Overview On Motherboard

Introduction : A motherboard is the main printed circuit board (PCB) found in general purpose microcomputers and other expandable systems.  A motherboard is an electronic circuit board in a computer which interconnects the hardware that's attached to it. At a minimum it connects a CPU and memory. Sometimes there are smaller processors that help take some of the load off of the CPU; busses process destinations for data, so the CPU can be left to do what it does best.

Components :Components of computer motherboard are;

Expansion slot : It is a connection or port located inside a computer on the motherboard or riser board that allows a computer hardware expansion card to be connected.expansion slots are;

AGP : Accelerated Graphics Port, AGP is an advanced port designed for Video cards and 3D accelerators. Designed by Intel and introduced in August of 1997.

AMR : AMR is short for Audio/Modem Riser and allows OEMs to make one card that has the functionality of either Modem or Audio or both Audio and Modem on one card. Released September 8, 1998.

CNR : Communication and Network Riser, CNR is a specification that supports Audio, Modem, USB, and LAN interfaces of core logic chipset.It was introduced by Intel on February 7, 2000.

EISA : Extended Industry Standard Architecture, EISA or Extended ISA is a standard first announced in September of 1988 for IBM compatible computers that competed with the MCA bus.

ISA : Industry Standard Architecture, ISA was introduced by IBM and headed by Mark Dean. ISA was originally an 8-bit computer bus that was later expanded to a 16-bit bus in 1984.

PCI : Peripheral Component Interconnect, PCI was introduced by Intel in 1992. The PCI bus came in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions and was used to attach hardware to a computer.

PCI Express : Originally known as 3rd Generation I/O (3GIO), PCI Express, or PCIe, was approved on July 2002 as a serial computer expansion bus standard.

VESA :  Video Electronics Standard Association, VESA is a group of monitor and video card manufacturers that set video display and bus standards.

Case Fan :
System fan, a case fan is located inside a computer, attached to the front or back of its case. Case Fans help bring cool air into and blow hot air out of the case.

Back Panel Connectors :  A connection is a term that describes the link between a plug or connector into a port or jack. For example, your monitor, mouse, and keyboard all must connect to the computer before they work.

Heat Sink : A heat sink is an electronic device that incorporates either a fan or a peltier device to keep a hot component such as a processor cool. There are two heat sink types: active and passive.

Active heat sinks utilize the power supply and are usually a fan type or some other peltier cooling device.
Passive heat sinks are 100% reliable, as they have no mechanical components. Passive heat sinks are made of an aluminum-finned radiator that dissipates heat through convection.

P4 connector : It is a 12V power supply cable used with motherboards that have an Intel Pentium 4 or later processor.

Inductor : An Inductor a coil conductor wire such as copper in a cylindrical form around an iron core that creates an electromagnet to store magnetic energy.

Capacitor : A capacitor is a component made of two or sets of two conductive plates with a thin insulator between them and wrapped in a ceramic and plastic container.

CPU Socket : a CPU socket or processor socket is a connection that allows a computer processor to be connected to a motherboard. The Socket 370 is an example of such a socket. 

A processor socket is similar in function to a light socket. It’s an apparatus that is used to plug one item into a larger network of components. A light socket makes a light bulb part of an electrical network, giving the bulb the power it needs to work.

Types of Computer processor socket :

There are some types of processor sockets. are;

Socket 1 : Number of Pins: 169, Pin Rows: 3, Voltage: 5 volts, Motherboard Class: 486, Supported Processors: 486SX, 486DX, 486DX2, 486DX4 OverDrive. Created by Intel.

Socket 2 : Number of Pins: 238, Pin Rows: 4, Voltage: 5 volts, Motherboard Class: 486, Supported Processors: 486SX, 486DX, 486DX2, 486DX4 OverDrive, Pentium OverDrive. Socket 2 was the first OverDrive socket put on 486 systems that was intended to support the Pentium OverDrive chip.

Socket 3 : Designation: Socket 3, Number of Pins: 237, Pin Rows: 4, Voltage: 5 volts / 3.3 volts, Motherboard Class: 486, Supported Processors: 486SX, 486DX, 486DX2, 486DX4, Pentium OverDrive, 5x86. Socket 3 is the most recent and current socket for 486 class machines.

Socket 4 : Number of Pins: 273, Pin Rows: 4, Voltage: 5 volts, Motherboard Class: 1st Generation Pentium, Supported Processors: Pentium 60-66, Pentium OverDrive. 

Socket 5 : Number of Pins: 320, Pin Rows: 5 (staggered), Voltage: 3.3 volts, Motherboard Class: Pentium, Supported Processors: Pentium 75-133 MHz, Pentium OverDrive. 

Socket 6 : Number of Pins: 235, Pin Rows: 4, Voltage: 3.3 volts, Motherboard Class: 486, Supported Processors: 486DX4, Pentium OverDrive.

Socket 7 : Number of Pins: 321, Pin Rows: 5 (staggered), Voltage: 2.5-3.3 volts, Motherboard Class: Pentium, Supported Processors: Pentium 75-200 MHz, Pentium OverDrive, Pentium with MMX, Pentium with MMX OverDrive, K5, 6x86, K6, 6x86MX.

Socket 8 : Socket 8 was introduced in November 1995 and is the initial platform used for the P6 architecture, the Pentium Pro CPU.It was primarily used for workstations and servers, and mostly ignored by home users. Chipsets : Intel 450GX "Orion", Intel 450KX "Mars".

Socket 370 : Socket 370 is the descriptive term for the way certain Intel microprocessor s plug into a computer motherboard. Socket 370 is commonly used with Celeron processors.Processor dimensions‎: ‎1.95 × 1.95 inches, Voltage range‎: ‎1.05–2.1 V. 

Socket 423 : Socket 423, also called PGA423, is a Pin Grid Array (PGA) socket introduced together with Pentium 4 microprocessor family in November 2000. he size of PGA423 socket is 2.1" x 2.1" (5.33 cm x 5.33 cm). The socket has 423 pin holes arranged as 39 x 39 matrix with 26 x 26 section of pins removed. 

Socket 462 : Socket 462 is the CPU socket used for AMD processors ranging from the Athlon Thunderbird to the Athlon XP/MP 3200+, and AMD budget processors including the Duron and Sempron.

Socket 478 : Socket 478 (mPGA478B) is a Pin Grid Array (PGA) socket for microprocessors based on Intel NetBurst architecture. This socket was introduced in August 2001 as replacement for short-lived socket 423. The socket 478 supports desktop and mobile Pentium 4 and Celeron processors from 1.4 GHz to 3.46 GHz with effective front-side bus frequencies 400 MHz - 1066 MHz .

Socket 603 : Socket 603 was designed by Intel as a zero insertion force socket intended for workstations and server platforms. It contains 603 contacts arrayed in a grid about the center of the socket, each contact has a 1.27mm pitch with regular pin array, to mate with a 603-pin processor package.

Socket 604 : Socket 604 is a 604 pin microprocessor socket designed to interface an Intel's Xeon processor to the rest of the computer. It provides both an electrical interface as well as physical support. This socket is designed to support a heatsink.

Socket 939 : Socket 939 is a PGA socket designed for desktop K8 microprocessors. The socket is primarily used with Athlon 64, Athlon 64 X2 and Athlon FX microprocessors. AMD also manufactured uni-processor single and dual-core Opteron processors for the socket 939, although these processors were just re-branded Athlon 64/64 X2 CPUs with larger level 2 cache.

Socket A : It is the CPU socket used for AMD processors ranging from the Athlon Thunderbird to the Athlon XP/MP 3200+, and AMD budget processors including the Duron and Sempron.

Socket AM2 : Socket AM2 is a socket for high-performance and budget desktop microprocessors. The socket was officially introduced on May 23, 2006. On that day AMD released new Athlon 64 X2 5000+ and Athlon 64 FX FX-62 microprocessors, and announced complete lineup of Athlon 64, Athlon 64 X2 and Sempron processors for socket AM2. 

Socket F : Socket F is a CPU socket designed by AMD for its Opteron line of CPUs released on August 15, 2006. In 2010 Socket F was replaced by Socket C32 for entry-level servers and Socket G34 for high-end servers.

Northbridge : the northbridge is an integrated circuit responsible for communications between the CPU interface, AGP, and the memory.

 Screw Whole :The motherboard would be placed between the standout and the screw.

Memory slot : A memory slot, memory socket, or RAM slot is what allows computer memory (RAM) to be inserted into the computer. Depending on the motherboard, there may be two to four memory slots .

Super I/O : Short for super input/output or Super I/O, SIO is an integrated circuit on a computer motherboard that handles the slower and less prominent input/output .

Floppy connection : A floppy cable is a ribbon cable found in PC's that allow one or more floppy disk drives to be connected to a computer.

ATA (IDE) disk drive primary connection : IDE or  Integrated Drive Electronics or IBM Disc Electronics, IDE is more commonly known as ATA or Parallel ATA (PATA).

SATA : It i known as Serial ATA.

24-pin ATX power Supply connector : An ATX style connector is a replacement for the older P8 and P9 AT style connector.The specification defines the key mechanical dimensions, mounting point, I/O panel, power and connector interfaces between a computer case, a motherboard and a power supply.

CMOS backup battery : CMOS is an on-board, battery powered semiconductor chip inside computers that stores information. This information ranges from the system time and date to system hardware settings for computer.

RAID : RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drive components into a single logical unit for the purposes of data redundancy, performance improvement, or both.

System panel connectors :  system panel connector or system panel header controls a computer power button, reset button.

FirmWare Hub :  FWH is part of the Intel Accelerated Hub Architecture that contains both the system BIOS and integrated video BIOS on one component.

Serial port connector : Serial ports are typically identified on IBM compatible computers as COM (communications) ports.

USB headers : USB header is a pin connection found on a computer motherboard that allow additional 1394 and USB connections to be added to the computer.

Jumpers : Jumpers allow the computer to close an electrical circuit, allowing the electricity to flow certain sections of the circuit board.

Integrated circuit : Integrated circuit or IC or microchip or chip is a microscopic electronic circuit array formedby the fabrication of various electrical and electronic components.  The IC is a package containing many circuits, pathways, transistors, and other electronic components all working together to perform a particular function or a series of functions.

1394 Headers : The 1394 header and USB header is a pin connection found on a computer motherboard that allow additional 1394 and USB connections to be added to the computer.

SPDIF : Sony and Phillips Digital Interconnect Format interface transmits digital audio in a compressed form between audio equipment and home theater systems.

CD-IN : CD-IN is a four-pin connector found on a computer's motherboard or sound card that connects an optical drive's audio.