A

Seminar Report
On

“MOTHERBOARD”

Bachelor of Technology

IN

Electronics and Tele-Communication Engineering

Submitted by

Chavan Tejas Tanaji &

Barge Pratik Sudhir
Under the Guidance of
Prof. Ulmake A. A.

Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil,

College of Engineering, Satara.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University,

Lonere
Nov, 2022
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled “MOTHERBOARD”

by
Chavan Tejas Tanaji (E&TC/SY/2022/15)
Barge Pratik Sudhir (E&TC/SY/2022/06)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor of Technology in Program of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Technological University, Lonere during the academic year 2021-
22(Semester-II) is a bonafide record of work carried out under our
guidance and supervision.

Date :03/11/2022

Place: SATARA

Guide H.O.D
Prof. Ulmake A. A. Prof. Dr.
Aldar

Principal
Dr. A. C. Attar
 DECLARATION

It is hereby declared that the report on – “Seminar” is being submitted

by Chavan Tejas & Barge Pratik, B.Tech III rd Semester from KBPCOE, Satara is
an original work carried out and that no part of this project has been
submitted to any other degree or university. The information given in this
project is true to the best of my knowledge.

Date: 03/11/2022
Place: Satara
Chavan Tejas Tanaji &
Barge Pratik Sudhir
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil College of engineering Satara, a place that
provided me the atmosphere to dream and experiences for lifetime! The
work for this project was carried out at the Basic Sciences and Humanities
department under the subject SEMINAR , at Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil
College of engineering, Satara. The making of this project involves help,
encouragement, and cooperation by many people without whom, this
project would not have been as, let’s say, a complete‖. This piece of writing
is dedicated to express my sincere gratitude to them.
I am grateful to Prof. Dr. A.C. Attar, Principal KBP College of
Engineering Satara, and Prof. Mr. A. B. Degaonkar, Dean Academics who
provided a motivating environment in the department and support during
project work. Mr. Dr. Aldar Head, Basic Sciences and Humanities
department for allowing me to undertake this project.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my project guide, Prof.
Ulmake, for giving me time to time ideas and guidance related to project –
Seminar. He set me on the track at the beginning and accelerated me when I
got stuck somewhere on my way
I would like to thank my friends for their great contribution in
relieving the stress of work at the end of the day.
These acknowledgments won’t be complete without mentioning
heartfelt thanks and affection to my all family members supported me and
let me walk my way.
Some people contributed indirectly to this work. For those people, I
might have forgotten you, but you can have sure that this won’t be forever.
Your contribution has its own importance in my research career.
Thank you!!!
 Chavan Tejas & Barge
Pratik
 ABSTRACT

The motherboard is the main printed circuit board inside a

computer. It has two main functions: to support other
computer components, such as random access memory
(RAM), video cards, sound cards, and other devices; and
to allow these devices to communicate with other parts of
the computer by using the circuits etched into the
motherboard, which are linked to the slots holding the
various components.
 CONTENT

Motherboard
Description of Motherboard 
Features of motherboard
Popular Manufacturers 
Basic Components Of Motherboard 
Form factors
Chipsets
Bus Speed
Processor sockets
Memory slots
Expansion slots
Disk Connectors
Power connectors
BIOS/firmware
CMOS and CMOS battery
Back-panel connectors
Ports
Front-panel connectors

 
 MOTHERBOARDS
 Motherboard is the heart of any personal computer.
 It provides system resources interrupt request (IRQ lines),
DMA channels, and Input Output locations).
 Support the core components such as CPU, chipsets &Real
Time Clock (RTC).
 It handles all system memory includes SD-RAM, BIOS RAM,
CMOS RAM.

The motherboard serves as a single platform to connect all of the parts of

a computer together. It connects the CPU, memory, hard drives, optical
drives, video card, sound card, and other ports and expansion cards
directly or via cables. It can be considered as the backbone of a
computer.
 Description of Motherboard

The motherboard is mounted inside the case and is securely

attached via small screws through pre-drilled holes. Motherboard
contains ports to connect all of the internal components. It
provides a single socket for CPU, whereas for memory, normally
one or more slots are available. Motherboards provide ports to
attach the floppy drive, hard drive, and optical drives via ribbon
cables. Motherboard carries fans and a special port designed for
power supply.

There is a peripheral card slot in front of the motherboard using

which video cards, sound cards, and other expansion cards can
be connected to the motherboard.
On the left side, motherboards carry a number of ports to connect
the monitor, printer, mouse, keyboard, speaker, and network
cables. Motherboards also provide USB ports, which allow
compatible devices to be connected in plug-in/plug-out fashion.
For example, pen drive, digital cameras, etc.
 Popular Manufacturers
Following are the popular manufacturers of the
motherboard.
 Intel
 ASUS
 AOpen
 ABIT
 Biostar
 Gigabyte
 MSI
 Features of Motherboard
A motherboard comes with following features
 Motherboard varies greatly in supporting various types
of components.
 Motherboard supports a single type of CPU and few
types of memories.
 Video cards, hard disks, sound cards have to be
compatible with the motherboard to function properly.
 Motherboards, cases, and power supplies must be
compatible to work properly together.
 PRINCIPAL TERMS
 core voltage: the amount of power delivered to the
processing unit of a computer from the power supply.


 crosstalk: interference of the signals on one circuit

with the signals on another, caused by the two circuits
being too close together.


 printed circuit board: a flat copper sheet shielded by

fiberglass insulation in which numerous lines have
been etched and holes have been punched, allowing
various electronic components to be connected and
to communicate with one another and with external
components via the exposed copper traces.


 trace impedance: a measure of the inherent

resistance to electrical signals passing through the
traces etched on a circuit board.


 tuning: the process of making minute adjustments to

a computer's settings in order to improve its
performance.
 Evolution of Motherboard
The motherboard of a computer is a multilayered printed circuit
board (PCB) that supports all of the computer's other
components, which are secondary to its functions. In other words,
it is like the “mother” of other, lesser circuit boards. It is
connected, either directly or indirectly, to every other part of the
computer.

In the early days of computers, motherboards consisted of several

PCBs connected either by wires or by being plugged into a
backplane (a set of interconnected sockets mounted on a frame).
Each necessary computer component, such as the central
processing unit (CPU) and the system memory, required one or
more PCBs to house its various parts. With the advent and
refinement of microprocessors, computer components rapidly
shrank in size. While a CPU in the late 1960s consisted of
numerous integrated circuit (IC) chips attached to PCBs, by 1971
Intel had produced a CPU that fit on a single chip. Other essential
and peripheral components could also be housed in a single chip
each. As a result, the motherboard could support a greater
number of components, even as it too was reduced in size.
Sockets were added to support more peripheral functions, such as
mouse, keyboard, and audio support.

In addition to being more cost effective, this consolidation of

functions helped make computers run faster. Sending information
from point to point on a computer takes time. It is much faster to
send information directly from the motherboard to a peripheral
device than it is to send it from the CPU PCB across the backplane
to the memory PCB, and then from there to the device.
 Types of Motherboard

Motherboards are present in Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, and

Smartphone and the components and functionalities are the
same. But the size of the components and the way they are
accommodated on the board varies due to space availability. In
desktops, most of the components are fitted inside the sockets
provided on the board and it is easy to replace each of them
separately, whereas in Laptops/Smartphones some components
are soldered on the board, hence it is difficult to replace/upgrade.
Though different motherboards have varying capabilities,
limitations, features, Physical size/shapes (form factor), they are
identified/grouped/categorized mostly by their form factors. Each
manufacturer has come out with its form factor to suit the design
of computers. Motherboard manufactured to suit IBM and its
compatible computers fit into other case sizes as well.
Motherboards built using ATX form factors were used in most of
the computers manufactured in 2005 including IBM and Apple.
Below are the six different types of Motherboards:

1. AT Motherboard
These motherboards have bigger physical dimensions of hundreds of milli
meters and hence they are not the right fit for the mini desktop category of
computers. Bigger physical size also inhibits installing new drivers. Sockets
and six-pin plugs are used as power connectors in these motherboards.
These power connectors are not that easily identifiable and hence users face
difficulties in connecting and using it.

This type of motherboard was in vogue in the 1980s and it enjoyed a

substantial self-life.
2. ATX Motherboard
ATX denotes Advanced technology extended, it was developed by Intel during
the 1990s and it was an improved version over an earlier version of AT
motherboard. It is smaller in size when compared to AT and it provides
interchangeability of the connected components. There is a marked
improvement in the connector aspects.

3. LPX Motherboard
This board had two improvements over earlier versions. The first one is Input
and Output ports were taken to backside and the second one was the
introduction of Riser card to facilitate more slots and easier connection. Some
of these features were deployed in the AT motherboard. The main
disadvantage in this board is the lack of Accelerated Graphic Port (AGP) slots
which led to a direct connection to PCI. Issues in these motherboards were
addressed in NLX boards.

4. BTX Motherboard
BTX denotes Balanced Technology Extended, intended to manage demands
of new technologies in terms of more power requirements hence generation of
more heat. Intel stopped further development of BTX boards during the mid-
2000s to concentrate on low power CPU.
5.Pico BTX motherboard
These boards are smaller in size and hence the word Pico. Two expansion
slots are supported in spite of being sharing the top half of BTX. Half-height or
riser cards are its unique features and it supports the demands of digital
applications.

6. Mini ITX motherboard

It’s a miniature version of motherboard over its earlier versions. Designed in
the early 2000s and its dimension is 17 x 17 cm. Mainly used in small form
factor (SFF) computer due to its lower power consumption and faster cooling
ability. This motherboard is the most preferred in the home theater domain
due to its lower level of fan noise that will improve the quality of the theatre
system.
 INTERNAL COMPONENTS

The motherboard is the main printed circuit board and contains

the buses, or electrical pathways, found in a computer. These
buses allow data to travel between the various components that
comprise a computer. Figure 1 shows a variety of motherboards.
A motherboard is also known as the system board or the main
board. The motherboard accommodates the central processing
unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), expansion slots, heat
sink and fan assembly, basic input/output system (BIOS) chip,
chipset, and the circuitry that interconnects the motherboard
components. Sockets, internal and external connectors, and
various ports are also placed on the motherboard. The form factor
of motherboards pertains to the size and shape of the board. It
also describes the physical layout of the different components and
devices on the motherboard. The form factor determines how
individual components attach to the motherboard and the shape
of the computer case. Various form factors exist for motherboards
The most common form factor in desktop computers was the AT,
based on the IBM AT motherboard. The AT motherboard can be
up to approximately 1 foot wide. This cumbersome size led to the
development of smaller form factors. The placement of heat sinks
and fans often interferes with the use of expansion slots in smaller
form factors. A newer motherboard form factor, ATX, improved on
the AT design. The ATX case accommodates the integrated I/O
ports on the ATX motherboard. The ATX power supply connects
to the motherboard via a single 20-pin connector, instead of the
confusing P8 and P9 connectors used with some earlier form
factors. Instead of using a physical toggle switch, the ATX power
supply can be powered on and off with signaling from the
motherboard. A smaller form factor designed to be backward-
compatible with ATX is the Micro-ATX. Because the mounting
points of a Micro-ATX motherboard are a subset of those used on
an ATX board, and the I/O panel is identical, you can use the
Micro-ATX motherboard in a full-size ATX case. Because Micro-
ATX boards often use the same chipsets (Northbridges and
Southbridges) and power connectors as full-size ATX boards,
they can use many of the same components. However, Micro-
ATX cases are typically much smaller than ATX cases and have
fewer expansion slots. Some manufacturers have proprietary form
factors based on the ATX design
This causes some motherboards, power supplies, and other
components to be incompatible with standard ATX cases. The
ITX form factor has gained in popularity because of its very small
size. There are many types of ITX motherboards. Mini-ITX is one
of the most popular. The Mini-ITX form factor uses very little
power, so fans are not needed to keep it cool. A Mini-ITX
motherboard has only one PCI slot for expansion cards. A
computer based on a Mini-ITX form factor can be used in places
where it is inconvenient to have a large or noisy computer. An
important set of components on the motherboard is the chipset.
The chipset is composed of various integrated circuits attached to
the motherboard. They control how system hardware interacts
with the CPU and motherboard. The CPU is installed into a slot or
socket on the motherboard. The socket on the motherboard
determines the type of CPU that can be installed. The chipset
allows the CPU to communicate and interact with the other
components of the computer, and to exchange data with system
memory, or RAM, hard disk drives, video cards, and other output
devices. The chipset establishes how much memory can be
added to a motherboard. The chipset also determines the type of
connectors on the motherboard. Most chipsets are divided into
two distinct components, Northbridge and Southbridge. What
each component does varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
In general, the Northbridge controls access to the RAM, video
card, and the speeds at which the CPU can communicate with
them. The video card is sometimes integrated into the
Northbridge. AMD and Intel have chips that integrate the memory
controller onto the CPU die, which improves performance and
power consumption. The Southbridge, in most cases, allows the
CPU to communicate with the hard drive, sound card, USB ports,
and other I/O ports.
CPU
The central processing unit (CPU) is considered the brain of the
computer. It is sometimes referred to as the processor. Most
calculations take place in the CPU. In terms of computing power,
the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.
CPUs come in different form factors, each style requiring a
particular slot or socket on the motherboard. Common CPU
manufacturers include Intel and AMD. The CPU socket or slot is
the connection between the motherboard and the processor. Most
CPU sockets and processors in use today are built around the
architectures of the pin grid array (PGA), shown in Figure 1, and
land grid array (LGA), shown in Figure 2. In a PGA architecture,
pins on the underside of the processor are inserted into the
socket, usually with zero insertion force (ZIF). ZIF refers to the
amount of force needed to install a CPU into the motherboard
socket or slot. In an LGA architecture, the pins are in the socket
instead of on the processor. Slotbased processors, shown in
Figure 3, are cartridge-shaped and fit into a slot that looks similar
to an expansion slot.

ROM
Memory chips store data in the form of bytes. Bytes represent
information such as letters, numbers, and symbols. A byte is a
grouping of digital information in computing. A byte is most
commonly a block of eight bits. Each bit is stored as either 0 or 1
in the memory chip. Read-only memory (ROM) chips are located
on the motherboard and other circuit boards. ROM chips contain
instructions that can be directly accessed by a CPU. Basic
instructions for operation, such as booting the computer and
loading the operating system, are stored in ROM. ROM chips
retain their contents even when the computer is powered down.
The contents cannot be erased or changed by normal means.
ROM:
Read-only memory chips. Information is written to a ROM chip
when it is manufactured. A ROM chip cannot be erased or re-
written and is obsolete. PROM: Programmable read-only
memory. Information is written to a PROM chip after it is
manufactured. A PROM chip cannot be erased or re-written.

EPROM:
Erasable programmable read-only memory. Information is
written to an EPROM chip after it is manufactured. An EPROM
chip can be erased with exposure to UV light. Special
equipment is required. EEPROM: Electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory. Information is written to an
EEPROM chip after it is manufactured. EEPROM chips are
also called Flash ROMs. An EEPROM chip can be erased and
re-written without having to remove the chip from the computer.
NOTE: ROM is sometimes called firmware. This is misleading,
because firmware is actually the software that is stored in a
ROM chip.

RAM
RAM is the 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. The more RAM in a computer, the more capacity
the computer has to hold and process large programs and files.
More RAM also enhances system performance. The maximum
amount of RAM that can be installed is limited by the
motherboard.
DRAM:
Dynamic RAM is a memory chip that is used as main memory.
DRAM must be constantly refreshed with pulses of electricity in
order to maintain the data stored within the chip. SRAM: Static
RAM is a memory chip that is used as cache memory. SRAM is
much faster than DRAM and does not have to be refreshed as
often. SRAM is much more expensive than DRAM.

FPM MEMORY:
Fast Page Mode DRAM is memory that supports paging.
Paging enables faster access to the data than regular DRAM.
FPM memory was used in Intel 486 and Pentium systems.

EDO MEMORY: Extended Data Out RAM is memory that

overlaps consecutive data accesses. This speeds up the
access time to retrieve data from memory, because the CPU
does not have to wait for one data access cycle to end before
another data access cycle begins.

SDRAM: Synchronous DRAM is DRAM that operates in

synchronization with the memory bus. The memory bus is the
data path between the CPU and the main memory. Control
signals are used to coordinate the exchange of data between
SDRAM and the CPU.

DDR SDRAM: Double Data Rate SDRAM is memory that

transfers data twice as fast as SDRAM. DDR SDRAM
increases performance by transferring data twice per clock
cycle.
DDR2 SDRAM: Double Data Rate 2 SDRAM is a faster
than DDR-SDRAM memory. DDR2 SDRAM improves
performance over DDR SDRAM by decreasing noise and
crosstalk between the signal wires.

DDR3 SDRAM: Double Data Rate 3 SDRAM expands

memory bandwidth by doubling the clock rate of DDR2
SDRAM. DDR3 SDRAM consumes less power and generates
less heat than DDR2 SDRAM.

RDRAM: RAMBus DRAM is a memory chip that was

developed to communicate at very high rates of speed.
RDRAM chips are not commonly used.
 Conclusion

Form factor plays an important role as the computer takes many

shapes due to digital application needs where computers need to
be inbuilt in the machines, moving vehicles, and in any equipment
on the earth. The nature and size of the motherboard will undergo
continuous changes in the days to come.

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