3.4 Motherboards Flashcards
Define input and output.
Input: Process of accepting data in a form that the computer can use
Output: Process of displaying the processed data or information
Define the form factor of the ATX motherboard.
Full-size motherboard, measuring 12’’ by 9.6’’
Define the form factor of the Mini-ATX.
9.6’’ squared
Same as ATX but only has 4 expansion card slots
What is the Information Technology Extended form factor?
Designed as a replacement for ATX but never produced.
What actually are ATX and ITX?
Motherboard and power supply specifications
What is the form factor of the Mini-ITX?
6.7’’ by 6.7’’ with only one expansion slot (170mm squared)
What is the Information Technology Extended form factor?
Designed as a replacement for ATX but never produced.
List some other ITX form factors
Nano, Pico, Mobile
What is ‘form factor’?
The shape, layout, and type of case in a power supply
Describe what the CPU does.
- Execute different programming codes in the software/firmware
- Perform basic operations for every instruction in the computer
- After execution, sends information back to memory to be stored and used later
What is the maximum amount of RAM that architectures from the X86 family can support?
4GB (Gigabytes) RAM
What is X64?
An instruction set architecture based on X86, extended to enable 64-bit code. There are two modes of operation: 64-bit and compatible
What are ARMs used for and why?
Low-power devices (tablets, mobile phones) because they have extended battery life and produce less heat.
List the four types of CPU sockets.
ZIF, LGA, PGA Form Factor, and Multi-socket
What is beneficial about a ZIF socket?
It means you can insert the CPU without applying pressure, which means you are less likely to break pins and therefore break the processor.
Describe how an LGA socket works.
There are flat metal contacts on the underside of the chip instead of pins, which rest on the corresponding contacts of the socket. There is often a brace to help hold it in and small notches to help with alignment.
Describe how a PGA form factor works.
Pins on the underside of the chip fit into holes in the socket, and pressure then needs to be applied to fully insert the chip
What is multisocket?
Multiple CPUs or processors installed on a motherboard (processors cannot be changed on a mobile device)
Which companies manufacture LGA and PGA, respectively?
Intel (LGA) and AMD (PGA)
What is a multi-core processor?
A single CPU with multiple processors inside.
Describe how simultaneous multithreading/Hyper-threading works.
A single stream of instructions is being sent by a software application to a processor; the CPU splits each physical core into two virtual cores.
What is the difference between a multi-processor and a multi-core system?
Multi-processor would have more than one CPU, multi-core refers to how many cores within the single CPU
How does symmetric multiprocessing work?
Where multiple processors share a common OS and memory.
Why should you always use hyper-threading with multi-core processors?
Because there will always be idle cycles, and hyper-threading takes advantage of that for a greater overall throughput
