What is a Computer Motherboard? What is its function?

- A computer motherboard is the most important part of a compute. It is the main printed circuit board
(PCB) in the computer and is sometimes referred to as the system board or main board.

TEN MAJOR PARTS OF THE COMPUTER:

1. Casing
2. Motherboard
3. Graphics Card
4. Monitor
5. Keyboard and Mouse
6. Hard Disk Drive
7. Processor (CPU)
8. Memory Module
9. DVD Room Drive
10. Power Supply Unit

CASING
- It is a heavy metal shell that slide tightly into place over a metal frame that holds in the computer
motherboard and the internal device attached to it.

MOTHERBOARD
- It is also known as “main board or system board”. This contains the important internal computer
components such as the CPU, RAM, BIOS and pots that controls and connects all the peripheral devices
installed in the computer to perform as one system.

LGA 775/ SOCKET T- this supports a wide range of Intel CPUs and has 775 pins.
Socket AM3- this supports PGA processors. The socket in this motherboard consists of 941 pins that have a
bus sped of 200 3200 hz.
LGA 1156/ SOCKET H- this motherboard supports the intel core i3. Intel Core i5 and the 800 series of intel core
i7 CPU families which has 1156 pins.

CHIPSET – Every motherboard has a number of integrated circuits installed on different parts of the board.
Each chip has a separate function.

TYPES OF EXPANSION SLOT

AGP slots and cards come in 3 different modes. You must be careful to match the card and slot with the
correct mode. Some cards and slots are capable of running in more than one mode. AGP 2x mode transfers
data at 533 MBPS per second. AGP 4X mode transfers data at 1.07 GBs per seconds. The latest AGP mode is
AGP 8x. it transfers data at 2.14 GBs per second.

PCI – Peripheral Component Interconnect

AGP- Accelerated Graphics Port
CNR- Communication Network Riser
AMP- Audio Modem Riser
PCI-E – Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
CHIPSET AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
Every motherboard has a number of integrated circuits (chips of ICs) permanently installed on different parts
of the board. Each chip has a separate function.

NORTHBRIDGE- This allows communication between the CPU and the system memory and PCI E slots.
SOUTHBRIDGE- This is the controller for PCI slots and USB connections.

BIOS CHIPSET- This chip controls communication between the systems hardware and operating system BIOS,
can also be referred to as firmware.

CMOS battery- Complementary Oxide Semiconductor is responsible for keeping the time and date, life span is
3-4 years.

LGA775 SOCKET/ PGA478 SOCKET PROCESSOR

- Also known as socket T, is an intel desktop CPU socket, LGA stands for Land Grid Array. Unlike earlier
common CPU sockets, like it predecessor socket 478, the LGA 775 has no socket holes, instead, it has
775 protruding pins which touch contact points on the underside of the processor CPU.

KINDS OF CONNECTORS I THE MOTHERBOARD

1. Floppy Connectors
2. IDE connectors
3. SATA connections
4.
5. ATX Power Supply connectorsCPU supplementary Power Supply Connector

ATX POWER CONNECTOR

Advance Technology Extended form-factor power supply connector. The connector is keyed to ensure power
connection of ATX power lead.

BRANDS OF MOTHERBOARD
Intel
Asus
Ecs
Jetway
MSI

TYPE OF COMPUTER
Computer are categorized according to size, processing speed, memory, storage capacity, and the number of
users that it can serve.

HAND HELS COMPUTER

MIDRANGE COMPUTER
It is also called minicomputer, also known as the server is a medium-sized computer that is faster and larger
than microcomputer this type of computer is capable of processing large volume of data and can support
multiple users at the same time. It has a faster microprocessor, higher capacity storage device, and larger
memory compared to the microprocessor. It is commonly used by small to medium sized business as server
for LAN.

HARD DISK DRIVE

The HDD is commonly referred to as hard disk in the main storage device of a computer system. It is located
inside the system unit. The hard drive is where we install our operating system, applications, and store your
documents.

IDE
Stands for integrated drive electronics is a 40 pin interface that connects the hard disk drive to the
motherboard.

TYPE OF HDD
Most HDD you see are PATA or commonly referred to as IDE
Two types of HDD commonly seen on the market are IDE and SATA. IDE’S are slower and cheaper with bus
speeds of 100MBs or 133MBs and use big bulky cables that can restrict airflow when left untucked. While
SATA drives are much faster, more expensive, consume more power, use smaller more efficient writing and
are capable of 1200=MBs.
Another difference is the RPM (rotations per minute), useful in measuring the amount of time it takes to get
information onto or off the disk. A HDD has spinning platters and works similar to a CD Rom drive. SATA drives
shine here to, pushing upwards of 18,00 RPM whereas IDE is limited to 7,200 RPM.
SATA hard drives are physically the same shape and size, and differ only in the type of electrical connectors
they require to interface with the motherboard. A Serial ATA drive is pictured directly above. Note the small,
flat keyed power and Serial ATA connectors. Some serial ATA drives also have a 4 pin molex power socket as
IDE drive pictured abve, so yours may.
DUAL CORE PROCESSOR
Provides the power of two processors in one unit, they allow you to run multiple programs smoothly or enjoy
games without lag.

DIGITAL VIDEO DISK

It is a high capacity optical storage device that uses compact disk technology to store large amount of
information.