Motherboards Flashcards
Form factors
Form factor is a standardized set of shapes/forms and connections for computer components.
IBM created the AT Form Factor
IBM stated in the 1980’s that they would not sue other companies for copying their AT Form factor.
The first 10 years of computing were dominated by the AT Form factor.
Riser Cards were used in the AT Form Factor in order to place cards in sideways to keep your profile lower.
ATX was created by Intel in the 1990’s and is still used today.
ATX and ITX
ATX has four different sizes. Standard, mini, micro, and flex.
ATX motherboard measures 12 x 9.6 inches.
ATX created the (I/O) area which is the input output area and is fixed in size.
MicroATX has the same I/O area as the ATX.
ATX also defined the power supply sizing and connections.
FlexATX is used in small form factors such as point of sale systems or home theater systems.
ITX was created by ITX in 2001.
ITX does not have a standard motherboard.
ITX has three different sizes, Mini-ITX, Nana-ITX, and Pico-ITX.
Mini ITX is 170 by 170 millimeters.
MiniITX is designed for low power.
ITX uses a flex ATX power supply.
Chipsets
VLSA integration technologies took all of the functions within motherboards done by individual chips and consolidated them.
Intel 440BX chipset was a two chip group that integrated these functions. This created the term “Chip Set”.
Northbridge and SouthBridge : These are the chips that are built to work together. They were also designed to work with a specific range of CPU.
Northbridge: Handles things that need to be completed fast and memory controlling.
Southbridge: Handled things like input devices.
Chipsets would always take the newest technology and dump in onto the NorthBridge. Older technology would then downgrade to the Southbridge.
The chipset makes the definition of whether or not certain technologies are supported such as the type and speed of RAM.
Super I/O chip: Handles a lot of the legacy technology still incorporated within motherboards.
It is important to keep up on the latest chipsets.
Memory controller functions: Are now being brought into the modern CPU.
Modern motherboards are now using the CPU in conjunction with one other single chip being the Northbridge.
The Expansion Bus
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) come out in the early 1990s and was adopted by the entire industry.
PCI: Created a latency period based on the signals not being received at the other end of the bus based on 32 or 64 bits(Wires) sending out the information.
PCI: Uses a 32 bit wide bus and runs either 33 or 66 megahertz.
PCI: Downside is that it only 32 bits.
PCI-X: Was created in the mid 90’s and has a 64-bit wide bus. It ran at 133 megahertz.
Mini-PCI: Made for laptops and is 32 bits wide.
PCIe (PCI Express Busses): Is the same language as PCI but it handles data with serial communication instead of parallel communication.
PCIe speed: This is calculated by taking the speed of the lane * the number of lanes.
PCIe Lanes: run at 2 Gbps or 4 Gbps.
x1 PCIe SLOT (By 1 or single lane):
Mini-PCIe: Made for laptops and has a 52-pin connector.
Touring The Motherboard
Each motherboard comes with its own I/O shield.
Need to know all of the different connections and components of the motherboard.
Installing A Motherboard
Make sure to test each of your components before screwing the motherboard into the case.
Use standouts and washers to safely and securely install the motherboard.
Remember to plug in all of the necessary power and front panel connectors.
