Motherboards
§The motherboard is the main printed circuit board
§Contains the buses, or electrical pathways found in a computer. Buses allow data to travel among the various components.
§Accommodates CPU, RAM, expansion slots, heat sink/fan assembly, BIOS chip, chip set, sockets, internal and external connectors, various ports, and the embedded wires that interconnect the motherboard components.
Cooling Systems
§Electronic components generate heat. Too much heat can damage components.
§A case fan makes the cooling process more efficient.
§A heat sink draws heat away from the core of the CPU. A fan on top of the heat sink moves the heat away from the CPU.
§Fans can be dedicated to cool the Graphics-processing unit (GPU).
ROM and RAM
§Read-only memory (ROM)
§ROM contains the basic instructions for booting the computer and loading the operating system are stored in ROM.
§Random-access memory (RAM)
§RAM is temporary storage for data and programs that are being accessed by the CPU
§RAM is volatile memory, which means that the contents are erased when the computer is powered off
More RAM means more capacity to hold and process large programs and files, as well as enhance system
performance
Memory Modules
§Memory modules are memory chips that have been soldered on to a special circuit board for easy installation and removal.
§Dual Inline Package (DIP) is an individual memory chip.
§Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM) is a small circuit board that holds several memory chips.
§Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) is a circuit board that holds SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and DDR2 SDRAM chips.
§RAM Bus Inline Memory Module (RIMM) is a circuit board that holds RDRAM chips.
§Small Outline DIMM (SODIMM) is a smaller, more condensed version of DIMM which provides random access
data storage that is ideal for use in laptops, printers, and other devices where conserving space is desirable.
§The speed of memory has a direct impact on how much data a processor can process because faster memory
improves the performance of the processor. As processor speed increases, memory speed must also increase.
Adapter Cards
§Adapter cards increase the functionality of a computer by adding controllers for specific devices or by replacing
malfunctioning ports.
§Examples of adapter cards:
•Sound adapter and video adapter
•USB, parallel, and serial ports
•Network Interface Card (NIC), wireless NIC, and modem adapter
§Types of expansion slots:
•Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
•Advanced Graphics Port (AGP)
•PCI-Express