accepting. For
example, a socket 1 processor is not
compatible with a Socket 370 because of
the pin layout and the technology
differences used in each socket.

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 CPU Socket
• where the microprocessor is installed.
• 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

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 CPU Socket
Current socket arrangements are often named
for the number of pins in the PGA. Commonly
used sockets are:

 Socket 478 - for older Pentium and Celeron processors

 Socket 754 - for AMD Sempron and some AMD Athlon
processors
 Socket 939 - for newer and faster AMD Athlon
processors
 Socket AM2 - for the newest AMD Athlon processors
 Socket A - for older AMD Athlon processors

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Socket 939 ZIF

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Socket 754 ZIF

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Socket 939 ZIF

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Socket LGA755

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 Expansion Slots
• Alternatively referred to as a bus slot
or expansion port, an expansion slot is
connection or port located inside a
computer on the motherboard or riser
board that allows a computer hardware
expansion card to be connected. For
example, if you wanted to install a new
video card in the computer, you'd
purchase a video expansion card and
install that card into the compatible
expansion slot.
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 Computer Expansion Slots

• AGP - Video card

• AMR - Modem, Sound card
• ISA - Network card, Sound card, Video
card
• PCI - Network card, SCSI, Sound card,
Video card
• PCI Express - Video card, Modem, Sound
Card, Network Card

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Computer Expansion Slots

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 AGP (Accelerated Graphics
Port)
• is a type of expansion slot designed
specifically for graphics cards.
• AGP cards are able to render graphics
faster than comparable PCI graphics
cards.

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 AMR (Audio Modem Riser)
• Alternatively referred to as an audio
output device, sound board, or audio
card. A sound card is an expansion card
or IC for producing sound on a
computer that can be heard through
speakers or headphones.

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 AMR (Audio Modem Riser)
• Alternatively referred to as an audio
output device, sound board, or audio
card. A sound card is an expansion card
or IC for producing sound on a
computer that can be heard through
speakers or headphones.

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 ISA (Industry Standard
Architecture)
• used in PC’s for adding expansion
cards.
• an ISA slot may be used to add a
video card, a network card, or an extra
serial port.
• ISA ports were beginning to be
replaced by faster PCI and AGP slots.

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 PCI (Peripheral Component
Interconnect)
• The PCI bus came in both 32-bit (133MBps)
and 64-bit versions and was used to attach
hardware to a computer. Although commonly
used in computers from the late 1990s to the
early 2000s, PCI has since been replaced with
PCI Express. Examples of PCI devices
• Modem
• Network card
• Sound card
• Video card

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PCI Express (Peripheral Component
Interconnect Express)
• was designed as a high-speed
replacement for the aging PCI and AGP
standards and is available in different
formats.
• can support such fast data transfer
rates, they can be used to connect
high-speed devices such as Gigabit
Ethernet cards and High-end video
cards.

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 Case fan
• Alternatively referred to as a system
fan, a case fan is located inside a
computer, attached to the front or back
of its case.
• Case Fans help bring cool air into and
blow hot air out of the case.

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 Heat Sink
• dissipates the heat from the processor,
preventing it from overheating.
• it is made out of metal, such as zinc or
copper alloy and is attached to the
processor with a thermal material that
draws the heat away from the
processor towards the heat sink.

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 Northbridge
• is a chip that connects the CPU to
other primary components in the
system.
• it is the primary controller . Acts like a
traffic cop directing data to and from
the CPU.
• is also called the Memory Controller
Hub, since it controls the data flow to
and from the system memory.

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 Southbridge
• sends and receives data from the CPU
through the northbridge chip, which is
connected directly to the computer’s
processor.
• is also referred to as the I/O Controller
Hub, since it controls the input and
output devices.

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33
 Memory slot
• slots wherein the memory cards are
inserted.

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 Super I/O
• is an integrated circuit on a computer
motherboard that handles the slower
and less prominent input/output
devices shown below.
• Today, super I/O communicates
through the Southbridge and is still
used with computers to support older
legacy devices.

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 Super I/O
• Computer devices handled by the Super I/O
• Floppy disk controller
• Game port
• Infrared
• Intrusion detection
• Keyboard and mouse (non-USB)
• Parallel port
• Real-time clock (RTC)
• Serial port (UART)
• Temperature sensor and fan speed
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 IDE (Integrated Device
Electronics)
• It is more commonly known as ATA or
Parallel ATA (PATA).
• It is a standard interface for IBM compatible
hard drives and CD/DVD drives.
• Its controllers are on each drive \, meaning
the drive can connect directly to the
motherboard or controller.

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 Complementary Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor Battery (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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 Jumper
• is a small metal connector that
acts as on/off switch and is used
to alter hardware configurations.

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 Basic Input Output
System (BIOS)
• is a ROM chip located on all
motherboards that allows you to access
and set up your computer system at
the most basic level.
• checks all your hardware connections
and locates all your devices.

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 Chipset
• is a group of integrated circuits that
work together and refer to the design
of a single component or may describe
the relationship of multiple components
within a computers system.
• describes its layout and the different
components and its supports

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Back Panel Connectors

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