If you’ve every taken the case off of a computer. You’ve seen the one piece of equipment that ties every thing together i.e. Motherboard. A motherboard allows the parts of your computer to receive power and communicate with one another.
Today, Motherboards typically boast a wide variety of built in features. And they directly affect a computer’s capabilities and potential for upgrades.
Each internal and external component is connected to the system board. The system board, also referred to as the main board, the motherboard, or the planar board, is made of fiberglass and is typically brown or green, with a meshwork of copper lines. These “lines” are the electronic circuits through which signals travel from one component to another and are collectively called the bus.
Motherboard’s main job is to hold the components like CUP & RAM, then let every thing else connect to it, Everything that runs the computer or enhances its performance is either part of the motherboard or plugs into it via a slot or port.
Here we should know one thing that we cannot install just any type of processor or memory in the motherboard and make it work. There are several motherboard form factors, each with different layouts, components, and specifications. Most motherboards are restricted to using only a few types of processors and memory.
The form factor is just one of the many standards that apply to motherboards. Some of the other standards include.
Ø The Socket for the microprocessor determines what kind of central processing unit (CPU) the motherboards uses.
Ø The chipset is part of the motherboard’s logic system and is usually maid of two parts Northbridge and the
Ø The Basic Input/Output System (Bios) chip controls the most basic functions of the computer and performs a self-test every time you turn it on. Some systems feature dual BIOS. which provides a backup in case one fails or in case of error during updating.
Ø The real time clock chip is a battery-operated chip that maintains basic settings and the system time.
The slots and ports on motherboard include:
. Peripheral component interconnect (PCI): Connections for video, sound and video capture cards as well as network cards.
. Accelerated Graphics port (AGP): dedicated port for video cards.
. Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE): Interfaces for the hard drives.
. Universal serial Bus or Firewire: external Peripherals
. Memory slots
Some motherboards also incorporate newer technological advances.
. Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID) controllers allow the computer to recognize multiple drives as one drive.
. PCI Express is a newer protocol that acts more like a network than bus. It can eliminate the need for other ports including the AGP port.
. Rather than relying on plug-in cards, some motherboards have on-board sound, network, video or other peripherals support.
Types of Motherboards
Although motherboards can vary from computer to computer, there are two common types: the AT and ATX. Their sizes, typical components, and prevalence are discussed here.
Full and Baby AT
Advanced Technology (AT) motherboards were introduced in 1984 (around the time of the Intel 80286 processor). They measure approximately 12 by 13 inches and typically support 80286 or older processors, 5.25 inches floppy drives, and 84-key keyboards. A smaller version of the AT motherboard, typically measuring around 8.5 by 13 inches was later released. This type was called the Baby AT, and the original became known as the Full AT. The two AT motherboards are similar in layout. The Full AT motherboard is now practically obsolete, but the Baby AT motherboard is still being used by some manufacturers. Depending on when it was manufactured, Baby AT motherboards might contain SIMM and/or DIMM memory slots and 80386, 80486, or Pentium processor slots. Baby AT motherboards also use the 3.5-inch floppy drive rather than the older 5.25-inch drive. AT motherboards can be identified by the fact that the parallel and serial ports are not integrated with the keyboard; rather, they are installed in an empty chassis slot and attached to motherboard ports via small ribbon connectors. Other identifying characteristics of the AT motherboard are the placement of the processor socket near the end of the expansion card slots, the use of a DIN-5 keyboard connector, two power connector ports (for P8 and P9 connectors), and support for ±12 and ±5vDC only.
Some manufacturers are still using the Baby AT motherboard for new computers. Therefore, although it is rare, you might find this form factor with support for newer processors and support for USB and/or IEEE-1394.
ATX
The ATX motherboard was released by Intel in 1996 and is the most commonly used form in new PCs. ATX is not an acronym but is the actual trademarked name of the motherboard form. The ATX is the same size as a Baby AT motherboard but has a different orientation and layout Note that the processor is located further from the expansion slots, and the hard drive and floppy drive connectors are located closer to the bays on the chassis. The ATX motherboard also includes integrated parallel and serial ports (I/O ports) and a mini-DIN-6, rather than a DIN-5, keyboard connector. The ATX motherboard’s power supply uses a single motherboard connector and supplies voltages of ±12, ±5, and +3.3vDC. Again, depending on when it was manufactured, an ATX motherboard can contain SIMM and DIMM memory slots; support for BIOS-controlled power management; 80386, 80486, or Pentium-class processor sockets; and support for USB.
