What are the 13 parts of motherboard?

Introduction to Motherboard

The motherboard is defined as a circuit board for the computer system, also called logic board or mainboard. In the computer system, the biggest component is the motherboard that controls all the components of the computer system and establishes a link between all components. From the motherboard, different components like ROM, CPU, RAM, PCI slots, USB ports, and other components are connected. The controller’s device is also attached to the motherboard like DVD< hard drive, mouse, and keyboard. The computer system starts using the motherboard and these components act as the backbone for starting the system.

In the below section, some of the important components of the motherboard are defined below:

1. Keyboard and mouse

There are mainly 2 types of mouse and keyboard connectors. The first connector is known as PS/2 & the second connector is known as USB.

2. Universal Serial Bus (USB)

The USB port is used for connecting the computer system. In the computer system, there is various type of devices that are connected with the USB port like keyboard, mouse, camera, scanner, printers, and another device. The main use of a USB port is to connect the peripheral devices and computer motherboards. The peripheral device connected to the computer system can be inserted or remove without system restarts that can be the main advantage of a USB port.

3. Parallel port

The old printers that are used in past use the parallel port to connect with the computer system. In the parallel port, multiple wires are used to send or receive multiple bits of the data in a single instance. On the other hand, serial ports use only one wire at a time. In the parallel port, 25 pins female DB type connector is used.

4. CPU chip

The central processing unit is the processor that controls all the functions of the computer system. The overall flow of task and functions are controlled by the central processing unit. For the computer system, the central processing unit is called the brain of the computer system.

5. RAM slots

The RAM slots are used for connecting the RAM (memory) in the computer system. In the general computer system, there are mainly two RAM slots but sometimes there can be four-plus slots in the motherboard to increase the memory of the computer system.

6. Floppy Controller

The older motherboard chip contains a 34-pin type ribbon cable for connecting the computer system with a floppy drive. In this ribbon cable, one end is directly connected with the computer system and one end is connected with the motherboard.

7. IDE controller

The integrated drive electronics are also known as ATA or Parallel ATA. The IDE is the type of component that issued for hard drive control. In today’s computer system, the IDE controller supports is not supported.

8. PCI slot

The full form of PCI is a peripheral component interface. The PCI slot is mainly used to insert the expansion cards on the computer. The other PCI devices can also be connected like a sound card, network card, video, card, modems, and other device3s. In today’s computer system support for PCI expansion slots are not there.

9. ISA slot

Industry-standard architecture (ISA) is defined as standard architecture for expansion bus. The ISA slot issued for connecting input devices and modems.

10. CMOS Battery

The CMOS battery is used for storing the BIOS settings on the motherboard. The CMOS battery is also capable of storing the time and data in it.

11. AGP slot

AGP (Accelerated Graphics slot) is a type of computer slot that is used for attaching the video card to the system. This slot is a high-speed slot so that data transfer can be done at high speed.

12. CPU slot

The CPU slot is a type of port that is used to connect the central processing unit to the motherboard of the computer system.

13. Power supply slot

The power supply slot is used for providing the electric supply to the computer system so that it can start and perform its functions. The total power supply given to the system is around 110 ac power. In the power supply type connector, there are a total of 20-pins that are used to maintain the power supply to the computer system.

Factors of Motherboard

The main form factor for the motherboard is size and shape. The other factors are physical layout, mounting holes, and board organization.

In the below section, some of the form factors are mentioned below:

1. ATX

In this type, the standard locations were defined for mouse, keyboard, input/output devices, video connectors, and other devices. In the year 1990, the ATX form factor was developed. The expansion slot given new location as in this form factor expansion slot were given separate space so that they can be connected with the motherboard.

2. Micro-ATX

The benefit obtained from the Micro-ATX is the same as from the ATX form factor. The main difference is an improvement in system design so that the overall cost of the component can be reduced as the size of the motherboard is reduced in this form factor. The size is reduced by reducing the I/O slots number on the motherboard.

Uses of Motherboard

The motherboard is the main component in the computer system that is used for connecting all the components of the computer system so that they can perform several tasks and functions in the system. The motherboard is considered as the spine of the system as all components are connected to a single circuit board for performing their functions. The motherboard is a costly device and once it gets damaged the user needs to spend a lot of money to buy a new motherboard for a computer system. The motherboard is a central device where all devices are get connected and maintain the flow in the computer system.

Conclusion

The motherboard is a type of circuit board installed in a computer system where all components of the computer system are getting connected. The motherboard is considered as the backbone of the computer system. There are different formations of the motherboard that can be distinguished based on budget, needs, requirements, and speed. The motherboard is considered as a central hub where all different computer devices are getting connected with it.

Motherboard Components and Their Functions

There are many components found in a motherboard. Some of them are major motherboard components while others are not. The following is a motherboard components list.

20 Major Motherboard Components

CPU (Central Processing Unit) chip
RAM (Random Access Memory) slots
Southbridge/northbridge
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
I/O port
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
CPU slot
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slot
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot
Parallel port
FDC (Floppy-Disk Controller)
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller
CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide-semiconductor) battery
Power supply connector
Mouse and keyboard ports
DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch
Jumper
Heat sink/heatsink (cooling system)
Clock generator

CPU is the electronic circuitry in a computer that executes instructions that make up a program. It is also known as a central processor or the main processor. The CPU executes the basic logic, arithmetic, controlling as well as input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions in the desktop programs.

2. RAM (Random Access Memory) slots

RAM is a kind of computer memory that can be read and written. It is mainly used to save data and machine code. A RAM device permits data to be read or written in nearly the same amount of time no matter where the data’s physical location is in the memory. Compared to the direct-access storage devices like hard drives, CD/DVD and magnetic tapes, RAM media is much faster for data reading and writing.

3. Southbridge/northbridge

They are the two chips in the core logic chipset on the motherboard. Typically, the southbridge implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture.

The northbridge, also known as host bridge or Memory Controller Hub, is connected directly to the CPU via the front-side bus (FSB). It is responsible for tasks requiring the highest performance. Together with the southbridge, they manage communications between the CPU and other motherboard components.

4. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

BIOS, also called system BIOS, PC BIOS or ROM BIOS, is firmware that is used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process; and to provide runtime services for operating system and programs. The BIOS firmware is the first software to run when powered on; it is re-installed on a PC’s system board.

5. I/O port

Input/output ports are the connections between the CPU and peripheral devices on a motherboard. There are two complementary methods to perform input and output processes: memory-mapped I/O (MMIO) and port-mapped I/O (PMIO). Alternatively, you can use dedicated I/O processors, called channels on mainframe computers, which execute their own instructions.

6. USB (Universal Serial Bus)

USB is an industry standard that creates specifications for connectors, cables and protocols for connection; power supply (interfacing) and communication among computers, computer peripherals as well as other desktops. There are a great many USB hardware including several different connectors, of which USB-C is the latest kind.

7. CPU slot

A CPU slot, also called a CPU socket or Processor socket, contains one or more mechanical components that provide mechanical and electrical connections between the PCB and a microprocessor (CPU). Therefore, you can install a CPU on a motherboard without soldering.

8. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slot

Peripheral Component Interconnect is a local computer bus for connecting hardware to a computer. It supports all the functions of a processor bus. PCI is usually been called Conventional PCI to distinguish it from its successor PCI Express (PCIe, PCI-e or PCI-E).

PCI Express is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X and AGP bus standard. It is a general-use motherboard interface for the graphics card, SSDs, hard drives, Wi-Fi as well as Ethernet hardware connections.

9. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) slot

AGP was designed as a high-speed point-to-point channel for connecting a video card (graphics card) to a computer system. Primarily, it was used to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics. AGP is originally designed to be a descendant of the PCI series of connections for video cards. Yet, it was replaced by the PCIe slots.

10. ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot

ISA is the 16-bit internal bus of IMB PC/AT and similar computers that are based on Intel 80286 and its immediate successors during the 1980s. It was backward compatible with the 8-bit bus of the 8088-based IBM PC largely.

There once was an attempt to extend ISA into a 32-bit bus, called Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA). The attempt wasn’t very successful and the EISA was largely replaced by the later VESA Local Bus and the PCI bus.

11. Parallel port

A parallel port is a kind of interface for attaching peripherals on desktops. The name of this kind of port is derived from the way the data is sent. That is, the parallel ports send multiple bits of data at the same time. Serial interfaces, on the contrary, send bits one data at once. To achieve parallel data transfer, there are multiple data lines in the parallel port cables. The parallel port cable is larger than the cable of a contemporary serial port, which only has one data line within.

12. FDC (Floppy-Disk Controller)

FDC is a special-purpose chip and associated disk controller circuitry. It controls and directs reading from and writing to a computer’s floppy disk drive (FDD).

13. IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller

The devices used for connecting IDE, Ethernet, FireWire, USB and other systems can be called host adapter. So, the IDE controller refers to the host adapter. A host adapter, also called a host controller or a host bus adapter (HBA), connects a computer (acting as the host system) to other network and storage devices.

Tip: Host adapter is usually used to indicate devices connecting SCSI, Fibre Channel and SATA devices.

14. CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide-semiconductor) battery

CMOS battery, also called memory battery, clock battery or real-time clock (RTC), is generally a CR2032 lithium coin cell. The lifespan of the CMOS battery is estimated to be three years when the power supply unit (PSU) is unplugged or switch off.

15. Power supply connector

A power supply provides the necessary electrical power to let the computer to work. It takes standard 110-Volt AC (Alternative Current) power to DC (Direct Current) power of 12 Volt, 5 Volt, 3.3 Volt, etc.

16. Mouse and keyboard ports

All computers have a keyboard port connected directly to the motherboard. There are two types of connectors. The oldest one is a special DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) connector while the newest one is the mini DIN PS/2-style connector. Many PCs use the PS/2-style connectors for both keyboard and mouse; and the connectors are marked clearly for different usage.

17. DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch

A DIP switch is a manual electric switch packaged with others in a standard dual in-line package. The term may refer to an individual switch or the whole unit. The DIP switch is designed to be used on a printed circuit board (motherboard) together with other electronic motherboard components. It is usually used to customize the behavior of an electronic device for specific situations.

18. Jumper

A jumper is a short length of conductor that is used to close, open or bypass part of an electronic circuit. Typically, jumpers are used to set up or configure printed circuit boards like the motherboard.

19. Heat sink/heatsink (cooling system)

A heat sink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by parts of motherboard into a fluid medium like liquid or air. The fluid medium will dissipate away from the device. Thus, the temperature of the device is kept within a tolerable range. On the motherboard, the heatsink is usually used to cool CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit), chipsets and RAM modules.

20. Clock generator

A clock generator is an electronic oscillator (circuit) that produces a clock signal for usage in synchronizing a circuit’s operation. The clock signal ranges between high and low frequencies, thus creating a metronome for the coordination of actions.

What Are the Two Main Components on the Motherboard?

After reading the above contents, you can figure out that the two main components on the motherboard are CPU and RAM. They also list in the first two locations in the above. Actually, the above motherboard components are listed mainly based on their importance on the motherboard. Yet, that is just our personal opinion. Those components’ importance is different in different situations.

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