Computer Hardware

Allen A. Llorca
SMIS HEAD
 Hardware Overview
Modern-day computer systems usually contain, at a
minimum, the following hardware components:
 The System Unit
o Motherboard (aka System Board):
o CPU (Central Processing Unit)
o Memory, such as RAM, ROM, Cache, and Flash
o Ports
o Expansion Slots
 Secondary Storage, such as hard disk drives, CD-ROMs,
etc.
 Input / Output Devices
 Communications Devices
 History of Computer Motherboard
 The IBM Personal Computer (1981) featured
the first motherboard as we know it. At first,
this component was called a planar, and at the
beginning of its creation, went through several
additional names until it was finally called the
motherboard.
 This was the first time in computer history that
a board housed the computer’s CPU and RAM,
and provided audio as well as many other
functions.
 This board also supplied ports for the
keyboard and cassette tape and had
expansion slots for add-on cards.
 There was even a system known as the bus to
manage the information flow here. It was a
revolutionary machine that changed the future
of computing.
 History of Computer Motherboard
 (Cont.)
Alternatively called the mb,
mainboard, mboard, mobo,
mobd, backplane board, base
board, main circuit board,
planar board, system board, or
a logic board on Apple
computers.
 The motherboard is a printed
circuit board and foundation of
a computer that is the biggest
board in a computer chassis.
 How does a motherboard work?
 When you turn your computer on, the power supply transfers
electricity to the motherboard to be used by the computer.
 Data is transported between the chipset components via data
buses and travels between the southbridge and northbridge
sections.
 The data connections to the CPU, RAM, or PCIe are made
through the northbridge component.
 The operations performed by the RAM are first “interpreted”
by the CPU as being output after the RAM begins to deliver
inputs to the CPU.
 After being written to the PCIe, the data is either copied or
moved to the expansion card, based on the kind of card you
have.
 What Are the Different Sizes of
Motherboards?
 The 1980s and the early 1990s were a fascinating time for motherboard design,
as every few years, a new standard would come, be used by a few
manufacturers, and then ultimately die out.
 The process worked almost like clockwork, as this period saw the release of
Intel’s Baby AT (1985), Western digital’s LPX (1987) platform, and even IBM’s
NLX (1997) form factor.
 Form Factor
Full-Size ATX Motherboard
 The form factor which
replaced the popular Baby AT
standard and defined what
the motherboard would look
like for the next few decades
was the ATX motherboard
size.
 Developed by Intel in 1995,
the ATX form factor was
designed to address the
many problematic areas that
plagued the earlier boards.
 Form Factor
Micro-ATX (M-ATX)
Motherboard
 Micro-ATX motherboards, as
the name suggests,
are smaller than full-size
ATX motherboards.
 They were first introduced in
1997 and, according to Intel,
were seen as a natural
evolution of the ATX form
factor.
 Form Factor
Mini-ITX (M-ITX)
Motherboard
 If the M-ATX platform is still big for
you, and you are looking to build
an even smaller but capable PC,
there is another motherboard size
worth considering — Mini-ITX.
 An acronym for Information
Technology extended, ITX is a
small motherboard form factor
developed by VIA Technologies,
which was first introduced in
November 2001 with the Mini-ITX
platform.
 Form Factor
Extended-ATX (E-ATX)
Motherboard
 If you look for a slightly bigger
motherboard than the ATX, there’s
an extended version of such
motherboards available as well.
 It is known as the E-ATX form
factor, which basically stands for
extended-ATX.
 The motherboard dimensions (12 x
13 inches) are slightly different
from ATX, as it boasts the same
length at 12 inches but is
substantially wider at 13 inches.
 Motherboard Components and Their
Functions
There are many components found in a motherboard. Some of them are major
motherboard components while others are not. The following is a motherboard
components list.
 CPU (Central Processing Unit) chip  Parallel port
 RAM (Random Access Memory) slots  FDC (Floppy-Disk Controller)
 Southbridge/northbridge  IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller
 BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)  CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide-
 semiconductor) battery
I/O port
 Power supply connector
 USB (Universal Serial Bus)
 Mouse and keyboard ports
 CPU slot
 DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch
 PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
slot  Jumper
 AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot  Heat sink/heatsink (cooling system)
 ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot  Clock generator
 Motherboard Components and Their
 1. CPUFunctions
(Central Processing Unit) chip - CPU is the electronic circuitry in
a computer that executes instructions that make up a program. It is also
known as a central processor or the main processor.
 2. RAM (Random Access Memory) slots - RAM is a kind of computer
memory that can be read and written. It is mainly used to save data and
machine code.
 3. Southbridge/northbridge - They are the two chips in the core logic
chipset on the motherboard. Typically, the southbridge implements the
slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset
computer architecture.
 4. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) - BIOS, also called system BIOS, PC
BIOS or ROM BIOS, is firmware that is used to perform hardware initialization
during the booting process; and to provide runtime services for operating
system and programs.
 Motherboard Components and Their
 5. Functions
I/O port - Input/output ports are the connections between the CPU and
peripheral devices on a motherboard.
 6. USB (Universal Serial Bus) - USB is an industry standard that creates
specifications for connectors, cables and protocols for connection; power
supply (interfacing) and communication among computers, computer
peripherals as well as other desktops.
 7. CPU slot - A CPU slot, also called a CPU socket or Processor socket,
contains one or more mechanical components that provide mechanical and
electrical connections between the PCB and a microprocessor (CPU).
 8. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slot - Peripheral Component
Interconnect is a local computer bus for connecting hardware to a computer. It
supports all the functions of a processor bus.
 9. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot - AGP was designed as a high-
speed point-to-point channel for connecting a video card (graphics card) to a
computer system.
 Motherboard Components and Their
 [Link]
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot - ISA is the 16-bit internal
bus of IMB PC/AT and similar computers that are based on Intel 80286 and its
immediate successors during the 1980s.
 11. Parallel port - A parallel port is a kind of interface for attaching
peripherals on desktops. The name of this kind of port is derived from the way
the data is sent.
 12. FDC (Floppy-Disk Controller) - FDC is a special-purpose chip and
associated disk controller circuitry.
 13. IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller - The devices used for
connecting IDE, Ethernet, FireWire, USB and other systems can be called host
adapter.
 14. CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide-semiconductor) battery -
CMOS battery, also called memory battery, clock battery or real-time clock
(RTC), is generally a CR2032 lithium coin cell.
 15. Power supply connector - A power supply provides the necessary
 Motherboard Components and Their
Functions
 16. Mouse and keyboard ports - All computers have a keyboard port
connected directly to the motherboard. There are two types of
connectors.
 17. DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch - A DIP switch is a manual
electric switch packaged with others in a standard dual in-line package.
The term may refer to an individual switch or the whole unit.
 18. Jumper - A jumper is a short length of conductor that is used to
close, open or bypass part of an electronic circuit.
 19. Heat sink/heatsink (cooling system) - A heat sink is a passive
heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by parts
of motherboard into a fluid medium like liquid or air.
 20. Clock generator - A clock generator is an electronic oscillator
(circuit) that produces a clock signal for usage in synchronizing a circuit’s
operation.
The System Unit
 The Motherboard is the main circuit board for the computer, containing both
soldered, non-removable components along with sockets or slots for
components that can be removed. The motherboard holds the CPU, RAM and
ROM chips, etc.
 Bus Lines

 are "electrical data roadways"

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