Probably the two most major components of your motherboard are the socket, and the memory slots (also known as DIMMs, which is short for dual in-line memory modules). Generally speaking, the CPU & memory you want will generally dictate the motherboard you’re going to get, or, if you already have your heart set on a specific motherboard, it’ll dictate what CPU and memory you’ll have to get. Unlike PCI/PCIe/AGP connections, memory slots, and more specifically sockets, are limited in terms of what types of CPUs and RAM (random access memory, also known as simple memory) sticks they support.
Archive for the ‘Motherboard’ Category
Socket & Memory slots – Motherboard
Sunday, February 7th, 2010Connectivity & Peripherals — Motherboard
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009Picking up where the previous entry left off, this one will cover the basics of the connectors on the rear-plate and PCB (circuit board) of the motherboard. All motherboards have a rear-facing array of ports and connections which can vary greatly. Certain motherboards also have additional ports which can be connected by pin-outs and may connect to ports on the case or to PCI brackets. Other ports that can be found on the PCB are used to connect up major hardware pieces, such as add-in cards or hard drives, as well as power connectors and CPU/Case fan control connections.
Some smaller-sized motherboards, such as MITX, include a significantly smaller amount of ports on the back, but offer a lot more pin-out areas on the actual board that can be connected up to provide additional connectivity. However they also often offer a very small amount of hardware ports.
The central hub — The Motherboard — Overview
Sunday, December 28th, 2008The motherboard is a strong defining factor in building a computer, depending on what motherboard you choose, you pretty much dictate what hardware you’re able to use and add. Before getting into detail about the different technologies you’ll find packaged into your motherboard, let’s go over hardware really briefly.
First of all, not all motherboards are the same size, there are many different factors, the most typical is the ATX factor, but there’s also MATX, EATX, and MITX (and a few others that aren’t as common). Keep in mind this is only in terms of desktop-class motherboards, server and laptop motherboards have different sizes still.