Chapter 3: Motherboard Components

Question 1

What are the 3 most common motherboard designs in current use?

Answer 1

ATX (Advanced Technology Integrated), microATX and Mini-ITX.

Question 2

3 characteristics of ATX motherboards

Answer 2

1. a rear port cluster for I/O ports
2. Expansion slots that run parallel to the short side of the motherboard
3. Left side case opening

Question 3

VIA Tech-originated ultra compact motherboard design; used in computing appliances (media servers, etc)

Answer 3

Mini-ITX

Question 4

used for diagnostic cards and for WIFI networking on more recent laptops

Answer 4

miniPCIe

Question 5

used by motherboards to provide support for additional I/O devices and high speed video/graphic cards.

Answer 5

expansion slots

Question 6

2 of the most common expansion slots on recent systesm

Answer 6

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) and PCIe (PCI Express)

Question 7

Virtually all 32-bit PCI cards in use for a number of years use ____________

Answer 7

3.3V DC power

Question 8

used for many types of add on cards, including network, video, audio, I/O and storage host adapters for SATA drives.

Answer 8

PCI slot

Question 9

What PCI slow is found in desktop computers

Answer 9

32 bit slot running at 33MHz

Question 10

a faster version of 64 bit PCI, running at speeds of 133MHz; support PCI cards; typically used in servers and workstations.

Answer 10

PCI-X

Question 11

What are the four types of PCIe slots available? What does the x stand for?

Answer 11

x1, x4, x8, and x16

x refers to I/O lane

Question 12

At least one memory slot (RAM) must contain a memory module or the system _________.

Answer 12

cannot start or function

Question 13

The ________ determines which CPUs a system can use, which integrated ports teh system can provide without the use of 3rd party products, and the number and types of expansion slots a motherboard can feature.

Answer 13

chipset

Question 14

also known as the memory controller hub (MCH) or, on Intel systems with chipset integrated graphics, the graphics memory controller hub (GMCH)

Answer 14

North Bridge (northbridge)

Question 15

also known as the I/O controller hub (ICH)

Answer 15

South Bridge (southbridge)

Question 16

The ________ chip connects to the CPU and other high speed components such as memory, PCIe video , USB 3.0 ports, and other high speed components

Answer 16

North Bridge

Question 17

The __________ chip connects to lower speed component, such as mass storage interfaces, PCI expansion slots, USB 2.0 ports, audio, and the CMOS

Answer 17

South Bridge

Question 18

How is CMOS cleared on most systems?

Answer 18

a jumper block placed over two jumper pins

Question 19

What are the 2 power connectors on motherboards

Answer 19

1. the 24 pin ATX connector provides power to expansion slots and most bus connectors
2. The 8 pin EPS12V connector provides dedicated 12V power for the CPU. The motherboard stops down this voltage to the voltage needed by the installed CPU

Question 20

2 types of motherboards that use a four pin ATX12V connector instead of the EPS12V

Answer 20

1. older motherboards

2. motherboards designed for low power CPUS

Question 21

The CPU fan differs from typical system fan connectors by including a _________ used for speed control

Answer 21

fourth pin

Question 22

designed to support an optional SPDIF bracket for digital audio playback; the bracket is provided by the motherboard vendor but is not always bundled with compatible motherboards

Answer 22

SPDIF header

Question 23

ATX and ITX family motherboards include several front/top panel connectors for the _______ (6 items)

Answer 23

1. power button
2. power light
3. drive activity lights
4. reset button
5. USB
6. audio case speaker

Question 24

the speeds at which different buses in the motherboard connect to different components

Answer 24

bus speeds

Question 25

Where can you go to make available changes to bus speeds?

Answer 25

In the BIOS settings (usually in menus such as Memory, Overclocking, AI Tweaker etc)