Matt Giannone Motherboards

The motherboard is the most important part of a computer. The motherboard (often abbreviated MOBO) is the circuit board that connects every computer part to each other inside of your computer. Every single component inside of a computer is connected to the motherboard in some way. The Processor, Graphics Card, Memory, Hard Drive/Solid State Drive, and any extra parts are connected to the motherboard. The MOBO allows all parts to talk to each other and without it, a computer couldn't run.

The motherboard is a very complex part of your computer and there is a lot of features. One of them are the ports. There are many ports on a motherboards. The amount of ports on motherboards are different between different motherboards but the base ones are USB 2.0, 3.1, Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, Audio Jacks, DVI, and other ports. There are also many sockets like the Processor socket and the M.2 Slot. There is also the 24 Pin connector which is how the motherboard gets its power from the Power Supply (PSU). Then there are the PCI Slots which let you connect Audio cards, Graphics cards, and other type of PCI Components.

The motherboard dates back to 1981. The first iteration was in the IBM Personal Computer and was called the "planar"

The first ATX motherboard was released in 1995 by Intel

The Micro ATX motherboard was released by Intel in 1997

In 2006, The DUAL GPU feature was created and made possible with a microATX motherboard by Intel.

Source: https://www.computerhope.com/history/motherboard.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20motherboard%2C%20originally%20called,in%20the%20IBM%20Personal%20Computer.&text=The%20AT%2C%20or%20Full%20AT,by%20IBM%20in%20August%201984.&text=IBM%20introduced%20the%20Baby%20AT%20motherboard%20form%20factor%20in%201985.&text=The%20LPX%20motherboard%20form%20factor%20was%20developed%20by%20Western%20Digital%20in%201987.

Replacing a motherboard is not a hard process if you can get the hang of it.

First you must make sure all connections to the motherboard are disconnected and all parts on the motherboard are removed (Ram, graphics card, etc) If you are replacing the motherboard then you should take out your CPU and M.2 SSD, but if you are just moving the motherboard or taking it out to fix it then you can keep those parts in. Then you must unscrew all of the screws keeping the motherboard in place and then lift the motherboard out.

To install the motherboard you need to first install the IO Shield provided by the motherboard. (See picture above), then you need to place the motherboard over the screw holes in the case. Then you need to screw the motherboard in. After this you can connect all of the cords and put back in the Ram, graphics card, m.2 ssds, etc.

The motherboards architecture is complicated as theres many parts to it.

The Chips:

Rom Chips, that stores the BIOS and programs

CMOS Storage, which stores user data used by the setup program

The Chipset which consists of two controllers which incorporate a number of functions

Sockets:

CPU Socket

Ram sockets

Adapter socket (GPU, Audio cards, PCI, etc)

Plugs and ports:

USB, HDMI, Audio jack, DVI, VGA, etc

Connectors:

24 Pin connector that connects the motherboard to the PSU

Connectors for the hard drive, SATA, etc.

There are also a lot of other places to connect things like the CPU, CPU Fans, Power button, etc

Source: https://www.karbosguide.com/books/pcarchitecture/chapter04.html

The motherboard has many form factors. 3 of them are:

Micro ATX: 9.6 x 9.6 inches and can support up to 4 expansion slots. Mounting holes are also different from the standard ATX due to size. Introduced in December 1997

Mini-ITX: 6.7 x 6.7 inches and is a standard format for all types of equipment and are in things such as vehicle embedded computers and industrial applications. Introduced in 2001

Pico-ITX: 3.9 x 2.8 inches and is the smallest type of motherboard. It was designed to open up innovation for smaller and smarter IoT devices. Introduced in 2007.

Source: https://www.lanner-america.com/blog/types-motherboard-form-factors/#Micro_ATX

One enhancement there has been for motherboards over the last years was:

A system called Dual Intelligent Processors which was showcased by ASUS in June 2010. This technology could improve the lifespan of the component and allow better performance.

Another enhancement was introduced also by ASUS called Performance Enhancement mode. It was introduced on Intel 400-Series motherboards and allows the user to push the CPU's in the motherboard to a higher level then it could of been before. It also allows these CPU's to push higher clock speeds even if they are locked. Most of the motherboards this enhancement is enabled on are gaming motherboards.

Source: https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/asus-...

Source: https://www.wepc.com/news/asus-introduces-asus-performance-enhancement-feature-for-intel-400-series-motherboards/

The most common failure for motherboards is physical damage. You could accidentally damage the motherboard while tinkering with it, and its not necessarily hard to do that. Even little things such as a scratch on the motherboard can completely disable it. The CPU Socket could also be damaged.

Another very common failure is overheating. Overheating can cause complete failure of the motherboard. For example, if you are overclocking your processor which doesn't have a very good cooler, it is very prone to overheating which can damage the motherboard very badly.

Source: https://www.crtucson.com/dead-motherboard-how-to-tell-if-your-motherboard-is-failing/

There are many tools and software you can download to diagnose a motherboard such as Hot CPU Tester (Which can be used to test motherboards and Processors and an easy way to look for failures in your computer) , Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool (which can diagnose a variety of Intel Processors), etc.

There are also many hardware tools you can use to diagnose a motherboard. One of them is PC Doctor which is a service many technicians use to diagnose computer issues and motherboard issues.

Source: https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001089.htm