Motherboards

Question 1

Three Defining Factors of a Motherboard

Answer 1

Form Factor
Chipset
Components

Question 2

Form Factor

Answer 2

Physical size of motherboard and location of components

Question 3

Chipset

Answer 3

Defines the type of processor and RAM the motherboard requires

Question 4

Components

Answer 4

Determine core functionality of system

Question 5

Modern Motherboard Construction

Answer 5

Layered Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

Question 6

ATX Form Factor

Answer 6

Most common
The ATX form factor includes many improvements over AT.

Question 7

ATX Size Differences

Answer 7

Full Size and Micro

12 x 9.6in
9.6 x 9.6in

Question 8

ITX Form Factor

Answer 8

mini-ITX 6.7 x 6.7
Small power supply and low noise

Question 9

Riser Board

Answer 9

Daughter Board
Separate from main mb
proprietary

Question 10

Chipset

Answer 10

One or more discrete integrated circuit chips that support the CPU’s interfacing to all the other devices on the motherboard.

Question 11

Northbridge and Southbridge (Deprecated)

Answer 11

The northbridge chip handled RAM, while the southbridge handled some expansion
devices and mass storage drives, such as hard drives.

Question 12

Standard Components

Answer 12

CPU, RAM, HDD/SSD slots

Question 13

Additional Components

Answer 13

USB
Sound
Networking
Video
RAID
Case Fan

Question 14

Header

Answer 14

Cable plug in for additional external ports

Question 15

Expansion Bus

Answer 15

Used to add features to PC (Video, sound, capture, NIC, etc)

Question 16

Expansion Bus Crystal

Answer 16

Runs the timing of the expansion slots rather than the system crystal

Question 17

PCI Slot

Answer 17

Peripheral Component Interconnect
Self-configuring
Mbs would have PCI and normal expansion to allow use of both

Question 18

PCI Express Slot

Answer 18

uses point-to-point serial connection rather than parallel, much faster

16x is most common

1x most common general purpose

Lanes, bandwidth, encoding reduces possible bandwidth, highest theoretical 256 GTps

2.5 GTps with PCIe 1.x, 5 GTps with PCIe 2.x, 8 GTps with PCIe 3.x, 16 GTps with PCIe 4.0

Question 19

Issues

Answer 19

Wired for fewer lanes than size suggests
Not enough lanes can slow system
Lower PCIe = Less Bandwidth
Lanes can be used for other things

Question 20

Installing Expansion Cards

Answer 20

First, you need to know that the card works with your system and your operating system.
Second, you have to insert the card in an expansion slot properly and without damaging the card or the motherboard.
Third, you need to provide drivers for the operating system—proper drivers for the specific OS.
Fourth, you should always verify that the card functions properly before you walk away from the PC.

Knowledge, physical installation, device drivers, and verification.

Question 21

Troubleshooting Expansion Cards

Answer 21

Device Manager - Check if enabled and driver updated
Add Hardware Wizard hdwwiz.exe
Reseat and Reinstall

Question 22

Upgrading a Motherboard

Answer 22

First, determine what motherboard you need.
Second, make sure you’re getting a form factor that works with your case.
Third, all motherboards come with a technical manual, better known as the motherboard book.
Fourth, pick your case carefully.

Question 23

Installing a Motherboard

Answer 23

Remove all impediments and screws, keep track of the screws.
Unscrew the mb from standoffs.
Insert new mb and standoffs.
Connect LEDs, buttons, front mounted ports.

Question 24

Motherboard Failure Types

Answer 24

Catastrophic
Component
Ethereal

Question 25

Catastrophic

Answer 25

Won’t Boot
Usually a pop and a stink
Check indicator lights

Question 26

Burn-in failure

Answer 26

ESD

Question 27

Component

Answer 27

Bad connections between devices

Question 28

Ethereal

Answer 28

Stuff doesn’t work all of the time

Caused by many things

Question 29

Motherboard Troubleshooting Techniques

Answer 29

Check
Replace
Verify Good Component
Document