1.4 Motherboards

• A motherboard is the main circuit board of the computer that allows us to connect different components, communicate between components, and allocate power to different components.
• A printed circuit board (PCB) is a surface that allows the transfer/movement of electricity and provides different slots for components.
• The CPU socket on a motherboard is where a CPU is installed.
• Memory slots on a motherboard are where the main memory is installed.
• The chipset on a motherboard is a set of electronic components that manages the data flow between its components.
• Non-volatile memory (NVM) on a motherboard contains the system’s firmware/BIOS.
• The clock generator on a motherboard creates a clock signal to synchronize components.
• Expansion slots on a motherboard are slots for expansion cards.
• Power connectors on a motherboard are used to distribute power between its own parts and its components.
• Hard drive connectors on a motherboard are used for internal hard drives.
• I/O connectors on a motherboard are for I/O peripheral.
• Form factor in motherboards is a specification that determines the size and the anatomy.
• Common forms of motherboards include ATX, Micro-ATX, Flex-ATX, DTX, and Mini-ITX.
• CPUs are classified within their families based on their architecture, and motherboards can only use CPUs that are designed for certain families of CPU.
• Integrated peripherals on a motherboard are extra peripherals that are built-in/soldered to the motherboard, including disk controllers, integrated graphics controller, integrated sound card, Ethernet network controller, USB controller, and temperature, voltage, fan-speed sensors for software.
• Factors to consider when choosing a motherboard include socket type, form factor, memory slots, number of PCI slots, chipset, and integrated peripherals.
• Chipsets are a set of chips (electronic components) that are integrated on the motherboard for more features, including overclocking, SLI/Crossfire support, and SSD caching.