Motherboards The Main Printed Circuit Board Inside The PC That Contains and Controls The Components That Are Responsible For Processing Data.

Motherboard is Multi-layered printed circuit board Most are made of fiberglass and copper. Copper circuit paths called traces carry signals and voltages across the motherboard Some layers carry data for input/output while other layers carry voltage and ground returns

Think of a Motherboard as: Futuristic City with many modular plug-in buildings, using power from a common electrical system Multiple-lane highways of various widths transporting data between buildings Data and power infrastructure for the entire computer

Connects Directly or Indirectly to Every Part of The PC Motherboard Important Parts\Functions of the Motherboard Holds The Processor Memory Expansion Slots Connects Directly or Indirectly to Every Part of The PC

Basic Motherboard

Motherboard Made Up Of: A Chipset (known as the “glue logic”) Some Code in ROM Various Interconnections or Buses

Basic Input/Output System All motherboards include a small block of Read Only Memory (ROM) which is separate from the main system memory used for loading and running software. The ROM contains the PC’s BIOS.

CMOS RAM Motherboards include a separate block of memory made for low power consumption CMOS RAM chips, which is kept alive by a battery even when the PC’s power is off. When the computer boots up, certain amounts of information are needed to ensure that the computer boots properly. This includes hard disk types, keyboard and display type, chip set and the time and data. For example, the hard drive booting properly means that the operating system boots properly. This is important to understand because it explains why CMOS RAM is so important

Motherboard Determines: CPU type and speed Chipset Secondary cache type Types of slots Number of slots Type of memory Number of memory sockets and maximum memory Type of case ROM Plug & Play compatibility Type of keyboard

Form Factors Form factor means the size and shape of the actual motherboard 3 most common Form Factor classifications: Baby AT ATX Slimline NLX

Motherboard Dimensions

Advice on Buying Motherboards Deal with reputable manufacturer Ensure that it has same form factor as current case Check the power supply requirements and AMD processors Verify the form factor of your computer case matches the form factor of any motherboard you plan to buy Avoid tweaking voltages and timings