PERFORM COMPUTER OPERATIONS

PART 2
 LEARNING OUTCOME 1.
• Upon completion of this module, the trainee/student must
be able to:
• Identify different parts motherboard and function
 WHAT IS MOTHERBOARD?
Motherboard - Also called the "system board," it is the main printed
circuit board in an electronic device, which contains sockets that
accept additional boards. In a desktop computer, the motherboard
contains the CPU, chipset, PCI bus slots, AGP slot, memory sockets and
controller circuits for the keyboard, mouse, disks and printer. It may also
have built-in controllers for modem, sound, display and network,
obviating the need to plug in a card.
Different types of motherboards:
 AT MOTHERBOARDS
The oldest of the main boards, these
motherboards were used in earlier
286/386 or 486 computers. The AT
means the board consists of
advanced technology(AT) power
connectors. There are two power
connectors of 6 pin each mounted
on the AT motherboards. The AT
motherboards were available in the
early 80’s.
 ATX MOTHERBOARDS
The ATX motherboards
started in 90’s and are still
available. The ATX
connector on the
motherboard consists of a
single connector. These
boards are used for P2/P3 or
P/4 processors.

Motherboard for P1/P2 processors:

• Pentium 4 (P4) is the Intel
processor (codenamed
Willamette) that was
released in November
2000. The P4 processor
has a viable clock speed
that now exceeds 2
gigahertz (GHz) - as
compared to the 1 GHz
of the Pentium 3. P4 had
the first totally new chip
architecture since the
1995 Pentium Pro.

Pentium 4 motherboard
P1 = Intel Pentium 1 - Anywhere from 60–300 P2 = Intel Pentium 2 - Anywhere from 233 to
MHz. Available from 1993 to 1999. 450 MHz. Available from 1997 to 1999.
P3 = Intel Pentium 3 - Anywhere from 450 MHz P4 = Intel Pentium 4 - Anywhere from 1.3 GHz
to 1.4 GHz. Available from 1999 to 2003. to 3.8 GHz. Available from 2000 to 2008.
Celeron is a family of low-end x86
microprocessors developed by Intel and
targets the ultra-cheap PC Pentium Dual-Core brand was used for mainstream x86-
market. Celeron is the lowest tier x86 family
offered by Intel, below Pentium and has architecture microprocessors from Intel from 2006 to 2009
significantly lower performance capabilities when it was renamed to Pentium.
than the higher-end processors. introduced
in April 1998,
 dual-core processor is a CPU with
Core Solo is a single-core chip, while
two processors or "execution cores" in the
the Core Duo is a dual-core chip.
same integrated circuit
Core 2" was the name for the next version of
Core 2 Quad[ processors are multi-chip
that "Core" processor. When you see "Duo"
modules consisting of two dies similar to those
then thatmeans there are two processors in
used in Core 2 Duo, forming a quad-core
the same packaged chip. Thus "Core Duo" and
processor. This allows twice the performance of a
"Core 2 Duo" are both two processor chips,
dual-core processors at the same clock frequency
one being the newer "Core 2" variety. he Core
in ideal conditions.
2 brand was introduced on 27 July 2006
A family of dual core, 64-bit, x86 CPUs
from Intel intended for entry-level desktop and
laptop computers. Introduced in 2010, the Core i3 is
the third line in Intel's Core "i" branding. The Core
i3 chips do not include the Turbo Boost feature,
which is found in i5 and i7 chips.
Core i5. A family of dual and quad core,
64-bit, x86 CPUs from Intel, introduced in
2009. The Core i5 chips are the midrange
CPUs in theCore "i" line between the
entry-level i3 and the high-performance i7
series.
 Core i9. A family of 64-bit x86 CPUs with up to
Core i7. A family of 64-bit x86 CPUs with
18 cores from Intel. Introduced in 2017,
up to eight cores from Intel that were
the Core i9 became the top model in
introduced in 2008 as the successor
the Core "i" series. Also part of the Intel
to Core 2. TheCore i7 chips were the
Core X-series brand, the first i9 CPU (7900x) is
high-end CPUs in the Core "i" line prior
based on 14 nm process technology and the
to the i9 in 2017.
Skylake-X microarchitecture.
Computer processor history
MOTHERBOARD PARTS AND FUNCTIONS
 PROCESSOR SOCKET
The processor socket is
the central piece of a
motherboard, usually
being located near the
center of the
motherboard. It’s also the
central piece because it
holds the processor – the
brain of your computer.
 POWER CONNECTORS
No computer component can operate without power, and a motherboard is
no exception. The power connector, commonly a 20 or 24-pin connector, can
be situated either near the right edge of the motherboard, or somewhere
close to the processor socket on older motherboards. This is where the power
supply’s main connector gets attached, providing power to the motherboard
and all the other components.
Newer motherboards have an additional 4-pin or 8-pin connector near the
processor, used to supply additional power directly to the processor.
 MEMORY SLOTS
memory slot, memory socket, or RAM slot is what allows
computer memory (RAM) to be inserted into the computer. Depending on the
motherboard, there may be two to four memory slots (sometimes more on
high-end motherboards) and are what determine the type of RAM used with
the computer.
SDRAM
 EXPANSION SLOTS
Expansions have the role of letting you install additional components to
enhance or expand the functionality of your PC. You can install a TV tuner, a
video capture card, a better soundcard, etc. – you get the idea. These ports
are located under the video card slot, and come in the form of PCI slots (on
older motherboards) or a scaled-down version of PCI-Express slots (on newer
motherboards). Some motherboards come with both types of expansion slots.
The number of slots is usually dependent on the format of the motherboard –
larger motherboards (full ATX) have more, while smaller formats (micro-ATX)
have fewer, if any.
 IDE AND SATA PORTS
IDE and SATA ports are used to provide
connectivity for the storage devices and
optical drives. The IDE interface is
somewhat outdated, so you shouldn’t be
surprised if you see a lot of new
motherboards coming without this type of
port. It was replaced by the smaller and
much faster SATA interface, which
currently reached its 3rdrevision, being
able to achieve maximum speeds of up to
600 MB/s, as opposed to the IDE interface,
which can reach a maximum of 133 MB/s.
 BIOS CHIP AND BATTERY
The BIOS chip contains the
basic code needed to take
your computer through the
boot process, up to the point
where the operating system
takes over. Since the BIOS
code is stored on a memory
chip that needs constant
power to function, a battery is
also present to keep the chip
powered when the computer
is unplugged.
 NORTHBRIDGE AND SOUTHBRIDGE
The northbridge is
responsible for coordinating
the data flow between the
memory, the video card and
the processor. A secondary
chip, known as Southbridge,
has a similar function,
coordinating the data flow
between the processor and
peripherals such as sound
cards or network cards.
 FRONT PANEL CONNECTORS, USB
HEADERS AND AUDIO HEADER
The front panel connector
is where all the elements
present on the front of your
case are connected.
Power button, reset button,
power led, audio
connectors and USB
connectors – they are all
connected to the front
panel or the corresponding
headers.
 REAR CONNECTORS
These connectors are the bridge
between the outside of your
computer and the inside. The name is
a bit misleading, as the connectors
are actually located on the left edge
of the motherboard; however, since
these connectors are accessible from
the outside, the name simply implies
where they are accessible from – the
rear of the PC case. External
peripherals such as keyboard, mouse,
monitor, speakers and so on are all
connected via these connectors.