By Austin Kline Ryan Ridgewell Maria Green Bethany
By: Austin Kline Ryan Ridgewell Maria Green Bethany Hart Justin Dobratz Understanding Cases, Power Supplies & Mainboards
Motherboard Form Factors - - Motherboards adhere to specifications call form factors. Form factors determine various characteristics; expansion slots, dimensions, orientation, how it is installed. Four types of form factors: - ATX (Most Common) ITX NLX BTX
Tower Cases - ITX - Designed for low power, small form factor (SFF) computers Most common is Mini-ITX: - Max motherboard size of 6. 7 x 6. 7 inches - Only one expansion slot - Small (100 watt) power supplies. - Usually used with Home Theatre PCs
Tower Cases - New Low Profile Extended (NLX) Old form factor that was designed for use in slimline desktops - Uses riser card to provide expansion slots Allows motherboard to slide in or out of the case easily Replaced by micro. ATX and Mini-ITX
Tower Cases - Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) Designed as a replacement for ATX, but was never widely adopted - - CPU positioned for increased air flow No heatsink fan. A thermal module fits over CPU to move heat out. The back panel orientation and mounting location is reversed.
Tower Cases - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) Most common form factor. Because of this, several variants exist. Each share the same characteristics: - Back plate measurements (6. 25” x 1. 75”) Expansion slot locations and spacing (0. 8” between) CPU location (top of board) Power Supply - 24 pin ATX connector Soft-power control
ATX Variants - Standard Form factor that all other variants are modeled after. ATX motherboards: - 12” X 9. 6” Up to seven expansion slots Between 6 and 9 mounting holes
ATX Variants - Extended ATX (EATX) EATX is the largest ATX variant EATX: - Measures 12” X 13” Typically uses extra space for additional memory slots
ATX Variants - micro. ATX Smaller version of the ATX form factor. micro. ATX: - Measures 9. 6” X 9. 6” Four expansion slots
Common Types of Computer Cases - ATX Full-Tower Largest computer cases, lots of room for external and internal components. Compatible with the following form factors: - Standard ATX EATX micro. ATX
Common Types of Computer Cases - ATX Mid-Tower Slightly smaller than full-tower cases. Fewer external and internal bays. Compatible with the following form factors: - Standard ATX micro. ATX Mini-ITX EATX (some)
Common Types of Computer Cases - Micro. ATX Tower Smaller cases designed to be placed on desktops. Typically one drive bay. Compatible with the following form factors: - micro. ATX Mini-ITX
PC Case Explained:
Power Supply Overview
Power Supply ● Hardware component responsible for powering every component in a computer system
Measures of Electricity ● Volt - A measure of electrical “pressure” differential ● Amp or Ampere - A measure of electrical current ● Ohm - A measure of resistance to electricity ● Watt - A measure of electrical power
Converts AC Power to DC Power (Direct Current) AC Power (Alternating Current) ● Current distributed through wall sockets ● Current used inside a computer ● Voltage ‘alternates’ from - and + charge ● Travels in one direction ● +110 V to -110 V charge ● Type of current most electronic devices require
Provide Components with Correct Levels of DC Voltage ● ● ● + 3. 3 volts, +/- 5 volts, +/- 12 volts of power Each separate voltage output circuit are referred to as a ‘rail’ To avoid ‘overloading’ newer power supplies have two or more +12 volt rails
Aid in Thermal Management ● ● Fan that cools the unit Fan direction pulls cooler air from the front and blows air out the back of case
Facts about Power Supplies Power supplies must match to motherboard and case form factor ● Most have voltage switch that toggles between 115 and 230 volt electricity 115 volts is used in North America 230 volts is used in Europe ● To determine a computer’s power Requirements: Multiply Volts by Amps (W = V * A) ● Provide Soft Power ●
Power Supply Cable Connectors
● P 1 20+4 pin connector is the main motherboard power connector (can also have four pins removed to fit 20 -pin P 1 connector) ● 4 -pin 12 V auxiliary motherboard connector used for extra power to the processor ● 8 -pin 12 V auxiliary motherboard connector used for extra power to the processor
● ● 6 -pin plus 2 -pin +12 V connector (used by highend video cards using PCIe x 16 clots) ● SATA connector used for SATA drives and has 15 pins. ● Provides both 5 and 12 V and is used for floppy drives Molex 4 -pin connector used for IDE drives
Troubleshooting ● ● ● First check symptoms Check for the obvious Use a multimeter or a power supply tester
Motherboard
Motherboard Components ● ● ● ● ● CPU Socket Memory Slots Expansion Slots (Buses) Onboard Components I/O Connections Internal Connectors Firmware CMOS Battery Chipsets
CPU Socket ● ● ● Houses the CPU Must match the motherboard socket type with the processor socket type Types ○ ○ ● PGA - Pin Grid Array LGA - LAnd Grid Array Soct number determines how many pins ○ ○ AM 3 = 941 pins AM 2 = 940 Pins
Memory Slots ● ● Computer’s memory modules are installed Types: ○ ○ ○ DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory SDRAM - Synchronous DRAM DDR - Double Data Rate, DDR 2, DDR 3
Expansion Slots (Buses) ● ● Expansion boards expand the functionally of the computer Different slot types: ○ ○ ○ PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended) PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Mini PCI ■ Used in laptops because it was designed to lie flat
Onboard Components ● ● Network Cards Audio Cards Video Cards USB and Firewall Connections ● ● PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment) SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
I/O Connections ● ● Connectors for onboard components located on the back of the motherboard Connectors include: ○ ○ ○ ● PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports USB Ports Serial Ports (COM 1, 2, 3, 4) Audio Jacks Ethernet Port I/O Shield is used to secure the connectors and protect them from dirt/debris
Internal Connectors ● Connectors on motherboards for components such as: ○ ○ ○ ● Front Ports ○ ○ ● Power Supplies Fans LED Lights USB, Fire. Wire, or Audio Ports These ports are connected to the front panels connectors, also called headers External ports that aren't available on the motherboard are usually added using expansion ports
Firmware ● ● Stored on integrated flash memory Use two firmware implementations: ○ ○ BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) ■ Identify, test and initialize system devices such as: ● Video display card ● Hard disk ● Floppy disk and other hardware UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
CMOS Battery ● ● PC’s keep certain settings when its turned off, and its power cord is unplugged. Settings such as: ○ ○ ○ ○ Date Time Hard Drive configuration Memory Integrated Ports Boot sequence Power Management
Chipset ● Group of chips that facilitates communications between the processor, memory, and devices Northbridge ● Handles the flow of all data to and from processor via the front-side bus (FSB) ● Provides control for the following: ○ Memory Bus ○ High-speed Graphics Bus (PCLe) ○ Southbridge Communication Southbridge ● Includes the following: ○ Real-Time Clock ○ Power Management Controls ○ PCI Bus and USB Device Controllers
Questions for You!
Question 1 Which of the following is NOT a type of motherboard expansion slot? A) ISA B) PCI C) AGP Answer: D) ATX
Question 2 Which expansion slot is best for high-end dedicated video cards? A. ) PCIe x 1 B. ) PCIe x 16 C. )PCI-X D. ) AGP Answer: B: PCIe x 16
Question 3 Which of the following maintains an accurate system time and date, even when the power is off? A. ) Northbridge B. ) South Bridge C. ) Flash Memory D. ) Expansion Slots Answer: B. ) Southbridge
Question 4 What does the IEEE 1394 do? Answer: Used to connect external Fire. Wire devices.
Question 5 During the process of installing a motherboard in a system case, which object would you place between the motherboard and the system case? A. ) Fans B. ) Heat Spreaders C. ) Support Manuals D. ) Standoffs Answer: D. ) Standoffs prevent the motherboard circuits from touching the system case and grounding or shorting.
Question 6 What is the most common type of memory found in a typical PC? RAM All applications and programs must be loaded into RAM to access them. This makes RAM a prime target for upgrades to increase the number or size of items it can hold.
Question 7 Where is the BIOS stored on the PC? A. ) SSD B. ) RAM C. ) ROM D. ) SSD Answer: ROM
Question 8 What is BIOS an acronym for? Answer: Basic Input Output System
Question 9 What is the difference between AT and ATX power supplies? A) B) C) D) AT supplies use a single P 1 power connector while ATX uses P 8 and P 9. AT supplies use P 8 and P 9 power connectors while ATX uses a single P 1 connector. AT power supplies run on 120 V AC current while ATX uses 220 V AC They are identical except for their shape. Answer: B
Question 10 What are the four functions of a computer system? Answer: Input, processing, output, and storage
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