Chapter Objectives In this chapter, you will learn: About form factors and types of motherboards About components on the motherboard A basic procedure for building a computer How to install a motherboard How to troubleshoot a motherboard and the electrical system Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Form Factors and the Computer Case The term form factor describes the size, shape, and general makeup of a hardware component When you put together a new computer system, or replace components in an existing system, the form factors of the motherboard, power supple, and case must all match to ensure everything fits properly Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

ATX Form Factor Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

NLX Form Factor Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Computer Cases and Form Factors The form factor defines the type of computer case, called a chassis Desktop cases Tower cases Midsize tower (miditower) Minitower (microtower) Notebook cases Custom cases Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Removing a Computer Case Cover Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

The Central Processing Unit (CPU): How the CPU Works Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Characteristics of CPUs Processor Speed The speed at which the CPU operates internally Bus Speed The frequency or speed at which data moves on a bus Word Size and Data Path Size Word size is the largest number of bits that can be carried on the internal data bus and that the CPU can process in one operation The data path is the largest number of bits that can be transported to and from the CPU on the system bus Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Characteristics of CPUs Instruction Sets Basic sets of commands permanently built into the CPU chip to perform fundamental operations Memory Cache A small amount of RAM which is much faster than the remaining portion of RAM Multiprocessing Microchips designed to work in cooperation with other CPUs installed on the same motherboard Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Memory Cache Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Pentium Processors Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

AMD and Via Processors Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

64-bit Processors Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

CPU Heat Sinks and Cooling Fans Since CPUs generate so much heat, computer systems use a cooling fan to keep temperatures between 90 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit Older CPUs used a heat sink, which is a clip-on device that mounts on top of the CPU and pulls heat away from it Today, most cooling fans designed to mount on the CPU housing also have a heat sink The combination of heat sink and cooling fan is sometimes called a cooler Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

CPU Heat Sinks and Cooling Fans Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

CPU Packaging, Slots, and Sockets CPUs and other chips typically are packaged in some type of protective material that prevents damage and helps dissipate heat The design of a processor’s packaging is defined by the socket or slot that the processor uses to connect to the motherboard Current CPU sockets, called zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets, have a small lever on the side that lifts the CPU up and out of the socket Most processors today are available in one or more package types Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

CPU Packaging, Slots, and Sockets Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

CPU Voltage Regulation Different CPUs require different levels of voltage on the motherboard With a single-voltage design, the same voltage is used for external and internal operations With a dual-voltage (split rail) design, one voltage is used for external operations, and another for internal operations Older motherboards require that you set jumpers to set the voltage to the CPU Newer motherboards use a voltage regulator module (VRM) to control the amount of voltage to the CPU automatically Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

The Chip Set Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

The Chip Set Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Buses and Expansion Slots Embedded wires on a bus carry electrical power, control signals, memory addresses, and data A bus that works in sync with the CPU and the system clock is called a local bus A bus that works asynchronously with the CPU (at a much slower rate) as called an expansion bus Throughput is the amount of data each bus can transfer per second Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Bus Evolution Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Expansion Buses The first expansion slots on early PCs were Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) slots A relatively new expansion bus is the universal serial bus (USB) and is used to connect slow input and output devices Local Buses Data bus Address bus Control Bus Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Expansion Buses The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus currently is the most widely used local I/O bus included in personal computers PCI-X bus The AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus was designed to create a faster, dedicated bus between the chip set on the video card and the CPU A newer local I/O bus, called the FireWire bus or IEEE 1394 bus, has throughput of up to 3.2 gigabytes per second Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

ROM BIOS: Hardware Configuration On newer computers, the data stored in CMOS is usually changed by accessing the setup program stored in ROM BIOS Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

ROM BIOS: Hardware Configuration A trickle of electricity from a small battery enables the CMOS memory to hold configuration data even while the main power to the computer is off Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Building a Computer: An Introduction Verify that you have all parts you plan to install Take necessary safety precautions Prepare the computer case Install drives Determine proper configuration settings for the motherboard Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Building a Computer: An Introduction Set any jumpers or DIP switches on the motherboard Install the CPU and CPU fan or cooler Install RAM (memory modules) Install the motherboard and attach cabling Install the video card Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Building a Computer: An Introduction Plug the computer into a power source, and attach the monitor and keyboard Boot the system and enter CMOS setup Make sure settings are set to the default Observe the POST process Install the operating system Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Building a Computer: An Introduction Change the boot order in CMOS Check for conflicts with system resources Install any other expansion cards and drives Verify that everything is operating properly, and make any final OS and CMOS adjustments Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Installing the Motherboard Be sure the motherboard you plan to install has a form factor that fits in your computer case Set the jumpers Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Adding the CPU, Fan, and Heat Sink Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Adding the CPU, Fan, and Heat Sink Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Installing the Motherboard in the Case Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Installing the Motherboard in the Case Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Installing the Motherboard in the Case Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Introduction to Troubleshooting What is the exact nature of the problem? What error messages, unusual displays, or failures did you see? When did the problem start? What were you doing on the computer when the problem occurred? What programs or software were you using? Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Introduction to Troubleshooting Did you move your computer system recently? Has there been a recent thunderstorm or electrical problem? Have you made any hardware, software, or configuration changes? Has someone else used your computer recently? Can you reproduce the problem? Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Troubleshooting the Motherboard and CPU Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Configuring and Updating the BIOS When a motherboard becomes unstable or some functions are lost, a possible way to resolve the issue is to refresh or update the BIOS–a process called flashing BIOS You must accurately identify your motherboard and BIOS Upgrading your BIOS with the wrong file could make your system BIOS useless Makers of BIOS code change BIOS frequently to fix problems and add features Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Protecting Documentation and Configuration Settings Keep your personal computer documentation and configuration records organized in a safe place Motherboard manuals should have a comprehensive list of CMOS settings Document all customized CMOS settings Document any work you have done to maintain the computer Consider keeping a cardboard folder on the inside top of the computer case and safely tuck the hardware documentation there Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Chapter Summary In this chapter, you learned: About form factors and types of motherboards About components on the motherboard A basic procedure for building a computer How to install a motherboard How to troubleshoot a motherboard and the electrical system Chapter 3: Understanding the Motherboard, the CPU, and Troubleshooting Basics

Chapter 3 Complete