Another name for a computer's motherboard. RAM slots. Motherboard concept
Any computer user sooner or later hears this strange name - motherboard, let's try to figure out what it is. It is the largest part inside the system unit. It has many names, among the most common are: motherboard, mother, mother, motherboard, MB. As is already clear from the names, it is main detail, the heart of the system, although it can rather be compared with the human nervous system. All other computer components are installed on it or connected to its connectors. The motherboard ensures the interaction of all components, like unified system, managing their joint work.
Indeed, there is a hard drive with data, but it is processed by the processor, and for this it must end up in RAM. In order for a computer user to see the results of the processor, the video card must display them on the monitor, and data from the keyboard and mouse, on the contrary, must enter the processor. Finally, the results of the work must be saved back to the computer’s hard drive. The computer motherboard coordinates this work. This is what this diagram looks like in its most simplified form.
Let's take a closer look at what a computer motherboard is. Physically, the motherboard is a complex printed circuit board with many chips. Since all other devices are connected to it, it is a limiting factor when choosing other components, or if you already have some system components, you will have to select a motherboard for them. Let's take a simple example, you have an old computer that you want to upgrade. For example, install a new powerful video card. However, it turns out that the motherboard uses an outdated AGP bus. New video card with AGP interface You'll be exhausted looking for it, and it will be quite weak and cost more than one similar to the PCI-E bus. Some readers may object that it’s easier to throw out such old stuff and buy a new one normal computer and perhaps they will be right. Then let's consider another situation. Has a computer processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400, which you decided to replace with a more powerful Core i7. But that's not a problem, it cannot be installed on your motherboard, since it uses a different processor socket. You will also have to buy a new mother, and at the same time new memory DDR3. Rapid development technology hurts your pocket when trying to upgrade old equipment. This must be taken into account when choosing new components in order to reduce the costs of further modernization.
How to find out what motherboard is in your computer.
There are several ways to determine the model of motherboard used in a computer. Look in the documentation for your computer, find the model name written on the motherboard itself, or use one of the programs that shows the hardware used in the system. We recommend paying attention to the CPU-Z program. We launch it and on the mainboard tab we see which motherboard and chipset are used in the computer.
Let's look at the main characteristics of the motherboard that affect its consumer properties.
Marked in the figure the following elements:
- 1 - terminals for connection peripheral devices
- 2 - slot for installing a central processor
- 3 - north bridge radiator
- 4 - slot PCI Express x16
- 5 - standard PCI slot
- 6 - BIOS battery
- 7 — SATA port connectors
- 8 - south bridge radiator
- 9 - slot for connecting FDD
- 10 - slot for IDE
- 11 - connector for connecting power to the motherboard
- 12 - RAM slots
Chipset or system logic set - implements data exchange between the central processor and RAM, as well as peripheral device controllers. Most often it consists of two large functional blocks “north bridge” and “south bridge”. All the main characteristics of the motherboard depend on the chipset. The speed and stability of interaction between system components, how many and what devices can be connected to it, and the ability to overclock the system, not least of all, depend on the chipset.
Actively heating components must be cooled. There are two options: active and passive cooling. Active is more effective because using air flow from a fan or water system cooling, but less reliable and noisy. Passive is simply a radiator that dissipates heat naturally. Will never break, silent, but only suitable for low-heat parts. Why are we telling all this? The chipset requires cooling, and the noise and overclocking capabilities of the system will depend on how it is done on the motherboard. Everything is clear with noise, but passive cooling can somewhat limit the overclocking potential.
The central processing unit (CPU) socket, or socket, is used to install the processor on the motherboard. Provides easy installation and replacing the processor if necessary. Has its own conditional number that determines which family central processing units you can install it in it. For example, Socket B2 (LGA1356) is intended for the family Intel processors Sandy Bridge and no others can be installed in it. This must be taken into account if you are assembling a computer from separate components and when upgrading the system, because Each next generation of processors has its own socket that is not compatible with the previous ones.
The question arises, how to find out which socket is on the computer. There are quite a few ways, we will list some of them. Look in the documentation for your computer. Look at the motherboard model printed on it and look at the documentation on the motherboard manufacturer's website. Use one of the computer diagnostic programs, for example free program CPU-Z. Just run the program and get a lot useful information about the system.
Number of RAM slots, type and amount of supported memory motherboard. Nowadays the most common types of memory are DDR2 and DDR3. What type of memory and its maximum amount is supported, you can find out in the specifications for the motherboard. Now the average computer has about 2-4 GB of memory installed, and Windows 32-bit will see only about 3.2 GB (depending on the specific hardware).
Slots for the high-performance PCI Express (PCI-E) bus are used to install a video card. A specific slot implementation may have different bandwidths, see the board specifications for details. The motherboard can have multiple slots for installing video cards to create high-performance graphics system computer. The more slots a board has and the higher their speed (more lines), the more flexible options it provides. Hot swapping of cards is supported.
Slots for low performance PCI bus. The interface has lost ground a lot PCI-E bus, but can still be useful for connecting the old peripheral equipment. The need for such slots is strictly individual.
SATA connectors are used to connect storage devices (hard drives and optical drives). The SATA interface is a development of the IDE interface previously used for drives. The speed of operation depends on the SATA revision, for example, the Revision 3.0 specification provides a throughput of up to 6 Gbit/s. Supports hot-swappable hardware. The more connectors on the motherboard, the more devices you can connect.
IDE is an outdated interface for connecting drives. After the appearance of the SATA interface, it was renamed PATA (Parallel ATA). Not compatible with SATA. Two devices can be connected to one loop. One is called a master, the other a slave. Devices require configuration using jumpers on the housing. It is still found in motherboards to ensure backward compatibility. There are adapters for connecting IDE devices to the SATA port and vice versa. May be useful for connecting old equipment to new computer or modernizing the old one.
USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector used for quick connection of low and medium speed devices. It is widely used for connecting printers, scanners, flash drives, card readers, cameras, phones and many other peripheral devices. It has several revisions that differ in interface performance and are backward compatible. The most common USB 2.0 is gradually being replaced by USB 3.0. The more USB ports there are on the motherboard, the better. It is desirable to have at least several USB 3.0 ports. It is important to keep in mind that there are several physical implementations connectors. When buying a wire to connect any device, you need to remember this.
The ROM chip (BIOS) contains a set of microprograms necessary for the initial initialization of the equipment and subsequent booting operating system. Modern implementation often allows you to update the BIOS from external media. Usually it contains many settings for configuring equipment, enabling/disabling it, setting the order of loading the OS from media and performing some other functions. The ability to overclock a system is largely determined by the settings provided by the BIOS for this. Due to the ongoing BIOS functions its performance is critical for the system. Incorrect settings or damage will lead to the inability to boot the system, so many motherboard manufacturers provide emergency protection systems such as redundant BIOS chip. If the computer refuses to boot due to the BIOS not working, you can remove the CR2032 battery installed on the computer's motherboard for a few minutes. To get to the BIOS menu, you must press a specific key or key combination when checking the system's functionality immediately after turning on the computer. The most common options are F2, F10, Del, Ecs. The exact key can be found in the documentation for the motherboard.
The last point we wanted to consider is the so-called motherboard form factor. It defines dimensions, location of mounting holes, type of power connector, location of interfaces and some other things. Among the most common form factors today are:
The system unit case must be designed to accommodate a board of this form factor. You can install other smaller boards in an ATX case, but you cannot install an ATX motherboard in a MicroATX case. It is also necessary to take into account that due to the dense layout of boards such as MicroATX, MiniATX, Mini-ITX, Nano-ITX and other reduced sizes, some components will not be able to be installed, because they will physically lack space. For example, a powerful large video card or a large CPU cooler will run into RAM or capacitors.
That's all we wanted to tell you about the computer motherboard. Of course, this is a rather superficial description, but it is quite sufficient for a novice computer user to imagine what a computer motherboard is.
The motherboard contains several subsystems, and they all must be configured in a certain way.
Some options may be disabled eg built-in graphics adapter(if using an external video card).
BIOS settings are stored in the CMOS chip, which is powered by a 3V 2032 lithium cell (a fresh battery is 3.3V) when the computer is turned off. If it is turned on, power is supplied from the computer's power supply. If you remove the battery, the microcircuit will “forget” the settings.
However, at present this does not lead to catastrophic consequences, because the type of hard drive and everything else necessary to boot the system is determined automatically in most cases.
But time and date, naturally, will be reset.
The CMOS chip consumes very little current (less than a microamp), so the element's energy lasts for several years. The voltage on it gradually “sits down”, and when it decreases below 2.8 - 2.9 V, the settings will be reset.
In some cases, if the battery is dead, the computer may not boot. In such cases, it is generally “silent”, and one can erroneously conclude that the motherboard is faulty. To exclude this reason (the computer may not start or boot the system due to many other reasons), you should take out the battery and repeat the download operation. If the computer “moved”, the reason was precisely the dead element.
Note that the first two digits of the element marking mean its diameter in millimeters (20), the second two – its thickness (in tenths of a millimeter). The larger the second digit, the greater its capacity, the longer the element will work. If there is no element 2032, you can install element 2025, which has a slightly smaller capacity.IDE and SATA interfaces
The next part is the interfaces of storage devices and data readers.
Most computers for home and office use two interfaces - IDE And SATA.
The IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) interface contains a 40-pin connector and is connected to a hard drive or CD/DVD drive with a flexible ribbon cable. Currently, it is slowly falling out of use. But even on new motherboards it is still present for compatibility with older hard drives and drives.
Both the IDE and SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) connectors contain keys for correct docking. Older motherboards have two IDE connectors (channels) – primary and secondary. It is usually recommended to connect the hard drive(s) to the primary channel, and the drives to the secondary channel. The primary channel connector is often stands out blue or red.
Each IDE channel can be connected two devices– master (master) and slave (slave).
The selection is made using jumpers (jumpers) on the devices. If on the same channel both devices are configured as master or both as slave, neither of them will work will not. Thus, one of the devices must be configured as master, the other as slave.
SATA devices are connected each to its own connector.
SATA is, unlike IDE, consistent interface, which, however, provides greater data exchange speed. By now it has almost replaced the IDE. Currently, the third specification is being implemented - SATA3.
Different motherboards may have different number SATA connectors. Usually there are at least 4 of them (on old motherboards there could be 2).
Older computers used floppy disk drives (Floppy Disk Drives - FDD). The data was stored on 5.25" floppy disks with a capacity of 360, 720 kb and 1.2 Mb and 3.5" floppy disks with a capacity of 720 kb and 1.44 Mb.
The drive was connected to the motherboard with a flexible 34-pin cable. FDD was characterized by low data exchange speed and low reliability. By now he almost out of use. And how could it be otherwise if hard drives with a capacity of terabytes and compact flash drives with hundreds of gigabytes of data appeared?
The motherboard also contains interfaces external devices.
The keyboard and mouse interfaces have round, six-pin PS/2 sockets with keys, painted in different colors.
This is also foolproof, so as not to confuse the connectors. The mouse connector is most often colored green color, keyboards – lilac.
And a mouse with PS/2 connectors cannot be connected or disconnected while switched on - this is fraught with their failure. And it’s also good if only these devices themselves burn out. It will be worse if the controller of this interface on the motherboard fails. In some cases, this grief can be helped - when the power is connected to the corresponding microcircuit through fuses.
The fuse chip (a small “brick” soldered to the board) has a very small value and can easily burn out during “switching” manipulations.
You can “call” him digital tester. If it fails, you need to carefully replace it with the same one (or, in extreme cases, with a jumper made of a very thin wire). But it’s better not to take risks and not switch “on the fly.”
Note that the fuse chip may be not on every board.
USB interface
Among external interfaces, the interface occupies a special place USB(Universal Serial Bus, universal serial bus), which contains 4 lines - 2 power lines and 2 data lines.
USB devices can be switched on the fly and this good news for forgetful users. However, the USB interface appeared quite a long time ago and managed to change several specifications.
This possibility is ensured, in particular, by the special design of the connector. The power contacts are located closer to the edge of the connector than the data contacts. And when switching, the power is connected first and disconnected last.
Via the USB interface you can connect a large number of devices - printers, scanners, digital cameras and - including - mouse and keyboard. So, if the PS/2 port is burned out, the keyboard can be connected via USB. Not everything is so bad in this world! Previously, parallel (LPT) and, less commonly, serial (COM) ports were used to connect printers. By now they are almost out of use. And this is also good, because when connecting to the LPT “on the go,” it was possible to burn out both the port and the printer.
At this point, dear readers, let us pause. In the second part of the article we will complete a brief introduction to the device. We’ll also tell you about some useful little things that not everyone knows... Subscribe to updates so as not to miss an interesting article.
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The computer motherboard is the foundation on which all components are built.
The role of a computer motherboard cannot be overestimated. After all, it only depends on it whether you will be able to expand the functionality of your PC in the future or not? Increase the amount of RAM, install more productive one? Will the presence of additional, initially unused, slots and connectors allow further expansion (“upgrade”) of the entire system? It's like the foundation of a house: if you don't build it well, the structure may collapse over time.
The motherboard is a multilayer “pie” of single-layer (single-sided or double-sided) printed circuit boards. Each of the layers represents such a separate board. Multilayering, first of all, is needed to combat crosstalk and interference created by signal lines (paths) of the board located close to each other. To increase this distance and isolate the signal lines of one layer from another, this whole “sandwich” was invented. Each layer is separated from each other special gaskets made of fiberglass (adhesive) and then the whole thing is pressed into a special oven.
Graphically, the internal structure of the product can be depicted something like this:
As a bonus, the overall mechanical strength of such a structure also increases. The number of individual layers in modern branded products can reach up to ten, or even more! After that, the almost finished motherboard is coated on both sides with a dielectric protective varnish of the desired color, dried, the necessary holes are drilled in it for fasteners, installation of connectors and other components, the holes on the edges are metalized, and the product is almost ready! Of course, after this you need to install the connectors themselves and the entire element base of radio-electronic components, carry out their soldering, quality control, and carry out comprehensive testing under load, but this process is clearly shown in the video below the article, so I see no point in describing it again.
Note: printed circuit board or PCP (Printed Circuit Board) - a dielectric plate on which electrically conductive paths are formed chemically or mechanically. They can be formed either by the classical method of etching them on the board, or using laser engraving technology.
Since we are primarily interested in high-quality computer motherboards, let's turn our attention to a full-size board from the manufacturer Asus. The large number of elements and expansion slots located on it allows us to hope for a good upgrade prospect, and the high-quality element base of components and board layout - for long term its operation.
Let's, as usual, go through all the notations in order and find out what components the computer motherboard consists of:
Let us dwell with you on the most important points that require separate comments. In the image we can clearly see the cooling system in the center, with copper tubes radiating from it. The central heatsink covers the “northern” microcircuit of the board’s chipset. It includes such important components as a RAM controller and a controller system bus(now these elements are actively being transferred to the CPU) and, naturally, supports the interface for interaction with the “southern” microcircuit.
Titles" northern" And " southern"bridge" only denotes the geographic location of these elements relative to the PCI slots (to the north - higher or to the south - lower). The south "bridge" chip is also covered by a radiator. It, as a rule, contains a built-in controller, a USB bus, integrated sound, and is responsible for the operation PCI buses, various sensors on the board, etc.
Note: chipset - a set of chips designed for collaboration to complete any tasks. The second name is a set of system logic.
Applicable to computers, the classic chipset on the motherboard consists of two large chips:
- Northbridge
- southbridge
The north bridge connects (via controllers integrated into it) the CPU with high-performance devices located on the computer motherboard (memory, video adapter). The south bridge is responsible for supporting slower peripheral devices (USB, sound and network cards, hard drives, various boards extensions, etc.)
Here, for example, is what a set of system logic looks like ("northern" - larger and "southern" - smaller bridge) produced by the VIA company.
Let's move on. Under numbers “6” (see the first photo of the article) on the motherboard we have two radiators that cool the processor’s power circuits. Elements located under the heatsinks (capacitors and transistors) prevent large changes in the CPU supply voltage when its load changes. Their high-quality performance is one of the indicators of a good motherboard. Agree, if the computer’s operation turns out to be unstable simply due to poor-quality power supply, it will be a shame!
Separately, we note that the element base of power circuits on modern motherboards is quite diverse: it includes a PWM controller, voltage converters, transistors, resistors, chokes, capacitors, etc.
The photo below shows a typical multiphase power supply circuit of a modern processor:
For example, voltage converters are needed in order to supply one or another element with the strictly necessary power for its normal operation. It’s one thing that 12 volts “comes” from the power supply at the input of the converter, but not all elements need exactly twelve! So the converters lower it to the required value and “give it” to the final “consumer” (a specific microcircuit or other element).
I propose to talk in more detail about why all these phases are needed and how they work? I think you need to know this! The role of a step-down converter can be VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) or VRD (Voltage Regulator Down). Don’t get too hung up on this, it will be enough if you remember these abbreviations and know what they refer to.
Typically, several MOSFETs are also included in the converter circuit. They are controlled by an electric field, which is why they are called “field” (field). The abbreviation MOS comes from "metal-oxide-semiconductor", in the English version: "metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor" or abbreviated as MOSFET. Therefore, you can see the name as mosfet transistors (popularly called “mosfets”).
The power phase control on the computer motherboard is usually based on a PWM controller. The abbreviation PWM also has its own meaning and it is “Pulse Wide Modulation” - pulse width modulation, in Russian PWM. Therefore, such components are often called PWM controllers.
Here's what it might look like:
The PWM controller “learns” about the power required for the processor at the moment using a special 8-bit signal, which “tells” it what voltage needs to be supplied to the CPU at one time or another.
In very old computers, all voltage regulator circuits were single-phase, but over time (as processor power consumption increased) they became inefficient and manufacturers had to use multiple phases to regulate the voltage supplied to the CPU. This is where the concept of “multiphase” came from. Four-phase power, eight-phase, etc. Now there is, it seems, even 24-phase! :)
What is behind this concept? Let's try to figure it out! What is the main limitation of a single-phase regulator? First of all, in the maximum current that can be passed through the elements that form it: mosfets, inductors (chokes), capacitors. Their limit is about thirty amperes, while modern CPUs can draw current in excess of one hundred amperes! It is clear that with such “requests” one phase will “boil” very quickly :) It was precisely to compensate for this limitation that they began to use multiphase power on motherboards.
When using a multiphase regulator, the total load current can be distributed over the N number of individual phases, which in total will produce the required (rated) power! For example: with a six-phase power supply, each of the six phases will have 30 Amperes (remember about the maximum current limitation), while in total all our phases can peak load“pass” as much as 180 Amperes through yourself!
Note: for Intel processors Core generation i7 with a power consumption of over 130 watts (even taking into account the possibility of overclocking), six-phase power is quite enough! Anything more is from a crafty marketer :)
You also need to keep in mind that the element base does not stand still and instead of conventional electrolytic capacitors, so-called solid-state polymer capacitors, whose service life exceeds 50,000 hours, chokes with a ferrite core, etc., are now widely used. All this together makes it possible to pass through them a maximum current of not 30, but 40 Amperes. Therefore, such a six-phase processor power circuit (circuit) will be able to provide a current to the processor of about 240 Amperes (energy consumption of more than 200 Watts)! What home CPU consumes this, other than AMD?! :)
The last thing I would like to add is that now on computer motherboards such a thing as dynamic switching of power phases is often used. This means that as necessary (the processor consumes more current), everything is switched on large quantity phases, and when the load decreases, some of them are switched off. In theory, a weak CPU can be started with only one operating phase. Another thing is how long will he last? But for starting in testing mode, this method may be quite suitable!
So, back to our main material! If you try to schematically depict the location of all the main elements and connectors on the computer motherboard, you will get something like this:
Here's another (graphical) embodiment of this idea:
Let's say a few words about the board's system bus - FSB (Front Side Bus). This is a high-speed interface between the processor and the north bridge of the motherboard chipset. The higher its frequency, the higher the data transfer speed and the speed of the entire system as a whole. FSB frequency is measured in megahertz.
Note: what frequency is, what values it can take and what it is measured in we discussed in the article.
Only the CPU is connected directly to the system bus itself; other devices are connected to it through specialized controllers that are integrated into the northbridge chip.
To be fair, it is worth noting that there is now a trend towards high integration of main controllers and even entire devices (graphics accelerator) directly into the central processor core.
One of the first to be moved from the chipset was the RAM controller, which made it possible to reduce the time delays inevitable when transferring data and commands over the system bus. For example, almost all the main controllers that were previously located on the motherboard were transferred to a processor based on Intel LGA1156. As a result, FSB is actually absent in it!
AMD developers use their proprietary technology to replace the system bus. It's called "Hyper Transport". This development has already gone through several revisions and is successfully used not only in personal computers, but also in such high-performance devices as network routers Cisco company.
Another “candidate” for transfer directly to CPU core It turned out to be built-in video, which previously “felt” quite comfortably in the north bridge of the motherboard chipset. And it seemed, where could it go from there?! And some time passed and - please: the video core on the same chip with the processor. Fantastic! :)
How did this become possible? First of all, due to the fact that the manufacturing process of all the main elements of a computer is constantly decreasing. For example, the Intel Core i7 family processor is made using a 22-nanometer process technology, which made it possible to place approximately 1.4 billion transistors on the same chip area!
Note: 22 nanometers corresponds, in this case, to the linear resolution of the lithography equipment used to manufacture the final device. And a “nanometer” (nm or nm) is one billionth of a meter (millimicron)!
What are we doing? As the technical process decreases, the size of the main elements (transistors) that we can place on the chip also decreases. Consequently, we can place more of these same transistors in the same area! And, as a result, build on their basis a built-in CPU graphics core or any other element. Actually, developers actively use this, trying to constantly reduce technological process production.
Over time, this led to the fact that all the main high-speed interfaces and controllers “migrated” under the processor cover, and many motherboards of modern computers lost not only the south bridge, but sometimes also the north bridge! Since all peripheral controllers moved to the north bridge, the south bridge simply disappeared as unnecessary. Today you can still find motherboards with classic layout elements of system logic (chipset), but this happens less and less often.
So let's continue! For cheaper motherboards, a typical situation is when manufacturers assemble all its elements on an already shortened (bottom or side) PCB plate. As a result, all elements of the motherboard are located very close to each other and about some additional connectors or you have to forget about the exits (the main thing would fit in here!).
Remember: a good motherboard should have the same aspect ratio as in the photo (it should not be small square or elongated rectangular) and there should be a lot of space on it! Until now - this is my IMHO, despite the year 2015 :) Well-established manufacturers of motherboards for desktop computers The companies are: Msi, Asus, Gigabyte and Intel.
For example, the Gigabyte company additionally “lays” between the layers printed circuit board several thin layers of copper. This proprietary technology even received its own name: “Ultra Durable” (photo at the beginning of the article). Copper acts as an additional heatsink that removes heat from the hottest areas of the motherboard: the processor with its power circuits and chipset chips.
Also, different manufacturers of boards, in order to highlight their products, add all sorts of improvements to it: like dual BIOS (so as not to use it in case of a failure), a post-code sensor, power and reset buttons on the board itself, etc.
Here is one example of how additional improvements are installed on high-quality motherboards.
Below is circled in red, which we mentioned above. He can “tell” us about a problem in the computer’s operation through digital combinations on the display. Their decoding is usually attached to the motherboard itself in the form of a small book.
But what other motherboards are there? The photo below is a mini ITX form factor with an Atom 550 processor with passive cooling.
At the end of the article, I want to show you my workplace and how the next motherboard is tested on it:
I'm currently installing Windows. This connection option eliminates the possibility of a board being attached to the computer case, and visual inspection and overall process control is much more convenient.
There are also server motherboards. How do server solutions differ from conventional (desktop) ones? First of all, increased reliability! After all, servers have to work 24/7 (like a supermarket) :) Servers are usually equipped with expensive register parity control (ECC), and they can also support several physical processors. In the photo below we see a board that can accommodate four physical CPUs.
These are products that are in no way related to the SOHO segment (Small Office/Home Office), but serious corporate solutions. Naturally, there are also Lov-End (cheap) and Hi-End (expensive) products here, but that’s another story. Also, on servers, as a rule, hardware raid (RAID) controllers are installed, made in the form of a separate printed circuit board; on desktops, similar functionality can only be obtained using software.
Note: RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks - redundant array of independent disks). Reliable data storage technology based on redundancy of stored information. When several are combined into one virtual logic element to ensure reliability and improve performance.
Separately, we can highlight the gaming segment of motherboards. As a rule, such solutions cost an order of magnitude more and have a bunch of additional options: in the form of advanced overclocking capabilities, advanced power and cooling management, various status indicator sensors, reinforced element base, etc. One such example is a product from Asus(Asus Maximus 7):
Cool "toy", isn't it? Finally, the idea of the article, formed on the basis personal experience: a good (quality) thing cannot cost 30-50 dollars. Well, that’s all it can be! :)
Educational video about how motherboards are assembled at one of the Gigabyte factories.
This article will continue this series. Today we will answer frequently asked questions about the motherboard. You will learn what a motherboard is, what it is needed for, what it consists of, as well as characteristics that you should pay attention to when choosing it. Let's go in order.
What is a computer motherboard
Motherboard (motherboard, motherboard, system board, main board) is the main board of the system unit. It contains connectors for connecting all other parts - video card, RAM, processor, etc.
In computer terminology, the motherboard is the base of the entire computer. As we said earlier, both RAM and processor play a major role in the operation of a computer. However, for them to reach their full potential, they need a connecting link, which is the motherboard. Let's take a closer look at why a computer needs a motherboard.
Why does a computer need a motherboard?
Without further ado, we list the main functions of the motherboard:
- It connects all the “insides” of the computer with each other (it has a socket for the processor, connectors for RAM and a graphics adapter, etc.).
- The motherboard turns the mouse, display, system unit, keyboard and other components - into a single working ecosystem.
- Responsible for allowing the CPU to control the operation of other parts of the computer. That is, the motherboard not only turns all PC components into one, but also maintains communication between them.
- The motherboard is responsible for transmitting the image to the monitor (if a graphics card is integrated into it).
- Motherboard is responsible for the sound of the computer, since currently a huge number of board models have a built-in sound card.
- Providing Internet access - modern motherboards have a built-in network adapter.
What does the motherboard consist of?
Having dealt with the previous questions, it’s time to look at what the motherboard consists of. And its main elements can be called:
- CPU socket ( CPU socket ) - in simple words - this is a socket for installing a processor;
- Slots PCI And PCI Express — the former, due to their low performance, are used to connect TV tuners, audio and network cards, as well as other devices that have enough bandwidth of this interface. PCI Express is typically used to connect video cards to PCs;
- Slots for RAM — here you install RAM strips;
- SATA And IDE connectors - they are used to connect various storage devices (, SSD) to the computer. They are also used to connect an optical disc drive;
- Chipset - this is a set of chips, the so-called north and south bridges. North Bridge exercises control over the relationship between system board with RAM, graphics accelerator, CPU. It also regulates the speed of their operation and connects to the south bridge, which controls energy saving, BIOS, system clock, IDE, SATA, USB, LAN, Embeded Audio interfaces;
- Chip BIOS and battery CMOS memory - here is the software for starting the computer and testing it. CMOS stores BIOS settings, and so that they do not get lost when you turn off the computer ( given memory volatile) a special battery is used, which powers the memory.
- External connectors are all possible outputs for headphones, microphone, Ethernet, HDMI, USB, etc.;
- Power connectors - in fact, both the motherboard itself, the processor and the cooling system require power.
In principle, this is the main set that can be found, but it is also necessary to remember that different manufacturers and models, it may differ, so move on to the next point.
Types of motherboards and their manufacturers
Today you can see many motherboards from different manufacturers: ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, Asrock, Esonic, and they are all divided into many types. For example, what type of processor are they designed for - AMD or Intel? Each of the competing CPU classes is unique and requires a different socket. For AMD these are: AM1, AM3+, AM4, FM2, FM2+. Motherboards designed for Intel CPUs have sockets: LGA 1150, LGA 1151, LGA 2011, LGA 2011-3. Motherboards are also divided by the type of memory they support – DRR3 or DDR4.
Nevertheless, the most well-known division of motherboards into types is based on form factor - a parameter that determines the area of the board, as well as mounting locations and sockets for power supply. Main representatives: E-ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, Mini-STX, Standard-ATX:
- Standard-ATX - the most common form factor among users, perfect for gaming machines and for a work system. Average sizes - 305/244 millimeters. Well compatible with most types of housings. A sufficiently voluminous area reduces the likelihood of overheating, since there is more space for other parts and they do not have to be squeezed into a limited-sized case, which has a positive effect on the air flow between them. Allows you to install two video cards;
- Micro-ATX inferior in size to the original (244/244 millimeters). They have fewer PCI slots. Mostly suitable only for work, but there are samples suitable for games, but there are fewer of them than the previous representative;
- Mini-ITX - one of the most compact motherboards, having dimensions of 170/170 millimeters. They are more suitable as work and multimedia solutions, because there may be no connector for a graphics card, therefore, we are content with the integrated option. Slots for RAM modules - one pair;
- E-ATX - An excellent solution for gamers. It is possible to install several graphics accelerators at once, and on certain models You can even install a couple of CPUs. Average dimensions are 305/272 millimeters. Also, these models can become good option for a server machine;
- Mini-STX - a solution for mini-PCs, not suitable for games, but a completely acceptable option for study and work. There are no slots where the graphics accelerator will be installed, and there are only two slots for RAM. Average size 140/147 millimeters.
Characteristics of motherboards
As usual, do not forget to touch upon the issue of the main characteristics of the motherboard. So, let's begin:
- Form factor - as already mentioned, this parameter includes the size, mounting locations of the motherboard, as well as connectors for additional devices;
- Motherboard socket type is the socket where the CPU is installed. Important parameter, since we know that a specific type of processor requires a specific socket;
- The number of slots and the supported type of RAM - the first indicates the possibility of increasing the amount of RAM, the second - the speed of its operation;
- System bus frequency directly affects computer performance. The more, the higher the PC performance will be. Naturally, this is not the only factor influencing the speed of a computer, but it is necessary to select components so that the system bus frequency is not lower than that of other elements;
- The chipset is one of the most important points when choosing a motherboard. By and large, the type of processor that can be used, memory, support for various peripherals, etc. depends on it;
- The number of PCI and PCI Express slots - the number and possibility of connecting both video cards and other expansion cards used for this interface will depend on this;
- The number of SATA slots will allow you to understand how many HDDs, SDDs, and optical drives can be connected;
- The presence and characteristics of integrated network, graphics and sound cards will allow you to understand what your PC will be capable of without purchasing their discrete analogues;
- Availability and number of external connectors - for both a desktop computer and a laptop, it is important to have at least 3 USB ports, a headphone output and a microphone input. In addition, it is often also necessary Ethernet port, VGA (already quite old), HDMI. Although here it is more necessary to build on your own needs.
conclusions
To summarize, we can say that today a motherboard is a complex device that connects all the components of a computer, controls their operation, and is also responsible for the amount of additional connected equipment. This board determines the characteristics of your PC and sets the limits for upgrading it.
The motherboard (system) board is the main element of any modern computer and combines almost all the devices included in its composition.
The basis of the motherboard is a set of key system logic chips (chipset).
The type of chipset entirely determines the type and number of components that make up the computer, as well as its potential capabilities.
The system board contains:
DIMM slots for installing SDRAM/DDR/DDR2/DDR3 memory modules (different for each memory type).
Most often there are 3-4 of them, although on compact boards you can only find 2 such slots.
A specialized AGP or PCI-Express x16 type connector for installing a video card.
There are boards with two or more video connectors.
There are also motherboards (of the cheapest) without video connectors at all - their chipsets have a built-in graphics core, and an external graphics card not necessary for them.
Next to the video card slots there are usually connection slots additional cards extensions of PCI or PCI-Express x1 standards.
An important group of connectors are interfaces (IDE and/or the more modern Serial ATA) for connecting disk drives - hard drives and optical drives.
There is also a connector for a floppy drive (3.5" floppy disk), although everything is going to the point that it will soon be completely abandoned.
All disk drives are connected to the motherboard using special cables (cables).
Connectors for power supply (most often of two types - 24-pin ATX and 4-pin ATX12V for an additional +12 V line) and a two-, three- or four-phase voltage regulation module VRM (Voltage Regulation Module), consisting of power transistors, chokes and capacitors.
This module converts, stabilizes and filters the voltage supplied from the power supply.
On the back of the motherboard there is a panel with connectors for connecting additional external devices: monitor, keyboard and mouse, network, audio and USB devices, etc.
Any motherboard has a large number of auxiliary jumpers (jumpers) and connectors.
These can also be contacts for connection system dynamics and buttons and indicators on the front panel of the case, and connectors for connecting fans, and contact blocks for connecting additional audio connectors and USB connectors and FireWire.
Each motherboard must have a special memory chip, most often installed in a special socket (bed) containing BIOS firmware, and a battery that provides power when the external voltage is lost.
Thus, with all these slots, connectors and additional controllers, the motherboard combines all the devices that make up the computer into a single system.
