Motherboard
A motherboard (sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, planar
board or logic board[1]) is a printed circuit board (PCB) found in all modern computers
which holds many of the crucial components of the system, such as the central processing
unit (CPU) and memory, and provides connectors for other peripherals.
Motherboard specifically refers to a PCB with expansion capability. The term mainboard is
applied to devices with a single board and no additional expansions or capability. In modern
terms this would include controlling boards in televisions, washing machines and other
embedded systems.
CPU sockets
A CPU socket or slot is an electrical component that attaches to a printed circuit board (PCB)
and is designed to house a CPU (also called a microprocessor). It is a special type of
integrated circuit socket designed for very high pin counts. A CPU socket provides many
functions, including a physical structure to support the CPU, support for a heat sink,
facilitating replacement (as well as reducing cost), and most importantly, forming an
electrical interface both with the CPU and the PCB. CPU sockets on the motherboard can
most often be found in most desktop and server computers (laptops typically use surface
mount CPUs), particularly those based on the Intel x86 architecture. A CPU socket type and
motherboard chipset must support the CPU series and speed.
SLOT
EXPANSION SLOT
1 PCI
Main article: Conventional PCI
(PCI is an initialism formed from Peripheral Component Interconnect,[1] part of the PCI
Local Bus standard and often shortened to PCI) is a computer bus for attaching hardware
devices in a computer. The PCI bus supports the functions found on a processor bus, but in a
standardized format that is independent of any particular processor. Devices connected to the
bus appear to the processor to be connected directly to the processor bus, and are assigned
addresses in the processor's address space.[2]
Attached devices can take either the form of an integrated circuit fitted onto the motherboard
itself, called a planar device in the PCI specification, or an expansion card that fits into a slot.
The PCI Local Bus was first implemented in IBM PC compatibles, where it displaced the
combination of ISA plus one VESA Local Bus as the bus configuration. It has subsequently
been adopted for other computer types. PCI is being replaced by PCI-X and PCI Express,
[citation needed]
but as of 2011, most motherboards are still made with one or more PCI slots,
which are sufficient for many uses.
The PCI specification covers the physical size of the bus (including the size and spacing of
the circuit board edge electrical contacts), electrical characteristics, bus timing, and protocols.
The specification can be purchased from the PCI Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG).
Typical PCI cards used in PCs include: network cards, sound cards, modems, extra ports such
as USB or serial, TV tuner cards and disk controllers. PCI video cards replaced ISA and
VESA cards, until growing bandwidth requirements outgrew the capabilities of PCI; the
preferred interface for video cards became AGP, and then PCI Express. PCI video cards
remain available for use with old PCs without AGP or PCI Express slots.[3]
Many devices previously provided on PCI expansion cards are now commonly integrated
onto motherboards or available in universal serial bus and PCI Express versions.
Peripheral Controller Interface these operate at either 33 or 66 MHz and 64 bits. This utilises
parallel technology. In simpler terms, it is used as an audio or video interface used to make
your computer function with more worthwhile options.
2-PCI Express
Main article: PCI Express
PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a
computer expansion bus standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards.
PCIe has numerous improvements over the aforementioned bus standards, including higher
maximum system bus throughput, lower I/O pin count and smaller physical footprint, better
performance-scaling for bus devices, a more detailed error detection and reporting mechanism
(Advanced Error Reporting (AER) [1]), and native hot-plug functionality. More recent revisions of the
PCIe standard support hardware I/O virtualization.
This had less channels for data but it was much faster than AGP technology. It was cheaper to
design and build. This type of slot was much more upgradeable/expandable. It was also serial
technology.
3-AGP
Accelerated Graphics Port
The Accelerated Graphics Port (often shortened to AGP) is a high-speed point-to-point
channel for attaching a video card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the
acceleration of 3D computer graphics. Originally it was designed as a successor to PCI type
connections. Since 2004 AGP has been progressively phased out in favor of PCI Express
(PCIe). By mid-2009 PCIe cards dominated the market; AGP cards and motherboards were
still produced, but OEM driver support was minimal.[1]
This was a designated slot reserved for graphics cards. It was utilised in a motherboard that
would be used in a PC that required high-end graphics processing abilities.
4-Industry Standard Architecture
Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible
computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088
microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal
Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor. The ISA bus was further extended for use with 32-bit
processors as Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA). For general desktop computer
use it has been supplanted by later buses such as IBM Micro Channel, VESA Local Bus,
Peripheral Component Interconnect and other successors. A derivative of the AT bus
structure is still used in the PC/104 bus, and internally within Super I/O chips.
Bus LINE
In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data between components inside
a computer, or between computers.
Early computer buses were parallel electrical wires with multiple connections, but the term is
now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same logical functionality as a
parallel electrical bus. Modern computer buses can use both parallel and bit serial
connections, and can be wired in either a multidrop (electrical parallel) or daisy chain
topology, or connected by switched hubs, as in the case of USB.
