A+ Certification Guide

Chapter 3

Motherboard Components
Chapter 3
Objectives
ATX, ITX, and Smaller Sizes
Sizes and features of ATX and ITX-family motherboards.
Expansion Slot Types
PCI and PCIe expansion slots and how they differ..
Chipsets
The tasks performed by chipsets.
CMOS Battery
Recognize the battery that maintains the CMOS and learn
how to clear its contents.
Power Connectors
The most common motherboard power connectors
Chapter 3
Objectives (continued)
Front and Top Panel Connectors
How to connect front and top panel cables to the motherboard.
Bus Speeds
Introducing the concept of bus speeds.
Installing Motherboards
How to remove and install a motherboard.
 What Is a Motherboard?
Main Printed Circuit Board (PCB) to which all other components
are connected.
Has etched-out areas defining the copper data trails to/from:
CPU/clock generator
Northbridge
RAM
Video graphics card
Southbridge (depending on age of board)
PCI slots/USB connections
Com ports
On-board graphics controller
Flash ROM/BIOS
 ATX Motherboard
Connects all built-in and installed internal and external
components to each other
MicroATX Motherboard
Mini-ITX Motherboard
 Form Factor
Maximum
Motherboard Maximum Maximum Number of Typical Uses
Type Width Depth Expansion
Slots

ATX 12 inches 9.6 inches Seven Full tower

Mini-ATX 11.2 inches 8.2 inches Seven Full tower

microATX 9.6 inches 9.6 inches Four Mini tower

Small form
Mini-ITX 6.7 inches 6.7 inches One factor,
HTPC
Form Factors Compared
 RAM
Random Access Memory Slots:
Typically numbered from 03 (if four slots are included).
Is connected directly to Northbridge for fast access to CPU.
Data stored here is lost if power is interrupted (volatile).
Current types include DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4
240-pin slotted connector (DDR2, DDR3, keyed differently)
288-pin slotted connector (DDR4)
PCI, PCI-X Card Slot Configurations

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PCI_Keying.png for details).

PCIe and PCI Card Slots
 PCIe v2, v3 Slot Performance
Slot Type Performance Suggested Uses

PCIe x1 v2 1,000MBps Network, I/O

PCIe x4 v2 4,000MBps Network

PCIe x8 v2 8,000MBps SLI video secondary card

Video
PCIe x16 v2 16,000MBps Including SLI, CrossFire, and CrossFire X
primary and secondary cards

PCIe x1 v3 2,000MBps Network, I/O

PCIe x4 v3 8,000MBps Network

PCIe x8 v3 16,000MBps SLI video secondary card

Video
PCIe x16 v3 32,000MBps Including SLI, CrossFire, and CrossFire X
primary and secondary cards
 Chipset
Northbridge
Connects to the CPU and other high-speed components such as PCIe slots
(especially PCIe x16)
Southbridge
Connects to lower-speed components: storage interfaces, PCI slots, USB
ports, and CMOS
CMOS Battery
 Motherboard Installation
Step 1. Determine which mounting holes should be used for brass spacers.
Step 2. Install or remove brass spacers as needed to accommodate the mounting holes
in the motherboard.
 Motherboard Installation (cont.)
Step 3. Place the I/O shield into the opening at the back of the case.
Step 4. Determine which holes in the motherboard have brass stand-off spacers (also
known as mounting posts) beneath them, and secure the motherboard to each spacer.
 Motherboard Installation (cont.)
Step 5. Connect front panel wires to the speaker, reset switch, drive
activity light, and power light connectors on the motherboard.
 Motherboard Installation (cont.)
Step 6.
Connect cables from the
SATA drives to the SATA
ports on the motherboard.
Use SATA port 1 for the first
SATA drive, and so on.
 Motherboard Installation (cont.)
Step 7.
Connect the power supply connectors to the motherboard.
 Motherboard Installation (cont.)
Step 8. Install add-on cards.
Step 9. Install header cables.
 Motherboard Installation (cont.)
Step 10. Install cables from front-mounted ports (USB, etc.).
Step 11. Connect power supply leads to drives and cards.
Chapter 3
Summary
ATX, ITX, and Smaller Sizes
Advantages and disadvantage of popular motherboard form
factors
Expansion Slot Types
Why PCIe is replacing PCI and the different versions of PCIe
RAM Sockets
DDR2 vs DDR3, DDR4
CPU sockets
Intel and AMD are not the same
Chipsets
What they do
 Chapter 3
Summary (cont.)
CMOS Battery
How to recognize it
How to clear CMOS contents
Power Connectors
More than just 24-pin ATX to consider
Front and Top Panel Connectors
When theyre loose, no lights or system startup
Bus Speeds
Different components, different speeds
Installing Motherboards
The only way to fix a broken one replace it!

Next lesson: Chapter 4