Motherboard - 11
Motherboard - 11
Motherboard - 11
Multi-layered printed circuit board Copper circuit paths called traces carry signals and voltages across the motherboard Some layers carry data for input/output while other layers carry voltage and ground returns
What is Motherboard?
Motherboard is the main component of the CPU Backbone of the Computer
Functions of Motherboard
It integrates all Hardware components into one system Allows all parts of your computer to receive power and communicate with one another.
Sockets
Slots
Specifications
Speed
Upgrade Capabilities
Size and shape (form Factor)
PCIe slot
PATA/IDE connector
CMOS Battery
AGP Slot
ISA Slot
I/O Ports
I/O Ports
Parallel Port
Ethernet Port
PS/2 Port
VGA Port
Serial Port
Audio Port
USB Port
Integrated Motherboard
Components are in built in the motherboard.
Designed for simplicity. Draw backs When one component in the board is broken or stops working you have to replace the whole board Cheaper to produce but more expensive to repair.
Non-Integrated Motherboard
The major assemblies like Video circuitry, disk controllers, and accessories are installed on the Computer as expansion cards. Can easily Identify the Non-integrated motherboards by their expansion slots usually occupied by one of the components.
Expansion card
PC/XT
When IBM came out with its first Personal Computer (PC), there were no standards and the motherboard tended to be a little on the large size with more space than it really needed. Within a short time, they had developed their Extended Technologies computer (XT), reducing the size of the motherboard to make it more compact and still accept the different circuits and components needed for the system. The XT quickly became a standard for motherboards.
AT/baby AT
Computers quickly became more and more powerful with more system memory installed on the board, faster CPUs, and features that required more circuitry and components. IBM had to increase the size of their boards to accept all these components and developed the AT motherboard. At 13.5" X 12", this form factor soon became another standard followed by other manufacturers. Size, screw placement, expansion slot positioning, and even component placement was followed so closely that some motherboard manufacturers were worried.
AT and Baby AT
Up until recently, the AT and baby AT form factors were the most common form factor in the motherboard world. These two variants differ primarily in width: the older full AT board is 12" wide. One of the major problems with the width of this board (aside from limiting its use in smaller cases) is that a good percentage of the board "overlaps" with the drive bays. This makes installation, troubleshooting and upgrading more difficult.
The AT, however, pretty well became industry standard throughout the 80's and into the early 90's. As technology advanced, circuits and components became smaller and more integrated. Many companies decided to reduce the size of the motherboard again. Because the AT had been standard for so many years they retained the placement of the expansion slots and the screw positioning on a 13" X 8.5 or 9" board. This meant that an AT board could be replaced with a 'baby AT' or 'mini AT' board and still fit in the same case.
ATX board
Because the baby AT form factor was never made a true standard, many companies have taken liberties with different dimensions and design. The ATX is a form factor developed by Intel that closely conforms to the baby AT size. It puts together some of the better ideas, engineering and design to make a standard that is cheaper to develop, allows for better component access, and in some ways is faster and more stable. The ATX board measures approximately 9.5" X 12" and takes the baby AT board and turns it 90 degrees to put the long edge of the board along the back of the computer case, which provides maximum space for expansion slots and I/O ports.
'mini ATX
The ATX standard also provides for a smaller 'mini ATX' form factor which cuts the size of a board down to 8.2" X 11.2" and removes one row of mounting holes. These boards will fit in a regular ATX style case.
NLX
(New Low-Profile EXtended motherboard) A low-profile PC motherboard from Intel for slimline cases, introduced in 1987. Unlike boards for desktop, these hold the expansion cards perpendicular to the board.
NLX Motherboard:
NLX Motherboard:
NLX
LPX(Low-Profile EXtended motherboard) A low-profile PC motherboard for slimline cases, introduced in 1997 by Western Digital.
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Internal connectors
EIDE, floppy drive connector, serial ATA, SCSI, 1394
Riser slots
Audio/modem riser (AMR) Communication and networking riser (CNR)
A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining your PC, 6e 30
Hardware Configuration
Three ways to configure the motherboard:
DIP switches, jumpers, CMOS RAM
Jumpers
Retain setup or installation information Are opened and closed using jumper covers Typical setting: enabling/disabling keyboard power-up
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Figure 6-15 Setup information about the motherboard can be stored by setting a jumper on (closed) or off (open). A jumper is closed if the cover is in place, connecting the two pins that make up the jumper; a jumper is open if the cover is not in place.
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Programs on ROM BIOS may need upgrades Flashing: upgrading or refreshing ROM BIOS chip Sources for ROM BIOS upgrades
Manufacturers Web site http://www.esupport.com
Figure 6-26 Intel displays a list of motherboard model numbers that have a Flash BIOS upgrade available
Motherboard Drivers
Located on CD bundled with motherboard Motherboard CD may also contain useful utilities Drivers are periodically updated by manufacturer Dealing with an unstable motherboard
Check for updated drivers, especially chipset drivers Install updated drivers for non-functioning devices
Figure 6-40 The ROM BIOS manufacturers Web site is a good source of information about beep codes
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CMOS
The real time clock chip is a battery-operated chip that maintains basic settings and the system time.
1. Predecessors (2)
ROM
5x ISA/16
Casette
Keyboard
DMA vezrl
Parallel I/O
PC
2.2. AT (2)
DRAM 512 Kbyte
Keyboard
PC
2.2. AT (3)
System contr.
3x ISA/16
4x SIMM/72
FD
L2
IDE
CPU (Slot1)
System contr. PC
4x DIMM/168
BIOS
Peripherial contr. Battery FD IDE
Figure 2.22: A late PCI-based motherboard for PentiumIIs (MSIs MS-6111) (Based on Intels 440LX chipset for slot 1 processors (1997)
Source: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/download
PC
MCH
CPU
Battery
3x DIMM
BIOS
ICH IDE FD
Figure 2.24: Early, port based ATX motherboard for Pentium IIIs (Abits SL6) (based on Intels 815 chipset)
Source: http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb
ICH
IDE
PCI
4x DIMM/168
MCH FD
CPU
Battery
CPU (P4)
Fgure 2.25: Mature port-based ATX motherboard for Pentium4 processors (Intels D865PERL)
Source: http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d865perl/index.htm
3x PCI/32
P4 Prescott Bat
Syst. monitoring
2xIDE
4x SATA
IDE
PS
FD
Figure 2.27: Serial port-based ATX-motherboard for Pentium4 Prescotts (MSIs 915G Combo)
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3191326
ICH
IPMI
CPU
IDE
Figure 3.2: Example: A P4-based ATX-board for entry-level servers (The P8SCT from Supermicro)
Source:http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/P4/E7221/P8SCT.cfm
IDE
PCI-X 64-bit PRO/1000 server adapter PCI Expr. x8 PCI PCI Expr. x16 MCH (I7525) Registered ECC DDR
Dual Processor
ATX connectors
Figure 3.4: Serial port based DP-server board of ATX style (Intels SE7525GP2)
Source: http://www.intel.com/products/server/motherboard