Data exchange - the mainboard

Data exchange - the mainboard
It is a printed circuit board, on which multiple chips, ports (plug ins), and other electronic components are mounted. In the PC,
data are exchanged continuously between these components. Therefore it is important to understand each component, its
connections and characteristics. All data exchange is done on the system board, which thus is the most important component
in the PC. So, now we will start with a more technical evaluation of the system board.
The mainboard components
The PC is built around the main, system or mother board (all meaning the same). This board is so essential for the PC,
because it holds the CPU and all its connections. Let us see, what you can find on it:
l   ROM-chips with BIOS and other programs
l   CMOS, storing system setup data
l   The CPU
l   L2-cache
l   Chip sets with I/O controllers
An illustrated Guide to Motherboards
l   RAM (Random Access Memory) mounted in SIMM or DIMM chips
l   Cards to connect with keyboard and mouse
l   Serial and parallel ports
l   Connectors to disk drives and EIDE drive (hard disk, CD-ROM etc.)
l   Slots for expansion cards
l   Jumpers to adjust voltage, system bus speed, clock, etc.
l   Contacts to reset HD activity, speaker, etc.
I want to describe many of these gismos and components on the following pages.