Chapter 1: Motherboards, Processors, and Memory Flashcards
Define “Personal Computer”
Computing device made up of many distinct electronic components that all function together in order to accomplish some useful task.
When we say most computers today are modular, what does this mean?
Their components can be removed and replaced with similar components.
Name 5 components common to most personal computers.
Motherboards
Processors
Memory
Basic Input/Output Systems (BIOS)
Cooling Systems
Name the PC component that connects all other components.
Motherboard
Other names for Motherboard
System Board
Mainboard
PCB
Printed Circuit Board: a conductive series of pathways lami- nated to a nonconductive substrate
Substrate
The foundation material of a PCB.
Common colors of a motherboard
Olive, Brown, Blue
Name this component:
Motherboard
Name some popular form factors (designs) of a motherboard
ATX
ATX Micro
ITX
AT
ATX
Advanced Technology Extended
One form factor for motherboards.
Who developed the ATX form-factor, and when?
Intel, in 1995
Why does the ATX form-factor run cooler than its predecessor, the AT?
The processor and memory slots are at a right angle to the expansion slots, putting them directly in line with the fan output.
What is the standard measure of an ATX motherboard?
12” x 9.6” (305mm x 244 mm).
Full-Length Expansion Cards
Adapters that extend the full length of the inside of a standard computer case.
Half-Length Expansion Cards
Exactly what you expect - expansion cards that are half as long as full length.
Why can you install full-length expansion cards on an ATX motherboard?
The processor and memory slots are placed at right angles from the expansion slots, out of the way of any potential, longer expansion card.
Name 3 motherboard form factors could fit in a standard ATX-compatible case.
ATX and Micro ATX
Mini-ITX can usually fit into an ATX case. Several of its mounting holes line up with an ATX case and the rear interfaces are placed in the same location as those on the ATX motherboards.
Micro ATX form factor motherboards will fit into which two case types?
Micro ATX and ATX
Other terms for Micro ATX
µATX, mATX, uATX
(µ is the metric prefix for the unit ‘micro’, which is the unit between milli and nano)
What does the ATX form factor share with the Micro ATX form factor?
Similar component placement (Processor & memory at right angles from expansion slots), so the PC runs cooler.
What does the micro ATX form factor give up to be smaller?
Fewer…
Memory slots
motherboard headers
expansion slots
Measurements of the Micro ATX
9.6” x 9.6” (244mm x 244mm)
ITX refers to a line of motherboard form factors. Name 4 of them.
Mini-ITX
Nano-ITX
Pico-ITX
Mobile-ITX
Name these motherboard form factors:
Name this motherboard form factor:
ATX
Name this motherboard form-factor
Micro ATX
Note the right-angle the processor and memory slots make to the expansion slots, and that there are fewer expansion slots than the standard ATX, pictured here:
Two categories of Bus Architecture
Serial Connectivity
Parallel Connectivity
Bus
Communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer.
Difference between parallel and serial bus
Parallel bus (AKA parallel communication) sends multiple binary bits at the same time.
Serial bus sends binary bits one at a time.
The communication channel used by parallel bus would require multiple connections, whereas the communication channel used by serial bus requires a single connection.
Examples of technology that use serial communication
SATA (Serial ATA), USB (Universal Serial Bus), FireWire, PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended)
Examples of technology that uses parallel bus architecture
Conventional PCI cards
Hard drives with IDE connections
PC Cards (PCMCIA) used for laptops (back in the day)
For the most part, bus the arcitecture used for connecting components within a PC has moved away from _____, towards ____.
For the most part, the bus arcitecture used for connecting components within a PC has moved away from parallel communication, towards serial communication.
Define Chipset
Collection of chips or circuits that perform interface and peripheral functions for the processor.
Provides interfaces for memory, expansion cards, and peripherals.
Determines how a motherboard communicates with other components.
Two functional groups of chipsets
Northbridge
Southbridge
5 Main Types of Expansion Slots Used
PCI
AGP
PCIe
PCI-X
CNR
A chipset’s northbridge subset is responsible for what
High-speed peripheral communications, like:
Integrated video via AGP or PCIe expansion cards
Communications between the processor and the memory
Manages communication to the southbridge
A chipset’s southbridge subset is responsible for
Providing support to the onboard slower peripherals (PS/2, parallel ports, serial ports, Serial and Parallel ATA, and so on), managing their communications with the rest of the computer and the resources given to them.
Examples of computer components connected to the motherboard via the chipset’s southbridge
Basically, any component that is not connected to the northbridge (These components ARE connected to the northbridge: AGP, PCIe, CPU, memory).
Popular examples:
PS/2, USB, LAN, audio, PCI
Name the components in this image
Expansion Slots
Small plastic slots, usually from 1 to 6 inches long and approximately 1⁄2 inch wide
Name the PCI Expansion Slot’s
Frequency
Channel
Data Rate(s)
Frequency: 33-66MHz
Channel: 32bits or 64 bits
Data Rates: Usually 133MBps (if operating at 33MHz, 32bits)
Other data rates: 266 MBps (if operating at 66MHz, 32 bits)
533MBps (if operating at 66MHz, 64bits)
What is the result of using a 33MHz PCI expansion card in a system that also supports a 66MHz PCI expansion card?
All PCI expansion cards will operate at 33MHz. This will reduce the speed of all 66MHz cards from 266MBps to 133MBps.
Two voltage levels for PCI cards
Either 5 volts or 3.3 volts
Name this PCI slot’s voltage and width in bits
The left side of the image represents the back of the PC
Name this PCI slot’s voltage and width in bits
The left side of the image represents the back of the PC
Name this PCI slot’s voltage and width in bits
The left side of the image represents the back of the PC
Name this PCI slot’s voltage and width in bits
The left side of the image represents the back of the PC
Describe the voltage and width of this PCI card
Describe the voltage and width of this PCI card
Describe the voltage and width of this PCI card
Describe the voltage and width of this PCI card
Describe the voltage and width of this PCI card
Describe the voltage and width of this PCI card
PCI-X Expansion cards are compatible with _____ slots
standard 64-bit PCI slots
PCI-X cards have a throughput of ____ GBps
4.3 GBps
PCI-X cards are used primarily for
Servers
PCI stands for
Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCI-X Stands for
Peripheral Component Interconnect eXtended
AGP, in the term AGP Expansion Slot, stands for
Accelerated Graphics Port
Since 2004, AGP slots have been phased out in favor of
PCI Express (PCI-X)
In this image, which slot is PCI and which is AGP?
AGP is orange and on top.
PCI are the two blue slots below.
In this image, determine the PCI, AGP, and ISA slots.
What is the maximum throughput of an AGP slot, using the original specification, 1x
Using a 32bit channel and a 66MHz clock.
Results in throughput of 266MBps
What is the maximum throughout of an AGP slot using the final 8x standard?
533MHz produces throughput of 2133MBps
Which expansion slot was designed to be a replacement for AGP and PCI?
PCIe (PCI Extended)
What expansion card slot type was designed to replace PCI and AGP?
PCIe
(PCI Extended)
RAM stands for
Random Access Memory
DIMM stands for
Dual inline memory module
Type of circuit board used for RAM.
Two form factors for laptop memory.
SODIMM (Small Outline DIMM)
MicroDIMM
Type of memory shown below
DIMM
Two sticks of memory shown below look slightly different, but are both the same form factor. What is their form factor?
SODIMM
Alternative to improving memory availabliity without installing more RAM
Using virtual memory (EG Swap file, paging file)
What is the swap space on a Microsoft system known as?
pagefile.sys
How is virtual memory used by the CPU?
Virtual memory cannot be used directly from the hard drive; it must be paged into RAM as the oldest contents of RAM are paged out to the hard drive to make room.
Cache Memory
Cache is a very fast form of memory.
Cache improves system performance by predicting what the CPU will ask for next and prefetching this information
before being asked.
Cache on the motherboard is known as
External Cache because it is external to the processor
Also known as Level 2 Cache (L2 Cache)
Cache built into the processor’s silicon wafer/die/core is known as
Internal Cache
Level 1 Cache
L1 Cache
Cache that is located in a processor’s packaging, but not “on-die” is known as
Level 3 Cache
L3 Cache
List the types of memory in order, from highest speed (with the highest storage capacity) to lowest speed (with the largest storage capacity)
L1 cache—Capacity: 64KB (32KB each for data and instructions)
L2 cache - Storage Capacity: 256KB
L3 cache - Storage Capacity: 4MB–12MB
RAM- Storage Capacity 4–16GB
HDD/SSD - Storage Capacity: 100s–1000s of GB
What type of CPU socket is portrayed in this image, and what is the pin arrangement known as
Socket A
Or
Socket 462
The pin arrangement is known as the pin grid array (PGA)
What type of CPU socket is portrayed in this image, and what is the pin arrangement known as
Socket T or Socket LGA 775
Unlike other expanion slot technologies, PCIe uses ______ communication.
Serial Communication
Which of the yellow rectangles represents an ATX power connector?
10
Define Firmware
name given to any software that is encoded in hardware, usually a read-only memory (ROM) chip, and can be run without extra instructions from the operating system.
What is stored on the BIOS chip?
BIOS system software that boots the system and allows the operating system to interact with certain hardware in the computer in lieu of requiring a more com- plex device driver to do so.
Define POST
Power-On Self-Test
POST is a series of system checks performed by the system BIOS and other high- end components, such as the SCSI BIOS and the video BIOS.
+ verifies the integrity of the BIOS
+ verifies the integrity of the BIOS
+analyzes and catalogs other forms of hardware, such as buses and boot devices, as well as manages the passing of control to the specialized BIOS routines
What does BIOS do immediately after a PC has passed the POST?
selects the boot device highest in the config- ured boot order and executes the master boot record (MBR) or similar construct on that device
Define ‘Flashing the BIOS’
A BIOS upgrade
What does CMOS stand for?
complementary metal oxide semiconductor
Name some settings or data that the CMOS chip is responsible for keeping.
- Date
- Time
- Hard drive/optical drive configuration Memory
- CPU settings, such as overclocking
- Integrated ports (settings as well as enable/disable) Boot sequence
- Power management
- Virtualization support
- Security (passwords, trusted platform module settings, LoJack)
Why does the CMOS chip require a CMOS battery?
The CMOS chip needs a constant source of power to retain information.
Jumpers and DIP Switches on the motherboard aren’t commonly used much anymore. Name two examples of how they might be used though:
Older PCs required that you set the processor’s voltage using jumpers and DIP switches.
Still today, you use a jumper or a DIP switch to clear the CMOS memory
Name these motherboard components.
Name some of the common connections from the motherboard to the front panel of a PC
Power button
Power light
Reset button
Drive activity lights
Audio jacks
USB ports
What is the gensis of the ‘reset’ button?
Allows the system to reboot at a hardware level, bypassing potentially stalled software.
Allows a reboot without switching the PC off, which prolongs the life of electronics affected by power cycling.
What are the two largest PC-compatible CPU manufacturers?
Intel and AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)
Name 3 major form factors for processors
PGA (Pin Grid Array)
LGA (Land Grid Array)
DIP (Dual In-Line Package) – No longer used for PC CPUs
What is this processor form factor?
DIP
What is this processor form factor?
PGA
SMT
simultaneous multithreading
SMT takes advantage of a modern CPU’s superscalar architecture. Superscalar processors are able to have multiple instructions operating on separate data in parallel.
Hyperthreading
Intel’s proprietary simultaneous multithreading (SMT) implementation used to improve parallelization of computations (doing multiple tasks at once) performed on PC microprocessors
HTT-capable processors appear to the operating system to be _____
Two processors
SMP
symmetric multiprocessing
Two or more processors use the same system resources.
Your operating system must support SMP in order to take advantage of HTT
Describe a multicore architecture
Multiple completely separate processor dies in the same package.
The operating system and applications see multiple processors in the same way that they see multiple processors in separate sockets. As with HTT, the operating system must support SMP to benefit from the separate processors.
Common examples of multicore architecture
Dual-core and quad-core processors
Describe CPU throttling
Reducing the operating frequency of the CPU during times of less demand in order to:
Improve battery life
Decrease heat generation
Processor speed in measured by its
Clock Frequency
(MHz, GHz)
32- and 64-bit processors refer to the width of the set of data lines (either 32 or 64 bits) between what two components of the motherboard?
The processor and the primary memory
Integrated GPU
Integrated Graphics Processing Unit
Instead of relying on a GPU placed on a graphics cards, the PC manufacturer integrates the GPU with the CPU.
ECC
error-correcting code
ECC can detect single- and double-bit errors and actually correct single-bit errors.
double-sided memory
Double-sided memory is essentially treated by the system as two separate memory modules. Motherboards that support such memory have memory controllers that must switch between the two “sides” of the modules and, at any particular moment, can access only the side they have switched to. Double-sided memory allows more memory to be inserted into a computer using half the physical space of single-sided memory,
Define DRAM
dynamic random access memory
This is what most people are talking about when they mention RAM
When you expand the memory in a computer, you are adding DRAM chips. You use DRAM to expand the memory in the computer because it’s a cheaper type of memory.
Why is DRAM memory cheaper to manufacture than other memory types?
DRAM memory chips are less complex
SDRAM
Synchronous DRAM
Shares a common clock signal with the computer’s system- bus clock, which provides the common signal that all local-bus components use for each step that they perform.
Now called SDR SDRAM.
SDR SDRAM
Single Data Rate SDRAM
With SDR SDRAM, every time the system clock ticks, 1 bit of data can be transmitted per data pin, limiting the bit rate per pin of SDRAM to the corresponding numerical value of the clock’s frequency.
DDR SDRAM
Double data rate (DDR) SDRAM
“Double-pumps” data by transferring a bit per pin on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal.
DDR2 SDRAM
DDR2, like DDR, uses both sweeps of the clock signal for data transfer. Internally, DDR2 further splits each clock pulse in two, doubling the number of operations it can perform per FSB clock cycle.
DRDRAM
Direct Rambus DRAM
Legacy proprietary SDRAM technology and most often associated with server platforms
SRAM
Static random access memory
Unlike DRAM, SRAM does not require a refresh signal from the system clock to keep information ‘alive.’
SRAM is classically used for cache memory.
ROM
read-only memory
Normally used to store a system’s BIOS
Each motherboard supports memory based on the speed of _____
The frontside bus, measured in Mhz
List 4 most popular form factors / memory packages for primary memory modules
DIMM
RIMM
SODIUM
MicroDIMM
What memory types does the DIMM form factor house?
SDRAM. So,
SDR, DDR, DDR2, DDR3
RIMM
A custom memory form factor that carries DRDRAM.
Assumed to stand for Rambus inline memory module but not really an acronym, RIMM is a trademark of Rambus Inc. and perhaps a clever play on the acronym DIMM, a competing form factor and by definition, what a RIMM actually is.
SODIMM
Small Outline DIMM
Smaller memory form factor for laptops and mobile devices
MicroDIMM
The MicroDIMM is an extremely small RAM form factor. In fact, it is over 50 percent smaller than a SODIMM.
Designed for the ultralight and portable subnotebook style of computer.
What is the purpose of the front intake fan?
This fan is used to bring fresh, cool air into the computer for cooling purposes.
What is the purpose of the rear exhaust fan?
This fan is used to take hot air out of the case.
What is the location and purpose of the power supply exhaust fan?
Located at the back of the power pack.
Cool the power supply.
What is the CPU fan attached to and what is its purpose?
To cool the CPU
Usually attacked to a heat sink
What is the purpose of the chipset fan?
This fan aids in the cooling of the onboard chipset (especially useful when overclocking—setting the system clock frequency higher than the default).
What is the purpose and location of the videocard chipset fan?
Located on the videocard.
Cools the videocard hardware
As video cards get more complex and have higher performance, more video cards have cooling fans directly attached.
Why might you need a memory module fan?
The more capable memory becomes of keeping up with the CPU, the hotter the memory runs. As an extra measure of safety, regardless of the presence of heat spreaders on the modules, an optional fan setup for your memory might be in order.
Unorthodox / Advanced cooling strategies include
Liquid Cooling
Heat Pipes
Peltier Cooling Devices
Phase-Change Cooling
Liquid Nitrogen & Helium Cooling
Undervolting
Describe Liquid Cooling
Cooling method
Special water block is used to conduct heat away from the processor (as well as from the chipset). Water is circulated through this block to a radiator, where it is cooled.
Lowest temperature you can acheive is room temperature
Best benefit: Fewer fans needed, so PC runs quieter
Disadvantage: Water & electronics (duh), expensive, difficulty to install
Describe Heat Pipes
Cooling Method
Pipe containing liquid. One end of the pipe connects to the element to be cooled. As liquid is heated by that element, it evaporates to the cool end of the pipe, condenses, and drops back down, cooling the element again.
Describe Peltier Cooling Devices
Cooling method intended to complement air-cooling methods.
Device made of two materials intended to transfer heat away from one side (one material) to the other (another material).
Describe Phase-Change Cooling
Expensive method of cooling.
A water- cooling system that chills the water below room temperature.
Noisest cooling solution available.
Most effective cooling solution available.
Describe Liquid Nitrogen and Helium Cooling
An absolutly idioctic cooling method that uses liquid nitrogen or helium to cool the processor.
The prcoessor will certainly fail after just a few seconds, given the extreme temperature changes between cool (-100 to -240C) and warm.
Describe Undervolting
Cooling method wherein you simply don’t pump as much power through the PC equipment, thereby not generating as much heat.
SCIENCE!
CNR Slot
Communications and Networking Riser (CNR) slot that can be found on some older Intel motherboards was a replacement for Intel’s even earlier Audio Modem Riser (AMR) slot
