Motherboards Flashcards
Printed circuit board that contains computer components and provides connectors
Motherboard
4 basic functions of a computer
1) Input
2) Output
3) Processing
4) Storage
Where is processing conducted?
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
or
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
Difference between non-persistent storage and persistent storage?
Non-persistent = Temporary storage
Persistent = Permanent storage
Data transferred across the motherboard measures the speed of data in ___ or ___
MHz (mega-hertz) or GHz (giga-hertz)
Difference between Volatile storage and Non-volatile storage
Volatile storage – Speed is fast
Non-volatile storage – Speed decreases rapidly
Term to describe a motherboard’s shape, layout, type of case and power supply that will be used by the system
Form Factor
Two main categories for form factor types
1) ATX (Full-size ATX, Mini-ATX, Micro-ATX)
2) ITX (Mini-ITX)
Form factor type that offers full-size motherboard and measures 12” x 9.6” in size (305mm x244 mm)
ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended)
Form factor type that is smaller than ATX but contains the same features (measures 11.2” x8.2” in size – 284mm x 208 mm)
MIni-ATX
Form factor type that measures 9.6 inches squared (244mm x 244mm) (same as ATX, but only has 4 expansion card slots)
Micro-ATX (mATX)
Form factor type that was designed as a replacement for the ATX but was never produced
ITX (Information Technology eXtended)
Form factor type of ITX that measures 6.7” x 6.7” with only one expansion slot (170mm x 170mm squared)
Mini-ITX
3 smaller ITX form factors
1) Nano-ITX
2) Pico-ITX
3) Mobile-ITX
3 main CPU architectures
1) x86 (IA-32)
2) x64
3) ARM (Advanced RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) Machine)
CPU architecture type developed by Intel with an 8-bit, 16-bit, and up to 32-bit instruction set
X86 (IA-32)
CPU architecture type that supports 64-bit instruction set
x64
x86 (32-bit architectures) can only support a max of how many GB of RAM?
4 GB
CPU architecture type that is used for low-power devices (tablets and cell phones)
ARM (Advanced RISC Machine)
Pros of ARM compared to x86 or x64
1) Extended battery life
2) Produces less heat
Two main manufactures of CPU (processors)
1) Intel
2) AMD
Inserts the CPU without pressing down and giving no pressure
ZIF (Zero Insertion Force)
Socket used by Intel processor – form factor that positions all pins to connect the CPU processor into the socket
LGA (Land Grid Array)
Socket used by AMD processor – form factor where the processor has the pins and the socket has the holes
PGA (Pin Grid Array)
Two main types of CPU sockets
1) LGA (Intel)
2) PGA (AMD)
Single stream of instructions being sent by a software application to a processor
Simultaneous Multithreading – SMT (by AMD)
Hyper-Threading (by Intel)
Traditional workstation and servers have multiple processors
SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing)
Single CPU with multiple processors inside
Multi-core Processor
Two CPUs inside a single chip
Four CPUs inside a single chip
Six CPUs inside a single chip
Eight CPUs inside a single chip
Dual-core Processor
Quad-core Processor
Hexa-core Processor
Octa-core Processor
Virtualization in Intel vs. AMD
VT (used by Intel)
EPT (Extended Page Table) used by Intel
AMD-V (used by AMD)
RVI (Rapid Virtualization Indexing) used by AMD
Allows running multiple systems on a single physical host
Virtualization
Motherboard installation 7 step process
1) Review the motherboard’s documentation
2) Position the motherboard to align with rear of the case
3) Insert the standoffs to match the hole locations for the motherboard
4) Install the processor and memory modules before installing the motherboard
5) Verify the standoff are properly aligned prior to installing the motherboard
6) Secure the standoffs using the appropriate screw type
7) Install the power supply, disk drives, add-on cards, and other components
Described as a 32-bit legacy expansion card (33MHz)
PCI
Described as a 64-bit legacy expansion card (133MHz)
PCI-X
PCI and PCI-X are used for what cards? (2)
Networking cards
Audio cards
Used for legacy video graphics cards
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
What replaced PCI, PCI-X, and AGP?
PCIe (PCI Express)
PCIe card sizes (4)
1) PCIe x1
2) PCIe x4
3) PCIe x8
4) PCIe x16
What are PCIe x1 cards mostly used for?
Modems, network cards, wireless cards, input/output devices, and audio cards
What are PCIe x16 cards mostly used for?
Graphics and video cards
Connects to the bus to get data to and from the motherboard for external devices
PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express)
True or False? PCIe x1 is faster than PCIe x16
False
the higher the number, the faster the speed
How many watts of power do PCIe slots provide?
25 watts
What is it called when you put a smaller card in a larger slot?
What is it called when you put a larger card in a smaller slot?
Up-plugging
Down-pugging
Standard PCIe card with smaller form factor
Mini PCIe
What are Mini PCIe cards mostly used for?
Inside of laptops, specifically for wireless networking
Most common PCIe card sizes that are used today? (2)
1) PCIe x1
2) PCIe x16
Expansion Card/Adapter that gives quality signal for monitors
Video Card / Graphics Adapter
A specialized processor designed to accelerate graphics rendering
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
Embeds the memory to give additional capability to offload from the system
High Speed Memory
Installed outside of the card (Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, and HDMI)
Graphical Ports
Expansion Card that takes video signals and processes them inside the computer (used for recording footage)
Video Capture Card
Expansion card type; Cables that are plugged into a computer to get all cable TV channels
TV Capture Card
Expansion card that gives better output through audio
Sound/Audio Card
NIC stands for
Network Interface Card
A special type of expansion card on a motherboard (allows horizontal space rather than vertical)
Riser Card
Which connection type uses a 7-pin or 15-pin L-shaped data connector with one device per port?
a) PATA connection
b) USB connection
c) SATA connection
d) Port cluster
c) SATA connection
(Serial ATA)
You want to build a new gaming computer but intend to reuse as many of the parts as possible from your old computer. You have determined that the motherboard and the case will be reused, and you will purchase a new graphics card, sound card, network interface card, and a USB 3.0 expansion card to increase your system’s overall speed and performance. You are a bit worried that your old computer’s power supply may not be able to support all of these new expansion cards.
Which of the following cards is MOST likely to consume the most power during operations and require you to purchase a new power supply to support it?
a) USB 3.0
b) Sound card
c) Graphics card
d) NIC
c) Graphics card
The power consumption of today’s graphics cards has increased a lot. The top models demand between 110 and 270 watts from the power supply; in fact, a powerful graphics card under full load requires as much power as the rest of the components of a PC system combined. If your old computer didn’t have a dedicated graphics card, it is unlikely that the power supply will be powerful enough to support one without replacing the power supply. Most business computers have a 300-watt power supply. If you are building a high-end gaming workstation, you may require a power supply with 750 watts or more.
You are trying to install Hyper-V on a new laptop, but you keep receiving an error during installation that the software cannot be installed. Which of the following characteristics of the laptop’s processor should you investigate as the MOST likely issue?
a) Virtualization (VT) support
b) Number of cores available
c) Cache size
d) Hyper-threading (HT) technology
a) Virtualization (VT) support
CPU Virtualization is a hardware feature found in all current AMD & Intel CPUs that allows a single processor to act as if it was multiple individual CPUs. This allows an operating system to more effectively & efficiently utilize the computer’s CPU power to run faster. This is enabled or disabled on supported processors within your system’s BIOS. HyperThreading (HT) is an Intel CPU architecture implemented to expose two or more logical processors to the OS to deliver performance benefits.
