Motherboards, Power Supplies, and Cases

INFO450

Kyle Barry, Brian Wiltbank, Mike Barnas, Tanner Pizza

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Motherboard Layout

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Motherboard Form Factors Full AT Baby AT LBX/NLX ATX FlexATX/MicroATX Mini-ITX, Nano-ITX, Pico-ITX

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Modern Motherboard Form Factors

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Full AT and Baby AT Full AT – 12” wide and 11” long, Baby AT –

8.5” wide and 10.5” long. Typically not used in modern computers today.

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Full AT and Baby AT

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NLX 9” wide by 13.6” long. Created for a low profile, low cost computer. Identifiable by the I/O ports on the back of the

motherboard. Uses a riser card to enclose the expansion

cards. Superseded by the ATX family of

motherboards.

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NLX

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ATX 7.5” wide by 12” long. Built specifically to house the Pentium II

Processor. Has I/O ports, an AGP slot, and Soft Power

support.

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ATX

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Micro ATX/Flex ATX Both smaller versions of the ATX motherboard

(9.6”x9.6” for Micro, 9”x7.5” for Flex). Both fit into an ATX case.

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Micro ATX

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I/O Interfaces Sound Video USB Serial Firewire Parallel NIC PS/2

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Sound

A motherboard can contain sound jacks, mini TRS connectors or Toslink connectors.

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Video Modern onboard video ports use VGA, DVI, or

HDMI output. Computer system’s RAM or chipset power the

onboard video.

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USB Motherboards contain multiple USB slots. USB 1.1

Upgrade from USB 1.0, fixing bugs. 4 pin connector, maximum speed of 12 Mbit/s. Earliest USB revision to be widely adopted.

USB 2.0 Released in August 2000. Maximum bandwidth of 480 Mbit/s.

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USB USB 3.0

Released in November, 2008. Maximum speed of 5 Gbits/s, 10x faster than USB

2.0. Backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

USB can be used for various I/O devices, such as keyboards, mouse, printers, cameras, disk drives, and network devices.

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USB

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Serial Serial ports are being left out of newer

motherboards, considered a legacy port. Used by modems and point-of-sale items.

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IEEE 1394/FireWire Developed by Apple. Comparable to USB, used by some external

hard drives, digital cameras.

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Parallel Typical use was for printers. Also considered a legacy port.

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NIC Network interface card, port for RJ-45

(Ethernet). Can be onboard or connected via an

expansion card.

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PS/2 Connection for keyboard and mouse. Being phased out by USB keyboards and mice. 6 pin connector, green is typically the mouse,

purple is typically the keyboard.

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Question 1) Which of the following are in the ATX family of

motherboards? ATX AT MiniATX FlexATX None of the above

2) Which of the following are considered integrated I/O ports? Serial port USB PS/2 Ethernet port All of the above

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Chipsets Include the Northbridge/ Southbridge that

manage and support everything that plugs into the motherboard.

Northbridge: Communication between the CPU and: memory

and Video Controller (fastest devices). Southbridge:

Communication between the CPU and all other devices.

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Expansion Slots and Buses Where a circuit board can be inserted to add

new capabilities to the computer

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Bus Architectures Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)

33 MHz, 32 bits wide, backwards compatible with ISA

Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) 66 MHz, 32 bits wide, only used for video cards

PCI-Extended (PCI-X) Available in different speeds: 66, 133, 266, 533

MHz on a 64 bit bus

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Bus Architectures Continued Mini-PCI

Used for laptops. PCI-Express (PCIe)

Fastest available because of direct connection to Northbridge.

Uses point-to-point serial connection. Each wire between the PCIe controller and a

device is called a lane. Most common is 16 lane (x16).

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Bus Architectures Continued

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Memory Slots SIMM

30 or 72 pin slots, phased out DIMM

Older use 168 or 184 pins Newer use 240 pins

SODIMM and Micro-DIMM Used for laptops

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CPU Sockets Most commonly use PGA or LGA.

Land Grid Array: pins on socket, rather than processor.

Personal Grid Array: pins on CPU itself. The socket number determines how many

pins there are.

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CPU

PGA Socket LGA Socket

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BIOS A ROM chip that contains programming to

enable the CPU to communicate with devices. Contains code for PC to operate POST

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CMOS Battery Provides constant support to keep track of

internal clock Can fail gradually: noticeable if:

you are prompted to enter in time when you boot PC.

PC’s clock is running slow.

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Jumpers/ DIP Switches Small pins that have a plastic cap around

them, that allow the computer to break an electrical current.

Features can be enabled or disabled by shifting the plastic cap.

DIP Switch is a set of switches that enable functionality on a computer.

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Questions 3) What Bus Architecture supports 32 bit cards and

transfers information at 33 MHz? A. ISA B. EISA C. AGP D. PCI

4) This type of Bus Architecture is only used by video adapters and is being phased out in favor of PCIe A. PCI B. NIC C. AGP D. USB

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Power Supplies

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Power Supply Overview Used to convert the Alternating Current (AC)

of the electrical outlet to the Direct Current (DC) needed by the PC components.

Switches the AC input into the proper DC voltage output (3.3v, 5v, or 12v) needed by the different components of your system.

Rated by Wattage (Power) – Product of Voltage (Pressure) and Amps (Current).

(Watts = Volts x Amps)

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Power Supply Usage

•Power usage varies by system.

• Standard user systems average between 300-450W.

• Gamer and higher-end systems are typically 400 – 800W+.

• Add 30% to rough estimate of Wattage usage.

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Power Supply Usage Continued

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Power Supply Standardization ATX-based power supplies – ATX standards for

cases, motherboards, etc.

Standardized, keyed connectors - make it difficult to connect the wrong items.

 Industry standards allow consumers to have many choices for a replacement power supply.

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Common Power Supply Connectors

• 20+4 Pin connector is the main motherboard power connector. • This connection can also have four pins removed and/or

not included to fit 20-pin P1 motherboard connections.

• 6-Pin PCI-e connector. Used by high-end video cards using PCI-e slots.

• SATA 15 Pin connector used for SATA hard drives

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Power Supply Connectors Continued

• 4 Pin Floppy connector for connection to a floppy drive. (outdated)

• 4-Pin Motherboard/PSU power connector.

• 4-Pin Molex connector used for IDE devices

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Power Supply Issues Single handedly the most failure-prone

component of any PC. Deals with first rush of AC power input every time

the computer is turned on.

Symptoms: Stalled cooling fan(s). Burning smell prior to shut down. Random rebooting. Failures in Windows with no apparent reasons.

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Power Supplies - Other Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS)

Provides small amount of emergency back up power in case of power failure.

Modular Power Supply Flexibility to remove or add connectors when

needed. Less clutter, improved airflow. Overload Protection/Surge Protectors

Protective measures to ensure the safety of the system due to excessive incoming power (AC) surge. Usually via fuse or circuit breaker.

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Power Supply Questions 5) The output voltages of a PC power

supply are in the form of _____ . AC Current DC Current Amperage Watts

6) What are the standard input voltages for power supplies? Select all that apply: 110v DC 110v AC 220v DC 220v AC

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Cases• Cases are primarily differentiated based on

size:– Desktop Computers

• Micro Desktop vs. Normal Desktop– Tower Units– All-In-One Computers– Laptop Computers– Tablets– Smart Phones

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Desktop Monitor sits on desk with medium sized “tower”

either below on the floor or next to the monitor on desk.

Found extensively in business world Pros:

Relatively cheap. Familiarity puts less knowledgeable users at ease.

Cons: Limited mobility.

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Micro Desktops• Very compact case.• Fits only one or two drive bays.• Often comes with power supply.• Pros:– Portability– Inexpensive

• Cons:– Require special compact parts (motherboard,

power supply, CPU, etc.).

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Tower Units• Come in various sizes ranging from mini

towers to super towers.• Pros:– Ultimate versatility

• User has many component options and ample space to work with (in larger towers).

– Most high-end cases tend to be towers• Cons:– Higher quality equates to higher prices

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LED Lights provide a futuristic look.Other than size, towers are differentiated based on amount of fans/fan slots and drive bays, overall quality, and power supply location…

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All-In-One Units• All components are located within the monitor.• Pros:– Sleek design– Compact

• Cons:– Very expensive– Difficult to upgrade and replace parts on some

models.

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Laptop Computers• Rare to purchase a laptop case individually.• Cases can be made of different materials.– Macbook Pro uses uni-body aluminum case.

• Pros:– Made to be portable and compact.– Some entry-level laptops and micro laptops are

very inexpensive.• Cons:– Limited I/O.– More difficult to replace/upgrade some

components (CPU).

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Tablets• Recent technology– All components are held within a very small case

that is made of a combination of glass, metal, plastic.

• Pros:– Extremely portable.– Less expensive than “full size” computers.

• Cons:– Limited space equates to limited performance and

workability.– Prices are still relatively high because it is such a

new market.

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About 11% of US adults own a tablet—about half of these adults use their tablet every day…http://www.journalism.org/analysis_report/tablet

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Smart Phones• Hand-held unit that doubles as a phone and a

computer.• Pros:– Small, portable, compact.– Convenience and ease of use makes them

extremely popular.• Cons:– Limited performance.– More effective as a phone than a computer.

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Questions 7) What should you use to clean the plastic cover on

your monitor or PC? (Select all that apply) Alcohol Damp Sponge Lint Free Cloth WD-40 Mild Soap Solution

8) Which of the following steps can you take to help with the airflow in the case? Blow dust out with compressed air. Cover unused expansion slots. Make sure the computer case is assembled properly All of the above

9) A computer will not perform power-on self test (POST), also no lights or sounds are emitted. Which of the following components should be checked FIRST ? A. Display Adapter B. Power Supply C. RAM D. Motherboard

10) How many pins are in a standard SATA power connector? 20 15 6 4

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References http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-supply3

.htm http://www.pcpowercooling.com/technology/power

_usage/ www.google.com – For images www.Wikipedia.org

Wiki topics: power supplies, molex connectors, IDE devices, motherboard

http://www.journalism.org/analysis_report/tablet