Introduction

The purpose of this text is to be a practical and easy reference for today’s most popular motherboards used in desktop computers. While PC technicians and support staff will get the most use from this book in their daily dealings with PC motherboards, PC hobbyists and enthusiasts will also find it a valuable reference to keep handy whenever they need to work on a PC. The settings and connectors on your motherboard affect most of the other sub-systems so a detailed knowledge of motherboards and reference to the specifications is essential.

The Micro House PC Hardware Library Volume III: Motherboards contains detailed diagrams and tables listing the connectors, jumpers, specifications, settings, and defaults for over 100 common motherboards. It focuses on Pentium, Pentium Pro, and Pentium II systems in a variety of form factors (ATX, baby AT, NLX, and others).

The CD-ROM included with the Micro House PC Hardware Library contains the content of the tables from the book in fully searchable electronic format.

About This Book

This book is arranged into two chapters.

Chapter One covers basic motherboard components and concepts common to many systems. Included in this are detailed discussions of memory speeds, types, and banks and processor capabilities and sockets. Understanding memory configuration and ensuring proper motherboard support for your processor are two of the most important parts of configuring or troubleshooting a motherboard.

Chapter Two is a listing of many popular motherboards. This chapter includes a diagram for each card listed showing jumper and connector locations and tables of the relevant connections, pins, jumper defaults, and jumper uses. For most of the motherboards listed, the specifications also include processor speed settings, possible memory bank configurations, and processor socket voltage settings where applicable.

Appendix A lists manufacturer contact information for most major motherboard vendors. You will also find vendors for items such as BIOSs, BIOS upgrades, system vendors, video chips, and other motherboard components.