MOTHERBOARD

What is a motherboard?

So what is a motherboard? A computer motherboard (also known as the mainboard) is one of the most crucial components of a computer.

As the name suggests, a motherboard is the mother to all the other parts. In other words, everything in a computer connects to the motherboard. A motherboard (mobo) is the primary circuit board in a computer.

Motherboard (the mother to all the other components)

A typical motherboard has attachment points for all the common components in a computer. These are the Power Supply, CPU (Central Processing Unit), hard drive, RAM (Random Access Memory), graphics card, CD drive and other peripheral devices such as sound cards, network cards etc.

Built-in Motherboards

In recent motherboards, the sound cards and even the network cards are built into the motherboard making it unnecessary to purchase additional cards. Some even have built in graphics card; but personally I would recommend buying a separate card. The reason for this, is because if you buy a motherboard that has the graphics card built in then it becomes much harder to upgrade your graphics in the future. Also unless you are just using your computer for word processing and the internet then you will need a better graphics card then those that are built into motherboards.

So what is a motherboard's most important component? The chipset is, because it determines the capabilities and features of the motherboard.

Every motherboard is different. Some have more expansion slots others have fancy features such as Wi-Fi or a 1394 connection. It is important that when you buy a computer you choose one that suits your needs. For example, if you have a wireless network that you want to connect to then it would be wise to purchase a motherboard that has wireless built into it.

Choosing a Motherboard

Its important to know what a motherboard is before going out and buying one. I have made this error myself in building a computer. I thought I would save a bit of money and buy a cheaper motherboard, one that still ran my CPU fine but didn’t have all the extras (wireless, firewire etc.)

Well the motherboard ran fine but in the end I needed to purchase all the extras (wireless and firewire) because I needed them in my computer. So to avoid having to purchase parts later it is a wise idea to not be skimpy on the motherboard and buy one that really suits your needs. My page on chossing a motherboard will explain the choosing process in more detail.

CPUs and Motherboards

Now every CPU (CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT) does not go into every motherboard. This means that if you buy an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU then you will need to buy a motherboard that supports that CPU. Check with the manufacturer before buying the motherboard to make sure that the CPU suits the motherboard.

Motherboard Components and Function

Follow along referencing
Motherboard Integrated Components
from PC Guide.Function: The motherboard is a printed circuit board (PCB) that contains and controls the components that are responsible for processing data.
Description: The motherboard contains the CPU, memory, and basic controllers for the system. Motherboards are often sold with a CPU. The motherboard has a Real-time clock (RTC), ROM BIOS, CMOS RAM, RAM sockets, bus slots for attaching devices to a bus, CPU socket(s) or slot(s), cache RAM slot or sockets, jumpers, keyboard controller, interrupts, internal connectors, and external connectors.
The bus architecture and type of components on it determine a computers performance. The motherboard with its ribbon cables, power supply, CPU, and RAM is designated as a "bare bones" system.
Clock: The motherboard contains a systems clock to synchronize the operation of the bus and other components. Jumpers on the motherboard allow a user to set different clock rates to work with the CPU. Other jumpers control other components on the motherboard.
286 and 386 motherboards had an extra socket on board for a math coprocessor. The coprocessor is responsible for non-integer calculation. It is also known as an FPU or Floating Point Unit. 486DX's and all generation of Pentiums have a math coprocessor already built into the CPU chip.
The motherboard determines: (info taken from Motherboard HomeWorld)

• CPU type and speed
• Chipset Type (the specialized chips that control the memory, cache, external buses, and some peripherals)
• Secondary cache type
• Types of expansion slots: ISA, EISA, MCA, VESA local bus, PCI and AGP slots
  
  
  
  

  See Bus page at this site for detailed information. ISA slot (pronounced as separate letters or as eye-sa) (Industry Standard Architecture) - 1980's - 8 bit + 16 bit path

  EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) - 32 bit path

  MCA (MicroChannel Bus) - 32 bit path - 64 contacts IBM's 32-bit bus for the PS/2 machines.

  VESA slot (Video Electronics Standards Association) - (also called VLB & VL-bus) - 32 bit path - About 4 incges longer than ISA

  PCI slot (Peripheral Component Interconnect) - 64 bit path - 33MHz - clocked 132 MB throughput

  AGP slot (Accelerated Graphics Port) - 64 bit path - 64 contacts- clocked [(2Xmode)33 Mhz = 66MHz} = 528 MB thropughput - for true 3D

• number of slots
• type of memory (EDO, SDRAM, parity, ECC, etc.)
• number of memory sockets and maximum memory
• type of case and P/S
• ROM (this will most certainly already be installed)
• Plug and Play compatibility
• type of keyboard connector

All these parts you will become familiar with as move through this course.

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Identification of Components

See how well you are at identifying motherboard components by looking at the pictures below.