Motherboard Chips and Components

In this video from ITFreeTraining I will look at the different chips and components that make up a motherboard. Understanding these chips and components will give you a better understanding of what motherboard to buy.

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Parts of Motherboard
0:12 To start with, I will first look at the different parts that make up a motherboard. The size and shape of motherboards are defined by what is called the form factor. The form factor defines the size of the motherboard, its shape and where different components can be put on the motherboard.

Since the form factor defines the size, shape and layout of the motherboard, it is the form factor that makes it possible for different motherboards from different manufacturers to be used in the same computer case. As long as the computer case supports the form factor, it will be able to be used in that case.

The next part of the motherboard is the chipset. The chipset determines which components (like processor and RAM) can be used. On this motherboard there is a single chip that provides these features. On some motherboards there will be two. Later in the video I will go into more detail about how the chipset works.

The chipset has an impact on which devices can be used with that motherboard. For example, it determines how many USB ports and hard disks the motherboard supports. I say has an impact, as the motherboard manufacturer is able to add more devices if they wish. The manufacturer is also free not to use all the features provided by the chipset if they don’t wish to. Basically, the chipset provides the basic functions the manufacturer can use or add on if they wish to. They can use as little or as many of the chipset functions as they wish.

The last parts of the motherboard are the built-in components. On the motherboard you will find a lot of additional chips. These chips provide additional functionality that are not included in the chipset. In these examples there are three chips that can be seen. This chip, for example, provides ethernet functionality.

In this example, the chipset provides the data channel for networking. However, the chip is required to provide all the functionality of a network card. Let’s have a closer look at how it all works.

Modern Computers
2:14 Modern computers, although they may look different, are designed in a similar way. To start with, you have the CPU. The CPU is connected to the North Bridge via a bus. This bus is known by a number of different names. One of the more commonly used names is the Front Side Bus by Intel.

The North Bridge may be a chip on your motherboard or it may be part of the CPU. It may also be referred to as the memory controller hub or graphics and memory controller hub. Regardless if there is a separate chip or if it is inside the CPU, its purpose is the same. The North Bridge connects high-speed expansion slots, memory and high-speed devices.

The North Bridge is connected to the South Bridge via an internal bus. The South Bridge is connected to the low-speed expansion slots and low-speed devices. Not all motherboards will have both a North Bridge and a South Bridge chip. However, all modern motherboards will follow this basic design.

North Bridge/South Bridge MB
3:16 I will first look at a motherboard that has a North and a South Bridge chip. I will use a Gigabyte motherboard for this example. On this motherboard you can see the North Bridge chip near the CPU and the South Bridge chip next to the memory slots.

The CPU connects directly to the North Bridge and the South Bridge connects directly to the North Bridge. I will first have a closer look at the North Bridge.

North Bridge (AMD 990FX)
3:40 So, using my Gigabyte motherboard as an example, this motherboard supports an AMD CPU. On this motherboard there is a memory bus that connects the memory directly to the CPU. In older motherboards you may find that the memory is connected to the North Bridge rather than the CPU. As technology improves, we are seeing a trend that more and more features are being put in the CPU rather than in the North Bridge. As we will see later in the video, a chip for the North Bridge may not even be present on the motherboard.

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References
“The Official CompTIA A+ Core Study Guide (Exam 220-1001)” Chapter 3 Position 5839-6118
“CompTIA A+ Certification exam guide. Tenth edition” Pages 205 - 206
“AMD 990FX/990X/970 Databook” https://support.amd.com/TechDocs/4869...
“Uncore” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncore
“PCI Express” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Exp...

Credits
Trainer: Austin Mason http://ITFreeTraining.com
Voice Talent: HP Lewis http://hplewis.com