Tech Master Guide

Motherboard is a foundation of the PC without the CPU. Disk drives and add-on cards are nothing but bunch disparate parts. The motherboard provides more than place to plug in these devices. It determines how quickly and efficiently they can communicate and work. The motherboard contains the following items.

1) CPU sockets or slots.
2) Memory and cache slots or chips.
3) Add-on card slot.
4) System chipsets and Bios.
5) CMOS Battery.
6) I/O Ports.
7) Pin outs or ports for connecting disk drives.
8) Power connectors.

Pin Packages: -

1) DIPP (Dual In line Pin Package): - Pins are arranged in both sides of IC.
2) PLCC (Plastic Leadless Chip Carrier): - The pins are arranged in four sides which inserted inside a plastic carrier.
3) SMD (Surface Mound Device): - This IC is soldered to the PCB (Printed Circuit Board).
4) PGA (Pin Grid Array): - Pins are arranged at the bottom side of IC. This type IC uses ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) sockets.
5) SEC (Single Edge Connectors): - Just like add-on card system. e.g.:- slot1.
6) LGA [Land Grid Array]: - The new Pentium4 Processor 506+ Socket. 775 Pin Surface mount LGA. In this type of ICs, there are no pins instead spots of metallic.

Co-Processor: - It is a special processor designed to assist the microprocessor in mathematical operation. Since the decimal place can be handled by co-processor is high. It is also called FPU (Floating Point Unit) or NPU (Numerical Processing Unit). Co-processor can be enable/disable through CMOS. Co-processor is worked under the control of microprocessor. The latest microprocessors are coming with built-in co-processor, so increase the speed.
Expansion Slots.

Generally there are six types of expansion slots in the motherboard, those are given bellow.
1. ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) Slot: - It is a black colored slot in the motherboard. There are two types of ISA slots, 8-Bit and 16-Bit slots for general purpose.
2. VESA (Video Enhanced Standard Architecture) Slot: - It is a 32-Bit slot. It is a combination of 16-Bit ISA and a brown colored small slot for general purpose.
3. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot: - It is a white colored 32-Bit slot for general purpose.
4. AGP (Advanced Graphic Port) Slot: - It is a coffee-brown colored 64-Bit slot for graphic purpose.
5. AMR (Audio Modem Riser): - It is a brown colored 32-Bit slot for modem.
6. PCI Express interface: - The latest I/O Interconnect technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnection between devices and allows higher clock speeds by carrying data in packets. It supports x16 graphic cards that comply with the PCI Express specifications. It is a blue colored slot.