Chapter 4

Motherboards, Power
Supplies, and Cases
 Overview

• In this chapter, you will learn:

– Motherboards

– Power Supplies

– Cases
Motherboards
 Motherboards

• This section looks at:

– Chipsets

– Form Factors

– Connections

– Installation and Troubleshooting

 Introduction

• The motherboard provides the

framework upon which every other
component builds
– Motherboards are also called system boards, mobos
or main PCB (Printed Circuit Board)
• The power supply provides direct
current (DC) to feed the motherboard
and other components
• The case or system unit holds it all
together
 Motherboard
• Every device in your computer system
connects either directly or indirectly to the
motherboard. The motherboard, in essence,
defines the type of computer you have.
 Chipsets

• A chipset is
– A collection of chips or circuits on the
motherboard
– This collection works closely with the processor
to collectively control the memory, buses on
the motherboard, and some peripherals.
– It generally dictates
how a motherboard
will communicate with
the installed peripherals.
 Chipsets

• A chipset defines
– The processor type
– What internal and external devices the
motherboard will support
– Type and capacity of RAM
– Serves as an electronic interface among the CPU,
RAM, and I/O devices
• Chipsets come in three different
configurations
– Traditional
– Modern
– Post-modern
 Traditional Chipsets

• The oldest configuration of the chipset

contains two chips:
– The Northbridge and
– The Southbridge
• The CPU is at the north pole and the
slowest device is at the south pole
– The Northbridge connects CPU to the fastest
devices
– The Northbridge is connected to the Southbridge,
which, in turn, connects to the slowest devices
 Traditional Chipsets

• Intel calls
– The Northbridge the Memory Controller Hub (MCH),
and
– The Southbridge as the I/O Controller Hub (ICH)

• Different vendors use different terms for

the chips
– AMD has named its Southbridge
Fusion Controller Hub (FCH) .
Traditional Chipsets
 Traditional Chipsets

• AMD(Advanced Mega Devices)

processors
– AMD Phenom
– Athlon 64x2
– AMD Accelerated Processing unit
– Athlon
– FX
– Sempron NVIDIA
– Opteron 1.TEGRA
– Athlon 64 2.NVIDIA Tegra3
– Phenom II
Traditional Chipsets
 Chipset Chips

• Northbridge
– Helps the CPU work with RAM
– Communicates with video
– It does a lot of work and thus gets pretty hot
– It has its own heat sink and fan assembly
• Southbridge
– Handles expansion devices and mass storage
drives
– Most Southbridge chips don’t need extra cooling
• Super I/O chip
– Provides legacy support
– Previously, the Southbridge used to support floppy
drives, parallel ports, serial ports, etc.
– The Super I/O chip handles these chores now.
 Modern Chipsets

• In the previous configuration, the

memory controller was part of the
Northbridge
• But in modern chipsets, the memory
controller is contained in the CPU
– Now, the Northbridge communicates with the video
cards and the Southbridge
– Intel calls the northbridge the I/O Hub (IOH)
– And the Southbridge as the Legacy I/O Controller
Hub
Modern Chipsets
 Post-Modern Chipsets

• In this configuration, the CPU

incorporates both the memory controller
and the video interface
• This eliminates the need for a
Northbridge altogether
• Intel calls the lone remaining chip
(previously the Southbridge) as the
Platform Controller Hub (PCH)
Post-Modern Chipsets
 Motherboard Form Factors

• Form factor is the design of the mobos

• Form factor defines
– Size of the motherboard
– General location of components and parts
– It also determines the type of power supply and
case a PC can use
– Form factors are not interchangeable
• Most motherboards come in one of two
form factors
– ATX ( Advanced Technology eXtended)
– ITX (Information Technology eXtended)
• Each form factor has several varieties
 ATX Form Factor

• Created in 1995 by Intel

– To replace the aging AT form factor
– The expansion slots, CPU and RAM have been
rearranged to enable easier access and enhanced
performance
– Had many ports accessible from rear of PC
including mini-DIN
 ATX Form Factor

• Two popular variations of the ATX form factor

– microATX
– FlexATX
• These two variations
– Use the same power connections
– Have the same basic layout as ATX
– But they are scaled to fit into much smaller ATX
cases
• Full-sized ATX motherboard will not fit into
microATX or FlexATX cases, although most
full-size cases support the smaller
motherboards
 ITX Form Factor

• VIA Technologies created the ITX standard

• ITX is the current leader in small form factor
(SFF) motherboards
• The full-sized ITX design wasn’t a success
• The ITX smaller form factors that populate the
SFF(Small Form Factor) market are:
– Mini-ITX
– Nano-ITX
– Pico-ITX
• Mini-ITX is the largest and the most popular of
the three ITX form factors
 NLX Form Factor

• NLX(New Low Profile eXtended) is an older

slimline form factor for desktop computers
• It provides central riser slot to enable the
insertion of a special riser card or, as it’s
sometimes called, a daughterboard
• Expansion cards then fit into the riser card
horizontally
• This enabled manufacturers to produce
shorter PCs
• NLX has been superseded by the microATX,
FlexATX, and Mini-ITX form factors
NLX Form Factor
 Proprietary form factors

• Unique to a specific company

• Don’t follow standards and drive
purchase to that company
• Difficult to support
Motherboard Form Factors
 Removing the Motherboard

1. Remove all the cards

2. Remove obstructing drives

3. Remove the power supply (only if

necessary)

4. Document the position of the wires for

the speaker, power switch, reset
button, etc.

5. Unscrew the motherboard

 Installing the Motherboard

1. Install the CPU and RAM on the motherboard

before putting it in the case

2. Mount the new motherboard in the case

3. Reinstall the hard drive(s), power supply, and

so forth that had to be removed to get the
motherboard out

4. Insert the power connections and other wires

5. Test!
 Front Panel Connections

• LEDs have positive and negative

connections

– They work one way;

they don’t work the
other way

– It’s okay to
experiment
 IT Technician

Troubleshooting Motherboards
 Troubleshooting Symptoms

• Catastrophic failure
– System will not boot

• This could be caused by

– Power spikes
– Excessive heat

• To fix, replace the motherboard

 Troubleshooting Techniques

• Common Problems
– Faulty or loose cable
– BIOS errors
– Defective motherboard
 The Troubleshooting Process

• Step One: Start with the Easy

Stuff and Check Your Wires
– the majority of unbootable
computers originate from loose
wires or improperly seated
components
 The Troubleshooting Process

• A computer in its minimal boot

configuration requires only the
following:
– One stick of RAM
– A power supply
– A CPU
– Hard Disk
– A motherboard (of course)
 The Troubleshooting Process

• Step Two: Inspect for Physical

Damage
– Pay close attention to signs of physical
damage
– Also check for signs of scratches on the
integrated circuits of your motherboard
– Pay attention to signs of damaged or
misaligned SATA ports, if you
experience hard drive issues
 The Troubleshooting Process

• Step Three: Reset Your

Motherboard
– The problem could be your
motherboard’s internal software
– To reset your motherboard, pull your
motherboard’s CMOS battery
 Troubleshooting Techniques

• Isolate the problem

– If the hard drive doesn’t work, try a different hard
drive or try the same hard drive with a different
motherboard

• If the new hard drive works, you know it wasn’t the

motherboard

• If the same hard drive with a different motherboard works,

you can suspect the motherboard
How Printed Circuit Boa
rds are made
Power Supplies Unit
 Power Supplies

• In this section, you will learn about

– Explain the basics of electricity

– Power supply form factors
– Power supply connectors
– Install and troubleshoot power supplies
 Two Types of Current

• Alternating Current (AC)—

electrical current flows in both
directions
– Electricity provided at wall socket

• Direct Current (DC)—electrical

current flows in one direction
– Electricity provided by batteries
 ATX Power Supply Interior

• A - bridge rectifier
• B - input filter capacitors
• between B and C - Heat sink of high-
voltage transistors
• C – transformer
• between C and D - Heat sink of low-
voltage, high-current rectifiers
• D - output filter coil
• E - output filter capacitors
 Types of Power

• PCs use DC voltage

• Power companies supply AC voltage

• The power supply in a computer

converts high-voltage AC to low-voltage
DC

• Its internal fan also provides essential

cooling for the PC components and
drives
 Supplying AC

• In the U.S., 115 VAC is standard

• Other countries use 230 VAC
– Many PCs may have a small switch on the back to
choose 115 or 230 V (used in other countries)
– Pay attention to this switch, especially when
traveling overseas
 Power Supply Form Factors

• The ATX power supply form factor is by

far the most popular PSU form factor
• Smaller cases
– House smaller form factor motherboards such as
microATX, FlexATX, and Mini-ITX
– May use smaller form factor PSUs
• Many manufacturers have created
proprietary power supplies that come in
all sorts of shapes and sizes
 Power Supply Connectors

• Power supplies connect to the

motherboard with up to four connectors:
– The 20- or 24-wire P1 connector, the primary power
circuit
– A four-wire P4 secondary power connector, which
typically supplies power to the CPU
– A six-wire auxiliary connector (referred to as AUX
connector) that very few motherboards use
– Some modern ATX motherboards use an 8-pin CPU
power connector
 Power Connectors

• Motherboard
– 20- or 24-pin P1
– 4-, 6-, 8-pin

• Peripherals
– Molex

– Mini

– SATA

– PCIe
Power connectors, Voltages
and Their Use
 Uninterruptible Power Supply

• An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) provides

protection against a power dip or power outage

– Contains a battery that provides continuous AC power

– Provides surge protection and power conditioning

– Constantly charges battery

 Installing, Maintaining, and
Troubleshooting Power Supplies
 Installing

• Removing
– Disconnect wires
– Remove 4 standard screws
– Remove PS

• To install
– Place PS in case
– Replace screws
– Connect wires
 ATX Soft Power
Some ATX power supplies
• An ATX power supply provide a real on/off switch on
never turns off the back
– Continues to supply 5V to the
motherboard as long as it is
connected to the power
outlet

• Always unplug an ATX

power supply before
working on it
 Maintaining Airflow

• Keep case closed

– Keep covers on case

– If an expansion card is removed from the PC, be

sure to cover the hole with a slot cover

– Without proper airflow, the

CPU can overheat and
destroy itself
 When Power Supplies Die

• Power supplies fail in two ways:

– Sudden death
• When the fan doesn’t turn and no voltage is present
• Computer simply stops working

– Slowly over time

• Intermittent errors
• Output voltages may exceed specs (± 10%)
 Power Supply Test

• Put the black lead onto

any black wire
connection

• Put the red lead onto

colored wire

• 12 V ± 10%
– 10.8 to 13.2 V
– If readings are outside
tolerance and symptoms
exist, replace power
supply
 When Power Supplies Die Slowly

• Intermittent problems
– Sometimes occur, sometimes don’t
– You could measure voltage now and it’s good;
10 minutes later, system crashes

• A dying power supply can cause

– Random lockups and reboots
– Sporadic boot-up difficulties

• When you encounter intermittent

symptoms, consider replacing the
power supply
 Use Observations on the Power Supply to
Determine if it’s Faulty

• Check the Power Led

• Check the fan inside the power supply
• Check if the power supply make a noise
• Check if there is a smoke
• Check if it smells like burning
• Use Another Power Supply for Testing
 Cases

• Modern motherboards can fit into any

type of case manufactured today
– But verify that the form factor is supported

• Be sure you have access to the

motherboard manual

• Cases come in six basic sizes: slimline,

desktop, mini-tower, mid-tower, tower,
and cube
Cases - Cube
Cases – Desktop
Cases – Tower
Cases – Mid-tower
Cases – Slimline
 Options to Look for in Case

• Removable face

• Front-mounted ports

• Power supply