Motherboard is

Multi-layered printed circuit board 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

Motherboard and Its Classification

What is Motherboard?
Motherboard is the main component of the CPU Backbone of the Computer

Functions of Motherboard
It integrates all Hardware components into one system Allows all parts of your computer to receive power and communicate with one another.

Motherboard and Its Classification

Printed Circuit board (PCB)

Sockets

Slots

Motherboard and Its Classification

Specifications
Speed

Upgrade Capabilities
Size and shape (form Factor)

Motherboard and Its Classification

Components of Motherboard

PCIe slot

PCI slots Processor socket

Memory slot SATA connector

ATX Power connector

PATA/IDE connector

Motherboard and Its Classification

Components of Motherboard

CMOS Battery

AGP Slot

ISA Slot

Motherboard and Its Classification

I/O Ports

I/O Ports
Parallel Port

Ethernet Port

PS/2 Port

VGA Port

Serial Port

Audio Port

USB Port

Motherboard and Its Classification

Classification of Motherboard Integrated Motherboard Non-Integrated Motherboard

Motherboard and Its Classification

Integrated Motherboard
Components are in built in the motherboard.
Designed for simplicity. Draw backs When one component in the board is broken or stops working you have to replace the whole board Cheaper to produce but more expensive to repair.

Motherboard and Its Classification

Non-Integrated Motherboard
The major assemblies like Video circuitry, disk controllers, and accessories are installed on the Computer as expansion cards. Can easily Identify the Non-integrated motherboards by their expansion slots usually occupied by one of the components.

Expansion card

Motherboard Form Factors

The form factor of the motherboard describes its general shape, what sorts of cases and power supplies it can use, and its physical organization. Many computers, however, are built around motherboards of a few standard sizes. Form factor means the size and shape of the actual motherboard 3 most common Form Factor classifications:
Baby AT ATX Slimline NLX

PC/XT
When IBM came out with its first Personal Computer (PC), there were no standards and the motherboard tended to be a little on the large size with more space than it really needed. Within a short time, they had developed their Extended Technologies computer (XT), reducing the size of the motherboard to make it more compact and still accept the different circuits and components needed for the system. The XT quickly became a standard for motherboards.

AT/baby AT
Computers quickly became more and more powerful with more system memory installed on the board, faster CPUs, and features that required more circuitry and components. IBM had to increase the size of their boards to accept all these components and developed the AT motherboard. At 13.5" X 12", this form factor soon became another standard followed by other manufacturers. Size, screw placement, expansion slot positioning, and even component placement was followed so closely that some motherboard manufacturers were worried.

AT and Baby AT
Up until recently, the AT and baby AT form factors were the most common form factor in the motherboard world. These two variants differ primarily in width: the older full AT board is 12" wide. One of the major problems with the width of this board (aside from limiting its use in smaller cases) is that a good percentage of the board "overlaps" with the drive bays. This makes installation, troubleshooting and upgrading more difficult.

 The AT, however, pretty well became industry standard throughout the 80's and into the early 90's. As technology advanced, circuits and components became smaller and more integrated. Many companies decided to reduce the size of the motherboard again. Because the AT had been standard for so many years they retained the placement of the expansion slots and the screw positioning on a 13" X 8.5 or 9" board. This meant that an AT board could be replaced with a 'baby AT' or 'mini AT' board and still fit in the same case.

ATX board
Because the baby AT form factor was never made a true standard, many companies have taken liberties with different dimensions and design. The ATX is a form factor developed by Intel that closely conforms to the baby AT size. It puts together some of the better ideas, engineering and design to make a standard that is cheaper to develop, allows for better component access, and in some ways is faster and more stable. The ATX board measures approximately 9.5" X 12" and takes the baby AT board and turns it 90 degrees to put the long edge of the board along the back of the computer case, which provides maximum space for expansion slots and I/O ports.

'mini ATX
The ATX standard also provides for a smaller 'mini ATX' form factor which cuts the size of a board down to 8.2" X 11.2" and removes one row of mounting holes. These boards will fit in a regular ATX style case.

NLX
(New Low-Profile EXtended motherboard) A low-profile PC motherboard from Intel for slimline cases, introduced in 1987. Unlike boards for desktop, these hold the expansion cards perpendicular to the board.

NLX Motherboard:

NLX Motherboard:

NLX

 LPX(Low-Profile EXtended motherboard) A low-profile PC motherboard for slimline cases, introduced in 1997 by Western Digital.

Comparison of Form Factors

Table 6-3 Buses listed by throughput

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Figure 6-6 Four outdated bus connections on expansion cards

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Buses and Expansion Slots (continued)

The PCI buses
Intended to replace the 16-bit ISA bus Types: Conventional PCI, PCI-X, PCI Express

On-board ports (integrated components)

Examples: keyboard, mouse port, parallel printer, USB

Internal connectors
EIDE, floppy drive connector, serial ATA, SCSI, 1394

Riser slots
Audio/modem riser (AMR) Communication and networking riser (CNR)
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Hardware Configuration
Three ways to configure the motherboard:
DIP switches, jumpers, CMOS RAM

Dual inline package (DIP) switch

Has ON (binary 1) and OFF (binary 0) positions Reset DIP switch when adding or removing device Use pointed instrument other than graphite pencil

Jumpers
Retain setup or installation information Are opened and closed using jumper covers Typical setting: enabling/disabling keyboard power-up

DIP switches are sometimes used to store setup data on motherboards

32

Figure 6-15 Setup information about the motherboard can be stored by setting a jumper on (closed) or off (open). A jumper is closed if the cover is in place, connecting the two pins that make up the jumper; a jumper is open if the cover is not in place.

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Hardware Configuration (continued)

CMOS RAM
Also called clock/nonvolatile RAM (RTC/NVRAM) Stores most configuration for the motherboard Can be accessed without opening the case

CMOS setup program

Stored on a floppy disk or ROM BIOS chip Access built-in program by pressing key during POST Menus: Main, Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit Brand name PCs, such as IBM, have custom screens

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Table 6-4 How to access CMOS setup

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CMOS Setup Main menu

Hardware Configuration (continued)

Battery power to CMOS RAM
Enables CMOS to hold data after the PC is turned off Setup information is lost if battery fails or disconnects

Startup passwords in CMOS

Stored in CMOS RAM and changed in setup screen Should be distinguished from OS passwords

CMOS settings are specified in motherboard manuals Documentation of configuration settings

Enables you to recapture lost or altered settings Should be labeled and stored in a safe place

The coin cell is the most common type of CMOS battery

Flashing ROM BIOS

Programs stored in the ROM BIOS chip:
CMOS setup program Startup BIOS that manages the startup process System BIOS that manages basic I/O functions

Programs on ROM BIOS may need upgrades Flashing: upgrading or refreshing ROM BIOS chip Sources for ROM BIOS upgrades
Manufacturers Web site http://www.esupport.com

Figure 6-26 Intel displays a list of motherboard model numbers that have a Flash BIOS upgrade available

Motherboard Drivers
Located on CD bundled with motherboard Motherboard CD may also contain useful utilities Drivers are periodically updated by manufacturer Dealing with an unstable motherboard
Check for updated drivers, especially chipset drivers Install updated drivers for non-functioning devices

Troubleshooting the Motherboard and Processor

Field replaceable units (FRUs) on old motherboards
CPU, RAM, RAM cache, ROM BIOS, CMOS battery

FRU components on newer motherboards:

CPU, RAM, CMOS battery, and motherboard itself

POST reporting aids diagnosis

Chapter 3 or manufacturer Web site describe codes

A good tactic: replace a bad device with a new one

Caveat: check voltage from power supply first If voltage is excessive, new part may be damaged

Figure 6-40 The ROM BIOS manufacturers Web site is a good source of information about beep codes

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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 PCs BIOS.

BIOS performs a self-test(POST) every time you turn it on.

Some systems feature dual BIOS, which provides a backup in case one fails or in case of error during updating.

CMOS
The real time clock chip is a battery-operated chip that maintains basic settings and the system time.

1. Predecessors (2)

ROM

RAM 16-64 kbyte or 64-256 kbyte

5x ISA/16

Casette

Keyboard

DMA vezrl

Parallel I/O

Intel 8088 CPU

PC

8087 arithm. proc. socket

Figure 1.2: The motherboard of the IBM PC Source: http://www.tomh.net/museum/mobo/pccassif.html

2.2. AT (2)
DRAM 512 Kbyte

2x 8 bit/ 5x 16 bit ISA

8087 arithm. proc. socket

Keyboard

PC

Intel 8088 CPU

Figure 2.9: The motherboard of the IBM PC/AT

Source:http://library.thinkquest.org/18268/photos.htm

2.2. AT (3)

This is a Western Digital Disk Drive Interface Card.

This is a Case Interface, both parallel and serial.

Figure 2.10: Adapter cards of the IBM PC/AT

Source:http://library.thinkquest.org/18268/photos.htm

2.3. Baby AT (3)

3x PCI/32 PC

System contr.

3x ISA/16

4x SIMM/72

FD

L2

CPU Periph. contr.

IDE

Figure 2.13: Example: A Pentium-based late Baby AT-motherboard

2.5. ATX (6)

3x ISA/16 4x PCI/32 AGP ATX connectors

CPU (Slot1)

System contr. PC

4x DIMM/168

BIOS
Peripherial contr. Battery FD IDE

Figure 2.22: A late PCI-based motherboard for PentiumIIs (MSIs MS-6111) (Based on Intels 440LX chipset for slot 1 processors (1997)
Source: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/download

2.5. ATX (8)

ATX connectors CNR 5x PCI/32 AGP

PC

MCH

CPU

Battery

3x DIMM

BIOS

ICH IDE FD

Figure 2.24: Early, port based ATX motherboard for Pentium IIIs (Abits SL6) (based on Intels 815 chipset)
Source: http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb

2.6. NLX (2)

Figure 2.29: View of an NLX-motherboard

Source: Intel Corporation, Intel NLX Form Factor http://www.intel.com

2.7. BTX (3)

ATX connectors PC PCI-X/64

ICH

IDE

PCI

4x DIMM/168

MCH FD

Figure 2.32: A micro BTX-motherboard (Intels D915GMH)

http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/mh

CPU

2.5. ATX (9)

4x PCI/32 AGP ATX connectors

Battery

CPU (P4)

BIOS 4x DIMM/168 ICH FD MCH PC IDE

Fgure 2.25: Mature port-based ATX motherboard for Pentium4 processors (Intels D865PERL)
Source: http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d865perl/index.htm

2.5. ATX (11)

PCI Ex16 BIOS 2x PCI Ex1 MCH (915P/G)

3x PCI/32

P4 Prescott Bat

IDE RAID c. (VIA 6410) IHC6/6R 4x DIMM 2x USB

Syst. monitoring

2xIDE

4x SATA

IDE

PS

FD

Figure 2.27: Serial port-based ATX-motherboard for Pentium4 Prescotts (MSIs 915G Combo)
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3191326

3. Server/workstation motherboards (2)

PCI-X 64bit IDE 4x DIMM 2x GbE ATX connectors

PCI MCH E7221

ICH

IPMI

CPU

IDE

Figure 3.2: Example: A P4-based ATX-board for entry-level servers (The P8SCT from Supermicro)
Source:http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/P4/E7221/P8SCT.cfm

3. Server/workstation motherboards (6)

ICH HW management

IDE

PCI-X 64-bit PRO/1000 server adapter PCI Expr. x8 PCI PCI Expr. x16 MCH (I7525) Registered ECC DDR

Dual Processor

ATX connectors

Figure 3.4: Serial port based DP-server board of ATX style (Intels SE7525GP2)
Source: http://www.intel.com/products/server/motherboard