Chapter 1
IT Concepts and Terminology
Course: Comptia Tech Fc0 U71
Subject: Comptia Tech Fc0U71
Chapter: Infrastructure
1. Motherboard / System Board
Purpose:
The motherboard, or system board, is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in a computer system. It acts as the central nervous system, linking all internal components into a functioning unit. Through integrated data buses, power distribution lines, and control circuits, the motherboard enables communication, coordination, and power flow among devices.
Functions:
- Houses the Chipset:
The chipset (divided into Northbridge and Southbridge in older systems, or Platform Controller Hub in modern ones) manages communication between the CPU, memory, storage, and peripherals.
Northbridge: High-speed communication (CPU, RAM, GPU).
Southbridge: Lower-speed devices (SATA drives, USB ports, Ethernet).
- The chipset (divided into Northbridge and Southbridge in older systems, or Platform Controller Hub in modern ones) manages communication between the CPU, memory, storage, and peripherals.
- Northbridge: High-speed communication (CPU, RAM, GPU).
- Southbridge: Lower-speed devices (SATA drives, USB ports, Ethernet).
- Provides Expansion Interfaces: