Brogaard - A+ PC Repair I (STEP) - Unit 05 - Differentiate between motherboard components, purpose, & properties

Power Connections and Types: - SATA

- 15-pin SATA connector used for SATA drives proves +3.3 VDC, +5 VDC, & +12 VDC http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#peripheral

Power Connections and Types: - P1

- 20-pin P1 connect is the main motherboard power connector used in the early ATX systems - 24-pin P1 connector, also called the 20+4 pin connector, is the main motherboard power connector used today - 20+4 pin P1 connector with four pins removed so the connector can fit into a 20-pin P1 motherboard connector http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#peripheral

Power Connections and Types: - Floppy Disk ( FDD )

- 4-pin Berg connector used by a floppy disk drive (FDD) provides +5 VDC & +12 VDC http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#peripheral

Power Connections and Types: - Molex ( PATA )

- 4-pin Molex connector is used for IDE (PATA) drives proves +5 VDC & +12 VDC http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#peripheral

Power Connections and Types: - P4 / P8 ( ATX12V )

- 4-pin auxiliary motherboard connector used for extra 12 V power to the processor - 8-pin auxiliary motherboard connector used for extra 12 V power to the processor, providing more power than the older 4-pin auxiliary connector (formally known as EPS12V) http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#peripheral

Power Connections and Types: - PCIe

- 6-pin PCIe connector provides an extra +12 V for high-end video cards using PCI Express, Version 1 standard - 8-pin PCIe connector provides an extra +12 V for high-end video cards using PCI Express, Version 2 - 6-pin plus 2-pin +12 V PCIe connector is used by high-end video cards using PCIe ×16 slots to provide extra voltage to the card. To get the 8-pin connector, combine both the 6-pin and 2-pin connectors. http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#peripheral

Motherboard Sizes: - ATX - Micro-ATX - ITX

- ATX, full size: Up to 12" x 9.6" (305mm × 244mm). This popular form factor has had many revisions and variations. - MicroATX: Up to 9.6" x 9.6" (244mm × 244mm) Smaller version of ATX. - Mini-ITX (a.k.a. ITX): Up to 6.7" x 6.7" (170mm x 170mm) Small form factor used in low-end computers and home theater systems. The boards are often used with an Intel Atom processor and are sometimes purchased as a motherboard-processor combo unit.

Chipsets: - Intel

- Nehalem Chipsets (memory controller in the processor): The release of the X58 chipset in 2008 was significant because, with previous chipsets, the memory controller was part of the North Bridge. But beginning with the X58, the memory controller was contained in the processor housing so in other words the memory connects directly to the processor rather than to the North Bridge. Another significant change is the 64-bit Front Side Bus was replaced with a technology called the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI). The QPI has 16 lanes for data packets and works similar to how PCI Express works. All Intel chipsets since the X58 use QuickPath Interconnects. Nehalem chipsets, which Intel has begun to call the previous generation of chipsets, support the Intel LGA1366 socket, the Core i7 processors, and PCI Express Version 2. They can also support either SLI or CrossFire technologies. (SLI and CrossFire are two competing technologies that allow for multiple video cards installed in one system. - Sandy Bridge Chipsets (memory and graphics controller in the processor): In 2011, Intel introduced its second-generation chipsets and sockets, which it code-named Sandy Bridge technologies. Rather than using the traditional North Bridge and South Bridge, only one chipset housing is needed, which houses the Platform Controller Hub. The processor interfaces directly with the faster graphics PCI Express 2.0 bus as well as with memory. Therefore, both the memory controller and graphics controller are contained within all Sandy Bridge processors. Sandy Bridge processors, such as the Second Generation Core i7, use the LGA1155 or the LGA2011 socket, and Sandy Bridge motherboards use DDR3 memory. Sandy Bridge chipsets for desktop computers include X79, P67, H67, Q65, Q67, and B65. - Ivy Bridge Chipsets Third-generation processors and chipsets by Intel, released in 2012 and codenamed Ivy Bridge, use less power, squeeze more transistors into a smaller space, and perform better than earlier products. Ivy Bridge chipsets include B75, Q75, Q77, H77, Z75, and Z77. Several Ivy Bridge processors use the LGA1155 socket for backward compatibility with earlier motherboards. The Ivy Bridge chipset uses a single Platform Controller Hub. Here's a guide to QPI: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/io/quickpath-technology/quick-path-interconnect-introduction-paper.html

Does the Sandy Bridge chipset family use two chipset housings on the motherboard or a single chipset housing? The Nehalem chipset?

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How does the throughput of PCI Express Version 1.1 compare to PCIe Version 1? How does PCIe Version 2 compare to Version 1?

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How many pins does the AMD socket AM2 have?

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How many pins does the Intel Socket B have? What is another name for this socket?

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If a USB port on the motherboard is failing, what is one task you can do that might fi x the problem?

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If you are installing an expansion card into a case that does not have enough clearance above the motherboard for the card, what device can you use to solve the problem?

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What are the names of the two technologies used to install multiple video cards in the same system?

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What are the three most popular form factors used for motherboards?

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What are the two different voltages that a PCI slot can provide?

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What is the maximum wattage that a PCIe Version 2.0 expansion card can draw?

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What is the purpose of an AGP slot?

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What is the purpose of installing standoffs or spacers between the motherboard and the case?

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What might the purpose be for a SATA-style power connector on a motherboard?

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What new type of power connector on the motherboard was introduced with PCIe Version 1.0? How much power does this connector provide?

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What new type of power connector was introduced with PCIe Version 2.0? How much power does this connector provide?

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What type of memory does the LGA1155 socket work with? Which socket was it designed to replace?

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When installing a motherboard, suppose you forget to connect the wires from the case to the front panel header. Will you be able to power up the system? Why or why not?

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Which is a better performing Intel chipset, the X58 or the H67?

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Which is faster, a PCI Express x16 bus or the latest AGP bus?

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Which part of a Nehalem chipset connects directly to the processor, the North Bridge or the South Bridge?

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Which socket by AMD uses a land grid array rather than a pin grid array?

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Which type of Intel chipset was the first to support the graphics controller to be part of the processor?

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Front Side Bus (FSB)

64-bit bus also known as the system bus, or host bus.

Bus Speeds

A bus within a computer refers to the connection between two or more components, and it is used to transfer data between these components. A computer has multiple busses that often work independently of each other. However, some busses work together. As an example, computers have a data bus and an address bus. Data bytes are stored in RAM in separate memory locations, and each location is identified by an address. You can think of these locations as 1, 2, 3, and so on. A typical computer has billions of locations. When a system wants to retrieve data from a specific location, it places the desired address on the address bus. The data in that memory location is then placed on the data bus for the system. Similarly, when a system wants to write data into a memory location, it simultaneously places the data on the data bus and the address on the address bus. These busses also have other signals that synchronize the activity and control whether data is read or written. The size of the address bus determines how much memory can be addressed. A 32-bit address bus is limited to 232 addressable locations, or 4 GB of RAM. A 64-bit bus can address 264 addressable locations, or over 17 exabytes (EB) of RAM. Similarly, the size of the data bus determines how much data can be transferred at a time. A 32-bit data bus can transfer 32 bits of data at a time (which equals 4 bytes). A 64-bit data bus can transfer 64 bits of data a time. Some of the other types of busses you'll come across include the following: - Back Side Bus: The back side bus is the connection between the CPU and its internal cache memory. - Front Side Bus (FSB): The front side bus refers to the connection between the CPU and the supporting chipset on the motherboard. The speed of this is frequently used to identify the speed of the CPU. Newer systems have replaced the front side bus with a Direct Media Interface (DMI). - Direct Media Interface (DMI) Bus: This connects the CPU and newer chipsets in place of the front side bus. - Expansion Slot Bus: Expansion slots have their own dedicated busses, and these are implemented differently depending on the expansion slots included in the system. - Universal Serial Bus (USB): This is used to transfer data between the computer and external USB devices such as USB flash drives. When you look carefully at a motherboard, you see many fine lines on both the top and the bottom of the board's surface. These lines, sometimes called traces, are circuits or paths that enable data, instructions, and power to move from component to component on the board. This system of pathways used for communication and the protocol and methods used for transmission are collectively called the bus. (A protocol is a set of rules and standards that any two entities use for communication.) The parts of the bus that we are most familiar with are the lines of the bus that are used for data; these lines are called the data bus. A bus can also carry electrical power (to power components on the motherboard), control signals (to coordinate activity), and memory addresses (for one program to tell another program where to find data or instructions). All data and instructions inside a computer exist in binary, which means there are only two states: on and off. Binary data is put on a line of a bus by placing voltage on that line. We can visualize that bits are "traveling" down the bus in parallel, but in reality, the voltage placed on each line is not "traveling"; rather, it is all over the line. When one component at one end of the line wants to write data to another component, the two components get in sync for the write operation. Then, the first component places voltage on several lines of the bus, and the other component immediately reads the voltage on these lines. The CPU or other devices interpret the voltage, or lack of voltage, on each line on the bus as binary digits (0s or 1s). Data Bus Width: The width of a data bus is called the data path size. Some buses have data paths that are 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or more bits wide. For example, a bus that has eight wires, or lines, to transmit data is called an 8-bit bus. All bits of a byte are placed on their lines of the bus at the same time: no voltage for binary zero and voltage for binary one. For every eight bits of a bus, a bus might use a ninth bit for error checking. Adding a check bit for each byte allows the component reading the data to verify that it is the same data written to the bus. With a 64-bit address bus, CPUs can address 264 bytes of memory, or more precisely, 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 bytes of memory—that's a lot of RAM! This number is so big that gigabytes and terabytes are no longer convenient, so we now go to an exabyte (260), abbreviated EB. A 64-bit address bus can address 16 EB of RAM. Clock Speed: One of the most interesting lines, or circuits, on a bus is the system clock or system timer, which is dedicated to timing the activities on the motherboard much like a metronome helps a musician with timing. The chipset sends out a continuous pulsating electrical signal on one line of the system bus. This one system clock line, dedicated to carrying the pulse, is read by other components on the motherboard (including the processor, bus slots, memory slots, and so forth) and ensures that all activities are synchronized. Remember that everything in a computer is binary, and this includes the activities themselves. Instead of continuously working to perform commands or move data, the CPU, bus, and other devices work in a binary fashion—do something, stop, do something, stop, and so forth. Each device works on a clock cycle or beat of the clock. Some devices, such as the CPU, do two or more operations on one beat of the clock, and others do one operation for each beat. Some devices might even do something on every other beat, but most components inside the system work according to these beats or cycles. Clock & Bus Analogy: You can think of this as similar to children jumping rope. The system clock (child turning the rope) provides the beats or cycles, while devices (children jumping) work in a binary fashion (jump, don't jump). In the analogy, some children jump two or more times for each rope pass. [If the processor requests something from a slow device and the device is not ready, the device issues a wait state, which is a command to the processor to wait for slower devices to catch up.] The speed of memory, Front Side Bus, processor, or other component is measured in hertz (Hz), which is one cycle per second; megahertz (MHz), which is one million cycles per second; and gigahertz (GHz), which is one billion cycles per second. Common ratings for memory are 1333 MHz and 1866 MHz. Common ratings for Front Side Buses are 2600 MHz, 2000 MHz, 1600 MHz, 1333 MHz, 1066 MHz, 800 MHz, 533 MHz, or 400 MHz. A CPU operates from 166 MHz to almost 4 GHz. The CPU can put data or instructions on its internal bus at a much higher rate than does the motherboard. Although we often refer to the speed of the CPU and memory, talking about the frequency of these devices is more accurate, because the term "speed" implies a continuous flow, while the term "frequency" implies a digital or binary flow: on and off, on and off. [Rather than measuring the frequency of a system bus, sometimes you see a system bus measured in performance such as the GA-990FXA-UD3 motherboard by GIGABYTE (see www.gigabyte.us). This system bus is rated at 5.2 GT/s or 5200 MT/s. One GT/s is one billion transfers per second, and one MT/s is one million transfers per second.] Expansion Bus: A motherboard can have more than one bus, each using a different protocol, speed, data path size, and so on. (Throughput is sometimes called bandwidth.) A bus that does not run in sync with the system clock is called an expansion bus. For chipsets that use a South Bridge, expansion buses always connect here. Most buses today are local buses, meaning they run in sync with the system clock. If a local bus connects to the slower I/O controller hub or South Bridge of the chipset, it is called a local I/O bus. Because the video card needs to run at a faster rate than other adapter cards, this one slot always connects to the faster end of the chipset, the North Bridge, or directly to the processor when using Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge technology. Older boards used AGP video slots, and today's boards use PCI Express x16 slots for video. These video buses that connect to the North Bridge or to the processor are called local video buses. [NOTE: HERTZ, MHz, AND GHz] A hertz (Hz) is a cycle and refers to how many times a signal can go up, down, and return to the starting point in one second. Alternating current (AC) power in North America runs at 60 Hz, meaning that it can finish 60 cycles a second. A 100-MHz signal completes 100 million cycles in a second, and a 1-GHz signal completes 1 billion cycles in a second. [NOTE: DATA THROUGHPUT] Data throughput is commonly expressed as megabytes per second (MB/s) or gigabytes per second (GB/s). For example, some expansion boards can reach speeds of 16 GB/s.

Chipsets: - CMOS Battery

A small trickle of electricity from a nearby lithium coin-cell battery enables CMOS RAM to hold configuration data, even while the main power to the computer is off. If the CMOS battery is disconnected or fails, setup information is lost. An indication that the battery is getting weak is that the system date and time are incorrect after power has been disconnected to the PC. A message about a low battery can also appear at startup. The CMOS battery on the motherboard is considered a field replaceable unit. The battery is designed to last for years and recharges when the motherboard has power. However, on rare occasions, you might need to replace one if the system loses BIOS settings when it is unplugged. Make sure the replacement battery is an exact match to the original or is one the motherboard manufacturer recommends for the board. Power down the system, unplug it, press the power button to drain the power, and remove the case cover. Use your ground bracelet to protect the system against ESD. The old battery can be removed with a little prying using a flathead screwdriver. The new battery pops into place. For more specific directions, see the motherboard documentation

Amanda bought a new system that, right in the middle of an important presentation, gave her a Blue Screen of Death. Now her system won't boot at all, not even to CMOS. After extensive troubleshooting, she determined that the motherboard was at fault and replaced it. Now the system runs fine. What was the most likely cause of the problem? A. Burn-in failure B. Electrostatic discharge C. Component failure D. Power supply failure

A. Although all of the answers are plausible, the best answer here is that her system suffered burn-in failure.

If Windows recognizes a device, where will it appear? A. Device Manager B. C:\Windows\System32\Devices C. Desktop D. Safely remove hardware applet

A. Windows displays recognized devices in Device Manager.

Label the motherboard:

A: B: C: D: E: F: G: H: I: J: K: L: M: N: O: P: Q: R: S: T: U: V: W: X: Y: Z: AA: BB: CC: DD:

CPU Sockets: - AMD

AMD has chosen to use the PGA socket architecture for its desktop processors. (Some of AMD's server processors use Socket F, which is an LGA socket.) In January 1995, after many years of legal wrangling, Intel and AMD settled and decided to end the licensing agreements. As a result of this settlement, AMD chips are no longer compatible with sockets or motherboards made for Intel CPUs—even though in some cases the chips look similar. Today, if you want to use an AMD CPU, you must purchase a motherboard designed for AMD CPUs. If you want to use an Intel CPU, you must purchase a motherboard designed for Intel CPUs. So you now have a choice: Intel or AMD.

Chipset: - AMD

AMD purchased ATI Technologies, a maker of chipsets and graphics processors (called a graphics processor unit or GPU), in 2006, which increased AMD chipset and GPU offerings. Significant chipsets by AMD include the following: - AMD A-series chipsets (code named Trinity) are designed to compete with Ivy Bridge chipsets in the light notebook market. - AMD 9-series chipset supports AMD CrossFireX technologies. - AMD 9-series, 8-series, and 7-series chipsets are designed with the gamer, hobbyist, and multimedia enthusiast in mind. They focus on good graphics capabilities and support overclocking. The 9-series is the most current and supports 8-core AMD processors: - AMD 580X Crossfire chipset supports ATI CrossFire. - AMD 780V chipset is designed for business needs. - AMD 740G and 690 chipsets are designed for low-end, inexpensive systems.

What companies dominate the chipset market? (Select two.) A. ATI B. Intel C. NVIDIA D. SiS

B, C. Intel and NVIDIA produce the vast majority of the chipsets used in personal computers.

Which of the following statements about the expansion bus is true? A. The expansion bus runs at the speed of the system clock. B. The expansion bus crystal sets the speed for the expansion bus. C. The CPU communicates with RAM via the expansion bus. D. The frontside bus is another name for the expansion bus.

B. A separate expansion bus crystal enables the expansion bus to run at a different speed than the frontside bus.

Which of the following form factors dominates the PC industry? A. AT B. ATX C. ITX D. CTX

B. Almost all modern motherboards follow the ATX form factor.

Expansion slots: - PCI-X

Bus Type: Local I/O Data Path in Bits: Parallel 32 or 64 Address Lines: 32 or 64 Frequency: 266, or 533 MHz Throughput: Up to 8.5 GB/sec PCI-X comes in 2 Types of Slots & 3 PCI Card Configurations: - 3.3 V with 64-bit Slot - 5.5 V with 64-bit Slot -- Universal 3.3/5.5 V PCI Card -- 3.3 V PCI Card -- 5.5 V PCI Card PCI-X uses a 64-bit data path and focused on the server market; therefore, it's unlikely you'll see PCI-X slots in desktop computers. Motherboards that use PCI-X tend to have several different PCI slots with some 32-bit or 64-bit slots running at different speeds.

Expansion slots: - PCI

Bus Type: Local I/O Data Path in Bits: Parallel 32 or 64 Address Lines: 32 or 64 Frequency: 33, 66 MHz Throughput: 133, 266, or 532 MB/sec Conventional PCI comes in 4 Types of Slots & 6 PCI Card Configurations: - 3.3 V with 32-bit Slot - 5.5 V with 32-bit Slot -- Universal 3.3/5.5 V PCI Card -- 3.3 V PCI Card -- 5.5 V PCI Card - 3.3 V with 64-bit Slot - 5.5 V with 64-bit Slot -- Universal 3.3/5.5 V PCI Card -- 3.3 V PCI Card -- 5.5 V PCI Card 64-Bit Slots/Cards are not commonly found outside Server Motherboards.

Expansion slots: - AGP 2x, 4x, 8x

Bus Type: Local video Data Path in Bits: 32 Address Lines: NA Frequency: 66, 75, 100 MHz Throughput: 266 MB/sec to 2.1 GB/sec - AGP standards include three major releases: -- AGP 1.0, -- AGP 2.0, -- AGP 3.0, -- AGP Pro: one major change in the AGP slot length standard - four different speeds: -- 1x @ 266Mbps, -- 2x @ 533Mbps, -- 4x @ 1.06Gbps, -- 8x @ 2.12Gbps , - three different voltages: -- 3.3 V, -- 1.5 V, -- 0.8 V - six different expansion slots: -- AGP 3.3 V, -- AGP 1.5 V, -- AGP Universal, -- AGP Pro 3.3 V, -- Agp Pro 1.5 V, -- AGP Pro Universal

Expansion slots: - PCIe

Bus Type: Local video and local I/O Data Path in Bits: Serial up to 32 lanes Address Lines: Up to 32 lanes Frequency: 2.5 GHz Throughput: Up to 500 MB/sec per lane in each direction - PCIe is not backward compatible with either conventional PCI or PCI-X. - PCIe will ultimately replace both PCI & PCI-X as well as the AGP bus. - PCIe uses a serial bus, which is faster than a parallel bus because it transmits data in packets similar to how an Ethernet network, USB, and FireWire transmit data. - One or more PCIe slots used for video cards have a direct link to the North Bridge or to the processor (using Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge architecture). PCI Express currently comes in four different slot sizes called PCIe ×1 (pronounced "by one"), ×4, ×8, and ×16.

Martin bought a new motherboard to replace his older ATX motherboard. As he left the shop, the tech on duty called after him, "Check your standouts!" What could the tech have meant? A. Standouts are the connectors on the motherboard for the front panel buttons, such as the on/off switch and reset button. B. Standouts are the metal edges on some cases that aren't rolled. C. Standouts are the metal connectors that attach the motherboard to the case. D. Standouts are the dongles that enable a motherboard to support more than four USB ports.

C. Standouts are the metal connectors that attach the motherboard to the case.

Which variation of the PCI bus was specifically designed for laptops? A. PCI-X B. PCIe C. Mini-PCI D. AGP

C. The Mini-PCI format conserves space and power, making it an ideal card type for use in laptops.

When Jane proudly displayed her new motherboard, the senior tech scratched his beard and asked, "What kind of ICH does it have?" What could he possibly be asking about? A. The AMR slot B. The CNR slot C. The Northbridge D. The Southbridge

D. Intel calls their Southbridge chips the I/O Controller Hub (ICH) on many of their chipsets.

Solon has a very buggy computer that keeps locking up at odd moments and rebooting spontaneously. He suspects the motherboard. How should he test it? A. Check settings and verify good components. B. Verify good components and document all testing. C. Replace the motherboard first to see if the problems disappear. D. Check settings, verify good components, replace components, and document all testing.

D. Solon needs to check settings, verify good components, replace components, and document all testing.

What does a black down arrow next to a device in Device Manager indicate? A. A compatible driver has been installed that may not provide all of the functions for the device. B. The device is missing or Windows cannot recognize it. C. The system resources have been assigned manually. D. The device has been disabled.

D. The device has been disabled.

data bus

Lines of the bus, a system of pathway used for communication on the motherboard, used for data.

Front Panel Connectors: - Audio

Many systems include one or more audio outputs on the front panel that are connected from the motherboard. A headphone or speaker jack is usually a lime green color and includes a headphones icon. Some systems also have a microphone jack, commonly a pink color, with a microphone icon.

Font Panel Connectors: - Power Light - Power Button - Drive Activity Lights - Reset Button

Motherboards commonly have connectors that are used to run wires to the front panel. Wires are plugged into these connectors with the other ends going to the appropriate connection on the front panel. Some common connectors include the following: - Power light. This indicates when the system is turned on from the front panel power button. In the figure it's labeled as PWR LED for power light emitting diode (LED). - Power button. This turns the power on for the computer and is labeled as PWR BTN in the figure. This is different from a power switch on the back of the computer. If there is a power switch on the back of the computer, it turns on the power supply but not the computer. - Drive activity lights. When the disk drive is actively reading or writing data, these lights will blink. They are typically red LEDs. The motherboard has it labeled as HD LED for hard disk drive LED. - Reset button. Many systems include a reset button that will force the computer to restart. Whenever possible, it's better to logically shut down and restart a computer, but if the computer isn't responsive to any keyboard or mouse commands, you can force a restart by pressing the reset button. EXAM TIP ATX motherboards introduced soft power allowing the power to be controlled from the front panel. Plugging in and turning on the power supply provides power to the motherboard, but the computer isn't fully turned on until the front panel button is set to on. If you suspect this power button is faulty, you can remove the connection and connect the two pins on the motherboard connector by using a flat-blade screwdriver. This simulates pressing the button. If the system then turns on, you've verified the power button is faulty. If it doesn't turn on, the problem is elsewhere.

Chipsets: - North Bridge - South Birdge

North Bridge and South Bridge use a hub architecture. Beginning with the release in 2006 of the Intel i800 series of chipsets, a hub using the Accelerated Hub Architecture is used to connect buses. This hub has a fast and slow end, and each end is a separate chip on the motherboard. North Bridge: This is the fast end of the hub which contains the graphics and memory controller (GMCH), and connects directly to the processor by way of a 64-bit bus, called the Front Side Bus (FSB), system bus, or host bus. South Bridge: This is the slower end of the hub which contains the I/O controller hub (ICH). All I/O (input/output) devices, except video, connect to the hub by using the slower South Bridge. The slot designated for the video card, has direct access to the North Bridge, but other PCI Express slots must access the processor by way of the slower South Bridge. On a motherboard, when you see two major chip housings for the chipset, one is controlling the North Bridge and the other is controlling the South Bridge. Other chipset manufacturers besides Intel also use the North Bridge and South Bridge architecture for their chipsets.

Jumpers:

Older motherboards relied heavily on jumpers to configure the board, and newer mother- boards still use a few important jumpers. A jumper is two small posts or metal pins that stick up off the motherboard that is open or closed. An open jumper has no cover, and a closed jumper has a cover on the two pins (see Figure 4-34). On older boards, a group of jumpers might be used to tell the system at what speed the CPU is running, or to turn a power-saving feature on or off. Look at the jumper cover in Figure 4-34(b) that is "parked," meaning it is hanging on a single pin for safekeeping, but is not being used to turn a jumper setting on. Most motherboards today allow you to set a supervisor password (to make changes in setup BIOS) or a power-on password (to get access to the system). Know that these pass- words are not the same password that can be required by a Windows OS at startup. If both passwords are forgotten, you cannot use the computer. However, jumpers can be set to clear both passwords. Also, BIOS firmware might need updating (called flashing the BIOS) to solve a problem with the motherboard or to use a new motherboard feature. If flashing BIOS fails, a jumper can be set to undo the update. For example, Figure 4-35 shows a group of three jumpers on one board. (The tan jumper cap is positioned on the first two jumper pins on the left side of the group.) Figure 4-36 shows the motherboard documentation on how to use these jumpers. When jumpers 1 and 2 are closed, which they are in the figure, normal booting happens. When jumpers 2 and 3 are closed, passwords to BIOS setup can be cleared on the next boot. When no jumpers are closed, on the next boot, the BIOS will recover itself from a failed update. Once set for normal booting, the jumpers should be changed only if you are trying to recover when a power-up password is lost or flashing BIOS has failed. To know how to set jumpers, see the motherboard documentation.

Font Panel Connectors: - USB

On the rear panel, motherboards commonly include USB connections that are connected directly to the motherboard. However, USB devices are very popular with users and users often want access to USB ports on the front panel. Wires run from the USB ports on the front panel to connectors on the motherboard.

megahertz (MHz)

One million Hz, or one million cycles per second. See hertz (Hz).

virtual machine (VM)

One or more logical machines created within one physical machine.

gigahertz (GHz)

One thousand MHz, or one billion cycles per second.

on-board ports

Ports that are directly on the motherboard, such as a built-in keyboard port or on-board network port.

zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets

So that even force is applied when inserting the processor in the socket, all current processor sockets have one or two levers on the sides of the socket which are used to lift the processor up and out of the socket. Push the levers down and the processor moves into its pin or hole connectors with equal force over the entire housing. Because the socket and processor are so delicate, know that processors generally should not be removed or replaced repeatedly.

North Bridge

That portion of the chipset hub that connects faster I/O buses (for example, the video bus) to the system bus. Compare to South Bridge.

South Bridge

That portion of the chipset hub that connects slower I/O buses (for example, a PCI bus) to the system bus. Compare to North Bridge.

CPU Sockets: - Intel

The LGA2011 & LGA1155 (FCLGA1155) sockets are currently used by new Intel processors. The LGA1366, LGA1156, & LGA755 sockets have been discontinued by Intel, but you still need to be able to support them because you might be called on to replace a processor or motherboard using one of these legacy sockets. - PGA: Early Intel processors used PGA sockets, but they caused problems because the small delicate pins on the processor were easily bent as the processor was installed in the socket. Some newer Intel mobile processors, including the Second Generation Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors use the PGA988 socket or the FCPGA988 socket in laptops. - LGA: The first LGA socket was the LGA775 socket and has 775 pins. LGA sockets generally give better contacts than PGA sockets, and the processor doesn't have the delicate pins so easily damaged during an installation. - Some sockets can handle a processor using a flip-chip land grid array (FCLGA) processor package or a flip chip pin grid array (FCPGA) package. The chip is flipped over so that the top of the chip is on the bottom and makes contact with the socket. The LGA1155 socket has a flip chip version, which is called the FCLGA1155 socket. The two sockets are not compatible. - Other sockets are SPG & BGA. - Zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets allow you to push the levers down and the processor moves into its pin or hole connectors with equal force over the entire housing. Short video break down of Intel Processors & Sockets: http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-032551.htm

system bus

The bus between the CPU and memory on the motherboard. The bus frequency in documentation is called the system speed, such as 400 MHz. also called the memory bus, FrontSide Bus, local bus, or host bus.

PCI Express (PCIe)

The latest evolution of PCI, which is not backward-compatible with earlier PCI slots and cards. PCIe slots come in several sizes, including PCIe x1, PCIe x4, PCIe x8, and PCIe x16.

data path size

The number of lines on a bus that can hold data, for example, 8, 16, 32, and 64 lines, which can accommodate 8, 16, 32, and 64 bits at a time.

bus

The paths, or lines, on the motherboard on which data, instructions, and electrical power move from component to component.

Fan Connectors:

To get its power, the fan power cord connects to a 4-pin fan header on the motherboard. The fan connector will have three or four holes. A three-hole connector can fit onto a 4-pin header; just ignore the last pin. A 4-pin header on the motherboard supports pulse width modulation (PWM) that controls fan speed in order to reduce the overall noise in a system. If you use a fan power cord with three pins, know that the fan will always operate at the same speed.

hertz (Hz)

Unit of measurement for frequency, calculated in terms of vibrations, or cycles per second. For example, for 16-bit stereo sound, a frequency of 44,000 Hz is used. See also megahertz.

RAM Slots:

When you look at a motherboard, you might notice the DIMM (dual inline memory module) slots are different colors. This color coding is used to identify the channel each slot uses. Channels have to do with how many DIMM slots the memory controller can address at a time. - Early DIMMs only used a single channel, which means the memory controller can access only one DIMM at a time. - To improve overall memory performance, dual channels allow the memory controller to communicate with two DIMMs at the same time, effectively doubling the speed of memory access. - A motherboard that supports triple channels can access three DIMMs at the same time. - Sandy Bridge technology introduced quad channels where the processor can access four DIMMs at the same time. --DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 DIMMs can use dual channels. --DDR3 DIMMs can also use triple channels and quad channels. (For dual, triple, or quad channels to work, the motherboard and the DIMM must support the technology.)

accelerated Graphics Port (aGP)

a 32-bit wide bus standard developed specifically for video cards that includes aGP 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, and 8x standards. aGP has been replaced by the PCI Express standards.

riser card

a card that plugs into a motherboard and allows for expansion cards to be mounted parallel to the motherboard. Expansion cards are plugged into slots on the riser card.

ball grid array (BGa)

a connection via a processor that is soldered to the motherboard, and the two are always purchased as a unit.

land grid array (LGa)

a feature of a CPU socket whereby pads, called lands, are used to make contact in uniform rows over the socket. Compare to pin grid array (PGa).

staggered pin grid array (SPGa)

a feature of a CPU socket whereby the pins are staggered over the socket in order to squeeze more pins into a small space.

chipset

a group of chips on the motherboard that controls the timing and flow of data and instructions from the memory, buses on the motherboard, and some peripherals to and from the CPU. - In 2008 Intel's Chipset X58 (Nehalem) had the 64-bit Front Side Bus replaced with a technology called the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) and the memory controller which was part of the North Bridge is now contained in the processor housing.

I/O shield

a plate installed on the rear of a computer case that provides holes for I/O ports coming off the motherboard.

protocol

a set of rules and standards that two entities use for communication. For example, TCP/IP is a suite or group of protocols that define many types of communication on a TCP/IP network.

pin grid array (PGa)

a socket that has holes aligned in uniform rows around the socket to receive the pins on the bottom of the processor.

flip-chip land grid array (FCLGa)

a type of socket used by processors that has blunt protruding pins on the socket that connect with lands or pads on the bottom of the processor. The chips in the processor package are flipped over so that the top of the chip makes contact with the socket.

flip-chip pin grid array (FCPGa)

a type of socket used by processors that has holes aligned in rows to receive pins on the bottom of the processor. The chips in the processor are flipped over so that the top of the chip makes contact with the socket.

traces

a wire on a circuit board that connects two components or devices.

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

an interface between firmware on the motherboard and the operating system and improves on legacy BIOS processes for booting, handing over the boot to the OS, and loading device drivers and applications before the OS loads.