Motherboard
Introduction
The motherboard is a large printed circuit board in a computer case that serves as a
foundation for the computer by providing power and enabling communication among the
CPU, RAM, and other hardware components.
Each type of motherboard is designed to work with specific types of processors and memory,
so they are not capable of working 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.
Motherboards come in different types based on their capabilities, limitations, and features,
including their physical size and form factor. Essentially, there are three primary categories
of motherboards.
1) ATX standard: With dimensions of 305*244 mm, this motherboard may vary in size
depending on the manufacturer. It provides multiple expansion slots, including up to four
RAM slots and at least two PCIe slots for dual graphics cards. Additionally, it offers a
variety of USB and other ports for connectivity.
2) Micro ATX: The Micro ATX motherboard is 244*244 mm in size, which can differ
among manufacturers. It has fewer ports and slots than a Standard ATX board.
3) Extended ATX: This motherboard measures 344*330 mm (although dimensions may
differ depending on the manufacturer). It is suitable for both dual CPU and single
configurations, with 8 RAM slots and multiple PCIe and PCI slots for adding PCI cards. It
is commonly used in workstations and servers.
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Generally, over motherboard evolution many parts specification changes fastest,
particularly RAM and CPU, tend to remain in sockets or slots for easy replacement
Similarly, parts that not all users need, such as SCSI, are usually left out of the base
specification to keep costs down. The co-processor, also known as the math or numeric
processor unit provided as a separate chip on the AT motherboard Modern CPUs integrate
many forms of coprocessor directly into the CPU architecture. Also, AT motherboard
provide IC sockets or module slots for cache memory, the CPU cache has been included in
the CPU since the introduction of the Pentium 3 processor in 1999 to reduce latency.
Motherboard Components
1. Expansion slots (PCI Express, PCI, and AGP).
They are a connections or ports inside a computer on the motherboard. It provides an
installation point for a hardware expansion card to be connected.
• Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) was introduced by Intel in 1992. The
PCI bus came in both 32-bit (133 MBps) and 64-bit versions and was used to attach
hardware to a computer. (Modem, Network card, Sound card, Video card) are
examples of PCI devices.
• Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP): It is an advanced port designed for video cards
and 3D accelerators. Developed by Intel and introduced in August 1997.
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2. CPU socket or processor socket is a connection that allows a computer processor to be
connected to a motherboard.
3. Northbridge is an integrated circuit responsible for communications between the
CPU interface, AGP, and the memory. The Northbridge is a single-chip that is in the north
of the PCI bus.
4. Southbridge is an IC on the motherboard responsible for the hard drive controller, I/O
controller and integrated hardware (sound card, video card, USB, PCI, BIOS). The
Southbridge gets its name for commonly being in the south of the PCI bus.
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5. Memory slot: Most motherboards have 2 to 4 memory slots, which determine the type
of RAM used with the computer.
6. Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) is an electronic interface standard that defines the
connection between a bus on a computer’s motherboard and the computer's disk storage
devices.
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7. ATX Connector is an electrical connector that are often seen on computer motherboards
and power supplies (as seen in the power supply experiment).
8. Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) connectors
They are small, L-shaped connectors on the motherboard that allow you to connect SATA
devices such as hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), or optical drives.
9. Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) is an onboard, battery
powered, semiconductor chip that stores some basic information. The information that is
stored can be BIOS settings, system time and date, as well as hardware settings for your
computer. The standard lifetime for a CMOS battery is around 10 years.
10. System panel connectors:
The terms "system panel connector" and "front panel header" are often used
interchangeably. They both refer to the set of pins on the motherboard used to connect front
panel components. However, some may use "front panel header" to refer to the connector's
physical location on the motherboard.
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Types of system panel cables
➢ HDD LED (IDE LED) - This indicator is the light that flashes as information is being
written to and/or read from the hard drive.
➢ PLED (Power LED) - The LED power light, which indicates when the computer is on,
off, or in Standby.
➢ PWRSW (Power SW) - Controls the power button that allows you to turn on and off
the computer.
➢ Reset SW - Handles the reset button to restart the computer.
➢ Speaker - The internal speaker used to sound the beep noises you hear from your
computer when it is booting.
The colored wire (powered wire) would connect to the (+) symbol and a white or black
wire (ground) would connect to the (-) symbol.
11. USB header it is a pin connection found on a computer motherboard that allow
additional USB connections to be added to the computer, usually in the front panel header.
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12. Jumpers allow the computer to close an electrical circuit. Jumpers consist of a set of
small pins that can be covered with a small plastic box (jumper block).
13. Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
It is a ROM chip found on motherboards that allows you to access and set up your computer
system at the most basic level. The BIOS includes instructions on how to load basic
computer hardware. It also includes a test referred to as a POST (Power-On Self-Test) that
helps verify the computer meets requirements to boot up properly. If the computer does not
pass the POST, you will receive a combination of beeps indicating what is malfunctioning
in the computer. Main functions of computer Bios are reviewed bellow:
a. POST - Test the computer hardware and make sure no errors exist before loading the
operating system.
b. Bootstrap Loader - Locate the operating systems. If a capable operating system is
located, the BIOS will pass control to it.
c. BIOS drivers - Low-level drivers that give the computer basic operational control over
your computer's hardware.
d. BIOS setup or CMOS setup - Configuration program that allows you to configure
hardware settings including system settings such as computer passwords, time, and date.
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14. Some Additional Chips
• The Programmable Interval Timer (PIT) is a counter that generates an output signal when
it reaches a programmed count. The output signal may trigger an interrupt.
• Programmable Interrupt Controller (PIC) is an integrated circuit that helps a
microprocessor (or CPU) handle interrupt requests (IRQs) coming from multiple different
sources (like external I/O devices) which may occur simultaneously.
• The keyboard controller KPC) is a device that interfaces a keyboard to a computer. Its
main function is to inform the computer when a key is pressed or released. When data
from the keyboard arrives, the controller raises an interrupt (a keyboard interrupt) to allow
the CPU to handle the input.
15. Back Pane Connectors
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Motherboard Layout:
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