The Mother Board

The motherboard

The motherboard's role is to connect all the devices of the computer together and to host the CPU. Usually you can find on the motherboards:

 

a) Processor Socket

a) Processor Socket - the place where the computer's processor is placed. It uses a ZIF (zero insertion force) mechanism to insure you do not damage the processor's connecting pins when placing it. There are many kinds of sockets, generally one per generation. Examples are Socket 478 for older Pentium and Celeron processors, Socket 754 for AMD Sempron and some AMD Athlon processors, Socket AM2 - for the newest AMD Athlon processors. The socket type is the main characteristic considered on a motherboard.

b) The North Bridge

b) The North Bridge is the chip that interconnects the CPU with the system's memory and fast slots (like AGP). The data bus that goes from the North Bridge to the processor is called Front Side Bus and should be taken in consideration when buying a motherboard.
Any bus speed is measured in Mhz (eg 800Mhz) and it's width in bits. This means that a 100Mhz (supports 100 millions of cycle per second) with a width of 32 bits will have a real output of 32*100=3200Mbits/second. (100 million cycles of 32 bits per second).

c) The South Bridge

c) The South Bridge interconnects the North Bridge to the other components, like PCI slots. Note that NForce technology encapsulated both North and South Bridge in the same chip.

d) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)

d) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is an interface dedicated for video cards. It's clock rate is 66Mhz, providing fast access for video processing.

e) The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)

e) The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interfaces are used to connect any extensions like audio cards, network interfaces, etc. It's bus speed is 33Mhz.

f) SATA/IDE interfaces

f) SATA/IDE interfaces are used to connect hard disks and CD/DVD units. SATA is faster and newer then IDE.

g) Memory banks

g) Memory banks host the system's main memory (RAM). There are usually 2 or 4 memory banks available. Pay attention on the RAM you need to buy for you computer (type/speed). For example if you use DDR memory modules, you will get maximum performance by using modules at the same speed of your Front Side Bus. Another good tip is to start installing memory modules from bank 0 which is the closest to the processor.

h) The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

h) The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) chip contains a code that helps perform the basic functions on your system. It's the first gateway between hardware and software. The BIOS also runs a power-on self test (POST) to test the hardware components when the computer starts. Then it loads the bootstrap that starts the operating system.

i) The PCI Express

i) The PCI Express is a serial connection that operates somewhat different than a bus. It has a switch that controls several point to point serial connections, thus achieving great speeds 6,4GBps for a 16X device. It's commonly used for the newest video cards.