ch.1 motherboards, processors, and memory

What do all computers have in common?

They are collections of little electronic components and software working together in a system

Since when have digital computers beeen around?

Late 1930s

What happened as technology improved?

Computers got smaller and faster, and inventors added features that required new hardware devices

What inspired the keyboard?

Typewriters

Why were keyboards added?

Ease of input

Why are PCs modular?

New parts become available and old parts break

Why was the term “PC” coined?

To differentiate between computers designed to be handled by one person versus other options, such as a mainframe or one where multiple users share a processor

What is much of the computing industry focused on today?

Smaller devices, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and Internet of Things(IoT) devices

By how much has the popularity of IoT devices increased?

10 billion in 2019 to an expected 40 billion by 2030

How are smaller and larger devices similar?

They require many of the same components

What is the difference between the components found in smaller vs larger devices?

Components in smaller devices are smaller and are sometimes integrated directly into the same circuit board

What are the Big 3 computer parts?

Motherboard, processor, and memory

Why are the Big 3 more important than other computer parts?

Without the Big 3, the Computer will not function at all; if a sound card fails, only the sound will fail but the rest of the device will probably function

What happens when there is too much heat in a system?

Components can melt

How will knowledge of the BIG 3 help you in the long run?

Even though they are mostly found in larger computers, as a computer technician you are likely to encounter many large desktop PCs

What is the spine of the computer?

The motherboard

By what other names is the motherboard identified as?

System board; main board

What kind of board is a motherboard?

Printed circuit board(PCB)

Printed circuit board(PCB)

A conductive series of pathways laminated to a non-conductive substrate that lines the bottom of the computer

What color are PCBs?

Often a uniform color such as green, black, brown, blue, or red

Why is the motherboard the most important component in a computer system?

It connects all other components together

What components can you find on a motherboard?

The central processing unit(CPU) slot or integrated CPU, underlying circuitry, expansion slots, video components, random access memory(RAM) slots, and a variety of other chips

How many types of motherboards can be found in the market?

Hundreds if not thousands

What can help you figure out which motherboard you should buy?

The type of motherboard they are

How are motherboards classified?

Based on their form factor(the design of the component)

What caution should you take when purchasing motherboards and other components separately?

Make sure the other components are physically compatible with the motherboard you choose

Who developed the ATX form factor?

Intel

What does ATX stand for?

Advanced Technology Extended

When was ATX invented?

Mid 1990s

Why was ATX invented?

To improve on the classic AT-style motherboard architecture that had ruled the PC world for many years

How are the processor and memory slots arranged on the ATX motherboard?

At right angles to the expansion cards

What does the arrangement of the processor and memory slots on the ATX achieve?

It puts them in line with the fan output of the power supply, allowing the processor to run cooler

What does the arrangement of the processor and memory slots on the ATX mean for expansion cards?

because the components are not in line with the expansion cards, you can install full-length expansion cards

What are full-length expansion cards?

Adapters that extend the full length of the inside of a standard computer case

What is the primary PC motherboard form factor in use today?

ATX and its derivatives such as microATX

What are the measurements of standard ATX motherboards?

12” × 9.6”(305 mm × 244 mm)

What are the measurements of the microATX?

9.6”(244 mm) square

What are the consequences of the microATX’ smaller size?

They typically have fewer connectors for plugging in expansion cards

What are the perks of both ATX and microATX motherboards using the same mounting points?

A microATX board will fit into a standard ATX case but the opposite might not be true depending on case dimensions

Who developed the ITX motherboard?

VIA Technologies

When was the ITX developed?

Early 2000s

For what purpose was the ITX produced?

It was a low power small form factor(SFF) board for specialty uses, including home theater systems, compact desktop systems, gaming systems, and embedded components

How mamy form factors are a part of the ITX family?

4

What are the dimensions of the mini-ITX?

6.7” square(170 mm square)

What are the dimensions of the Nano-ITX?

4.7” square(120 mm square)

What are the dimensions of the Pico-ITX?

3.9” × 2.8”(100 mm × 72 mm)

What are the names of the four ITX form factors?

Mini-ITX, Nano-ITX, Pico-ITX, and Mobile-ITX

What are the dimensions of the mobile-ITX?

2.4 “ square(60 mm)

What other motherboard cases is the mini-ITX compatible with?

ATX and micro-ATX

Why is mini-ITX compatible with ATX and micro-ATX?

The mini-ITX motherboard has four mounting holes that line up with three or four of the holes in the ATX and micro-ATX form factors; also, in mini-ITX boards, the rear interfaces are placed in the same location as those of the ATX

Why aren’t other ITX form factors besides mini-ITX compatible with ATX?

While they are compatible with PCs, they are used in embedded systems and lack the requisite mounting and interface specifications

What kind of embedded systems are non-mini-ITX boards used in?

Set-top boxes, home entertainment systems, and smartphones

How is data sent from one component to another in a PC?

Throughout a bus

What is a bus?

A common collection of signal pathways

What kind of buses did PCs use in the early days?

Serial buses

What were serial buses like?

Sent one bit at a time and were painfully slow

What did parallel buses enable?

8 bits could be sent at a time over synchronized separate lines, which resulted in a big speed increase

What is the downside of parallel buses?

The loss of circuit length(how long the circuit could be) and throughput(how much data would move at a time)

Why does the speed of synchronization in parallel buses need to be controlled?

To limit skewing the arrival of the individual signals at the receiving end

Why does nearly everything today use a serial bus?

Engineers have discovered methods to make serial transition work at data rates that are many times faster than parallel signals

What is the only limitation of serial circuits these days?

The capability of the transceivers, which tends to grow over time due to technical advancements

What are some specifications that have heralded the dominance of serial communications?

Serial Advanced Technology(Serial ATA or SATA), Universal Serial Bus(USB), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express(PCIe)

What is a parallel and/or bit-serial wiring implementation?

It allows multiple devices to be attached at the same time in parallel or in series(daisy chained); the term bus is also used here

What are some examples of parallel and bit-serial wiring implementations?

Small Computer System Interface(SCSI), USB, and Ethernet

Why do motherboards have several connectors of different architecture?

To allow for the insertion of external devices and adapters

Besides connecting external devices, why does the motherboard have several different buses?

To allow communication between the CPU, RAM, and other components with which data must be exchanged

Besides CPU sockets and memory slots, why don’t a lot of closed bus systems have insertion points?

No expansion cards exist for those features

How can various buses in a system be rated?

By their speed

What does the speed of a bus equate to?

The higher the speed, higher performance

Which buses must be synchronized for proper performance?

Sustem bus and any expansion buses that run on the front-side bus speed

When buses aren’t required to be synchronized, what might they do?

One bus will reference another for its own speed

Where does the internal bus speed of a CPU come from?

The front side bus clock

Chipset

A collection of chips or circuits that perform interface or peripheral functions for the processor

What do chipsets usually do?

They are usually the circuitry that provides interfaces for memory, expansion cards, and on-board peripherals

What does the chipset usually dictate for the motherboard?

How the motherboard will communicate with installed peripherals

Where do chipsets usually get their name and model number?

From the original manufacturer

What are two chipsets that support AMD processors?

B550 and X570

Name two Intel motherboard chipsets

ZH490 and H410

What does the manufacturer and model of a chipset tell you?

That the chipset has a certain set of features

What features does the manufacturer and model of a chipset inform you of?

Type of CPU and RAM supported, on-board video capabilities, motherboard expansion slot types, number of input/output ports and versions, support for BIOS/UEFI security

Why shouldn’t you worry about memorizing chipset names?

You can look them up online to understand their features

What should always remember about chipsets?

Motherboards and chipsets must be designed to work together

What are the most visible parts of any motherboard?

The connectors for internal expansion cards

What's another name for the connectors for internal expansion cards?

Expansion slots

What do expansion slots look like?

Small plastic slots, usually from 1 to 6 inches long, and approximately ½ an inch wide

What are expansion slots for?

To install various devices in the computer to expand its capabilities

What are some examples of devices that might be installed in expansion slots?

Video, network, sound, and disk interface cards

What are the main types of expansion slots used today?

PCI and PCIe

What other motherboard connector types must you know for the A+ exam?

SATA and M.2

What does PCI stand for?

Peripheral component interconnect

Why is PCI still relevant today?

Many motherboards in use today still contain 32-bit PCI slots

What does 32-bit mean?

Data is handled 32 bits at a time

What do PCI slots look like?

They are arepund 3 inches long, classically white, but modern boards take liberty with the colors

When and with what technology did PCI slots become popular with?

In the mid-1990s alongside Pentium-class processors

What is now the most popularly used expansion slot?

The PCIe slot

At what frequency do PCI expansion slots operate?

33 MHz or 66MHz(version 2.1)

At what frequency do PCI expansion slots operate?

33 MHz or 66MHz(version 2.1)

Over what type of channel do PCIe expansion slots operate?

32-bit(4 byte)

What are the data rates of PCI expansion slots?

133 MBps and 266 MBps

Which PCI expansion slot data rate is more common?

133 MBps