The

Motherboard of
Computer

PRESENTED BY:
LAZAN, PETER PAUL A.
Introduction:
• A motherboard is the central or primary printed circuit board making up a
complex electronic system, such as a modern computers.
• It is also known as a main board, base board, system board, and planar board.
• A motherboard, is like a backplane, provides the electrical connections by
which other components of the system communicate
History of the Motherboard:

• Before the invention of microprocessors, computers were built in mainframes, with components
which were connected by a backplane that had countless slots for connecting wires.
• In old designs, wires were needed to connect card connector pins but, soon they became a thing of
past with the invent of PCBs.
• The CPU , memory and other peripherals were all housed on this printed circuit board.
• During the late 1980s and 1990s, it was found that increasing the number of peripheral functions
on the PCB was very economical.
• Hence, single Integrated Circuits (ICs), capable of supporting low-speed peripherals like serial
ports, mouse, keyboards, etc., were included on the motherboards.
History of the Motherboard:

• By the late 1990s, they began to have full range of audio, video, storage and
networking functions on them. Higher end systems for 3D gaming and graphic cards were
also include later.
• Micronics, Mylex, AMI, DTK, Orchid Technology, Elitegroup, etc. Were few companies
that were early pioneers in the field of motherboard manufacturing but, companies like
Apple and IBM soon took over.
• They offered high end, sophisticated motherboards that included upgraded features and
superior performance over prevailing motherboards.
Functions:

• The Motherboard takes care of the entire system one way or the another.
• The functions of the computer motherboard is to act as the main circuit board
that connects and communicates to all the devices and components attached.
• The motherboard also facilitates the communication of devices with each
other
• Measuring the motherboard's speed can be difficult and varies, depending on
the CPU attached.
• A motherboard has a maximum front side bus (FSB) speed, for example, but
a CPU with that speed as well must be used.
Functions:
• BIOS or basic input output and Boot memory also resides on the motherboard. 
• BIO is a kind of software which works when we turn on the computer.
• BIO is also called lower level program because it is installed in the hardware.
• The job of the BIOS is to act as a communication channel between motherboard and software.
• It is this printed circuit which contains chips and many expansion cards to facilitate your working.
• It does not matter which ever component you attach your motherboard, the basic functioning of
that device is dependent upon on the main board.
Other features and Functions
of Motherboard:
• Mother board also contains a chip set. This chip set is really essential as it monitors the data
flow in your computer.
• It guides the movement and flow of data towards the correct paths and ultimately
correct destinations.
• Therefore it is mother board where you plug in your video cards, memory, cache and cards.
• Motherboards are not produced in only one shape and size. The shape and the size of
the motherboard is adjusted depending on the need of the manufacturers.
Components of the
Motherboard:
Types of Motherboard:
• Motherboards are present in Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, and Smartphone and the components and
functionalities are the same. But the size of the components and the way they are accommodated on the
board varies due to space availability. In desktops, most of the components are fitted inside the sockets
provided on the board and it is easy to replace each of them separately, whereas in Laptops/Smartphones
some components are soldered on the board, hence it is difficult to replace/upgrade.
• 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.
Types of Motherboard:
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.
Types of Motherboard:
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.
Types of Motherboard:
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.
Troubleshooting:
• Motherboards fail for a variety of reasons, including dust, manufacturing
defects, electrostatic discharges and flexing.
• There are three types of motherboard failure,
 Catastrophic failure
 Component failure
 Ethereal symptoms
Troubleshooting:
• If the pc will not boot, it is catastrophic failure. This often occurs within the first 30 days
a motherboard is in use.
• Component failure may occur as an intermittent problem or a flaky connection between
a device and the motherboard. The most common causes of component failure are
electrical surges.
• Ethereal symptoms are the most difficult ones to diagnose. You may get
intermittent problems or the computer may reboot or you may get a blue screen of death.
Prepare for short Quiz:
Prepare for short Quiz:
1-3. Give at least 3 types of motherboard.
4-6. What are the 3 types of motherboard failures.
7. What is motherboard.
8-10. Give at least 3 early companies that manufactured motherboard.