Computer Case and Motherboard

Introduction Computer cases (or chassis) protect the internal components of a PC from the outside environment and come in two varieties -desktop tower. Desktop computer cases lie on a desk with the monitor sitting on top. These were the first type of PCs and there are a few that exist today. Towers stand upright. However, the term desktop is now used to describe any system that is not a laptop. Towers are the most popular and there are three types: mini, mid, and full. The front of the case is called the bezel.

Form Factor Each case is designed for a certain motherboard form factor. This means that the form factor of a case should be the same as the motherboard. Most desktop either support a micro ATX or ITX board. The mid tower and full tower support micro as well as regular ATX.

Small Form Factor Cases Micro ATX Mini ATX

Factors to Consider when choosing a Computer Cases Space Number of Drive Bays Number of ports and slots Number of fans and vents Case Material Power

Factors to Consider when choosing a Tower Computer Cases Space - If you don’t have enough space in your office or home you may want a mini tower case. This is because mini computer cases take up very little space and can be tucked away nicely. However, at some point you may want to fix or add components to your PC. If so, then a mid or full tower case is better because they provide more space inside for additional components

Factors to Consider when choosing a Tower Computer Cases Number of Drive Bay - Drive bays is a space in the case where you insert hard drives and CD/DVD drives. Full tower cases usually contain far more bays than mid or mini cases. Make sure you purchase a case with enough bays for present and future needs.

Factors to Consider when choosing a Tower Computer Cases Number of Ports & Expansion Slots - Cases come equipped with a number of front panel audio, USB, and Firewire ports as well as slots in the back for expansion cards. Get the one that's suitable for your needs.  Number of Fans & Vents - Make sure the case has sufficient air flow. The more fans the better and many cases have additional vents on the side. 

Factors to Consider when choosing a Tower Computer Cases Case Material - Most cases were made of aluminium, steel with metal screws as fasteners. However modern day cases are made of plastic and clippers as fasteners.  Power Supply - Many cases come with a power supply already installed.

Computer Motherboard The motherboard (MOBO for short) is the most important part of a computer and is the main circuit board. Everything connects directly or indirectly to it.  To become familiar with motherboards, you need to know and understand their parts. PC motherboard components differ depending on the manufacturer and model. However, all have some similar primary features

Computer Motherboard

Form Factor

Primary Features of Motherboards BIOS CMOS Form Factor Type of Processor They Support Chipset Type of Bus & Bus Speed Expansion Slots Memory Slots

BIOS Every motherboard has a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) program. The BIOS is a small program contained in a chip located on the motherboard It is responsible for booting up your system by reading the CMOS settings, performs the POST (Power On Self Test), checks for devices, and then read the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the hard drive so the operating system can load. Phoenix Technologies and American Megatrends are the two main BIOS makers. 

CMOS Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor, or CMOS, typically refers to a battery-powered memory chip in your computer that stores startup information. The battery is used to maintain the time and CMOS settings after the power is turned off. Most are small, round, flat and fit into a socket.  The BIOS uses the startup information in the CMOS when starting your computer. 

Type Of Processor Support Every motherboard supports either an AMD or an Intel processor (CPU). They are therefore not interchangeable. If a motherboard requires an AMD processor, it cannot use an Intel processor, and vice-versa. You don't have to figure out which CPU matches a particular board. You're always told the type of CPU that a motherboard uses. 

Chipset: A chip is a small piece of semiconducting material (usually silicon). A chipset is a pair of chip on the motherboard that allows communication between the CPU and other components. One is called the Northbridge and the other Southbridge.  The Northbridge connects the CPU directly with the memory and video cards through the Front Side Bus. The Southbridge connects slower devices such as the hard drive, audio cards, Network indirectly to the CPU via the Northbridge.

Chipset The motherboard is useless without a chipset. Unlike the CPU, it is integrated into the motherboard, so it can't be removed. When a new processor is developed, a new chipset has to also be developed to accommodate its technology. The two main manufacturers are Nvidia and Intel.  However the chipset sets have been replaced by HyperTranport developed by AMD and QuickPath Interconnect developed by Intel

Southbridge and Northbridge

Bus & Bus Speed: In electronics, you can think of a bus as an electronic highway on which data travels. The bus is a circuit that connects one part of the motherboard to another. With computers there has to be a communication highway between the CPU and other parts.

Bus and Bus Speed When shopping for a computer or a motherboard you're almost certain to see the speed listed as something like "1333 MHz“ or “1.3GHz”. This is the front side bus speed, also known as the motherboard speed. It is how fast data travels between the CPU and memory and is measured in megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz.

Expansion Slots: Modern day computers come with audio, video, and other features built right into the motherboard. If you don't want to use these, expansion slots give you the flexibility to choose and have your own audio, video, or other card installed. The number of slots varies according to the manufacturer and model.  

Choosing a Motherboard One main thing to remember is that since motherboards support either an Intel or AMD CPU, picking a motherboard and processor go hand in hand, so think about which processor you want first. However, this in itself opens another can of worms because there's an on-going debate about which CPU is better. It seems to never end. And each CPU manufacturer produces various models to add to the confusion. The best thing to do is read reviews of different motherboards and the latest processors.

How to Install a Motherboard To install a motherboard, you will need several screws. Case screws go into the bottom of the case and are metal or plastic.

Look at your board and find the screw holes Look at your board and find the screw holes. Then look at the holes in the bottom of the case Match the holes on the motherboard to those in the case. You may have to hold the board slightly over the bottom of the case. Laying the board directly on the case may damage it

After the holes are matched, put in the case screws as shown on the right side of the image above. Next, place the motherboard on the screws. If done correctly, the ports on the motherboard will fit into the port holes on the back of the case.  After the holes are matched, put in the case screws as shown on the right side of the image above. Next, place the motherboard on the screws. If done correctly, the ports on the motherboard will fit into the port holes on the back of the case.  After the holes are matched, put in the case screws as shown on the right side of the image above. Next, place the motherboard on the screws. If done correctly, the ports on the motherboard will fit into the port holes on the back of the case.  Secure the board by putting in the fastening screws. 

END OF LECTURE Thank You