Motherboard Components of a Desktop Computer

The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large rectangular board with integrated
circuitry that connects the rest of the parts of the computer including the CPU, the RAM, the disk
drives ( CD, DVD, hard disk, or any others) as well as any peripherals connected via the ports or the
expansion slots.

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CPU socket or CPU slot - 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 providing a
physical structure to support the CPU, providing support for a
heatsink, facilitating replacement (as well as reducing cost) and
most importantly forming an electrical interface both with the
CPU and the PCB. CPU sockets can most often be found in most
desktop and server computers ( laptops typically use surface
mount CPUs), particularly those based on the Intel x86
architecture on the motherboard.

Northbridge Chipset - is typically handles communications

among the CPU, RAM, BIOS ROM, a n d PCI Express (or
AGP) video cards.

Southbridge Chipset - is typically implements the "slower"

capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge
chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset systems the
southbridge is named Input/Output Controller Hub (ICH).

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Double Data Rate DDR2 Slots - is an improved version of DDR
memory slot/connector that is faster and more efficient.

6 The floppy disk interface uses what is likely the strangest cable
of all those in PCs today. It is similar to the standard IDE
cable in that it is usually a flat, gray ribbon cable.

34-PIN FLOPPY DISK

CONNECTOR

7 Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), is a standard

interface for connecting storage devices such as hard disks and
CD-ROM drives inside personal computers. Many terms and
synonyms for ATA exist, including abbreviations such as IDE,
ATAPI, and UDMA. ATA standards only allow cable lengths
40-PIN IDE CONNECTOR
in the range of 450 to 900 mm, so the technology normally
appears as an internal computer storage interface. It provides
the most common and the least expensive interface for this
application.
8
Serial ATA, or SATA - is a storage- interface for connecting
host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk
drives and optical drives. The SATA host adapter is integrated
into almost all modern consumer laptop computers and
desktop motherboards.

9 & 10
P C I E x p r e s s (Peripheral Component Interconnect
Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe (or PCI-E, a s it is
commonly called) - is a computer expansion card standard
designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, a n d AGP
standards. Introduced by Intel in 2004, PCIe is the latest
standard for expansion cards that is available on mainstream
personal computers.

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PCI Express X12 - is a point-to-point connection, meaning it does not share

bandwidth but communicates directly with devices via a switch that directs data
flow. It also allows for hot swapping or hot plugging and consumes less power
than PCI.

12

In ATX motherboards as the main power connector.

24-PIN POWER CONNECTOR

13

Supplemental power supplies are a fairly new addition to the

PC component market. The main driving force for these devices
is the ever increasing power consumption of PC graphics cards.
Some video cards now draw more power than the processor in
8-PIN Supplemental Power the system. With some gaming systems having the ability to run
Connector more than one of these, its no surprise that some performance
14 desktop systems can potentially draw as much as a full kilowatt.
The problem is that most purchased desktop PCs have only 350
to 500W power supplies. That is where a supplemental power
supply can help.

4-PIN Supplemental Power

Connector
15
CPU Power Regulators - A device that maintains the terminal
voltage of a generator or other voltage source within required
limits despite variations in input voltage or load. Also known as
automatic voltage regulator; voltage stabilizer.

16

A high-speed serial bus that was developed by Apple, Texas

Instruments and others via the IEEE. Standardized as the IEEE
1394 High Performance Serial Bus (HPSB), FireWire supports
63 devices, real-time data transfer, hot swapping and
simultaneous multiple speeds. It is widely used to download
FIREWIRE HEADER video from digital camcorders to the computer and is also used
CONNECTOR in other A/V applications.
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Audio Codec - Refers to the delivering high-definition audio
that is capable of playing back more channels at higher quality
than previous integrated audio codecs like AC'97.

A - Line In [retaskable as Rear Left/Right Out]

B - Line Out [Front Left/Right Out]
AUDIO JACK C - Mic In [retaskable as Center/LFE (Subwoofer) Out]
CONNECTOR
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Network Controller - A small external chip to make the
interface between the chipset and the network connectors also
known as “physical layer”. This small chip is also known as
“PHY” and it is usually smaller than a network controller chip.

19 The BIOS - is boot firmware, designed to be the first code run

by a PC when powered on. The initial function of the BIOS is
to identify, test, and initialize system devices such as the video
display card, hard disk, floppy disk and other hardware. The
BIOS sets the machine hardware into a known state, so that
software stored on compatible media can be loaded, executed,
and given control of the PC.

20
BIOS/CMOS Battery - A battery that maintains the time, date,
hard disk and other configuration settings in the CMOS memory.
CMOS batteries are small and are attached directly to the
motherboard.

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Roger Embalsado