)The Motherboard(

?What Is a Motherboard

A computer’s motherboard is typically the largest printed circuit board in a machine’s chassis. It
distributes electricity and facilitates communication between and to the central processing unit
(CPU), random access memory (RAM), and any other component of the computer’s hardware.
There is a broad range of motherboards, each of which is intended to be compatible with a
.specific model and size of the computer

Since different kinds of processors and memories are intended to function best with certain
types of motherboards, it is difficult to find a motherboard that is compatible with every type of
CPU and memory. Hard drives, on the other hand, are generally compatible with a wide variety
.of motherboards and may be used with most brands and types

The location of the motherboard

A computer motherboard may be found inside a computer casing, which is the point of
connection for most of the computer’s elements and peripherals. When it comes to tower
computers, one may look for a motherboard on either the right or left side of the tower; the
. circuit board is the most significant
The earliest motherboards for personal computers

The earliest motherboards for personal computers included relatively fewer real components.
Only a CPU and some card ports were included on the very first IBM PC motherboard. Users
inserted various components, including memory and controllers for floppy drives, into the slots
.provided

The first company to utilize a motherboard

Compaq became the first company to utilize a motherboard that was not based on a design
created by IBM. The new architecture utilized a CPU made by Intel. When Compaq’s sales
began to take off, other businesses quickly followed suit, even though several companies in the
.industry believed it was a risky move

But by the 1990s, Intel had a dominant share of the market for personal computer
motherboards. Asus, Gigabyte Technology, and Micro-Star International (MSI) are the three
most influential companies in this industry. However, Intel remains one of the ten best
motherboard manufacturers in the world, even though Asus is now the largest motherboard
.maker on the planet
Types of Motherboards:

1. Advanced Technology (AT) motherboard

Due to their larger physical dimensions (which can be measured in hundredths of
millimeters), these motherboards do not work properly with computers that fall into the
category of smaller desktops. A larger physical size makes it more difficult to install
new hardware drivers.
The power connections on these motherboards are in the form of sockets and plugs
with six prongs each. Due to the difficulty in recognizing these power connections, users
often have issues while trying to connect and operate them. In the 1980s, motherboards
of this sort were all the rage, and they continued to be manufactured far into the 2000s.
2. Standard ATX motherboard
ATX is an enhanced version of the AT motherboard that Intel created in the 1990s. Its
name means “advanced technology extended,” and its initials stand for “advanced
technology.” Unlike AT, it is much more compact and enables the associated
components to be interchanged. The connection elements have witnessed significant
progress and development.

3. Micro ATX motherboard

The length and width of these motherboards, measured in millimeters, are also 244 mm
(size metrics will differ as per the manufacturer). This motherboard has fewer ports and
slots than the Standard ATX board.

Users who do not want excessive connections and subsequent upgrades, like adding
more RAM, an extra GPU, or other Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards, are
better suited for this kind of motherboard than others.

This motherboard may be installed in any case with enough space to accommodate 244
mm by 244 mm. It can also be installed in larger cases that are compatible with
Standard ATX or eXTENDED ATX motherboards.

4. eXtended ATX motherboard

The dimensions of this motherboard are 344 millimeters by 330 millimeters (dimensions
will differ with different manufacturers). This motherboard supports a single or a twin
CPU configuration and has up to eight RAM slots.

Additionally, it has a higher number of PCIe (where e is for Express) and PCI slots, which
may be used to add PCI cards for a wide range of applications. Workstations and servers
are both able to use this software. There is sufficient room on all eATX motherboards,
making them ideal for desktop computers, thanks to the significant space provided for
airflow and the attachment of various components.
5. Flex ATX motherboard
These ATX Form Factor mainboards do not enjoy the same degree of popularity as their
ATX Form Factor counterparts. They are the ones within the ATX family that are
considered the most compact. They were designed to occupy a minimal amount of
space and had a minimal price tag. Flex ATX is a modification of mini ATX that Intel
created between 1999-2000. It is a motherboard standard.
6. Low-Profile EXtended (LPX) motherboard
In comparison to previous iterations, this has two significant enhancements. The first
change was that the output and input ports were moved to the rear of the device, and
the second change was the addition of a riser card, which enables the device to have
additional slots and makes it easier to attach components.

There is an implementation of some of these functionalities on the AT motherboard.

The primary drawback of this board is that it does not have any accelerated graphic port
(AGP) ports, resulting in a connection to PCI that is made directly. The new low-profile
extended (NLX) boards are where issues present in these motherboards have been
addressed.

7. BTX motherboard
Balanced technology extended, abbreviated as BTX, is a strategy developed to fulfill the
requirements of emerging technologies, which call for increased power consumption
and, as a result, emanate more heat. During the middle of the 2000s, Intel ceased the
future production of BTX boards to concentrate on low-power CPUs.

8. Pico BTX motherboard

Given their diminutive size compared to a typical motherboard, these boards are called
Pico. Even though the upper half of the BTX is shared, support is provided for two
expansion slots. Its distinguishing characteristics are the half-height or riser cards, and it
is designed to meet the needs of digital applications.

9. Mini ITX motherboard

It is important to note that there is no regular-sized version of the information
technology extended (ITX) motherboard. In its place, the motherboard has been
downsized into a more compact form than in earlier iterations. It was developed in the
2000s, and its measurements are 17 by 17 centimeters.

Due to its reduced power consumption and quicker cooling capabilities, it is primarily
used in computers with a small form factor (SFF). Given that it has a relatively low level
of fan noise, the motherboard is the one that is recommended the most for use in home
theater systems because it will enhance the overall performance of the system.

10. Mini STX motherboard

The name “Intel 5×5” was initially given to the motherboard now known as the Mini-
STX, which stands for mini socket technology extended. Although it was introduced in
2015, the motherboard has dimensions of 147 millimeters by 140 millimeters. This
converts to a length of 5.8 inches and a width of 5.5 inches; hence, the 5×5 name is
rather misleading.

The Mini-STX board is 7 millimeters longer from front to back, making it somewhat
rectangular in shape. This is in contrast to the shape of other tiny form factor boards,
like the Next Unit of Computing (NUC) or the mini-ITX, which are square.

How does a motherboard work?

When you turn your computer on, the power supply transfers electricity to the
motherboard to be used by the computer. Data is transported between the chipset
components via data buses and travels between the southbridge and northbridge
sections.

The data connections to the CPU, RAM, or PCIe are made through the northbridge
component. The operations performed by the RAM are first “interpreted” by the CPU as
being output after the RAM begins to deliver inputs to the CPU. After being written to
the PCIe, the data is either copied or moved to the expansion card, based on the kind of
card you have.

The data connection to the basic input/output system (BIOS), the universal serial bus
(USB), the serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), and the PCI bus are managed
by the southbridge component. Your computer can start up because of signals sent to
the BIOS, and the data sent to the SATA “awakens” your optical, hard disc, and solid-
state drives. The video card, network card, and sound card receive power from the
information stored on the SATA.

The remaining components interact via an electrical signal, which serves as a hub for
them. These data buses pass via a microchip’s northbridge or southbridge elements,
which then branch off to other components like the CPU, RAM, PCI, and PCIe, amongst
other elements.

The information sent over buses will be encoded using a programming language (1 and
0). When a signal is sent to a motherboard from one of its components, the
motherboard will process it and translate it into a language the other component can
comprehend. On most of today’s computing systems, all of this will occur in a split
second, and there is almost no delay between the input and the output.

12 Key Components of a Motherboard:

1. Mouse and keyboard connectors
Computer motherboards must have two separate connectors that allow users to
connect their external mouse and keyboard. These connectors are responsible for
sending instructions and receiving responses from the computer. There are two
keyboard and mouse connectors, the PS/2 and the USB. The personal system/2(PS/2)
port is a mini-DIN plug that contains six pins and connects the mouse or keyboard to an
IBM-compatible computer. Other computers use the USB port to connect the mouse or
keyboard.

2. Universal serial bus (USB)

The USB is a computer interface that connects computers to other devices, such as
phones. The USB port is a significant part of a motherboard that allows users to connect
external peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, and pen drives to the computer.
Moreover, it enables users to transfer data between the device and the computer. A
USB port allows users to connect peripheral devices without restarting the system.
Types of USB include USB-A, USB-B, USB-mini, micro-USB, USB-C, and USB-3.

3. CPU
The central processing unit (CPU) is commonly referred to as the computer’s brain. The
CPU controls all the functions of a computer. CPUs are available in different form
factors, each requiring a particular slot on the motherboard. A CPU can contain one or
multiple cores. A CPU with a single core can only perform a single task at a time, while
those with multiple cores can execute multiple tasks simultaneously.

4. RAM memory
RAM slots connect the random access memory (RAM) to the motherboard. RAM allows
the computer to temporarily store files and programs that are being accessed by the
CPU. Computers with more RAM capacity can hold and process larger files and
programs, thus enhancing performance. However, RAM contents are erased when the
computer is shut down. A computer usually has two RAM slots. However, some
computers have up to four RAM slots in the motherboard to increase the available
memory.

5. Basic input/output (BIOS) system

The BIOS contains the firmware of the motherboard. It consists of instructions about
what to do when the computer is turned on. It is responsible for initializing the
hardware components and loading the computer’s operating system. The BIOS also
allows the computer’s operating system to interact and respond with input and output
devices such as a mouse and keyboard.

In some motherboards, the legacy BIOS is replaced by the modern extensible firmware
interface (EFI) or the unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI). UEFI and EFI allow the
computer to boot faster, provide more diagnostic and repair tools, and provide a more
efficient interface between the operating system and computer components.

6. Chipsets

The chipsets of a computer control how the computer hardware and buses interact with
the CPU and other components. Chipsets also determine the amount of memory users
can add to a motherboard and the type of connectors that the motherboard can have.

The first type of chipset is the northbridge chipset. The northbridge manages the speed
at which the CPU communicates with the components. It also controls the processor,
the AGP video slot, and the RAM.

The second type of chipset is the southbridge chipset. The southbridge chipset controls
the rest of the components connected to the computer, including communication
between the processor and expansion ports such as USB ports and sound cards.

7. Cooling fans

The heat generated when electric current flows between components can make a
computer run slowly. If too much heat is left to build up unchecked, it could
damage computer components. Thus, a computer performs better when kept
cool. Cooling fans increase the airflow, which helps to remove heat from the
computer. Some elements, such as video adapter cards, have dedicated cooling
fans.

8. Adapter cards and expansion slots

Adapter cards are integrated into the motherboard to enhance a computer’s
functionality. Examples include sound and video adapters. The expansion slots allow
users to install compatible adapter cards. Examples of expansion slots include the
peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slot, the AGP slot (which enables the insertion
of video cards), the PCI Express serial bus slot, and the PCI-extended slot.

9. CMOS battery

The CMOS battery is a small round battery found on the motherboard of every
computer. It provides power to the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
chip. The CMOS chip stores BIOS information and computer settings, even when
powered down. The CMOS battery allows users to skip resetting BIOS configurations,
such as boot order, date, and time settings, each time they power on their computer.

10. Storage devices

Storage drives store data permanently or retrieve data from a media disk. The storage
devices can either be installed in the computer as hard drives or in removable drives
that can connect to the computer through the USB ports. Hard disk drives(HDD) or solid-
state drives (SSD) are computers’ primary storage drives. Computers with SSDs execute
tasks much faster and perform better than HDDs. Users can also use optical drives such
as compact discs to store information.
11. Front panel connectors
Front panel connectors connect the light-emitting diode (LED) lights on the front of the
case to the hard drive, the power button, the reset button, and the internal speaker for
testing. Some USB and audio devices also have LED lights.

These front panel connectors are usually plugged into small pins on the motherboard.
Although the pins are grouped and color-coded, their layout structure varies depending
on the model of the motherboard.
12. Power connector
The power connector provides an electric supply to the computer to function as
intended. The power supply connector has 20 pins and converts 110-V AC power into
+/-12-Volt, +/-5-Volt, and 3.3-Volt direct current (DC) power.

Source & References:

1- Manahar Lotia, All About Motherboards, Revised edition,
Bpb Publicatons, 978-8183330565
2-Robert Thompson & Barbara Thompson, PC Hardware in
a Nutshell, 3rd Edition, O'Reilly Media, 978-0596005139