ZETECH UNIVERSITY

BCE 212
UNIT NAME: COMPUTER SUPPORT AND MAINTANCE
Lesson 2: Mother Board form factor.
The motherboard form factor describes its general shape, the type of case and power
supply it can use, and its physical organization (layout of the motherboard). Over time,
in the computer industry, we have had a number of different motherboard form factors
being developed.
 Size: It’s easy to see the difference, but size is a major factor in industrial applications. Many
areas simply cannot fit large PCs to perform the necessary tasks needed in industrial settings.
Having a smaller size that can output the necessary performance makes the world of a
difference.
 Power efficiency: -Many small form factor motherboards and PCs do not generate as much
heat as normal ones do. The low processing power helps promote a long-life span and reduces
the operating costs in cooling, as many applications utilize passive cooling through heatsinks
 Longevity: -As mentioned previously, industrial motherboards carry a long-life span. All
parts are specifically chosen to deliver a long life without the need for replacement or
maintenance. By doing so, it reduces the total cost of ownership and potential RMAs.
 Durability: -Industrial motherboards are built to last and built to withstand. Many
industrial settings are harsh and require careful planning and design to withstand the hardest
deployments where dust, debris, water, shock and vibration all take place.

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 There are many types of motherboard form factors that are currently in use
today. And while there is a large amount of form factors, many of them are
obsolete or designed for a very specialized purpose. For the purposes of this
article,
o we will explore ones that are the most prolific in the consumer and
industrial world.

Form Pros Cons

• Better-suited for overclocking

• More expensive
• Better for aesthetic purposes
ATX • Won’t fit inside most smaller
• More PCIe lanes
cases
• Higher RAM capacity

• The least expensive option • Not suitable for multi-GPU

• Ideal for single-GPU PC builds setups
Micro-ATX • Can fit into pretty much any case • Not ideal for extreme
• Higher RAM capacity than mini- overclocking
ITX • Typically lack in aesthetics

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 • More expensive than micro-ATX
• Won’t look right in larger cases
• Won’t work for multi-GPU
• Best option for smaller cases setups
Mini-ITX
• Better aesthetics than micro-ATX • Not ideal for extreme
overclocking
• Typically, only have two RAM
slots

1) AT (Advanced Technology):

Oldest and biggest form factor and popular until Baby AT.
Capable of using 386 processors.
12' inch size and was difficult to install, service and upgrade.
2) Baby AT:

Standard in computer industries and still being used in Pentium class products.
CPU socket is placed in such a way that it can interfere with longer bus cards.
Limitation over peripheral card installation.
I/O ports are connected to pin-outs near the floppy drive which results in
jumbling of ribbon cables.
3) ATX (Advanced Technology Extended):

Improvement done in easy to use, support for current and future I/O, and also to
current and future technology.
New mounting configuration for power supply.
Processor relocated away from expansion slots to allow full length add-in cards.
Provides air-flow through chassis and across the processor.
4) Mini ATX:

Commonly same as ATX.

Just change in size from ATX= 12" x 9.6" to Mini ATX= 11.2" x 8.2".
5) Micro ATX:

Supports current and new processor technologies.

AGP (Accelerated graphics port) to have high performance graphics.
Smaller in size and less power supply.
6) Flex ATX:

A subset of micro ATX.

Gives chance to system developers to create new personal computer design.

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 Enhanced flexibility to allow custom case and board design to be manufactured.
Small motherboard size and supports current processor technology.
7) LPX (Low Profile Extension) and Mini LPX:

Based on design by western digital.

Usually found in desktop pc's.
Case are slim-line, low profile case with riser card arrangement for expansion
cards.
Riser card arrangement means expansion boards are parallel rather than
perpendicular.
This make smaller case but limits number of expansion slots to two or three.
High quality product at low cost but makes difficult to upgrade and repair.

8) NLX (New Low Profile Extended):

Supports current and future processor technologies.

Also supports new AGP and tall memory technology.
Installing and upgrading the system is easy.

 When it comes to the rugged edge, it is difficult to make a standard

component like an ATX motherboard fit into an industrial setting.
 many industrial applications are subject to harsh conditions, ranging from
extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, dust, and debris. In many of these cases,
these harsh environments make it difficult to maintain a proper system in
both power and performance.
 In these areas, a system needs to be low in power consumption, yet still output
enough to perform compute solutions.
o These applications can range from industrial automation, vehicle
automation, smart kiosks, digital signage, medical imaging, casino
gaming, and security/surveillance.

Motherboards are always characterized by their chipset, type of processor socket, and
their form factor.
The following is a picture showing the most important Motherboard Components. The
motherboard in the picture is the X570 AORUS PRO and its components are:
 CPU and CPU socket.
 RAM, DRAM, and RAM slots.
 ATX power supply.
 IDE Connectors
 Northbridge and Southbridge.
 PCE Slot
 CMOS Backup Battery

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  Integrated connectors for peripherals such as USB, mouse, keyboard, display,
audio, Ethernet, etc.

Key terms
 Key Areas Covered
1. What is a Chipset
– Definition, Functionality
2. What is Northbridge
– Definition, Functionality
3. What is Southbridge
– Definition, Functionality
4. Difference Between Northbridge and Southbridge
– Comparison of Key Differences

1) Chipset. - a collection of integrated circuits which are designed to function together as a

unit, especially to perform a particular task within a computer system.
2) Northbridge Northbridge is located in the northern section of the motherboard. It is also
known as the host bridge. It is directly connected to the CPU, RAM, AGP, and PCI
Express slots. If it is required for the CPU to communicate with AGP or PCI express slots
etc., the communication occurs via the northbridge. Usually, northbridge operates at a
faster speed as it connects to high-speed components in the computer.
3) Southbridge- Southbridge is located in the southern section of the motherboard. It
connects the components such as PCI bus slots, BIOS, SATA and IDE connectors and
USB ports.

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Major Motherboard Components and Their Functions

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  CMOS Backup Battery
What is the full meaning of CMOS?
A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is the semiconductor
technology used in most of today's integrated circuits (ICs), also known as
chips or microchips. CMOS transistors are based on metal-oxide
semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) technology.

Motherboards also include a small separate block of memory made from CMOS RAM
chips which are kept alive by a battery (known as a CMOS battery) even when the PC’s
power is off. This prevents reconfiguration when the PC is powered on.

CMOS devices require very little power to operate.

The CMOS RAM is used to store basic information about the PC’s configuration for
instance:-

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 a) Floppy disk and hard disk drive types
b) Information about CPU
c) RAM size
d) Date and time
e) Serial and parallel port information
f) Plug and Play information
g) Power Saving settings

Serial and parallel port information

 The serial port is boxed in red.

 The Parallel port is the big pink port on top of the serial port.

Parallel port is generally used for Printers,

serial port is used for input devices such as mouse.
Serial port simply means the data is sent through a port one bit at a time while
parallel port means it can handle multiple bits simultaneously

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Tour of the Parts Inside a Computer Video….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HCJDWfCl-M

How to make a Motherboard - A GIGABYTE Factory Tour Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va3Bfjn4inA

What is BIOS?
 Answer: "BIOS" stands for "Basic Input Output System." It is software stored on a
small memory chip on the motherboard. This software instructs the computer on
how to perform some basic functions such as booting and keyboard control. BIOS
is also used to identify and configure the hardware in a computer such as the hard
drive, floppy disk drive, optical drive, CPU, memory, etc.
What are beep codes from a motherboard?

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Answer: Beep codes are audio signals given out by a computer to announce the result of
a short diagnostic testing sequence the computer performs when first powering up
(called the Power-On-Self-Test or POST). When you power on your computer, it has to
test major devices such as RAM, Processor, Keyboard, and Drives among others. If any of the
devices are faulty, you will receive a beep sound indicating which device has a problem.

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