What are the Different Motherboard Components and Their Functions?

1. Back Panel Connectors & Ports Connectors and ports for connecting the computer to external devices such as
display ports, audio ports, USB ports, Ethernet ports, PS/2 ports etc. See image below for a close-up view.

There are four types of computer cable connections to a monitor: VGA, DVI, HDMI and Display Port.
1. VGA Cable
A video graphics array (VGA) cable is a type of computer cable that carries visual display data from the CPU to
the monitor. A complete VGA cable consists of a cable and a connector at each end, and the connectors are

Connect one end to: computer monitor, television (PC input port)
2. DVI Cable
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video display interface developed by the Digital Display Working Group
(DDWG). The digital interface is used to connect a video source, such as a video display controller, to a display
device, such as a computer monitor.

3. HDMI Cable
HDMI. Stands for "High-Definition Multimedia Interface." HDMI is a trademark and brand name for a digital
interface used to transmit audio and video data in a single cable. ... Because HDMI is a digital
connection, HDMI cables are less prone to interference and signal noise than analog cables.

4. PS/2 Cable
A Personal System/2 (PS/2) connector is a 6-pin connector used to connect peripheral devices, usually a
mouse or keyboard, with a computer. Its name comes from the IBM series of personal computers, known as the
Personal System/2. The PS/2 connector is the replacement of an older standard, DE 9 RS.

5. Ethernet Cable
An Ethernet cable is a common type of network cable used with wired networks. Ethernet
cables connect devices such as PCs, routers, and switches within a local area network.

6. 3.5mm Audio Cable

Headphone Jack (3.5mm) A small round connector for accepting the pin-shaped plug from a
standard pair of music headphones. ... Either size can support stereo sound and/or a microphone,
depending on the number of separate connector rings on the plug or jack. 3.5mm refers to the
approximate diameter of the connector.

Also known as phone connector (since 3.5mm jacks are often found on mobile phones too)
Audio Jack
audio jack - Computer Definition
A socket for plugging in an audio source. ... One end of a mini-phone cable plugs into
the headphones socket of any CD, tape cassette or digital music player, and the other end plugs
into the car's audio jack.
7. USB Cable

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables and
connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply between computers, peripheral
devices and other computers.[3] Released in 1996, the USB standard is currently maintained by the USB
Implementers Forum (USB-IF). There have been four generations of USB specifications: USB 1.x, USB
2.0, USB 3.x and USB4.[4]

USB Cables
Since USB was intended to be the one computer cable connection to replace them all, it's no surprise that the
possible uses for a USB port are quite mind-blowing. For this computer cable guide, we have listed its more
common uses below:
Connect one end to: USB device
Storage devices: USB flash drive, external hard drive, external optical drive
USB Ports
USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible... meaning that you can connect a USB 2.0 device to a USB 3.0 port and vice
versa (but the USB 3.0 devices hooked up to a USB 2.0 port will perform at lowered rates) - Click here to learn
more about the difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0.
8. Computer Power Cord
 power cord, line cord, or mains cable is an electrical cable that temporarily connects an appliance to the mains
electricity supply via a wall socket or extension cord. The terms are generally used for cables using a power plug to
connect to a single-phase alternating current power source at the local line voltage—(generally 100 to 240 volts,
depending on the location). 

2. PCI Slots PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect Slot for older expansion cards such as sound cards, network
cards, connector cards. See image below for a close-up view. Have been largely replaced by PCI-Express x1 slots
(see motherboard parts #3 below).

3. PCI Express x1 Slots Slot for modern expansion cards such as sound cards, network cards (Wi-Fi, Ethernet,
Bluetooth), connector cards (USB, FireWire, eSATA) and certain low-end graphics cards. See image below for a
close-up view.

4. PCI Express x16 Slot for discrete graphic cards and high bandwidth devices such as top-end solid state drives.
See image below for a close-up view.

5. Northbridge Also known as Memory Controller Hub (MCH). Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate with
the RAM and graphics card.
6. 7. ATX 12V Power Connector Connects to the 4-pin power cable of a power supply unit which supplies power to
the CPU.

7. IDE Connector Connects to older hard drive disks and optical drives for data transfer.

8. CMOS Battery Supplies power to store BIOS settings and keep the real time clock running. See image above for
a close-up view. The CMOS battery found on most motherboards is the CR2032 lithium coin cell.

9. Southbridge Also known as the Input/Output Controller Hub (ICH). Chipset that allows the CPU to communicate
with PCI slots, PCI-Express x 1 slots (expansion cards), SATA connectors (hard drives, optical drives), USB ports
(USB devices), Ethernet ports and on-board audio.

10. SATA Connectors Connects to modern hard disk drives, solid state drives and optical drives for data transfer.

11. Fan Headers Supplies power to the CPU heat sink fan and computer case fans. See image above for a close-up
view.

12. ATX Power Connector Connects to the 24-pin ATX power cable of a power supply unit which supplies power to
the motherboard.

13. mSATA Connector Connects to a mSATA solid state drive. In most cases, this SSD is used as cache to speed up
hard disk drives, but it's possible to re-purpose it as a regular hard drive.

14. Front Panel USB 3.0 Connector Connects to USB 3.0 ports at the front or top of the computer case.

15. Power & Reset Button Onboard button to turn on, turn off and reboot the computer.