The motherboard ("motherboard" / Motherboard), or, in another way, the motherboard is an integral part of a personal computer. Its appearance resembles an ordinary textolite plate, where copper conductors, connectors, interfaces and other details are located in large numbers. In the dry official language, the motherboard is the main assembly unit.
All components of a personal computer are installed in its connectors and interfaces: main processor, expansion cards, video card or cards, RAM, as well as a hard drive and other information storage devices / readers.
In addition, the motherboard is a kind of conductor for external manipulators and service peripherals. The various connectors in the back of the motherboard connect a mouse, keyboard, printers, monitor, scanners, communication equipment and other devices.
In order for all this diversity to work as it should, a secondary power source is needed, that is, the system unit board must be connected to this source through the original connector. Most of these interfaces are equipped with special “anti-fool protection”, where the receiver has plastic keys and you can insert it only in one correct way. Other connectors have similar connection principles, that is, the manufacturer prudently ensured that expensive components did not fail due to improper connection. Many distinguished motherboards differ in these features: Asrock, MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, and others.
Motherboard Form Factors
The motherboard form factor determines the fastener points to the system unit. In addition, different types of boards have a distinctive arrangement of power connectors, the number of interfaces for connecting peripherals and internal components, as well as their location. In total, you can read the three main types of motherboards. Almost all brands, which, as they say, by ear, fully support these standards, that is, MSI, Asus, Samsung, Gigabyte Asrock motherboards, etc.
Form Factors:
- Mini ITX . The smallest board size with a minimum number of interfaces and most often with an already integrated processor (budget option).
- Micro ATX . The motherboard characteristic is defined as average in functionality. It differs in acceptable sizes and is considered the best option for a home personal computer, albeit with a small set of interfaces for connecting third-party peripherals. Most often, a chipset is installed on board such a motherboard with some limitations, but they are not critical for the full-fledged operation of a home PC.
- Standart-ATX . The largest size of the group with a full-featured chipset set. It has a sufficient number of interfaces for full work with all kinds of peripherals. It features convenient and trouble-free installation along with extensive connectivity options.
Be sure to take into account the form factor of the motherboard, as well as its size, if you are completing the system unit yourself. A mini-ITX type motherboard can be installed in any case, but other types must correspond to the size of the system unit.
Sockets for processors ("Socket" / Socket)
Consider some features of the connectors for processors. By and large, the motherboard is an individual thing for each processor and vice versa. Therefore, be sure to consider the characteristics of this connector when choosing components, namely a processor, for your computer.
The typical assortment of Socket interfaces is quite large, and for each chipset set only its type is suitable. For example, a Gigabyte GA motherboard with an AMD kit is labeled FX2, AM3, and AM3 +. That is, having bought any processor with one of these "Socket" tags, you can easily connect it to this motherboard. The same is with competitors from Intel: LGA 1150 and 1155 markings will allow you to choose the right set of chipsets, for example, for Samsung or Asus motherboards.
BIOS (BIOS)
Next, we will consider the distinguishing features of each motherboard. It does not matter which set you have - the first or second motherboard, old or new, etc. On it, in any case, there will be a BIOS chip for basic systematization of input and output (BIOS - Basic Input-Output System).
Any motherboard (Gigabyte, Asus, Samsung, MSI and others) carries several critical subsystems that must be correctly configured. Some functionality may be disabled if, for example, you do not need a built-in graphics accelerator, because an external video card is installed on board.
All BIOS settings are saved in a special CMOS chip (more on that below). This is a kind of storage device "for centuries", working on a lithium cell. Even if you turn off the computer for a very long time, the data in CMOS will be saved. If necessary, you can “roughly” reset all settings by removing the battery from under the chip. This point cannot be called critical, because all the necessary components for booting a computer such as a hard disk or RAM are automatically detected, at least in modern systems (after 2006). The previously configured date and time will naturally be reset.
Microchip CMOS
Almost any motherboard (ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and others) contains a CMOS chip that remembers all changes made to the BIOS. The chip itself consumes an extremely small current - a little less than a microampere, so the battery charge is more than enough for a year, or even several years.
Sometimes, if an element has completely sat down, the computer may refuse to boot. Many newcomers in this case immediately sin on the motherboard. In order to immediately eliminate this possible reason (after prolonged shutdown of the computer), you need to remove the battery cell from under the CMOS chip and restart the system. If the computer started up or began to show some signs of life, then the problem was precisely in the dead CMOS battery.
It will also be useful to notice that on the element you can see the markings, where the first two digits indicate the diameter of the battery, and the next two - capacity. Any self-respecting motherboard (Gigabyte, MSI, Asus, Samsung, etc.) should be equipped with a CMOS battery. If you have not met her - this is an occasion to beware and doubt the originality and virginity of the purchased product. The larger the battery capacity, the longer the cell will last and the thicker it will be. The standard equipment of motherboards most often includes a battery of type 2032, that is, a battery with a diameter of 20 mm and a capacity of 32 mAh. Somewhat less common can be found more modest elements like 2025.
IDE Interface
The next equally important part that each motherboard is equipped with (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, Asrock and others) is the interfaces for working with hard drives and data readers, that is, in most cases with hard drives, DVD drives and other carriers information.
For these cases, home and office personal computers use two main interfaces - these are IDE and SATA. The IDE connector (Integrated Drive Electronics) is a 40-pin receiver and is able to work with a hard disk or DVD drive through a flexible ribbon cable. Today's realities are forcing to gradually abandon this type of interface, but nevertheless, it can still be found on some motherboards (most often MSI and Asus) to connect old hard drives and drives.
Just as in the case with the connector for the power supply, the IDE interface has "protection against fool", that is, it can not be connected incorrectly. Old motherboards were equipped with a pair of such receivers, that is, primary and secondary (primary and secondary, respectively). Most often, the hard drive was connected to the primary contact, and the read drives to the secondary.
Two external devices can be connected to each IDE-interface (channel) - master (master) and slave (slave). The choice of the appropriate media parameter is selected using special jumpers (jumpers) on the devices themselves. Moreover, if you mistakenly put on the same channel two “masters” or slaves, then none of them will work, therefore there should always be a main device and a secondary one.
SATA Interface
The SATA channel is a sequential set of interfaces, and unlike the IDE, it allows working at much higher speeds with connected devices. At the moment, he almost completely ruled out the presence of IDE devices and continues to develop further (SATA2, SATA3, etc.).
Depending on the selected form factor and the manufacturer of the motherboard, the motherboard may have a different number of SATA connectors. Today's standard equipment implies the presence of at least four interfaces of this type, while older models were equipped with only two.
PS / 2 Interface
As mentioned above, on the motherboard there are interfaces for working with external peripherals. Six-pin PS / 2 receivers with corresponding keys and painted in different colors are designed to connect keyboards and mouse-type manipulators. This moment can also be called “protection from the fool”, because each color corresponds to the type of equipment being connected (mouse - green, keyboard - lilac), and this works both ways, that is, for example, the contact on your mouse should be green.
You should immediately warn users that in no case can you connect, as well as disconnect peripherals from the PS / 2 connector while the computer is running, because this is fraught with failure of not only the keyboard or mouse, but also the system board itself. Well, if the motherboard is equipped with a group of fuses in this case, otherwise the whole system may fly.
Such fuse chips have a very small rating and easily burn with the above "switching" actions. In order to check the operation of the fuse, it can be called with a conventional tester. If it fails, then it is relatively easy (and cheap) to replace it, and henceforth not to risk it by turning on or off the external peripherals while the computer is running from the PS / 2 port. It is also worth noting that not all motherboards are equipped with such protective chips, so paying attention to this point when buying is clearly not an extra step.
USB interface
Among other external connectors, a special place is given to the USB interface (universal serial bus). It consists of four lines: two are for power, and the other for data transfer. Unlike the finicky PS / 2 port, peripherals connected via a USB connector can be changed, as they say, on the go. The interface itself appeared a long time ago and managed to acquire some modifications and improvements.
The ability to connect and disconnect devices with a USB connector during computer operation is achieved due to the specific interface design. The main power contacts are noticeably closer to the cut of the connector, in contrast to the data transmission unit. That is, at the time of switching, power starts to come in first, and turns off last.
Using the USB interface, you can connect a lot of peripheral devices: printers, smartphones, tablets, scanners, cameras and much more, as well as the usual keyboard and mouse (keep this in mind if the fuse chips are burned out on the PS / 2 ports).
A little earlier, parallel LPT ports were used to connect printers and scanners , and even less often - serial COM interfaces. Today they are practically not used, and they can be found only on old motherboards. But it’s for the better, because when connecting this kind of equipment while the computer was running, it was possible to burn both the printer and the port itself.
PCI and PCI Express Interfaces
PCI and PCI Express slots are designed for expansion cards: network adapters, communicators, modems, video cards, etc. All video cards are installed, as a rule, in an interface such as PCI Express due to its speed. Previously, an AGP-type connector was used to work with graphic accelerators, but it is outdated, and it is almost impossible to see it on modern motherboards.
It is also worth noting that over time, these slots can weaken, disrupting the normal operation of the device. The quick “treatment” here is one thing - to pull the device out of the grooves, wipe the contacts with an alcohol-containing solution and insert it back. A more radical repair is a replacement for the system board, but it is necessary in exceptional and extremely rare cases.
You should also be aware that the PCI bus has undergone several changes in the course of improvement, and depending on the year of manufacture of the motherboard, the connectors may differ in appearance and bit depth.
RAM Modules
Currently, there are several types of RAM: DDR2, DDR3 and DDR4. Morally obsolete DDR1 strips are practically not used, you can see them only on the oldest motherboards.
The memory differs from each other by the operating frequency, size, contacts and voltage. Each individual type has a specific cutout (key) in the lower part, which determines the type of RAM. Some motherboards can support two types of brackets at once, which is very convenient for a subsequent upgrade.
The connectors themselves are equipped with special latches for reliable fixation on the board. The strips are installed with a certain effort, where after a successful installation a specific click is heard, it means that the module has correctly seated (or you broke the latch by pushing it too hard).
The RAM modules, in addition to useful gigabytes, contain small SPD chips responsible for timing, that is, data delay for this type of RAM (random access memory). In BIOS, you can set your own timings on your own or leave it at the discretion of the bar itself. When overclocking the RAM or the entire system as a whole (overclocking), the maximum shortened delay is set.
As in the case of PCI-slots, the RAM modules may start to work incorrectly, and for this it is necessary to perform the similar procedure described in the section above and everything should work as it should.