Motherboards and CPUs

Unit objective:
Identify characteristics of
motherboards, CPUs, and expansion
cards
Topic A
Topic A: Motherboards
Topic B: CPUs
Topic C: BIOS settings
Topic D: Expansion cards
A motherboard
Motherboards
Components review
CPU IEEE 1394 / FireWire port
Expansion slots Serial port
AGP graphics adapter slot Parallel port
Hard drive interface connectors CMOS battery
Floppy drive interface connector Network interface
Optical drive interface connector Video connectors
Power connector Fan connectors
Memory slots Jumpers
PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports
USB port
Daughter board
A circuit board
Connects to another circuit board to
provide or assist with its functions
Most often used with video cards
Form factor
Size and shape of a motherboard
Dictates power supply and case
Describes physical layout of
components
Common form factors
ATX 9.6 x 12
Mini-ATX 8.2 x 11.2
Micro-ATX 9.6 x 9.6
Mini-ITX 6.7 x 6.7
Nano-ITX 4.7 x 4.7
Pico-ITX 3.9 x 2.8
Motherboard Comparison
ATX
ATX cont.
microATX
Computer bus
Communication pathway
Defined by
How many bits it transmits at one time
Signaling technique
Data transfer speed
Three types
Address
Data
Expansion (I/O)

continued
Computer bus, continued
Address and data buses enable:
Basic CPU operation
Interactions with memory
Expansion bus
Communication pathway for non-core
components to interact with the CPU,
memory, and other core components
Adapter cards add functionality
Audio/Modem Riser
Provides audio and modem support
Moved analog input/output functions
off the motherboard and onto an
external card
An AMR-compatible motherboard
includes no other analog I/O functions
Not subject to FCC certification testing
Communications and Networking Riser

An expansion of the AMR slot idea

Supports specialized modems, audio
cards, and network cards
Normally located near edge of
motherboard
A motherboard has either an AMR slot
or a CNR slot, not both
PCI bus
32-bit (4B) or 64-bit (8B) bus
33 or 66 MHz clock speed
133-533 MBps maximum data transfer rate
Up to 8 functions on a single card
Up to 5 cards/slots per system
Requires PnP
PCI bus slots
PCI adapter
PCI-X standard
Developed to address several
shortcomings in the PCI standard
Increases bandwidth for high-performance
components, running 64 bits at 133 MHz
and transferring up to a theoretical
maximum of 1.06 GBps
PCI-X has been replaced in newer
systems with the PCIe standard
PCIe
Newer standard
Uses serial communication
Lanes
2.5 Gbps in each direction for v1.0 using
8b/10b encoding (0.25 GBps)
x1 (by one), x2, x4, x8, x12, x16, and x32
bus widths
Links bidirectional switched lanes
Can up-plug (e.g., x1 card in x16 slot)
Cant down-plug (not officially)
Mini PCI
Added to the PCI standard to create
expansion devices for laptops
32-bit standard that runs at 33 MHz
Wireless adapters, hard drive
controllers, sound cards, and
Bluetooth adapters
AGP bus standard
Standards 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 64-bit, Ultra, Pro,
Ultra II
Technically a port, not a bus
Provides direct connection between video
adapter and CPU
Original performance benefit was accessing
and using main system memory
Direct Memory Execute (DIME)
Modern AGP cards use onboard memory,
except in laptops
Multiple-monitor support
Being phased out for PCIe
AGP adapter

Note the hook

AGP characteristics
Speeds referred to as #x
Speed pumped to a multiple of
standard speed
AGP 3.0 8x slot transfers data 8 times
per clock cycle
8 times faster than clock speed
Maximum speed 2.13 GBps assuming a
clock rate of 66MHz, octo-pumped to 533
MHz
AGP slots
Typically brown;
sometimes maroon or
other dark color
Separated from other bus
slots to help cooling
High-end systems include
multiple, independent
AGP slots
Multifunction cards
PCI spec supports multifunction cards
Up to 8 functions per card
Five slots/cards per system
Total of 40 expansion devices
Chipsets
Memory control
System bus functions
Audio functions
Video display functions
System management functions
Northbridge and Southbridge
Two most important components of a
PC chipset
Northbridge controls interactions
between the CPU, memory (including
cache), AGP and PCIe video control
circuitry, and the Southbridge
Southbridge controls interactions
between buses and devices not
controlled by the Northbridge
Front panel connectors
Located on front of computer
Includes
USB
Audio
Power button
Power light
Drive activity lights
Reset button
Topic B
Topic A: Motherboards
Topic B: CPUs
Topic C: BIOS settings
Topic D: Expansion cards
Central processing unit (CPU)
Brains of your PC
Processes instructions, manipulates data,
controls interactions of other circuits
Contains:
A control unit
One or more
execution units
Registers
Single-core vs.
multi-core processors
CPU performance
Instruction Low-level, hardware-
specific command
Rated in millions of instructions per
seconds (MIPS)
Rated according to clock speed
Older CPUs One clock cycle/
one instruction
Newer CPUs One clock cycle/
many instructions
CPU design characteristics
Addressable RAM
Bus, address
Bus, data
Bus, internal
Cache
Clock speed
Data bus width
Dual Independent Bus (DIB)
Front-side bus speed
continued
CPU characteristics, continued
GPU
Hyperthreading
Multimedia extensions (MMX)
Multiprocessing
Overclocking
Pipelining
Superscalar
Throttling
Virtualization support
Multiple-processor support
Requires symmetric multiprocessing code
for OS and applications
64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows
Vista use NUMA
Processor specifications
Most common manufacturers:
Intel
AMD
Primary specifications
Bus width specifications
Internal specifications
Inside the case
Chipsets
CPU packaging
Slots
Chipsets
Memory control
System bus functions
Audio functions
Video display functions
System management functions
Northbridge and Southbridge
Two most important components of a
PC chipset
Northbridge controls interactions
between the CPU, memory (including
cache), AGP and PCIe video control
circuitry, and the Southbridge

continued
Northbridge/Southbridge, continued
Southbridge controls interactions
between buses and devices not
controlled by the Northbridge
PCI expansion bus
Floppy drive controller
Serial port
Parallel port
PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports
USB and FireWire
BIOS and CMOS
CPU packaging
Chip = die
A package is made up of
Die
Plastic, metal, or ceramic case
Wires or connectors
Support chips
Cooling components
PGA package

80486
SECC package

Pentium 3
Sockets and slots
775
1156
1155
1366
940
AM2
AM2+
AM3
AM3+
FM1
F
Pentium with MMX CPU & Socket 7 socket
Typical cooling mechanisms
Fans
Heat sinks and cooling fins
Heat pipes
Water pumps
Peltier coolers
Phase-change cooling
Undervolting
Power supply and CPU fans

Power supply fan

Auxiliary fan
Cooling fins
Cooling fins and a fan
Other cooling techniques
Heat pipes Small tubes filled with fluid
Water pumps Tubes filled with water,
moved away from CPU to outside case and
through cooling fins
Peltier coolers
Electronic device that gets colder when voltage
is applied
Non-convection
Connected directly to CPU
Can be combined with water coolers

continued
Other cooling techniques, continued
Phase-change cooling
Vapor compression
Gas to liquid
Liquid absorbs processor heat and evaporates
Gas returned to compressor
Cycle begins again
More efficient than water cooling systems
Generate significant noise
Undervolting
Less power; less heat
Can cause system problems
Topic C
Topic A: Motherboards
Topic B: CPUs
Topic C: BIOS settings
Topic D: Expansion cards
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System
A set of software instructions stored
on a chip on the motherboard
Enables basic computer functions
CMOS
Area of memory that stores BIOS
configuration information
Type of computer chip:
complementary metal oxide
semiconductor
Can maintain information with battery
when systems power is removed
BIOS configuration settings
Component information
Configurable settings
Monitoring
BIOS configuration procedure
BIOS updates
BIOS implemented either in:
ROM: Programmed at factory (older technology)
Flash memory: Can update, flash, the BIOS
When to update
Update sources
Determining BIOS version
Researching BIOS updates
Flashing the BIOS
Topic D
Topic A: Motherboards
Topic B: CPUs
Topic C: BIOS settings
Topic D: Expansion cards
Safe handling
Unplug your computer
Work at anti-static workstation
Ground yourself to the chassis
Keep cards inside static-protective
bags
Handle cards by their edges or slot
cover plate
Dont touch board components,
traces, or edge-connector pins
Drivers
Software that interacts with a device
and enables its functions
Some are provided by operating
system
Others you must install
Riser card
Installing an expansion card
1. Configure DIP switches or jumpers on the
card
2. Shut down PC, unplug it, remove peripheral
cables, and open case
3. Locate empty and available expansion slot
of correct type
4. Remove cover for that slot
5. Move or remove wires or other expansion
cards so you can access the slot
6. Connect wire assemblies to the expansion
board
continued
Installing an expansion card, continued

7. Begin inserting the end of edge connector

thats farthest from the slot cover; then
gently push card into place in slot
8. Fix card in place with screws or clips
9. Connect any wiring assemblies
10. Close the case, connect peripherals, and
start the system
11. Configure the card
12. Install required drivers
Video adapter slot types
Built into motherboard
Dont take up an expansion slot
Common on low-end systems
Might be able to disable on-board video
adapter in BIOS
Three types of video expansion slots
PCI
AGP
PCIe
Installation of sound cards
Adapter card type must match
expansion bus
Must attach CD drives audio-out
cable to sound card
Some sound cards require device
drivers from the manufacturer
Unit summary
Identify characteristics of
motherboards, CPUs, and expansion
cards