Download INTRODUCTION

THE MOTHERBOARD
NAME: HAMAD ABU-TALEB AHMAD SELAIHEM
UNI. #:422001325
INTRODUCTION
The motherboard is the main part of your computer that everything else
plugs into. Sometimes it is called the system board. A typical
motherboard is a sheet of olive green or brown fiberglass with many gold
lines on it and chips sticking from it.
The motherboard has been an integral part of most personal computers
for more than 20 years. Think of a motherboard as a scale model of a
futuristic city with many modular plug-in buildings, each using power
from a common electrical system. Multiple-lane highways of various
widths transport data between the buildings. The motherboard is the data
and power infrastructure for the entire computer.
Motherboards (also called main boards) are actually a carryover from
architecture used for years in mainframe computers. Various circuit cards
performing various functions all plug into many similar sockets on a
common circuit board. Each circuit card performs a unique function in
the computer and gets its power from the socket.
Background
The original IBM PC contained the original PC motherboard. In this
design, which premiered in 1982, the motherboard itself was a large
printed circuit card that contained the 8088 microprocessor, the BIOS,
sockets for the CPU's RAM and a collection of slots that auxiliary cards
could plug into. If you wanted to add a floppy disk drive or a parallel port
or a joystick, you bought a separate card and plugged it into one of the
slots. This approach was pioneered in the mass market by the Apple II
machine. By making it easy to add cards, Apple and IBM accomplished
two huge things:
 They made it easy to add new features to the machine over
time.
 They opened the computer to creative opportunities for
third-party vendors.
Different motherboards of different vintages typically have different form
factors. The form factor is essentially the size, shape and design of the
actual motherboard. There are more than a half-dozen form factors for
motherboards.
The motherboard, by enabling pluggable components, allows users to
personalize a computer system depending on their applications and needs.
On the Motherboard
A motherboard is a multi-layered printed circuit board. Copper circuit
paths called traces that resemble a complicated roadmap carry signals and
voltages across the motherboard. Layered fabrication techniques are used
so that some layers of a board can carry data for the BIOS, processor and
memory buses while other layers carry voltage and ground returns
without the paths short-circuiting at intersections. The insulated layers are
manufactured into one complete, complex sandwich. Chips and sockets
are soldered onto the motherboard.
CPU
The CPU is usually the most prominent chip on your motherboard. It will
be imprinted with the type of CPU that it is, such as "486" or "Pentium",
and it will have the chip manufacturer's logo on it. If you cannot see this,
you'll probably see a CPU fan. This fan is screwed on right on top of the
CPU. Its job is to keep the CPU cool while it is on. Today's CPUs get
very HOT while turned on.
The CPU is the computer's brain. Its job is to process information and
sling it around to all of the various parts. CPUs vary in sizes and speeds.
They are often very expensive. A slow 486 chip can cost under $50 US
while today's fastest Pentium It's can go for over $1000 US!
Naming these Things!
Everyone has heard the various CPU names: 286, 386, 486, Pentium,
Pentium Pro, Pentium with MMX Technology, Pentium II, 6x86, K6, and
the list goes on. CPUs actually get two numbers that classify them. One is
the type (486, Pentium, etc.) and the other is the megahertz rating. The
megahertz rating measures clock speed, or how fast the processor can
sling information around. Although both numbers are important in
knowing what kind of CPU you have, the first is much more important.
For example, a Pentium-75 is roughly the same speed as a 486-133.
To make things even more complicated, CPUs also get letters attached to
their names. Typically, the letters are either "SX" or "DX". On a 486,
"SX" means that it doesn't come with a math coprocessor. So, a 486SX is
slower and cheaper than a 486DX. On 386 chips, SX means that the chip
has a 16-bit data bus and no math coprocessor, while the 386DX is a true
32-bit processor with a coprocessor. Today's modern CPUs typically
come with a math-coprocessor embedded into the CPU itself, so SX and
DX are not normally used.
CPUs are described as having certain data paths. This refers to how many
bits of information can travel in parallel at one time. For example, a 16bit data path is a 16 wire path on which 16 bits of information can travel
at any time. This result in roughly 2 bytes of information processed at a
time. Therefore, such a CPU is said to be a 16-bit CPU. Today's CPU's
can handle much more traffic. We have 32-bit and 64-bit processors,
although only a few expansion cards can take advantage of this.
Data Bus Width
Modern Pentium class motherboards have a data bus with 64 bits. That is
the width of the data highway that goes in and out of the processor. The
Pentium processors, however, do use 32-bit registers to handle 32-bit
instructions.
Bus speeds and widths have increased due to faster processors and the
needs of multimedia applications. Typical bus names and widths are:
 Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) - 8 or 16 bits
 Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) - 8 or16
bits
 Microchannel Architecture (MCA) - 16 or 32 bits
 VESA Local Bus (VLB) - 32 bits
 Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) - 32 or 64 bits
 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP ) - 32 bits
Chipsets
Chipsets provide the support for the processor chip on the motherboard.
The Intel 440BX is the dominant chipset in the non-Apple personal
computers. The chipset is the heart of the computer since it controls and
determines how fast and which type of processor, memory, and slots are
used. Another chip on the motherboard is called the Super I/O controller.
Its main function is to control the floppy disk drive, keyboard, mouse,
serial and printer ports. Check out PCGuide's Super I/O Controller
Functions to learn more.
Recent motherboard designs include additional chips to support USB,
sound card, video adapter, computer host and network adapter. These
chips save the cost of an adapter slot.
BIOS
The BIOS is another very important part of your computer that makes its
home on the motherboard. "BIOS" stands for Basic Input/Output System,
and usually resides on a series of chips. These chips are typically the
biggest chips on your motherboard other than the CPU and mathcoprocessor. There is usually a big sticker on it that says BIOS. The
sticker also says what kind of BIOS it is and what year the BIOS was
published.
If the CPU is the brain, the BIOS is the nervous system. It takes care of
the behind-the-scenes action, much like our nervous system ensures that
we breathe while we aren't thinking about it. BIOS handles the dirty
work. It also kicks in when you turn on your computer, letting the
computer know how many drives are present and where they are.
When you turn on your computer, the BIOS determines what hardware is
installed. It finds out if the hardware is working and if any of the parts
have their own BIOS. If it finds any BIOS type programming on any of
the parts, it lets those parts take inventory before returning to its task. For
example, most video cards have their own BIOS chip. So, the main BIOS
turns control over to the video card until it is done, then resumes check
the rest of the computer.
All of this happens behind the scenes every time you boot. You may
notice the POST, or Power on Self Test. When your BIOS test the hard
drive, floppy drive, and keyboard, you'll see lights flash on them. Once
all of this is done, your BIOS loads the operating system. It does this by
looking for and reading your various boots up files, such as Config.sys
and Autoexec.bat. From there, your operating system takes over.
Fans
Speeds, temperatures, density, faster chipset designs and component
count have driven the need for circuit cooling via miniature electric fans.
These fans mount inside the actual computer case. Heat sinks act like a
car radiator, providing additional surface area to help cool a component.
Replaceable fan/heat-sink assemblies are often used to help dissipate the
considerable amount of heat on modern processor chips. The assembly
conducts heat away from the chip by convection, using a layer of thermal
grease between the two mating metal surfaces. Fans often have a third
wire used for monitoring the speed of the fan.
HISTORY OF THE MOTHERBAORD
1924: The Tabulating Machine Company is renamed to IBM.
1939: Hewlett Packard is founded.
1947: The first transistor is invented.
1957: DEC is founded.
1966: MoboCop was born.
1967: IBM creates the first floppy disk.
1968: Intel Corp is founded.
1969:
 AMD is founded.
 AT&T Bell Laboratories develop Unix.
 Compuserve is founded.
1970:
 Intel releases the first microprocessor - the 4004.
 Intel announces the 1103, the first random-access memory
(RAM).
1972: The compact disc is invented.
1974: Intel releases the 8080 microprocessor.
1975:
 MITS ships one of the first PCs, the Altair 8800 with one
kilobyte (KB) of memory: A mail-order kit for $397.00
 Paul Allen and Bill Gates and found Microsoft.
 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found Apple Computer.
1976:
 Intel introduces the 8086 microprocessor.
 Xerox develops the widely used networking protocol
Ethernet.
1977:
 Star Wars debuts.
 ARCNET the first commercially network is developed.
 The Apple II, the first personal computer with color graphics
is demonstrated.
1978:
 The 5.25-inch floppy disk becomes an industry standard.
 Epson introduces the TX-80
1979:
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The Motorola 6800 is released.
The Intel 8088 is released.
Phoenix is founded.
Texas Instruments releases the TI 99/4 personal computer.
Hayes markets its first modem.
Atari introduces coin-operated version of Asteroids.
3COM is founded.
1980:
 IBM hires Paul Allen and Bill Gates to create DOS.
 Microsoft licenses Unix and starts to develop a PC version,
XENIX.
 The first Tandy Color computer is introduced.
 AST is founded.
1981:
 Hewlett-Packard Super chip, the first 32-bit chip is
introduced.
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Intel ships the 8087 math coprocessor.
MS-DOS 1.0 was released.
IBM releases its IBM PC, which runs on DOS.
Commodore ships the VIC-20 costing only $299.95.
Logitech is founded.
Adaptec is founded.
1982:
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The Intel 80286 processor is announced.
Peter Norton creates Norton Utilities.
Sony releases its first Trinitron monitor.
Sun is incorporated.
Compaq Computer Corp. is founded.
MS-DOS version 1.25 is released.
Adobe is founded.
1983:
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The IBM XT is first introduced.
The Apple IIe is introduced.
MS-DOS 2.0 was released.
Microsoft Windows was announced November, 1983
1984:
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1985:
ISA is expanded to 16-bit
The 3.5-inch floppy diskette is introduced.
Dell Computer is founded
IBM develops EGA.
Microsoft introduces MS-DOS 3.0 for the IBM PC AT and
MS-DOS 3.1 for networks.
The Tandy 1000 personal computer is introduced.
University of Southern California professor Fred Cohen
creates alarm when he warns the public about computer
viruses.
Kings Quest 1: Quest for the crown is released to the public.
MoboCop graduates from High School
Cirrus is founded.
 Intel introduces the 80386.
 Microsoft and IBM begin collaboration on the nextgeneration operating system (OS/2).
 Gateway 2000 is founded.
 Microsoft Windows 1.0 is shipped.
 ATI is founded.
1986: MS-DOS 3.2 was released.
1987:
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Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is established.
The SPARC processor is introduced by Sun.
IBM introduces VGA.
IBM introduces MCA.
MS-DOS 3.3 was released.
Microsoft and IBM release OS/2 1.0.
IBM introduces the PS / 2 personal computer.
IBM sends clone manufactures letters demanding retroactive
licensing fees.
1988:
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EISA is developed as an alternative to MCA.
Intel introduces the 16 MHz 80386SX microprocessor.
Creative Labs introduces the SoundBlaster
MS-DOS 4.0 was released.
MS-DOS 4.01 was released.
1989:
 Intel releases the 486DX processor.
 Asus is founded.
1990:
 Intel releases the 80386SL processor.
 Microsoft releases Windows 3.0
 The World, the first commercial Internet dial-up access
provider comes online.
 Creative Labs introduces the SoundBlaster Pro.
 Microsoft and IBM stop working together to develop
operating systems.
 IBM introduces XGA.
1991:
 Intel introduces the Intel 486SX
 Advanced Micro Devices introduces the Am386DX.
 The Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) is developed by Intel,
Xircom and Zenith Data Systems.
 Linux is introduced.
 World Wide Web is launched.
 Microsoft changes the name of OS/2 to Windows NT.
 MS-DOS 5.0 was released.
1992:
 Intel releases the 486DX2.
 Intel introduces the Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI).
 VESA local bus is introduced.
 Microsoft and Hewlett Packard develop ECP.
1993:
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Intel develops PPGA.
Intel releases the Pentium Processor.
IrDA is founded.
The EPA establishes Energy Star.
PowerPC processor for the Apple Power Mac is introduced.
DOOM by IdSoftware was released.
Myst is released.
1994:
 A mathematical flaw in the Intel Pentium is discovered.
 Intel releases the IntelDX4 processor.
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YAHOO is created
Netscape is founded.
Commodore computers files Bankruptcy.
Microsoft releases its beta for Windows 95.
Rasmus Lerdorf creates PHP.
MS-DOS 6.22 was released.
Microsoft releases Windows 3.11.
1995:
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Intel releases the new motherboard form factor ATX.
USB standard is released.
Microsoft Releases Windows 95.
Amazon.com is officially opened.
1996:
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Intel releases the 200 MHz Pentium.
Cyrix ships the 133 MHz Media GX processor.
NEC merges with Packard Bell.
Creative Labs introduces the 3D Blaster card.
1997:
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Intel introduces the MMX chip.
The Intel Pentium II 233 MHz processor is released.
AMD introduces the K6 processor.
Advanced Graphics Port or AGP design is released.
Cyrix is established.
DVDs go on sale.
Microsoft announces Windows 98.
1998:
 Intel releases the 266 MHz Celeron processor.
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Intel releases the 333, 350, and 400 MHz Pentium II.
AMR is released
Award becomes part of Phoenix
Compaq purchases Digital Equipment Corporation
Hearings open between Microsoft and the U.S. Department
of Justice.
 Microsoft Windows 98 is officially released.
 Apple introduces the iMac.
1999:
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Intel releases the Pentium III 500 MHz.
AMD releases the Athlon processor.
Cyrix releases the MII processor.
Intel announces the Pentium III processor.
VIA Technologies announces it will acquire Cyrix from
National Semiconductor.
 NVIDIA introduces the GPU.
2000:
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CNR is introduced.
AMD introduces the 850 MHz Athlon processor.
Intel begins shipping a 1 GHz processor.
Intel introduces the 400, 450, and 500 MHz mobile Celeron
processors.
 Intel announces the processor code-named "Willamette" will
formally be called Pentium 4.
 AMD releases the 1.1 GHz Athlon processor.
 Microsoft Windows 2000 is released.
2001:
 Intel recalls its 1.13 GHz Pentium III processors.
 Bill Gates unveils the Xbox.
 Microsoft Windows XP home and professional editions are
released.
2002:
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REFERENCES:
WWW.MOTHERBOARDS.ORG
WWW.HOWSTUFFWORKS. COM
WWW.HARDWARECENTRAL.COM