CompTIA Lesson 1: Installing Motherboards and Connectors
VGA (Video Graphics Array)
-DB-15 connector (accurately called DE-15) -Blue color -Analog signal (no digital option) -Image degrades after 5 to 10 meters
ATX Form Factor
12 x 9.6 or 12 x 10 inches
Mini-ITX
6.7" x 6.7"
Lightning Cable
8 pin, Higher power output and durable than traditional USB cable
Micro-ATX
9.6" x 9.6"
Type B Micro Connector
A USB connector mostly used for tablets and phones.
Sound card- Audio card
A component inside the computer that provides audio input and output capabilities.
DisplayPort
A port commonly found on a PC that provides high-definition video and audio between a computer and monitor.
Type A Connector
A rectangular USB connector that plugs into a computer, USB host, or hub.
Type B Connector
A square USB connector that is used with a detachable cable. The square USB connector is designed to connect to a printer or scanner. The other end of the detachable cable uses a Type A connector, which is plugged into the computer.
expansion card (adapter card)
Add-on circuit boards that improve the performance of a system"s video or sound.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
An older personal computer connection standard that provides high-performance data transfer between the SCSI device and the other components of the computer.
backwards compatible
Bus works at the speed of the lowest version
Power Connectors
Connect components to power-supply, largest is usually a 20-pin connector
ITX Form Factor
Designed for low-power, smaller form factor (SFF) computers.
external SATA (eSATA)
Extends the SATA bus to external devices.
SATA
Interface for connecting storage devices like hard disks.
RJ45 NIC card
PCI
Sound card
PCI
Motherboard adapter connectors
PCIe & PCI
Wireless NIC card
PCIe x1
Video card
PCIe x16
adapter cable
Peripheral cable converting between connector form factors or between signaling types, such as DisplayPort to HDMI.
Peripheral Cables
Peripheral cables are used to connect a PC to other devices.
DVI
Port that enables digital signals to transmit directly to the LCD monitor
Molex power connector
Power plug that provides power to older hard drives and optical drives
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
Required for connecting devices to show high-definition video
Motherboard Storage Connectors
SATA, M.2, eSATA
capture card
Sends a video signal to a computer so that the signal can be recorded to the computer hard drive
Type B Mini Connector
Small peripheral device used for early cameras, but is no longer widely supported
USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 SuperSpeed
Speed: 10 Gps Connectors: USB-A, USB-C, USB Micro Legacy Designation: 3.1 SuperSpeed USB
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 SuperSpeed
Speed: 20 Gps Connectors: USB-C
USB 3.2 Gen 1 SuperSpeed USB
Speed: 5 Gbps Connectors: USB-A, USB-C, USB Micro Legacy Designation: USB 3.0
15-pin SATA power connector
Used for SATA (Serial ATA) drives. It can provide +3.3V, +5 V and +12V, although +3.3 V is seldom used.
Serial Cable
a connector by which a device that sends data one bit at a time may be connected to a computer. Mostly used on modems.
PCIe (PCI Express)
a faster version of PCI used to connect peripheral devices to a computer; uses point to point connection
Network Interface Card (NIC)
a hardware component that enables computers to communicate over a network
M.2 Interface
adapter card form factor
video card (graphics card)
generates signal to drive monitor or projector
7-pin connector
hard drive cable that does not supply power
PCI
legacy bus type; cannot be fitted into PCIe slots
Thunderbolt Cable
multipurposed cable that can work as a display interface and peripheral interface like a USB
Motherboard headers
power button, HDD activity lights, audio ports, and USB ports
Intergrated Drive Electronics (IDE)
principal mass storage interface for desktop PCs. Uses parallel advanced technology