3.4 Motherboard, CPU, Expansion Cards Flashcards
(40 cards)
1
Q
Motherboard Form Factors
A
- over 40 different form factors
- chosen based on size of case and room for expansion
- Most common: Standard-ATX & Mini-ITX
2
Q
ATX
A
Advanced Technology Extended
- standardized by Intel in 1995
- very common for desktops
- 20 or 24 pin power connector
- may have additional 4 or 8 pin connector for CPU
3
Q
Mini-ITX
A
Information Technology Extended
- small form factor uses (single-purpose computing i.e. streaming media)
- low power
- screw holes are the same as ATX
4
Q
Computer Bus
A
- Backside of motherboard
- wires connect different parts of the motherboard
5
Q
PCI
A
Peripheral Component Interconnect
- connection for expansion cards (sound cards, network cards, etc) or other devices
- used in older computers
- 32-bit and 64-bit bus width
- parallel communication
- 3.3v or 5v capability
6
Q
PCIe
A
- replaced PCI
- serial communication: unidirectional “lanes”, slower devices don’t slow everything else down
- x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, x32
7
Q
PCIe Serial Communication
A
- each lane has one communications path going one way and another path going the other way
- more lanes per bandwidth
8
Q
Power Connector
A
- one of the largest connectors
- +3.3 V, +/-5 V, +/-12 V
- originally 20 pin connector for ATX
- 24 pin was added for PCIe
9
Q
P4 Connector
A
- 4 pin
- for ATX
- provides additional 12 V, primarily used for the CPU
- older motherboards
10
Q
SATA connection
A
- colored connectors
- commonly used for hard drives and SSDs
- L-shaped to prevent improper insertion
11
Q
eSATA Connection
A
- connects external storage devices
- same throughput and performance as an internal SATA connection
- usually connects to back of PC case
12
Q
Headers
A
- pin headers
Many different uses: - power
- peripheral connections
- USB ports
- cooling fans
- lights and buttons on case
- front panel connectors (labeled)
13
Q
M.2 Connector
A
- used to connect a M.2 SSD
- most common slot types are B, M, and B+M (based on PCIe)
14
Q
CPU Compatibility
A
- Intel and AMD are the two main manufacturers
- motherboard is designed either for Intel or for AMD = not interchangeable
- AMD for cost
- Intel for performance
15
Q
Server Motherboard
A
- multi socket: supports multiple physical CPU packages, CPUs split the load
- many different expansion slots
- larger ATX-sized system
- designed for a rack-mounted system
- supports ECC RAM
16
Q
Desktop Motherboard
A
- size varies: full size to compact or monitor only systems
- single CPU
- usually 2 or 4 memory slots
- 1 or 2 expansion slots
17
Q
Mobile Motherboard (Laptops)
A
- CPU is designed for power usage and efficiency
- CPU will throttle when laptop gets warmer due to lack of cooling
- limited modifications
- proprietary: specific to laptop model
- replacement is difficult since many parts are soldered on
18
Q
BIOS
A
Basic Input/Output System
- software used to start computer
- aka firmware or ROM
- Initialized CPU and memory
- POST (power on self test)
- check to see if computer has memory, CPU, video card, and keyboard/mouse - Looks for boot loader on boot drive -> start the OS
19
Q
Flash Memory
A
- usually found on the motherboard
- BIOS contents are stored in the flash memory
- some have a main BIOS and backup BIOS
20
Q
UEFI BIOS
A
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
- replaced legacy BIOS
- all modern computers have UEFI
- graphical and text based
- controlled by mouse
- network access
- DRM (Digital Right Management) support
21
Q
Boot Options
A
- configure where the BIOS goes to boot the OS (ex. USB, SSD, flash drive)
- determine boot order
- some can disable hardware to make it undetectable to the OS
22
Q
USB Permissions in BIOS
A
USBs are a security challenge:
- can be used to steal information
- can infect computers with malware
- modify which USB interfaces are enabled or disabled
- USB access can be disable completely
23
Q
Fan Settings in BIOS
A
- configure fan performance based on best performance, best experience, etc
24
Q
Secure Boot
A
- protects the boot process from malicious software
- verifies the digital signature associated with the bootloader with the public key that is embedded within the BIOS
- feature in UEFI BIOS
25
Boot Password Management
- required to start the OS
- supervisor password restricts BIOS changes
- built into the BIOS, not the OS
- must reset BIOS if password is forgotten
26
CMOS battery
- used to maintain BIOS config in older devices
- modern devices used flash memory for BIOS
- modern devices use this to maintain date/time when the device is off
27
TPM
Trusted Platform Module
- a chip with cryptographic functions
- stores encryption keys for hardware authentication
- usually embedded in motherboard or CPU
28
HSM
Hardware Security Module
- used in large environments
- standalone device: plug in adapter card or external hardware device
- similar function to TPM
29
32-bit (x86) vs 64-bit (x64) CPUs
32-bit:
- can store 2^32 bytes of info
- 4 GB memory limit
- cannot run 64-bit programs
64-bit:
- can store 2^64 bytes of info
- 17 billion GB memory limit
- can run 32-bit programs
30
Advanced RISC Machine (ARM)
Reduced Instruction Set Computing
- CPU architecture developed by ARM
- they design the chip and licenses the designs to manufacturers
- efficient and fast processing
- less power and less heat
- traditionally used for mobile and IoT devices
- slower than x64 but uses less power
31
Processor Cores
- Processors can be single-core, dual-core, quad-core…
- each core has its own cache
- caches help speed up the processing of info in and out of the CPU
32
Multithreading
Dividing up work into multiple threads, threads are processed in parallel by multiple cores
33
Hyper-Threading Technology (HTT)
- Intel proprietary technology that splits a core into two virtual cores
- Allows a single CPU core to handle multiple task simultaneously
- one CPU acts like two but doesn’t work as fast as two
34
Virtualization Support
- many CPU include hardware that allows a computer to virtualize other OS
- virtualization in software is limited
- hardware is faster and easier to manage
- Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
- AMD Virtualization (AMD-V)
35
Expansion cards
- expands the functionality of your computer
- connect card to expansion slot
- some require driver installation
- sound card
- video card
- capture card
- NIC (network interface card)
36
Cooling Fans
case fans
on-board fans
- fans attached to an adapter card
- usually on high end graphics cards
37
Heat Sink
- dissipate heat through thermal conduction
- usually copper or aluminum alloy
- fins/grids increase surface area
38
Thermal Paste
- thermally conductive adhesive
- in between heat sink and component
39
Thermal Pad
- alternative to thermal paste
- cut to size and install
- almost as effective as thermal paste
- must be replaced each time heat sink is removed
40
Liquid Cooling
- coolant is circulated through a computer
- liquid flows from the CPU block to the radiator
- fan blows air through the radiator to cool the liquid
