Motherboard - A motherboard is the underlying circuit board of a computer.

The central
processing unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), hard drive(s), disk drives and optical drives
are all plugged into interfaces on the motherboard. A video interface and sound card can be
optionally built-in or added.

PARTS OF THE MOTHERBOARD

Processor - A silicon chip that contains a CPU.
In the world of personal computers, the
terms microprocessor and CPU are used
interchangeably. At the heart of all personal
computers and most workstations sits a
microprocessor.

Processor socket - is an electrical

component that attaches to a printed circuit
board (PCB) and is designed to house
a CPU (also called a microprocessor). It is a
special type of integrated circuit socket
designed for very high pin counts. A CPU
socket provides many functions, including
providing a physical structure to support the
CPU, providing support for a heat sink,
Heat sink - is an environment or object that
facilitating replacement (as well as reducing
absorbs and dissipates heat from another
cost) and most importantly forming an
object using thermal contact (either direct or
electrical interface both with the CPU and
radiant). Heat sinks are used in a wide range
the PCB. CPU sockets can most often be
of applications wherever efficient heat
found in most desktop and server computers,
dissipation is required; major examples
particularly those based on the Intel x86
include refrigeration, heat engines, cooling
architecture on the motherboard.
electronic devices and lasers.

PC memory slot - Commonly refers to the slot

computer memory is placed into on the
computer motherboard I/O Board. Term can
also be used to describe PC card capable of
storing data on the card.

Power Connector - is an
electrical connector designed to carry a
significant amount of electrical power, usually
as DC or low-frequency AC. Some types of RF
connector may also carry large amounts of
power, but are considered as a separate
category. Connectors carrying small amounts
of power are known as signal connectors.
Sound card - is a device that handles data-
to-audio and audio-to-data translations,
enabling a computer to play sound on speakers
or to record sound from an external device,
like a microphone.
BIOS - The initial function of the BIOS is to
identify, test, and initialize system devices
such as the video display card, hard disk,
and floppy disk and other hardware. This is to
prepare the machine into a known state, so
that software stored on compatible media can
be loaded, executed, and given control of the
PC.
IDE, ATA And S-ATA Interface
Connectors - Many interface standards have
been created throughout the years, maybe
too many for discussing about all of them. I
will then talk about the ATA and the S-ATA
only as the IDE is the same thing as the ATA,
only the name has changed. Also I will be
brief because it is more a hard drive topic
than anything else.
The Advance Technology Attachment (ATA)
interface is used to connect hard drives and
optic drives. You can attach 2 drives on the
same ribbon, 1 master and the other slave,
and it supports almost all modern hard drives
storage capacities.
Modern computer mother boards have the
new interface called Serial Advance
Technology Attachment (S-ATA). It is faster
than the ATA and only 1 device can be
attached to it. The wire is thinner than his
predecessor and surely help at the cooling
process inside the computer case.
Floppy Drive Connector - The floppy disk
interface uses what is likely the strangest
cable of all those in PCs today. It is similar
to the standard IDE cable in that it is usually
a flat, gray ribbon cable. It is unusual in
terms of the number of connectors it has and
how it is used to configure the setup of the
floppy disks in the system.
Capacitors - An electronic component that
stores an electric charge and releases it when
required. It comes in a huge variety of sizes
and types for use in regulating power as was
for conditioning, smoothing and isolating
signals. Capacitors are made from many
different materials, and virtually every
electrical and electronic system uses them.
 devices in a computer. These devices can take
either the form of an integrated
circuit fitted onto the motherboard itself,
called a planar device in the PCI specification
or an expansion card that fits into a slot.

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) - is a high-

speed point-to-point channel for attaching
a video card to a computer's motherboard,
primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D
computer graphics.
BACK PANNEL CONNECTOR
Parallel Port - is a type of interface found
on computers for connecting various
peripherals. It is also known as a printer port
or Centronics port. The parallel interface was
adapted to access a number of peripheral
devices other than printers.
Serial Port - is a serial
communication physical interface through
which information transfers in or out
one bit at a time (contrast parallel port).
Throughout most of the history of personal
computers, data transfer through serial ports
connected the computer to devices such
as terminals and various peripherals.

PS/2 connector - is used for connecting

some keyboards and mice to a PC
compatible computer system. Its name comes
from the IBM Personal System/2 series
of personal computers, with which it was
introduced in 1987.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) -

is a computer bus for attaching hardware
 BACK PANNEL CONNECTORS

Network Adapter - interfaces a computer to

a network. The term "adapter" was
popularized originally by Ethernet add-in
cards for PCs.

USB Ports - These USB connectors let you

attach everything from mice to printers to
your computer quickly and easily.

Audio ports and video port - are electrical

connectors for carrying an audio
signal or video signal, either in
an analog or digital format. Analog A/V
connectors often use Shielded cable to
inhibit RF interference and noise.

Microphone Connector – used for connecting

the microphone to the computer.