6.

Connectors

The SATA connectors is where you would plug in all of your storage devices that use a SATA connector like
mechanical hard drives and solid-state drives.

SATA connectors are used to connect a variety of peripherals like SSD, HDD, Optical Drives like DVD writers.

7. USB Header

USB headers on a motherboard are used to connect the additional USB ports on your CPU case. Typical motherboards
would have USB 2.0 headers for the front input panels, but higher-end models could also support USB 3.0 and 3.1 for
the front panel.

Some newer motherboards also have USB-C headers for the front panel. So you can have a USB C port on the front of
your PC case.

8. Front I/O Ports/Header

Most CPU cases would come with an included audio and microphone input on their front panels. These are connected
to the motherboard, particularly to the front I/O port headers.

Other components like LED indicators, On/Off switch, and reset button are also connected to the front I/O ports.

These connectors are in the form of pins with markings that indicate their purpose. Details about these pins can be
found in the motherboard manual.

9. Fan Headers
Since most users would equip their systems with case fans, motherboards come with Fan headers, which power and
control the speed of your fans. Stock coolers from Intel and AMD also use the fan headers to power their cooler fans.

Compared to connecting your fans directly to your power supply, fan headers give you the option to set custom fan
curves for your case fan as well as set the max RPM they could run.

10. ATX Power Connectors

Aside from computer components, the motherboard also has a power connector, which is used to power the
components connected to it, like the RAM, graphics card, and processor.

Motherboard power connectors come in the form of ATX connectors which typically have 20 to 24 pin female
connectors. This is the largest connector that you would see on your motherboard as it draws all the required power
from your power supply.

It is often placed at the right-mid side of the motherboard beside the CPU socket and RAM slots.