The

Motherboards

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 Objectives
• Learn about the different types of
motherboards and how to select one
• Learn how to support and configure a
motherboard
• Learn how to install or replace a motherboard
• Learn how to troubleshoot a motherboard and
processor

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 Selecting a Motherboard
• Some consideration to Selecting a motherboard

– What form factor does the motherboard use?

– Does the motherboard provide proper CPU
support?
– What type of BIOS does the motherboard use?
– Does the board fit to the case ?
– What is the warranty on the board?

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 Configuring and Supporting a
Motherboard
• Components that require configuration and
support Motherboard :
– Expansion slots
– Internal and external connectors
• Expansion slots are supported by buses
– Before configuring slots, learn about buses

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Figure 6-1 An ATX motherboard 5with PCI Express and Socket 775
 Buses and Expansion Slots
• Buses are like highway transportation systems
• Four types of cargo carried by a bus:
– Power
– control signals
– memory addresses
– data
• Bus types:
– expansion
– local
– local I/O
– local video 6
Table 6-3 Buses listed
7 by throughput
 Buses and Expansion Slots
• The PCI buses
– Intended to replace the 16-bit ISA bus
– Types: PCI, PCI-X, PCI Express
• On-board ports (integrated components)
– Examples: keyboard, mouse port, parallel printer, USB
• Internal connectors
– EIDE, floppy drive connector, serial ATA, SCSI, 1394
• Riser slots
– Audio/modem riser (AMR)
– Communication and networking riser (CNR)
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How PCI Express connects 9to the chipset and processor
 An audio/modem riser slot can accommodate an inexpensive modem
riser card 10
 Hardware Configuration
• CMOS RAM
– Also called clock/nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM)
– Stores most configuration for the motherboard
– Can be accessed without opening the case
• CMOS setup program
– Stored on ROM BIOS chip
– Access built-in program by pressing key during
POST
– Menus: Main, Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit

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Figure 6-18 CMOS12 Setup Main menu
Table 6-4 How to access
13 CMOS setup
 Hardware Configuration com..
• Battery power to CMOS RAM
– Enables CMOS to hold data after the PC is turned off
– Setup information is lost if battery fails or disconnects
• Startup passwords in CMOS
– Stored in CMOS RAM and changed in setup screen
– Should be distinguished from OS passwords
• CMOS settings are specified in motherboard manuals
• Documentation of configuration settings
– Enables you to recapture lost or altered settings
– Should be labeled and stored in a safe place

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Figure 6-24 The coin cell is the most common type of CMOS battery
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 Flashing ROM BIOS
• Programs stored in the ROM BIOS chip:
– CMOS setup program
– Startup BIOS that manages the startup process
– System BIOS that manages basic I/O functions
• Programs on ROM BIOS may need upgrades
• Flashing: upgrading or refreshing ROM BIOS
chip
• Sources for ROM BIOS upgrades
– Manufacturer’s Web site
– http://www.esupport.com
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 Intel displays a list of motherboard model numbers that have
a Flash BIOS upgrade available17
 Hardware Configuration
• Motherboard settings
– Enable or disable connector or port
– Set CPU frequency, system bus, other buses
– Control security features
– Control what happens when PC first boots
• Three ways to configure motherboard:
– DIP switches
– Jumpers
– CMOS RAM

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 Hardware Configuration (cont’d.)
• Dual inline package (DIP) switch
– ON (binary 1) and OFF (binary 0) positions
– Reset DIP switch when adding or removing
device
• Jumpers
– Retain setup or installation information
– Opened and closed using jumper covers

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• DIP switches used to store setup data on older motherboards
• Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning
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 Setup information about the motherboard can be stored by setting a
jumper on (closed) or off (open). A jumper is closed if the cover is in
place, connecting the two pins that make up the jumper; a jumper is open if the cover
is not in place 21
Figure 6-27 BIOS configuration jumper settings
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 Booting a Computer
• Booting
– Computer brings itself up to a working state
• Without user just pressing on button
• Hard boot (cold boot)
– Turn on power with on/off switch
• Soft boot (warm boot)
– Use operating system to reboot

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 Windows Vista menu to perform a restart Windows XP Turn off computer dialog box
Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage
Learning Learning
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 Choosing Between a Hard Boot
and a Soft Boot
• Hard boot takes more time than a soft boot
– Initializes processor and clears memory
– Soft boot saves time in most circumstances
• If operating system boot not possible
– Use power or reset buttons on front or rear of
case
• Power switches
– Power button, reset button on case front
– Power switch on case back side

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 The Startup BIOS Controls the
Beginning of the Boot
• Contained on motherboard firmware chip
• Successful boot
– Hardware, BIOS, operating system all perform without
errors (beeps, text or voice messages)
• Boot functions
– Startup BIOS runs POST and assigns system resources
– Startup BIOS program searches and loads an OS
– OS configures system and completes its own loading
– Application software is loaded and executed
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System resources used by software and hardware
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 Step 1: Post and Assignment of
System Resources

• Turn on PC power
– Processor begins the boot by initializing
itself
– Turns to startup BIOS for instructions
• Startup BIOS first performs POST
• 17 key steps involved

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 Step 2: Startup Bios Finds and Loads the OS (cont’d.)
• Tracks: concentric circles on drive
• Sectors (segments): portion of a track
– Holds up to 512 bytes of data
• Master Boot Record (MBR)
– Contains master boot program and partition table
– Partition table :- hold infn about where each partition is
located and identify boot drive
• OS boot record
– 512-byte sector
– Contains small program pointing to a larger OS
program file (BootMgr or Ntldr)
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 Step 2: Startup BIOS Finds and
Loads the OS
Startup BIOS looks to CMOS RAM to find boot device
Startup BIOS looks to MBR
MBR looks OS boot record
OS boot record looks BOOT mgr
 Startup BIOS find BOOT mgr load oprating system

 For a successful boot, a hard drive must contain a

healthy Master Boot Record (MBR) and a healthy
OS boot record 31
 how BIOS searches for and begins to load an operating system
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(in this example, Windows Vista is the OS)
 Processor Sockets
• Determine if processors board can support
socket and chipset
– Socket holds Intel or AMD processor
• Server processors
– Intel Itanium and Xeon processors
– Use one socket type

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Sockets for Intel processors used for desktop computers
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 Processor Sockets (cont’d.)
• Pin grid array (PGA) socket
– Pins aligned in uniform rows around socket
• Staggered pin grid array (SPGA)
– Pins staggered over socket
– more pins into a small space
– Easily bent
• Land grid array (LGA)
– Uses lands rather than pins
– First LGA socket
• LGA775 socket 35
Socket LGA775 is the first Intel socket to use lands rather than pins

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Sockets for AMD processors used for desktop computers 37
 The Chipset
• Set of chips on motherboard
• Chips Collectively control:
– Memory, motherboard buses, some
peripherals
• Manufacturers
– Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, SiS

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 The Chipset (cont’d.)
• Accelerated Hub Architecture
– Uses hub interface
– All I/O buses connect to hub
• Hub connects to system bus
• North Bridge
– Fast end of hub
– Contains graphics and memory controller
– Connects to the system bus
• South Bridge
– Slower end of hub
– Contains I/O controller hub
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The chipset’s North Bridge and South Bridge control access to the processor for all
components 40
 Accelerated Hub Architecture, a hub interface is used to connect slower
I/O buses to the system bus 41
 The Chipset (cont’d.)
• Latest Intel chipset for desktop PCs: X58 chipset
– Keep chipset cool using fan clipped to top of North Bridge

The X58 chipset uses heat sinks to stay cool42

 The Chipset (cont’d.)

• Newer Core i7 and X58 chipset

– Contain memory controller within processor housing
– Memory connects directly to processor
• X58 chipset
– Good for gaming machines
• Supports multiple video cards

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X58 chipset architecture 44
 Summary
• Motherboard form factor drives motherboard
selection
• Configurable components: bus, expansion slots,
other connectors
• Cargo carried by a computer bus: electrical
power, control signals, memory address, data
• Bus types: local, local video, local I/O, expansion
• PCI buses: improved several times

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 Summary (cont’d.)
• Tools for configuring a motherboard
– DIP switches, jumpers, CMOS setup program
• CMOS setup program
– Stored on floppy disk or ROM BIOS chip
• Document configuration settings for recovery
needs
• Flashing is a technique to upgrade ROM BIOS

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