Motherboard

Motherboard

         The motherboard is the wide circuit board inside your computer case . It is sometimes called Expired the system board, motherboard , motherboard , or , less frequently, the flat map . Everything is connected to your computer system , Directly or Indirectly connects to the motherboard .

I am sour Everyone has heard of the CPU , or Central Processing Unit, Referred to as the " brain" of your computer . Well , the CPU is on the motherboard , and if it can be called Expired the brain of your computer , Then the motherboard is really the central nervous system . The motherboard contains the CPU , chip ROM BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) and CMOS configuration information. It Has slots for expansion cards Installing different adapt as your video card, sound card , network card, modem. The circuit board HAS connector for the keyboard as well as housing the keyboard controller chip . It Has slots for RAM Random Access memory of your system ( SIMM or DIMM) , and Provides the system chipset, controllers , and circuits underlying instrument (system bus) to tie everything together .

The motherboard , more or less , it's your computer . It kind of olefins your computer , scalability and expandability .

Mothers unintegrated

Non-integrated assemblies like mothers / O Port connectors I ( serial and parallel ports) , the connectors are gold cards paddle hard drives , the floppy controller and connectors, joystick connections , etc. . installed as expansion cards . This takes one or more expansion slots on the motherboard and Reduces the Amount of free space inside the computer case . Malthus , the individual motherboard is Relatively cheap to produce, Because The goal cost of manufacturing , testing and installing of expansion cards separately , there is an additional cost for the computer system . HOWEVER , if something shoulds go wrong with the various sub- assemblies , : such as a bent or broken pin in a connector or a defective chip controller, etc. . , You can fix the problem by replacing: the individual expansion card at a cost Relatively low .

Most older motherboards Were not integrated . Some of the later 486 system boards Began to Incorporate Some Of These assemblies right on the circuit board .

Motherboards integrated

Motherboards -have integrated assemblies That Are aussi installed as integrated expansion cards, or built right on the map . Serial and parallel ports , IDE and floppy drive, and the joystick all Directly connect to the motherboard . It is now standard on all 486 models and end above. Tend to release it from the interior of the housing and has Allows better airflow and accessibility . Systems are less expensive to Produce Because there is less material Involved , less setup and testing can be done at the same time . They are more expensive to repair , Because if you end up with a controller failure or broken pin , it means clustering a new motherboard (and, of course , Because of the added groups , the motherboard can be more expensive than icts homologous non- integrated ) . HOWEVER , integrated Specific dissertation sets are quite stable, and altho Generally problems can Occur , They tend to be quite rare.

Overall , integrated motherboard tend to be a good thing , as Opposed to the "mother Embedded.

Embedded motherboards

Cost and accessibility is a concern for Any Manufacturer . Make your more affordable, and more people will buy the product, Creating a larger market and Increase sales . Actually this is the idea behind integrated motherboards , and this is a motherboard onboard is an integrated card .

The reason I Distinguish Between the two is a matter of expansion , scalability and configuration. In an Effort to Reduce the cost ( and size ) of a computer system more odd , manufacturers -have Begun to Incorporate (or integration ) technologies : such as video , sound , networking and modems right on the system board . This Greatly Increases the cost of the motherboard , goal Reduces the cost of the system for the Entire Reasons Discussed Earlier we . In addition , you're pretty much stuck with what you have.

What if you decide you want to upgrade your audio or video technology , what happens if your modem or your card number along icts works overlooks ... you need a new ( expensive ) motherboard . But wait , the manufacturer indicates That You can update or bypass a Particular feature by Installing an adapt card and disabling the embedded device (sometimes ) . Well , this is Where some problems tends to Arise .

Firstly , how do you disable the device ? Some are disabled as soon as you install Reviews another device ( like a video card in an AGP slot) . Others shoulds be disabled by software install programs , or in the CMOS configuration of your system , or by setting jumpers on the motherboard Itself , or both ( and remember , Some can not be upgraded , BYPASSED or disabled at all ) .

SECONDLY , I can update the device I want , or am I limited ? Is there a list of compliant devices can I upgrade to? Many embedded systems can be tips very picky about the model and manufacturer of the device you use to replace That year integrated function .

Third , is there a place for the upgrade or replacement ? Remember , the manufacturer HAS built a device to save money and for reduce costs . More money has been saved by Reducing the number of expansion slots on the motherboard ?

Finally , the mother card Itself is more expensive Because of the embedded device. I would not damage the device cost reduction by disabling the device and install Reviews another ?

Another thing deception . A manufacturer can Say That Their integrated video technology has 4 MB of video RAM, expandable to , say 12MB . Usually this means clustering What Is That You have 4 MB of video memory ( All which is faster than regular system RAM) , and when to you upgrade than 12 MB ​​, it uses 8 MB ​​of RAM your system . Hmm ... Now your latest video technology uses regular system RAM INSTEAD of VRAM faster, 64 MB and your computer HAS only 56 MB of memory , 8 MB ​​Because WAS Allocated to video . Most manufacturers do not explain That One as well .

You May Find That you do a lot of desktop publishing or enjoy games, and decided you want to That update your video card to Improve Your graphics and Increase performance. With an embedded system , you May be limited to what you can do .

Make no mistake , the board might -have a recess in today 's market systems. Laptops and notebooks are getting smaller and lighter , and more like desktop computers featuring full . Some compromise is not only tolerated , but expected . You May need a basic business computer That Does nothing but the number of tightening or Accessing a database and ties to a small network . Maybe you are looking for a good computer market just to access the Internet or to play the odd game of solitaire . Maybe you play the odd game of work and you want to play your music CDs while you work . Maybe you are a first time buyer and you want all features thesis ! Embedded motherboards allow fast , powerful , feature-rich computer systems at a very reasonable cost . It's just significant to know Exactly what you get , and the various limitations and problems That can come later if you decide you want to Improve Some Of These characteristics .

From the sounds of it all , You Can Have the feeling That I ' m Not particularly crazy about embedded motherboards .

form factors

Form factors define the size , shape and placement of screws on the motherboard . Usually this is the technological advances That Have Been Made That thesis allow exchange so I guess aussi form factors define the technology to Some extent .

It is significant to Understand That none of these standards must be met ( except Perhaps the spacing Between the expansion slots) . So , if a manufacturer Decides to build a system board with the screw placement or different dimensions different from the norm , it is perfectly acceptable. Then this map Becomes the owner and can not be control by mittal by the original company. HOWEVER , if your motherboard adhered to one of the form factors , and you decided to upgrade your motherboard at a later date or replacement for Any Reason , Then All You Have to do is to buy Reviews another motherboard That follows this standard .

PC / XT

When IBM released icts first personal computer (PC), There Were No standards and mother tends to be a bit on the large size with more space than is really considers. In a short time , They Had Their computer Technologies Developed Extended ( XT ) Reducing the size of the motherboard to make it more compact and yet accept the different circuits and components for the system . The XT is Quickly Becoming a standard for motherboards in MOST clones That Were Developed at the time .

AT / AT baby

Computers are Quickly Becoming more and more Powerful with more system memory installed on the card , faster processors , and needed more circuits and components . IBM Had to Increase the size of Their boards to accept all components thesis and Developed the AT mother board . At 13.5 " X 12" , this form factor is Quickly Becoming a standard Followed by other manufacturers . Size , screw placement , positioning the expansion slot, and the odd placement of components WAS Followed Closely so That Some motherboard manufacturers Were worried about lawsuits . It was not uncommon to buy a computer from a manufacturer of system in place , with full documentation , order no contact information in the manual for the motherboard , Perhaps in fear of breach of copyright .

TA , HOWEVER , pretty much the industry standard Became Throughout the 80s and early 90s . As technology , circuits and components smaller and Have Become more integrated . Many companies -have Decided to Reduce the size of the motherboard again. Because AT has-been the norm for so Many Years They Have learned the location of expansion slots and positioning screws on a panel 13 " X 8.5 or 9 ." This Means That Could Be AT board mittal by a " Baby AT " or " mini -TA board and still fit in the same box.

Baby form factor all purpose mittal completely Call the AT and is still available , purpose HAS never been a true standard .

ATX

Because the baby form factor HAS never been a true standard , Many companies -have taken liberties with different dimensions and designs. The ATX form factor developed by Intel That hugs the baby Closely format. It brings together Some of the best ideas , engineering and design to a standard less expensive That is to develop, Allows better access component, and in Some respects , is faster and more stable.

ATX board Measures approximately 9.5 " X 12" and takes the baby on board and turns 90 degrees to the length of the board on the back of the computer case , Which Provides maximum space for extension of slots and I / O ports.

Ports of different I / O , USB connector and PS / 2 keyboard and mouse connectors are stacked or " Posed " and Directly wired to the motherboard . The lack of a cable connector Reduces radio interference and generation costs . The ATX motherboard aussi DETERMINED the number and location of mounting holes and uses a different power connection and Another (PS / 2 ) power .

The ATX standard aussi Provides a small form factor "Mini ATX " which cuts the size of a card to 8.2 " X 11.2" and Removes a row of holes These tips Will, in an ordinary case of ATX style .