G043 Lecture 03 Motherboards and Processors

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G043 Lecture 03Motherboards and Processors

• Mr C Johnston
• ICT Teacher
• www.computechedu.co.uk

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Session Objectives

• Know the purpose of the motherboard
• Know the features which motherboard have
• Can recognise different types of slot / sockets
  on a motherboard
• Understand the role of the processor (CPU)
• Know different types of processor available
• Know how to choose a motherboard to suit your
  processor

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The Motherboard

• The motherboard or pc main board connects all
  the bits of a computer together,
• It supplies power to, and allows data to flow
  between all components,
• There are a series of different slots which
  cables, and cards fit into,
• It is important when building a PC that all parts
  are compatible with the motherboard else the
  machine will not work.

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Motherboard Features

• System BUS (data, power, control, address)
• I/O BUS (connects storage devices to motherboard)
• Front Side Bus (connects processor to the north
  bridge)
• Chipset (north bridge, south bridge)
• Processor slot / socket
• RAM slots
• Expansion Slots
• ISA (integrated systems architecture) , PCI
  (peripheral component interconnect) , AGP
  (accelerated graphics port)
• BIOS (Basic Input Output System) chip
• Battery
• FDD, IDE (integrated drive electronics) , SATA
  (serial advanced technology attachment)
  interfaces
• Integrated Motherboard Port - USB / Serial / PS2
  / Parallel ports
• Power socket
• Optional OnBoard features Sound, Modem, GRX,
  Network Point

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Conceptual Layout
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The Processor

• The processor or CPU is the brain of a computer
  and performs calculations to enable the computer
  to function,
• Its main job is to
• Request information from devices,
• Modify / Create new information,
• Sending information back to devices.
• Processors are measure in Hertz (Hz) - number of
  calculations they can perform per second,
• Processors attach to a motherboard by being
  inserted into a socket,
• In general the faster the processor the better
  the machine but certain other factors need to be
  taken into consideration speed of motherboards
  bus, amount of RAM, rotation speed of storage
  drives and type of other cards attached.

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The Processor Rivals

• The two main manufacturers for processors are
  Intel and AMD,
• Much debate (similar to Coke and Pepsi) who is
  better but essentially its down to personal
  preference and what you want your computer to do,
• AMD went down the 64bit road,
• More data can travel around the bus
• Can use more than 4gb of RAM within your system
• Have multi core versions or processors
• Intel first to have several cores,
• Effectively multiple processors in same case
• Many of their processors now also offer 64bit
  technology
• Which ever you choose need to ensure your
  motherboard has the correct type of socket for
  the processor, as different processors require
  different sockets.

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Current Processors - Intel

• Intel's most common processors in use at the
  moment are the Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Core 2
  Quad core range,
• These have two or four processing areas and can
  essentially do multiple calculations (tasks) at
  the same time,
• They come in a range of different speeds to suit
  different budgets and uses each processor is
  given a different code
• Laptop processors start with a T (e.g.T7100)
• Core 2 Duo desktop processors start with an E
  (e.g. E8500) or X for the extreme versions
  (faster version)
• Core 2 Quad desktop processors start with Q (e.g.
  Q6700) or QX for the extreme version (e.g.
  QX9770)
• Latest processors are the Intel Core i7 (Nov
  2008) which are 64 bit high end processors and
  the Intel Core i5 (Sept 2009) which are mid range.

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Current Processors - AMD

• AMD produce a range of processors from high end
  to budget,
• AMD Sempron processors are for the budget market
  whilst Athlon (and its varients) have been around
  for years and appear in typical home machines,
• Phemon processors are AMDs high end processors
  and will be dearer,
• Most types are offered with different speeds,
  cores and in 64bit.

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Processor Precautions

• Processors work very hard and get extremely hot,
• It is important that they are adequately
  ventilated with a quality heat sink and fan,
• When purchasing a heat sink they often are
  recommended for a type of processor and speed
  using one for a lower spec processor could cause
  it to blow,
• Never pick up or try to remove a processor from a
  motherboard without letting it cool first you
  will get burnt.

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Purchasing A Motherboard

• Check that the board is suitable for your chosen
  type of processor,
• Check that the board is suitable for your chosen
  speed of processor if it will take a faster
  speed then it will be easier to upgrade,,
• Check that the RAM you have is compatible with
  the board (we will look at RAM types in a later
  lesson),
• Check what is included on the board (USB, Sound,
  GFX, Modem, Network, FireWire). These are often
  not good quality but save buying additional parts.

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Topic Exercise

• Download the topic exercise and complete it using
  the internet to assist you,
• Save it within a sensible place as it will be
  useful when completing the assignment.
• Useful websites
• www.intel.com
• www.amd.com
• www.ebuyer.com
• www.dabs.com