Motherboard

An Introduction

PCI SLOTS

PCI stands for "Peripheral

Component Interconnect." A 64-bit
PCI slot has 64 connections to the
motherboard. Each connection is
capable of handling 1 bit of data at
a time

ISA SLOTS

ISA slots can only handle 32 bits of

data at a time . A 32-bit ISA slot has 32
connections to the motherboard . Older
technology ISA slots were 8-bit and 16bit

AMR Slot

The audio/modem riser,

also known as an AMR slot,
is an expansion slot found on
the motherboards of some
Pentium III, Pentium 4, and
Athlon personal computers. It
was designed by Intel to
interface with chipsets and
provide analog functionality,
such as sound cards and
modems, on an expansion
card. it has been superseded
by the Advanced
Communications Riser (ACR)
and Intel's own
Communications and
Networking Riser (CNR)

North and South Bridge

The chipset is the "glue"

that connects the
microprocessor to the rest
of the motherboard and
therefore to the rest of the
computer. On a PC, it
consists of two basic parts
-- the north bridge and the
south bridge . The north
bridge typically handles
communications among the
CPU, RAM, and PCI Express
(or AGP) video cards, and
the Southbridge

South Bridge

The southbridge can usually be distinguished from the

north bridge by not being directly connected to the CPU.
Rather, the northbridge ties the southbridge to the CPU.
Through the use of controller integrated channel
circuitry, the northbridge can directly link signal from
the I/O units to the CPU for data control and access.

SIMM

Single in-line memory module, which

is a type of RAM memory module.
A SIMM is a small circuit board
designed to hold a set of RAM chips.
Two types of SIMM's have been in
general use. 30-pin SIMM's and 72pin SIMM's.
30-bit SIMM's have 8-bit data buses;
72-pin SIMM's have 32-bit data
buses.
The pinouts for all SIMMs is not
completely standard. Some
manufacturers, such as HP, Compaq,
and IBM used non-standard pinouts
in their proprietary SIMMs

DIMM

DIMM, or dual in-line

memory module, has a 64bit path to memory chips .
DIMMs are commonly used
in personal computers,
servers and high-end
workstations. The DIMM
makes physical contact
with the data bus of the
computer through teeth
like connectors that fit into
a socket on the mother
board.

SODIMM

SODIMM, or small outline dual inline memory module, is made

with integrated circuits and is
about half the size of DIMM
modules . is designed for use in
notebook computers and other
space-restricted environments

BIOS

A BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is

an electronic set of instructions that a
computer uses to successfully start
operating. The BIOS is located on a
chip inside of the computer and is
designed in a way that protects it
from disk failure.

main function of the BIOS is to give

instructions for the power-on self test
(POST). This self test ensures that the
computer has all of the necessary
parts and functionality needed to
successfully start itself, such as use of
memory, a keyboard and other parts.
If errors are detected during the test,
the BIOS instructs the computer to
give a code that reveals the problem.

CPU Heat Sinks and Cooling

Fans

Since CPUs generate so much heat,

computer systems use a cooling fan to
keep temperatures between 90 and 110
degrees Fahrenheit
Older CPUs used a heat sink, which is a
clip-on device that mounts on top of the
CPU and pulls heat away from it
The combination of heat sink and
cooling fan is sometimes called a cooler

CPU Heat Sinks and Cooling

Fans

The System
Unit
What is a chip?

dual inline
packages (DIP)
holds memory
chips

Small piece of semi-conducting

material on which integrated
circuits are etched

p. 4.04 Fig. 4-4

Integrated circuits contain

many microscopic pathways
capable of carrying electrical
current

pin grid
array (PGA)
package
holds processor
chips

Next

Parallel Port

USB Ports

Serial Ports

SERIAL PORT
Considered to be one of the most basic external
connections to a computer, the serial port has been an
integral part of most computers for more than 20 years.
Although many of the newer systems have done away
with the serial port completely in favor of USB
connections, most modems still use the serial port, as
do some printers, PDAs and digital cameras. Few
computers have more than two serial ports.

Parallel Ports
If you have a printer connected to your computer, there is
a good chance that it uses the parallel port. While USB is
becoming increasingly popular, the parallel port is still a
commonly used interface for printers. Parallel ports can be
used to connect a host of popular computer peripherals:
Printers
Scanners
CD burners
External hard drives
Iomega Zip removable drives
Network adapters
Tape backup drives

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Ports

The goal of USB is to end all of these headaches. The Universal
Serial Bus gives you a single, standardized, easy-to-use way to
connect up to 127 devices to a computer.
Just about every peripheral made now comes in a USB version. A
sample list of USB devices that you can buy today includes:
Printers

Scanners

Mice Joysticks

Flight yokes

Digital cameras Webcams Scientific data acquisition devices

Modems

Speakers

Telephones

Storage devices such as Zip drives

Video phones
Network connections

Connecting a USB device to a computer is simple -- you find the

USB connector on the back of your machine and plug the USB
connector into it.

The rectangular socket

is a typical USB socket
on the back of a PC

A typical USB connector, called

an "A" connection

CPU SOCKETS

A CPU socket or CPU slot is an electrical component that attaches to a printed

circuit board (PCB) and is designed to house a CPU .CPU socket structure is
largely dependent on the packaging of the CPU it is designed to house

An ATX power connector is a power connector which can be used

with the ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) motherboard form factor in
personal computers .

IDE

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is a standard electronic

interface used between a computer motherboard's data
paths or bus and the computer's disk storage devices. The
ANSI name for IDE is Advanced Technology Attachment
(ATA) . IDE cable is attached to a CD/DVD drive

(unseen) installed in a drive bay at the top of the

case, but it could also have been attached to the
same cable, because a single IDE cable can
accommodate two IDE drives, which can include a
CD/DVD drive. The second cable is attached to the
motherboard using the connector beside the
connector to which the hard disk drive is
connected.

SATA

The serial ATA, or SATA

computer bus, is a storageinterface 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.
Serial ATA was designed to
replace the older ATA (AT
Attachment) standard (also
known as EIDE). It is able to use
the same low level commands,
but serial ATA host-adapters and
devices communicate via a highspeed serial cable over two pairs
of conductors. In contrast, the
parallel ATA (the redesignation for
the legacy ATA specifications)
used 16 data conductors each
operating at a much lower speed.

SATA POWER CONNECTOR

SMPS

Switch Mode Power Supply

The primary function of SMPS is to convert the

alternating current (AC) power available in homes
into direct current (DC) required for a computer
system

The SMPS or power supply of a computer comes in

different form factor styles

LPX
ATX
SFX