Computer Motherboard Components

Motherboard

The motherboard is called PCB, which means "printed circuit board" The motherboard is also known as the mainboard, system board, baseboard, circuit board, logic board, or planar board on a computer. A motherboard is a PCB with expandable capacity. All the components that the CPU needs to work can connect to the motherboard.

The motherboard is the connectivity point that is the backbone of the computer's central communications. Through which all components and peripherals can connect to the motherboard through its expansion slots.

The motherboard has many electronic components, such as the central processing unit (CPU), RAM, memory, and other computer hardware. The motherboard allows all these components to communicate with each other. It also provides connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard consists of several subsystems, such as the central processor, the chipset's input, output, memory controller, interface connector, and other components.

The motherboard consists of peripherals, interface cards. It also includes sound cards, video cards, network cards, and hard drives. It also has TV tuner cards, cards that provide additional USB or FireWire slots, and other custom components. The motherboard that connects all these elements is the link.

A manufacturer's motherboard will support a specific type of CPU and a few different types of memory. But it does not necessarily support video cards, hard drives, and other peripherals. The choice of motherboard depends on your options.

The Function of a Motherboard

All the parts of the computer can connect through the motherboard. Include CPUs, memory, hard drives, optical drives, video cards, sound cards, other ports, and expansion cards. The components are connected to the motherboard directly or via cable. So the motherboard is called the mother of the computer as well as the backbone of the computer.

Motherboard Components

While the motherboard is working on the PC, it needs various components to play its role. Following is a list of some motherboard components.

Expansion Slots

An expansion slot is a socket on the motherboard used to insert an expansion card (or circuit board), which provides the computer with additional features such as video, sound, advanced graphics, Ethernet, or memory. Up to 19 extension cards can install in the backplane system.

ISA Slot

The ISA slots are designed to connect peripheral cards to the motherboard. It was the oldest expansion slot in the history of motherboards. They were found on the AT board and were identified in black. A traditional display card or sound card can install in this slot. The form of ISA is Industry Standard Architecture, and it is a 16-bit bus.

PCI Slot

Peripheral component interconnects, or PCI is the most common way to connect an add-on controller card and other devices to a computer's motherboard. This type of connector originated in the early 1990s and is still in use today. Currently, there are three main PCI motherboard connectors.

64 bit PCI

32 bit PCI and PCI-X

PCI Express (PCI-E)

Each PCI slot type looks different and accepts different devices. Placing a PCI card in the wrong slot will damage the card and potentially destroy the entire computer.

PCIe- Peripheral Component Interconnect express

The PCI-E (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) the interface is standard for connecting high-speed components. Each desktop PC motherboard has several PCI slots that you can use to attach a video card or graphics card, a red card, a Wi-Fi card, or an SSD (solid-state drive) add-on card. The types of PCI slots available in your PC will depend on the motherboard you purchased.

PCI slots come in different physical configurations. X1, X4, X8, X16, X32. The number after X tells you how many lanes in the PCI slot? or how the data travels on the PCI card? The PCIA X1 slot has one lane and can move a small amount of data per cycle. The PCIA X2 slot has two lanes and can moves data at two bits per cycle. The PCIe x16 slot can include a PCIe x1 card, but that card will receive less bandwidth. Similarly, you can insert a PCIA x8 card into the PCI-X card slot, but it will only work with half the bandwidth compared to the PCIX8. Many GPUs require a PCIe x16 slot to operate at their full capacity.

PCI-based AGP ports

AGP is not an interface, but the PCI Express allows the ACP card on the motherboard to connect to a legacy PCI bus. This technology uses on motherboards made by ECS. Some motherboards use with the help of a PCI graphics card without allowing a PCI card to use in the new motherboard.

AGI- ASRock Graphics Interface

Asrock Graphics Interface (AGI) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Its purpose is to provide AGP-support for AeSrock motherboards, which use chipsets that do not have native AGP support. However, it is not fully compatible with AGP, and most video card chipsets are not supported.

AGX- Advanced Graphics eXtended

EPX Advanced Graphics XANDED (AGX) is another proprietary AGP variant with advantages and disadvantages similar to AGI. The user manual recommends using an AGP 8 × ATI card with an AGX slot.

XGP- Xtreme Graphics Port

The Biostar Extreme graphics port is another AGP variant, with the same advantages and disadvantages as AGI and AGX.

AGR-Advanced Graphics Riser

Advanced Graphics Riser is a modified variant of the AGP port used in some PCI motherboards made by MSI. It is an improved PCI slot that allows you to effectively perform compared to the AGP 4 x / 8 slot. But not all AGP cards are supported.

RAM-Random Access Memory

A memory slot, memory socket, or RAM slot allows RAM (computer memory) to insert into the computer. Most motherboards have two to four memory slots. The most common RAM types are SDRAM and DDR for desktop computers and SODIMM for laptop computers. There are three slots for a memory stick on a desktop computer.

SIMM- Single Inline Memory Module

The full form of SIM is a Single Inline Memory Module. These slots are in older motherboards. SIM supports a 32-bit bus.

DIMM Slat (DIMM- Double Inline Memory Module)

The full form of DIMM is a double inline memory module. These are the latest RAM slots that run on fast 64 bit buses. DIMM used on a laptop board is called SO-DIMM.

CPU-Central Processing Unit Sockets

In computer hardware, the CPU socket or CPU slot contains one or more mechanical components. It consists of mechanical and electrical connections between the microprocessor and the printed circuit board. It allows the installation and replacement of the central processing unit without soldering.

Some significant sockets of CPU

Socket 7

Socket 7 is physical and electrical feature for the X86 style CPU socket on a personal computer motherboard. The socket acquires the previous Socket 5 and accepts the P5 Pentium microprocessor manufactured by Intel and compatibles made by Syrix / IBM, AMD, IDT, and others. It was the only socket that supported CPU and range from different manufacturers.

Processors that use Socket 7 include AMD K5 and K6 Cyrix 6 x 86 and 6 x 86 MX, IDT Winchip, Intel P P5 Pentium (2.5-3.5v, - 200 MHz), Pentium MMX (166-233 MHz), And Rise Technology MP3.

Socket 7 uses a 321 pin (compatible as 19 by 19 pin) SPGA ZIF socket 296 pin (arranged as 37 by 37 pin) SPGA LIF sockets.

The size is 1.95 "x 1.95" (4.95 cm x 4.95 cm).

AMD has extended the expansion of Socket 7, Super Socket 7 for their K6-2 and K6-III processors to operate at higher clock rates and use AGP.

Socket 370

Socket 370 is also called PGA 370 socket. It is a CPU socket first used by Intel with Pentium-3 and Celeron processors. "370" refers to the number of pinholes in the socket for the CPU pin. Socket 370 was replaced by Socket 423 in 2000.

Socket 775

The LGA 775 (Land Grid Array 775), also known as Socket T, is an Intel desktop CPU socket. Unlike previous ordinary CPU sockets, such as its predecessor Socket 478, the LGA 775 has no socket holes.

Socket 1156

Found in newer types of motherboards, this is an 1156 pin socket. It supports the latest Intel i3, i5, and i7 processors.

Socket 1366

This socket has 1366 pins and supports the i7 9900 K processor.  1366 (Socket B) sockets acquired by BIOS, the full form of BIOS is the Basic Input Output System. It is a motherboard component in the form of an integrated chip. This chip contains all the information and settings of the motherboard.

CMOS Battery

A battery or cell is a 3.0-volt lithium-ion button cell. The cell is responsible for storing information in the BIOS, and the complete form is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor. Usually. The CMOS battery code is CR2032.

Power Connectors

AT Connector

The power connectors for AT motherboards are two nearly identical 6-pin plugs and sockets. As designed by International Business Machines (IBM), the connectors mechanically keyed so that each can insert in its correct position. But some clone manufacturers cut costs and used unkeyed (interchangeable) connectors.

ATX Connector

New in the series of power connectors, they are 20 or 24 pin female connectors. Found in all new types of motherboards.

IDE Connector

Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) connectors can use to interface disk drives. The 40 pins male connector IDE is used to connect the hard disk drive, and the 34 pins male connector can connect to the floppy disk drive.

SATA Connector

SATA is a computer bus interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives, optical drives, and solid-state drives. Serial Advanced Technology Attachments (SATA) are 7-pin connectors. They are much faster than the IDE interface.

Conclusion

From the above information, we can conclude that the motherboard is a connector to connect components through slots. It has different connectors. Types of motherboard connectors are the CPU Socket, Memory Sockets, Hard Drive Connectors, Floppy Drive Connector, Peripheral Connectors, Add-on Card Connectors, Power Connector, and Case Connectors. All these components are essential for performing the computer correctly and efficiently.

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