Jimma Institute of Technology

Faculty of Informatics and Computing

Course Title: Computer Maintenance and

Technical Support

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 Chapter 2
Computer Case and Motherboard

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 Objective

After completing this chapter you will be able to:

• Identify different types of computer casings (designs)

• Understand the purpose of the major components on a system unit

including the PSU, Motherboard, Drives, and Cooling fans.

• Identify major components on a motherboard i.e., CPU, Primary

memory, Chipset, and expansion slots

• Compare and contrast motherboard types (Form Factors)

• Select appropriate motherboards for a specific purpose

• Remove and replace the motherboard

• Troubleshooting the motherboard

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 Computer Cases

• Computer case contains the major components of the computer. It helps

protect them.

• Cases can come in many different sizes

AKA:

 Computer Case

 Computer Housing

 Computer Cassis

 System Case
 Enclosure

 etc

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 Type of Casing

• Desktop: is designed so that the system unit fit entirely on top a desk
table.

– In some models, the monitor sits on top of system unit.

– Difficult to upgrade, and backward compatible.

• Tower: Most of the casing now using a tower style. This design enables the
system unit to sit on the floor vertically.

 Mini Tower: Excellent size which can be placed on top or bellow of a

computer desk.

 Mid Tower: Excellent case which can fit below and on top of your
computer desk.

 Full Tower: Excellent computer size for upgradability.

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6
 Parts of Computer Case

• The end of the board where the keyboard connector, expansion slots,
and power connectors are located on standard desktop and tower
system boards is generally referred to as the rear of the board. The rear
of the system board corresponds to the back of the system unit.

• Front Panel

• Back Panel

• Internal Part

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 Inside the System Unit

• The components inside the system unit can be divided into four distinct
subunits:

1. Power supply
2. Disk drives
3. System board
4. Adapter cards
(optional)

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 Power Supply Unit (PSU)

• The electricity available from a standard wall outlet is Alternating Current

(AC), but a computer runs on Direct Current (DC).

• The power supply is a device that converts AC to DC to run the

computer.

• The on/off switch in your computer turns on or shuts off the electricity to
the power supply.

• Because electricity can generate a lot of heat, a fan inside the

computer keeps the power supply and the other components from
becoming too hot.

• Electrical power drawn from a standard AC outlet can be quite uneven.

For example, a sudden surge, or “spike,” in AC voltage can burn out
the low-voltage DC circuitry in your computer (“fry the motherboard”).
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 Power Supply Unit (PSU) Cont’d

• Instead of plugging your computer directly into the wall electrical outlet,
it is a good idea to plug it into a power protection device. One of the
principal types is UPS.

• A UPS is a battery-operated device that provides a computer

with electricity if there is a power failure.

•It also stabilizes any sudden fluctuation in the power

supply. Features of PSU

• It electrically isolates the system from the dangerous mains

supply.

• It provides safe well-regulated, low-voltage direct current (DC) supplies

for the motherboard and disk drives.

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 Motherboard

• Is the most important component in a pc system.

• AKA:
– System board.
– Main board.
– Planar board.

• The motherboard is compared to the mother of the PC or caretaker/

controller/holder/connection point of everything needed to run a PC.

• It is the main PCB (Printed Circuit Board) in a PC that enables the

integration and control of all other components and devices in a
complete computer system.

• PCBs come in multiple layers with highways of wires (bus systems) in

the
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layers.
 Motherboard cont’d

• It can be compared to a large city with many neighborhoods,

individual stores and shopping centers, storage companies, repair
shops, banks, etc.

• The motherboard has a built in transportation system, just as a city has

connected streets, roads and highways that are used for
transportation.

• Data and information is transported on a motherboard, via the bus.

• In a city, we have traffic lights, stop signs and other ways of controlling
vehicles and people who use the transportation system.

• If we did not incorporate ways to control traffic, we could get lost, end
up with traffic jams, accidents, or other undesirable misfortunes.

• The motherboard incorporates a similar system to keep information

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flowing smoothly to its correct designation, and hopefully without
 Motherboard cont’d

Motherboard vs. City Analogy

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 Microprocessors

• The microprocessor is the major component of any system board. It

can be thought of as the “brains” of the computer system because it
reads, interprets, and executes software instructions, and also carries
out arithmetic and logical operations for the system.

• The original PC and PC-XT computers were based on the 8/16-bit

8088 microprocessor from Intel. But now a days there are many types
of Microprocessors and their growth increases continuously.

• For instance Intel have many versions like Intel core i3, i5, i7,i9 the
latest
and AMD is another brand also have many versions.

PC-XT 14
 Memory

• Computer memory is any physical device capable of storing information

temporarily, like RAM (random access memory), or permanently, like ROM
(read-only memory). Memory devices utilize integrated circuits and are
used by operating systems and other software's.
• Primary Memory typically exists in two or three forms on the system
board:
• Read-Only memory (ROM): - Contains the computer’s permanent
startup programs.
• Random-Access Memory (RAM): - Quick enough to operate directly
with the microprocessor and can be read from, and written to, as often
as desired.

• Cache memory: - A fast RAM system specially designed to hold

information
that the microprocessor is likely to use. 15
 Chipsets

• It’s one of the main and most important component of the motherboard.

• Older motherboards were designed with a lot of different chips

scattered
all over the motherboard.

• There were chips for different things, like chips for bus
controllers, memory controller, keyboard controller etc.

• Instead of using scattered chips, chipset reduce number of chips

to do
the same job and condense them to a single chip.

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 Chipsets
• A chipset is a smaller set of chip that has replaced a large amount of
chips.
• The chipset is a square integrated circuit and looks similar to a
processor.

• Its job is to manage the flow of data between components on a

motherboard. It's the traffic controller between the CPU, GPU, RAM,
storage, and peripherals. Experts have referred to it as the “glue” of
the motherboard.

• Most importantly, the chipset determines compatibility between all of

these other components. If any of the processors or memory cards
don’t communicate with the chipset, they can’t send or receive
information from the motherboard.

• The chipset basically consists of two chips.

– North bridge and South bridge
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18
 Chipsets

• The Northbridge is located in the upper or northern part of the

motherboard, and located near the CPU and is directly connected.

• It is also directly connected to the memory and the AGP and PCI-E slots

• It acts as the communication middleman between CPU, AGP and RAM.

• The Southbridge: is located at the bottom or southern portion of the

motherboard, near the PCI bus slots.

• It connects the PCI bus slots, SATA, and IDE connectors, and USB ports.

Note: There is no direct connection between the CPU and the lower
portion of the motherboard. So if the PCI, USB, IDE, or SATA ports needed
to communicate with the CPU, the information has to go through the south
bridge and then up through the Northbridge and then to the CPU.

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 Cont’d

• The Northbridge is faster then the Southbridge, and that’s because

the CPU, PCI-E, AGP, and Memory are the most used and most
important components of the PC.

• In general, high speed components are connected to Northbridge, and

low speed components are connected to Southbridge.

• Both the north and southbridge make these connections to various

parts of the motherboard using pathways called a bus.

• Bus – a pathways or set of pathways that allows data and signals

to travel between components on the motherboard.

• The motherboard contains several kinds of buses that vary in speed

and bandwidth.

• For example, 66 MHz bus – Sends data at 66 million cycles per second.
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 Expansion Slots

• Alternatively known as a bus slot or expansion port, an expansion slot

is a connection or port inside a computer on the motherboard or riser
card. It provides an installation point for a hardware expansion card to
be connected.

• For example, if you wanted to install a new video card in the computer,
you'd purchase a video expansion card and install that card into the
compatible expansion slot.

• Types of Expansion slots:

– PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
– PCI Express (PCIe)
– AGP (Acceleration Graphics Card)
– ISA
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 Cont’d

• PCI was introduced in the early 90’s, and essentially attaches devices to
the motherboard.

• PCI was a big improvements over previous slots and became the
dominant slot on motherboard, and the main reason is that PCI
supports plug and play.

• PCI bus ran at 32 bit and 33 Megahertz. Given that it could transfer 32
bit at once, and this allowed it to transfer 133 Megabytes a second.

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 Cont’d

• In order to address some of the speed problems, in 1998 the PCI-X slot
was developed.

• PCI-X slot provided 64-bit transfer and also four different speeds.
This being 66, 133, 266 and 533 Megahertz.

• PCI-X slots are much larger than PCI slots, but the first part of the
slot is
the same as the PCI. Like before there is 3.3 volt and 5 volt slot.
 Cont’d

PCIe Speed

• In PCIx there is serial communication, and each of these

serial
connection is called a lane.

• Number of lanes given by x followed by lanes (e.g. x16)

– X pronounced as by

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 Assignment 1

Assignment

• Write in detail about AGP and ISA expansion slots.

• What is the main difference between Serial bus and Parallel bus,
and which one of them is faster in modern bus technology? Why?

• Discuss the cell motherboard analogy.

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 System Board Evolution & Form Factor
• Now motherboards come in different shapes and sizes and this is
known
as form factor.

• In addition to its dimension, the form factor includes the type of power
supply, and power connectors, the rear I/O panel, the mounting
holes, and so on.

• Form factors are standards in computers that manufacturers follow to

make sure that their parts are compatible with a motherboard.

• The most common form factor that’s used in PCs today is ATX
(Advanced Technology eXtended) which was introduced by Intel in
1995.

• A standard ATX motherboard is 12 x 9.6 inches and will have either a

20 or a 24 pin power connectors and have several expansion slots. 26
 Cont’d

• Prior to the development of the ATX, there was the AT form factor.

• AT stands for Advanced Technology, and this is used back in the 1980s
that was developed by IBM.

• AT motherboards are 12 x 13.8 inches in size and they are no longer in

development since the succession of the ATX.

• Another version of the ATX is the micro ATX (µATX or mATX), which
is smaller than ATX boards as its name suggests.

• Micro ATX boards are 9.6 x 9.6 inches, and it’s shorter that standard
ATX.

• Because it’s shorter it will have fewer expansion slots.

• Micro ATX boards are cheaper than standard ATX

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 Cont’d

• The mini ITX form factor, developed by VIA Technology, come out in
2001.

• This was designed for the ever increasing demand for smaller
space- saving computers.

• The ITX standard consumes less power, and often cooled only by the
use of heat sinks and not with fans.

• The mini ITX is 6.7 x 6.7 inches.

– Have only 1 expansion slot

– It only have 2 memory slots.

Heat sink
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 Cont’d

• The mini ITX will fit into the same computer case that meant for the ATX
and micro ATX.

• And this is because all three of these boards, the mounting holes,
their rear I/O panels, and their expansion slots, they all line up the
same.

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Cont’d

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 Cont’d

BTX (Balanced Technology eXtended) form factor

• It’s designed by Intel to make further improvement from the ATX form
factor, such as an improved board design, which creates a more
inline airflow, which improves cooling.
• Another improvement is the structure design, which is flexible enough
to
work with on both smaller and larger tower cases.

• However even though the BTX was supposed to succeed the ATX, it
never did and this was largely due to components such as newer CPUs
and chipsets becoming more energy efficient which requires less power
and resulting in reducing heat.

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32
 Cont’d

NLX (New Low-Profile EXtended)

• Intel’s NLX design, introduced in 1997, is an improvement on the

LPX design for low-profile systems, with an emphasis on ease of
maintenance. The NLX format is smaller, typically 8.8X13 in, so
well suited for low-profile desktop cases.

• Instead of expansion cards that plug perpendicular into the

motherboard, the NLX uses a riser card so they can plug in
parallel with the motherboard. It’s popular in slim line desktop
computers.

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 Laptop Motherboard

• Laptop motherboards vary by manufacturer and are proprietary. It is

strongly recommended that you obtain a replacement motherboard
from the manufacturer of the laptop.

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 How to select a motherboards?

 The first approach is to select the board that provides the most

room for expansion, so you can upgrade and exchange

components and add devices easily.

 A second approach is to select the board that best suits the

needs of the computer’s current configuration.

 The third approach is to select a motherboard that meets your

present needs with moderate room for expansion.

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 Cont’d

Ask the following questions when selecting a motherboard:

1. What form factor does the motherboard use?

2. Which brand (Intel or AMD) and model processors does the

board support? Which chipset does it use? How much memory

can it hold? What memory speeds does the board support?

3. What type and how many expansion slots are on the board (for

example, PCI Express 2.0 or PCI)?

4. How many and what hard drive controllers and connectors are

on the board (for example, SATA, eSATA, and IDE)?

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5. What are the embedded devices on the board, and what internal

slots or connections does the board have?

6. Does the board fit the case you plan to use?

7. What are the price and the warranty on the board? Does the

board get good reviews?

8. How extensive and user-friendly is the documentation?

9. How much support does the manufacturer supply for the

board ?

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 System-Case cover removal safety

Prepare the workspace before opening or removing the computer case:

• Adequate lighting

• Good ventilation

• Comfortable room temperature

• An antistatic mat on the table

• Small containers to hold screws and other small parts

• Open your case's side and take photos of your PC's rear panel and interior, or
label all the cables. (Sticky notes work well.) Many of today's connectors are
color-coded, but if yours aren't, this precaution could prevent frustration later.

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 System Cover Removal and Replacement

• Before you pull out your toolkit, do a bit of reconnaissance or

investigation inside your PC.

• Don't Force Anything. (remember, careful inspection)

• If you notice a separation between the sides and the top, then they must
come off separately. Some ATX case allows you to remove two screws
from the back, then slide the side panel to the rear an inch and remove
it. The other side removes the same way. It's a good, solid, well-built
case.

• Make sure any screws removed are for the cover. You don't want
to unscrew the power supply by accident and have it fall inside
your computer. That's a bad thing.

• After the case is removed, place it in a safe place, where it won't

get 39
 System Cover Removal and Replacement

Why we remove and motherboard.

System boards are generally removed for one of two possible

reasons.

• Either the system board has failed and needs to be replaced or

• The user wants to install a new system board with better features.

In either case, it is necessary to remove the current system board

and replace it. The removal procedure can be defined in five steps,

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 Removing a System Board (Steps)

• Remove all external I/O systems.

• Remove the system unit’s outer cover.

• Remove the option adapter cards.

• Remove the cables from the system board.

• Remove the system board.

To replace a system board, it is necessary to disconnect several cables

from the old system board and reconnect them to the new system board.
The easiest way to handle this is to use tape (preferably masking tape)
to mark the wires and their connection points (on the new system board)
before removing any wires from the old system board.

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 Removing External I/O Systems

• Unplug all power cords from the commercial outlet.

• Remove all peripherals from the system unit.

• Disconnect the mouse, keyboard, and monitor signal cable (VGA

cable) from the rear of the unit.

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 Removing the System Unit’s Outer Cover

• Determine which type of case you are working on.

• If the case is a desktop model, does the cover slide off the chassis in a
forward direction, bringing the front panel with it, or does it raise off of the
chassis from the rear? If the back lip of the outer cover folds over the
edge of the back panel, the lid raises up from the back, after the
retaining screws are removed.

• If the retaining screws go through the back panel without passing

through the lip, the outer cover will slide forward after the retaining
screws have been removed.

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 Removing Adapter Cards

• Remove the retaining screws that secure the adapter cards to the
system
unit’s back panel.

• Remove the adapter cards from the expansion slots. It is a good practice
to place adapter cards back into the same slots they were removed
from, if possible.

• Store the screws properly.

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 Removing the Cables from the System Board

• Detach all cables and wires connecting your motherboard to the PSU
(power supply unit) , case front panel, optical and hard drives, heat
sink or other components (such as fans).

• For the big PSU power-cable connectors that plug into the motherboard,
squeeze a lever on one side to release the connector; most other
cables should pull out easily.

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 Removing the System Board

• Grasp the system board handle at the front.

• Slide it rearward to just beyond the pan arrow marking. IMPORTANT: ...

• Grasp the system board with one hand on the system board handle
and the other on the system board rear side.

• Lift the system board out away from the pan

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 Troubleshooting System Board

• Troubleshooting problems related to the system board can be difficult to

solve because of the system board’s relative complexity.

• So many system functions rely at least partially on the system board

that certain symptoms can be masked by other symptoms.

• As with any troubleshooting procedure, begin by observing the

symptoms
produced by boot up and operation.

• Observe the steps that lead to the failure and determine under
what conditions the system failed.

• Were any unusual operations in progress? Like any error messages

or beep codes.

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 Typical symptoms associated with system board hardware failures

• The On/Off indicator lights are visible, the display is visible on the
monitor
screen, but there is no disk drive action and no boot up.

• The On/Off indicator lights are visible, the hard drive spins up, but
the system appears dead and there is no boot up.

• The system locks up during normal operation.

• The system produces a beep code with 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 9 beeps.

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 Typical symptoms associated with system board hardware failures

• The system produces a beep code of 1 long and 3 short beeps.

– Video Card problem (Video Card not detected)

• The system will not hold date and time.

• A20 Error message displays—error getting into protected mode.

• An “Invalid Switch Memory Failure” message displays.

– Run Windows Memory Diagnostic to Fix a Memory Management

Error

– Press the Windows + R keyboard combination and type “mdsched,”

then press Enter or click OK.

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 Cont’d

• A DMA Error message displays—DMA controller failed page register

test.

• A CMOS Battery Low message displays, indicating failure of CMOS

battery or CMOS checksum test..

• Slowdown in Performance.

• A 201 error code displays, indicating a RAM failure.

• A failing motherboard most at times shows signs of physical

damages especially the capacitors bloated out.

• Motherboard doesn’t POST (Power On Self Test).

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 Cont’d

• Slow boot-ups could indicate that your motherboard is going bad, though
it could be other components as well.

• Burning smell or burn marks anywhere on the motherboard itself.

• Bulging or leaking capacitors.

• Peripherals will stop working for a few seconds or more.

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 Typical symptoms associated with system board setup failures

• A CMOS In operational message displays, indicating failure of CMOS

shutdown register.
• A Display Switch Setting Not Proper message displays—failure to
verify display type.
• A CMOS Display Mismatch message displays—failure of display-type
verification.
• A CMOS Memory Size Mismatch message displays—system
configuration and setup failure.
• A CMOS Time & Date Not Set message displays—system
configuration and setup failure.
• An IBM-compatible error code displays, indicating that a configuration
problem has occurred.
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 Typical symptoms associated with system board I/O failures

• Speaker doesn’t work during operation. The rest of the system works,
but
no sounds are produced through the speaker.

• Keyboard does not function after being replaced with a known good unit.

• The system board normally marks the end of any of the various
troubleshooting schemes given for different system components.
It occupies this position for two reasons.

• First, the system board supports most of the other system

components, either directly or indirectly.

• Second, it is the system component that requires the most effort

to replace and test.

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