Motherboards Objective 3.4

Question 1

Motherboard

Answer 1

▪ Printed circuit board that contains computer components and provides connectors

Question 2

Processing

Answer 2

▪ Actions performed by the CPU when receiving information
▪ Processing is conducted by the CPU or GPU

Question 3

Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX)

Answer 3

▪ Full-size motherboard and measures 12” x 9.6” in size (305mm x 244 mm)

Question 4

Mini-ATX

Answer 4

▪ Smaller than ATX but contains the same features (11.2” x 8.2” / 284mm x
208 mm)

Question 5

Micro-ATX (mATX)

Answer 5

▪ Measures 9.6 inches squared (244mm x 244mm)
▪ Micro-ATX is the same as ATX but only has 4 expansion card slots

Question 6

Information Technology eXtended (ITX)

Answer 6

▪ Designed as a replacement for the ATX but never produced

Question 7

Mini-ITX

Answer 7

▪ Measures 6.7” x 6.7” with only one expansion slot (170 x 170mm
squared)
● Nano-ITX
● Pico-ITX
● Mobile-ITX

Question 8

CPU

Answer 8

▪ The brains of the computer that execute the different programing codes in the software and firmware

▪ The CPU is performing the basic operations for every instruction in the computer

▪ Once the processor has done the execution of the instruction, it will send that information back to the memory so that it can be stored and used for later use

Question 9

X86 and X64

Answer 9

X86
▪ Can support a maximum of 4 gigabytes of Ram

X64
▪ An extension of the X86 instruction set to be able to support 64-bit operations
▪ 32 bit systems can only run 32 bit programs, but 64 bit processors can run 64 bit programs and 32 bit programs because they are fully backwards
compatible

Question 10

Advanced RISC Machine (ARM)

Answer 10

▪ Used for low-power devices (tablets and cell phones)
● Extended battery life
● Produces less heat
▪ RISC systems use code to do tasks

Question 11

ZIF

Answer 11

▪ The ability to insert the CPU without pressing down and applying pressure to it

▪ If you bend, snap, or break a pin from a processor, the entire processor is no longer functional

Question 12

LGA Socket

Answer 12

▪ A form factor that positions all the pins to be able to connect the CPU
processor into the socket

Question 13

PGA Form Factor

Answer 13

▪ The processor has the pins and the socket have holes which allows the holes to align when installing the processor

Question 14

Multi-Socket

Answer 14

▪ Multiple CPU’s or processors installed on a motherboard

▪ You cannot upgrade or change out the processor on a mobile device

▪ The two main types of CPU sockets are LGA, which is made by Intel, and we have PGA, which has made by AMD.

Question 15

Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) / Hyper-threading

Answer 15

▪ Single stream of instructions is being sent by a software application to a processor

▪ Manufacturers developed a way to allow software to run multiple parallel threads at the same time

Question 16

Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP)

Answer 16

▪ Traditional workstation and servers have multiple processors

Question 17

Multi-core Processors

Answer 17

▪ Single CPU with multiple processors inside

▪ Multiple processors have multiple cores inside the CPU

Question 18

Dual-core Processor

Answer 18

▪ Two CPUs inside a single chip

Question 19

Quad-core Processor

Answer 19

▪ Four CPUs inside a single chip

Question 20

Hexa-core Processor

Answer 20

▪ Six CPUs inside a single chip

Question 21

Octa-core Processor

Answer 21

▪ Eight CPUs inside a single chip

Question 22

PCI

Answer 22

▪ 32-bit expansion card
● PCI 32-bit cards support only a maximum bus speed of 33 MHz or 133 MBps

Question 23

PCI-X

Answer 23

▪ 64-bit expansion card (133 MHz)

Question 24

PCI-X 2.0

Answer 24

▪ 266 MHz up to 533 MHz
● PCI and PCI-X are used for networking cards and audio cards

Question 25

Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)

Answer 25

▪ Used for video graphics cards
● AGP 1x
● AGP 2x
● AGP 4x
● AGP 8x

Question 26

PCIe (PCI Express) replaces PCI, PCI-X, and AGP

Answer 26

▪ PCIe x1
▪ PCIe x4
▪ PCIe x8
▪ PCIe x16
● PCIe x1 is used for modems, network cards, wireless cards, input/output devices, and audio cards
● PCIe x16 is used for graphics cards

Question 27

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)

Answer 27

▪ Connects to the bus to get data to and from the motherboard for external devices
▪ PCIe bus is determined by the motherboard and its form factor
● 16 PCIe lanes
● 24 PCIe lanes
● 32 PCIe lanes
▪ PCIe x16 and PCIe x1 maximize the number of lanes used on a motherboard
● PCIe 1.0
● PCIe 2.0
● PCIe 3.0
● PCIe 4.0
● PCIe 5.0
▪ All PCIe slots provide 25 watts of power
▪ PCIe x16 card slot provides up to 75 watts of power

Question 28

Mini PCIe

Answer 28

▪ Standard PCIe card with smaller form factor
▪ Mini PCIe cards are used inside of laptops, specifically for wireless networking
● PCIe x1
o Modems
o Networking cards
o Wireless cards
o Audio cards
● PCIe x16
o Graphics and video cards (3D)
o Gaming systems