Mother Board:

Motherboard is the largest circuit board inside the computer. It contains the computer
CPU, Memory and various supporting chips and many Expansion slots. Some times
IBM refers as System board or Planner board or Logic board.

History:

Initially when IBM decided to make PC (Personal Computer), two different types of
technology were being used to make PC. They were:

1. Bus based Computer.

2. Single Board Based Computers.

Bus Based Computer:

In this approach, a main board is used as the backbone of computer. The main board
contains number of busses or connecting line along which electric/electronics signals
can send from one location to another.

 It contains a numbers of slots providing connection to these buses.

 The data, address, control and power signals are provided on these buses.
 When an expansion board is connected to any of these expansion slots, the
board will be connected to bus and becomes a part of total system.

Advantage of this approach:

 The system can be expanded as when required.

 Different part of computer can be purchased as and when needed. Through
expansion slot.
 This makes the maintenance of system very easy when any part fails.

System Bus

Expansion Slot

Bus Based System

It is so called because a common bus links all the components together. In this type
different parts such as main processor, memory, I/O interfaces, display interfaces are
put on separate cards and connected to main system through expansion slots.
Single Board Based Computer:

In this approach, a single board contains all the chips and circuit required to make a
complete computer system.

Advantage of this approach:

 This type of system is easy to design and manufacture. Its cost is less as
compare to Bus Based Computer.

Disadvantage of this approach:

 Most of this type of system had no option to connect any additional devices.
 There was no scope of upgrading or adding newly introduced device in the
market.
 Being a single board, they were difficult to maintain. Even if one component
fails the user had to either discard the complete motherboard or spend lots of
time to troubleshooting and maintenance.

The IBM approach:

When IBM decided to make PC. They decided to use the good features of both Bus
Based as well as Single board based design.

The design concept of IBM:

1. Keeping most of part on the main board it self keeps the cost down and makes
them more reliable.
2. The slots on the main board provide the facility for future upgrade.

Personal Computers Motherboard:

The main circuit of PC is called motherboard because all other board are attached or
connected. It is mother of all board. The other boards are called daughter board.

Generally, a Motherboard contains:

1. CPU.
2. Co-Processor.
3. Memory
4. BIOS
5. Expansion slots
6. Supporting circuits or chipsets for interrupt, DMA etc.
7. CMOS
8. Multi Media Cards (Sound Card, VGA Card etc.)
9. Network Interface Card.
Processor (Co-Processor):
Coprocessor, in computer science, a processor, distinct from the main
microprocessor that performs additional functions or assists the main
microprocessor. The most common type of coprocessor is the floating-point
coprocessor, also called a numeric or maths coprocessor, which is designed to
perform numeric calculations faster and better than the general-purpose
microprocessors used in personal computers.

Processor speed = FSB speed of the CPU * Clock speed of the computer.
Memory:
IDE
IDE, are of two types one is primary and other one is secondary, generally the HDD is
connected to the IDE0 port and the CD-ROM is connected to the IDE1. If we want to
connect CD-ROM And CD-RW (Writer) both in the computer then it is better to
connect the CD-ROM in primary IDE mean's in IDE0 and the CD-RW in secondary
IDE i.e. IDE1.

COM-1 And COM-2

This two port is used for Communication between different two media. Generally
used for mouse and MODEM. By default COM-1 is the port where the Mouse is used
and COM-2 is to used to connect the MODEM generally and Vice-versa. This is the
serial port to the computer System

RAM
RAM is the abbreviation form of Random Access Memory; it is also called as the
primary memory or the main memory to the computer. As all the task manage by the
processor is done by this memory it very important part of the Motherboard. When
the system is boot the OS is first load its all necessary programs or in other words all
necessary application in RAM then only we can able to perform our all tasks. The
slots in which the RAM chips are fixed are generally found in black color and in
white color, the white color may be blue in some cases. RAM may be of two types
SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM and DDRAM.

ROM -BIOS
It is also called as the ROM-BIOS program. It is a firmware; means the combination
of Hardware and Software both in a single chip, the type of combination is Software
in side the Hardware. This is small chip like structure which contain the boot
information for the system and as well as the BIOS information in it in form of
program.
Expansion slots:
Expansion Slot, in computer science, a socket inside a computer console, designed to
hold expansion boards and connect them to the system bus (data pathway). Most
personal computers have from three to eight expansion slots, with the notable
exceptions of the Apple Macintosh and Macintosh Plus, which have none, and the
Macintosh SE, which has one. Expansion slots provide a means of adding new or
enhanced features or more memory to the system.
It is the long thin connector on the motherboard for connecting additional devices.
Depending upon the width and technology the expansion slot bus can be divided into
different categories.

ISA Slots
ISA, abbreviation for Industry Standard Architecture. In computer science, an
unofficial designation for the bus design of the IBM PC/XT, which allows various
adaptors to be added to the system by means of inserting plug-in cards into expansion
slots. Originally introduced with an 8-bit data path, ISA was expanded in 1984, when
IBM introduced the PC/AT, to include a 16-bit data path. Commonly, ISA refers to
the expansion slots themselves; such slots are called 8-bit slots or 16-bit slots. A 16-
bit slot actually consists of two separate expansion slots mounted end-to-end so that a
single 16-bit card plugs into both slots. An 8-bit expansion card can be inserted and
used in a 16-bit slot (it occupies only one of the two slots), but a 16-bit expansion
card cannot be used in an 8-bit slot.

PCI Slots
PCI, abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect slot. The PCI slots are
found in white color or may be of blue color in some Motherboard. This is the slot,
which allows various adapters to be added to the system. This includes 32-bit data
path.

MCA (Micro channel Architecture)

EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture)
VESA (Video Electronics Standard Association)
Supporting Circuit or Chipsets:
These are supporting chips to the processor. It is also called as the ICs means the
Integrated Circuits. These are found in two modes those are LSI or VLSI now a days
VLSI is used in modern computer as it has a very high capability of performing its
task as compare to LSI chips.

CMOS (Battery)
CMOS, in computer science, acronym for complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor. A semiconductor device that consists of two metal-oxide
semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), one N-type and one P-type,
integrated on a single silicon chip. Generally used for RAM and switching
applications, these devices have extremely low power consumption, at some cost in
speed. They are, however, easily damaged by static electricity.

Clock
Motherboard contains a system clock within it, to manage the system time. It is run
by a battery connected within the Motherboard called CMOS battery. It is a battery of
3 Volt and has the ability to store BIOS program to maintain the ROM-BIOS. If we
want to delete the System BIOS password then we have to first remove the CMOS
battery and then Boot the computer then again fixed the battery in its proper place. It
is a auto rechargeable battery.

Multi Media Cards

Sound card
This is optional means it may or may not present in your system. This card is used to
connect the sound devices like speaker, mice etc. if your computer contain
Multimedia facility then the sound card must installed in the system. It enhanced the
sound facility of the computer.

VGA card
Video Graphics Array, a video adapter introduced by IBM in 1987. It is the higher
version of the EGA (Enhanced Graphics Adaptor) and adds several modes, the most
popular of which are two graphics modes: one supports 640 horizontal pixels by 480
vertical pixels with 2 or 16 simultaneous colors from a table of 262,144 colors; the
other supports 320 horizontal pixels by 200 vertical pixels with 256 colors chosen
from a table of 262,144 colors.

NIC (Network Interface Card)

This is also optional device to the Motherboard it may or may not present in your PC.
If your PC is used for providing LAN facility then it most contain NIC means the
Network Interface Card it is found in different size (e.g.: realtek 3081\82 etc) and the
cable of the network is connected with in the NIC. The cable may be Co-Axial cable
or may be Twisted pair of wire and if we are provided the star network in the LAN
then a HUB most be there and the other end of the cable must be connected with the
HUB.