ICT
1ST QUARTER
INSTRUCTOR: DR. WENDY WRITER
no_reply@example.com
Motherboard
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is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in a computer. The motherboard is a
computer's central communications backbone connectivity point, through which all
components and external peripherals connect.
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Form factors of motherboards
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extended ATX
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mini-ATX
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micro ATX
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BTX
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micro BTX
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mini-ITX
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micro ITX
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nano-ITX
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AT
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ATX
How do motherboards work?
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the PCB of a large motherboard may include six to 14 layers of fiberglass, copper
connecting traces and copper planes for power and signal isolation. Other
components get added to a motherboard through expansion slots. These include
processor sockets; dual in-line memory modules; Peripheral Component
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Interconnect (PCI), PCI Express (PCIe) and solid-state drive M.2 slots; as well as
power supply connections.
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A heatsink and fan manage the heat components such as the CPU generate.
Typically motherboards offer additional connectivity through a Southbridge chip
such as PCI, Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA, Thunderbolt, USB and
other interfaces.
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The CPU is generally connected to double data rate 3 (DDR3), DDR4, DDR5 or
onboard LPDDRx RAM and PCIe. This is done through point-to-point interconnects
such as HyperTransport, Intel's QuickPath Interconnect and Ultra Path Interconnect.
Choosing a motherboard often determines many features a computer will support.
Components of a motherboard
Expansion Slots
These days, most motherboards feature just two slot types: the long PCIe x16 and the short
PCIe x1 slot. You may occasionally see an x4 slot (which sits between those two in length,
but they’re pretty rare. And since you can install an x4 or an x1 card into an x16 slot, x4
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slots aren’t all that useful unless you’re holding on to an old expansion card (that somehow
has modern drivers) and you want to use your x16 slots for graphics cards.
Rear Ports
22. PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse port
23. USB 3.0/3.1 Gen1 ports
24. DisplayPort
25. HDMI port
26. USB Type-C
27. USB 3.1 Gen2
28. Ethernet port
29. Analogue/digital audio ports
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