CompTIA A+ Guide to IT Technical Support PDF

Book Title: eTextbook: CompTIA A+ Guide to IT Technical Support Motherboard Types and Features Buses and Expansion Slots Buses and Expansion Slots 76 Core 1 Objectives 3.1 Explain basic cable types and their connectors, features, and purposes....

Book Title: eTextbook: CompTIA A+ Guide to IT Technical Support Motherboard Types and Features Buses and Expansion Slots Buses and Expansion Slots 76 Core 1 Objectives 3.1 Explain basic cable types and their connectors, features, and purposes. 3.4 Given a scenario, install and configure motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), and add-on cards. When you look carefully at a motherboard, you may see many fine lines on both the top and the bottom of the board’s surface (see Figure 2-10). These lines, sometimes called traces, are circuits or paths that enable data, instructions, timing signals, and power to move from component to component on the board. This system of pathways used for communication and the protocol and methods used for transmission are collectively called a bus. (A protocol is a set of rules and standards that any two entities use for communication.)  Figure 2-10 On the bottom of the motherboard, you can see bus lines terminating at the processor socket The specifications of a motherboard always include the expansion slots on the board. Take a look at a motherboard ad that shows detailed specifications, and identify the types of expansion slots on the board. Table 2-2 lists the various expansion slots found on today’s motherboards. Table 2-2 Expansion Slots and Internal Connectors Listed by Throughput Expansion Slot or Performance Year Introduced Internal Connector Each revision of PCI Express basically doubles the throughput of the previous revision. PCI Express Version Up to 126 GB/sec for Expected in 2022 6.0 16 lanes PCI Express Version Up to 63 GB/sec for 2019 5.0 16 lanes PCI Express Version Up to 32 GB/sec for 2017 4.0 16 lanes PCI Express Version Up to 16 GB/sec for 2010 3.0 16 lanes Conventional PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slots transfer data at about 500 MB/sec and have gone through several variations, but only the latest variation is seen on today’s motherboards. A notch in the slot prevents the wrong type of PCI card from being installed. The PCI standard has been replaced by PCI Express. Expansion Slot or Performance Year Introduced Internal Connector SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or Serial ATA) connectors on a motherboard are mostly used by storage devices, such as hard drives or optical drives. SATA Revision 3.x 6 Gb/sec or 600 SATA Revision 3.x (Revisions 3.1 MB/sec was released in through 3.5) aka 2009. The latest SATA 6Gb/s revision (SATA 3.5) was released in 2020. SATA Revision 2.x 3 Gb/sec or 300 2004 aka SATA 3Gb/s MB/sec USB (Universal Serial Bus) might have internal connectors and external ports, which are used by a variety of USB devices. USB 4 Up to 40 Gb/sec 2019 USB 3.2 Up to 20 Gb/sec 2017 USB 3.1 Up to 10 Gb/sec 2014 USB 3.0 Up to 5 Gb/sec 2011–2017 USB 2.0 Up to 480 Mb/sec 2001  Exam Tip The A+ Core 1 exam expects you to know about the various PCI, PCIe, and SATA slots and how to select add-on cards to use them. You also need to know how to install external USB devices and how to use the internal USB headers on a motherboard. 77 Now let’s look at the details of the PCIe and PCI expansion slots used in desktops. PCI Express PCI Express (PCIe) currently comes in four different slot sizes called PCI Express ×1 (pronounced “by one”), ×4, ×8, and ×16. Figure 2-11 shows three of these slots. Notice in the figure the sizes of the slots and the positions of the notches in the slots, which prevent a card from being inserted in the wrong direction or in the wrong slot.  Figure 2-11 Three types of expansion slots: PCIe ×1, PCIe ×16, and conventional PCI 78 A PCIe ×1 slot contains a single lane for data. PCIe ×4 has four lanes, PCIe ×8 has eight lanes, and PCIe ×16 has 16. The more lanes an add-on card uses, the more data is transmitted in a given time. Data is transferred over one, four, eight, or 16 lanes, which means that a 16-lane slot is faster than a shorter slot when the add-on card in the slot is using all 16 lanes. If you install a short card in a long slot, the card uses only the lanes it connects to. PCIe is used by a variety of add- on cards. The PCIe ×16 slot is used by graphics cards that require large throughput. Less expensive motherboards may not have a full PCIe ×16 bus and yet provide PCIe ×16 slots. The longer cards can fit in the ×16 slot but only use four lanes for data transfers. The version of PCIe also matters; the latest currently available is Version 5, which is the fastest. (Version 6 is expected to be released in 2022.) Learn to read motherboard ads carefully. For example, look at the ad snippet shown in Figure 2-12. One of the longer PCIe ×16 slots operates in ×4  mode, only using four lanes, and uses the PCIe Version 2 standard. If you were to install a graphics card in one of these two PCIe ×16 slots, you would want to be sure you install it in the faster of the two ×16 slots. Figure 2-12 Details PCIe documentation for one motherboard A graphics card that uses a PCIe ×16 slot may require as much as 450 watts. A typical PCIe ×16 slot provides 75 watts to a card installed in it. To provide the extra wattage for the card, a motherboard may have power connectors near the ×16 slot, and the graphics card may have one, two, or even three connectors to connect the card to the extra power (see Figure 2-13). Possibilities for these connectors are a 6-pin PCIe (which provides 75 watts) and/or an 8-pin PCIe 79 connector (which provides 150 watts), a 4-pin Molex connector, or a SATA-style connector. Connect power cords from the power supply to the power connector type you find on the graphics card. Alternately, some motherboards provide Molex or SATA power connectors on the board to power PCIe graphics cards. See Figure 2-14. When installing a graphics card, always follow the manufacturer’s directions for connecting auxiliary power for the card. If the card requires extra wattage, the package will include power cords you need for the installation. Figure 2-13 The graphics card has a PCIe 8-pin power connector on top Figure 2-14 Details Auxiliary power connectors to support PCIe Core to Core To learn more about wattage, refer to the appendix “Safety Procedures and Environmental Concerns.” PCI Conventional PCI slots and buses are slower than those of PCI Express. The slots are slightly taller than PCIe slots (look carefully at the two PCI slots labeled in Figure 2-11); they are positioned slightly closer to the rear of the computer case, and the notch in the slot is near the front of the slot. The PCI bus transports 32 data bits in parallel and operates at about 500 Mbps. The PCI slots are used for all types of add-on cards, such as Ethernet network cards, wireless cards, and sound cards. Although most graphics cards use PCIe, you can buy PCI video cards to use if your PCIe slots are not working. Onboard Ports and Connectors In addition to expansion slots, a motherboard might also have several ports and internal connectors. Ports coming directly off the motherboard are called onboard ports or integrated components. For external ports, the motherboard provides an I/O panel of ports that stick out the rear of the case. These ports may include multiple USB ports, PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, video ports (HDMI, DVI-D, DVI-I, or DisplayPort), sound ports, a LAN RJ-45 port (to connect to the network), and an eSATA port (for external SATA drives). Figure 2-15 shows ports on an entry-level desktop motherboard.  Figure 2-15 Details A motherboard provides ports for common I/O devices 80 When you purchase a motherboard, the package includes an I/O shield, which is the plate you install in the computer case that provides holes for the I/O ports. The I/O shield is the size designed for the case’s form factor, and the holes in the shield are positioned for the motherboard ports (see Figure 2-16).  Figure 2-16 The I/O shield fits the motherboard ports to the computer case A motherboard might have several internal connectors, including USB, M.2, SATA, and PCIe connectors. When you purchase a motherboard, look in the package for the motherboard manual, which is either printed or on DVD; you can also find the manual online at the manufacturer’s website. The manual will show a diagram of the board with a description of each connector. For example, the connectors for the motherboard in Figure 2-17 are labeled as the manual describes them. If a connector is a group of pins sticking up on the board, the connector is called a header. You will learn to use most of these connectors in later modules.  Figure 2-17 Details Internal connectors on a motherboard for front panel ports 81 Next is a rundown of the internal connectors you need to know about. SATA SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or Serial ATA), pronounced “say-ta,” is an interface standard used mostly by storage devices. To attach a SATA drive to a motherboard, you need a data connection to the motherboard and a power connection to the power supply. Figure 2-18 shows a motherboard with seven SATA connectors. Six use the SATA Revision 3 standard, and one is a shorter SATA Express connector.  Figure 2-18 Seven SATA connectors on a motherboard The following are currently used versions of SATA: SATA Express (SATAe) combines SATA and PCIe to provide a faster bus than SATA Revision 3, although the standard is seldom used. SATA Revision 3.x (third generation) is commonly known by its throughput as SATA 6Gb/s. SATA Revision 2.x (second generation) is commonly known by its throughput as SATA 3Gb/s. 82 SAS SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) is an interface standard used mostly by storage devices—typically in servers and workstations—and the successor of SCSI. SAS is significantly more expensive, more durable, and faster than SATA. SAS is well suited for a server setting where many users will be accessing the data at the same time. SAS-4 is the most current version of SAS, completed in 2017, and has speeds up to 22.5 Gb/s. If a motherboard does not have any SAS ports or needs more, you can use an expansion card with SAS ports. M.2 The M.2 connector, formally known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), uses the PCIe, USB, or SATA interface to connect a mini add-on card. The card fits flat against the motherboard and is secured with a single screw. Figure 2-19 shows the slot and three screws for M.2 cards. The three screws allow for the installation of cards of three different lengths. Figure 2-19 Details An M.2 slot and three possible screw positions to secure a card to the motherboard The M.2 connector or slot was first used on laptops and is now common on desktop motherboards. It is commonly used by wireless cards and solid-state drives (SSDs). When the PCIe interface is used, the slot is faster than all the SATA standards normally used by hard drives; therefore, the M.2 slot is often the choice to support the SSD that will hold the Windows installation. However, before installing Windows on an M.2 drive, make sure the motherboard BIOS/UEFI firmware will boot from an M.2 device. (Look for the option in the boot priority order in BIOS/UEFI setup, which is discussed later in this module.) Some motherboards have a cover over an M.2 slot. Figure 2-20 shows documentation in the motherboard’s user manual with instructions on how to remove this cover to install the M.2 card. Figure 2-20 Details Source: asus.com A motherboard user manual gives instructions on how to install an M.2 card on a slot with a cover Be aware there are multiple M.2 standards and M.2 slots. An M.2 slot is keyed for certain M.2 cards by matching keys on the slot with notches on the card. Figure 2-21 shows three popular options, although other options exist. Before purchasing an M.2 card, make sure the card matches the M.2 slot and uses an interface standard the slot supports. For example, for one motherboard, the M.2 slot uses either the PCIe or SATA interface. When a card that uses the SATA interface is installed in the slot, the motherboard uses SATA for the M.2 interface and disables one of the SATA connectors. When a PCIe M.2 card is installed, the motherboard uses the PCIe interface for the slot. Figure 2-21 Details An M.2 slot is keyed with a notch to hold an M.2 card with an B key or M key edge connector  Exam Tip The A+ Core 1 exam expects you to be able to recognize SATA, M.2, and USB internal motherboard connectors and decide which connector to use in a given scenario. 83 USB A motherboard may have USB headers or USB connectors. (Recall that a header is a connector with pins sticking up.) The USB header is used to connect a cable from the motherboard to USB ports on the front of the computer case (see Figure 2-22). Figure 2-22 Details USB headers are used to connect the motherboard to USB ports on the front of the computer case 84 Applying Concepts Finding the Motherboard Documentation Est. Time: 15 minutes Objective: 3.4 The motherboard manual or user guide is essential to identifying components on a board and knowing how to support the board. This guide may be found at a web address printed on a card that came bundled with the motherboard. If you don’t have the direct web address, you can search the motherboard manufacturer’s support website for the user guide. To find the correct user guide online, you need to know the board manufacturer and model. If a motherboard is already installed in a computer, you can use BIOS/UEFI setup or the Windows System Information utility (msinfo32.exe) to report the brand and model of the board. To access System Information for Windows, enter msinfo32.exe in the search box. In the System Information window, click System Summary. In the System Summary information in the right pane, look for the motherboard information labeled as the System Manufacturer and System Model or BaseBoard Manufacturer and BaseBoard Product (see Figure 2-23).  Figure 2-23 Details Use the System Information window to identify the motherboard brand and model 85 If the motherboard is not installed or the system is not working, look for the brand and model imprinted somewhere on the motherboard (see Figure 2-24). Next, go to the website of the motherboard manufacturer and download the user guide. Websites for several motherboard manufacturers are listed in Table 2-3. The diagrams, pictures, charts, and explanations of settings and components in the user guide will be invaluable to you when supporting this board. Figure 2-24 The motherboard brand and model are imprinted somewhere on the board  Table 2-3 Major Manufacturers of Motherboards Manufacturer Web Address ASRock asrock.com ASUS asus.com BIOSTAR biostar-usa.com EVGA evga.com Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. gigabyte.com Intel Corporation intel.com Micro-Star International (MSI) us.msi.com NZXT nzxt.com Now that you know what to expect when examining or selecting a motherboard, let’s see how to configure a board.