Company Name
Employee Names
Team Lead
Module Name	System Boards
Certification Test		Vendor
Objectives covered
Time allotted	10 Days	Time Taken
Date Started		Date Completed

Portfolio Contents

Item	Complete	Incomplete	Lab Report
Lab reports for all labs (List labs)
˜ Lab 3-1 Draw Your Motherboard (every pair should do this)
˜ Lab 3-2 Remove your CPU (carefully)
˜ Lab 3-3 Locating Jumper Banks
˜ Lab 3-4 Label a motherboard
˜ Lab 3-5 Examine the System Board
˜ Lab 3-6 Print a Summary of Devices on your system
˜ Lab 3-7 Research the Market
˜ Lab 3-8 Mess It Up
˜ Lab 3-9 Using a System Diagnostic Utility
˜ Lab 3-10 Are We Ready for Vista??
Group Test Score (attach printout)
Completed solution to problem portfolio
: List of questions needed to be answered by customer
: Customer Overview
: Identify Customer Needs (both current and future)
: Identify Possible Solutions
: Define terminology used (jargon, technical terms)
: Price Out Solutions
: Diagram of Solutions (picture of the systems you’re upgrading, including components)
: Task Eight: Documentation proving that all components work together.

Unit: System Boards

Needs for Unit	Day one	Day two	Day three	Day four	Day five
· Motherboards · Grounding straps · Toolkits · Floppy disks	Daily Questions Lab 3-1	Daily Questions Seminar Lecture	Daily Questions Seminar Lecture Lab 3-2	Quiz 3-1 Lab 3-3 Lab 3-4	Daily Questions Lab 3-5 Lab 3-6 Lab 3-7

Day six	Day seven	Day eight	Day nine	Day ten
Quiz 3-2 Lab 3-8 Lab 3-9 Project	Quiz 3-3 Lab 3-10 Finish stuff up Project Review	Tests Turn in packet	Finish tests Turn in unit

System Boards

A+

Sno Isle Skill Center

Tory Klementsen, MCP A+

What is a system board?

• The ________________________

• Houses the CPU

• Is the ________________________ center of the computer

• Two types

– ________________________

– ________________________*

ATX vs AT

• AT

• Older systems

• Has power connections for ____________ and _______________ volt lines

• Uses two power connections (________________________)

• Comes in regular and “________________________” size

• ATX

• Developed by Intel for ________________________chips

• Better layout

• Includes power on that can be ________________________enabled.

• Uses one power connection (________________________) (new ones use a ________________________pin connector)

• Connections for ________________________, ________________________, and ________________________volts*

Form Factors

• Refers to the size and ________________________of a board/device.

• AT form factors

– 33 x 22 cm—________________________AT

– 30.5 x 33 cm—________________________

• ATX Form Factors

– 30.5 x 24.4 cm—________________________

– 28.4 x 20.8 cm—________________________ATX

– 7.4” x 9.6”— ________________________ATX

– 7.4” x 9”— ________________________ATX

– 7.5” x 10.25” x 4.75”— ________________________

– 12” x 13”—Custom ________________________ (for dual procs)

Some alternative form factors

BTX Form Factor

• Balanced ________________________ ________________________form factor was created to deal with the large expansion cards used in today’s systems.

• Uses in-line airflow which reduces the number of fans needed, making the computers quieter.

• It is incompatible with ATX.

• Form factors

– ________________________—4 mounting holes and 1 expansion slot

– ________________________—7 mounting holes and 4 expansion slots

– ________________________—10 mounting holes and 7 expansion slots

BTX vs ATX

• ATX

– ________________________ pin power

– Noisier—depends on fans to cool individual ________________________

– Some newer components won’t fit

• BTX

– ________________________ pin power

– Quieter—uses in-line cooling to draw air across all components

– Has an “________________________ down” form factor, drives, RAM, etc are closer to the bottom of the case to heat rises away from them.

– Forcing larger tower sizes in cases

MicroATX vs MicroBTX

regularBTX vs microBTX

picoBTX

Components on a System Board

• CPU and its chip*

• ________________________ Clock

• ________________________ Bios*

• CMOS configuration chip and ________________________ *

• RAM*

• RAM ________________________ *

• System bus with ________________________ slots

• ________________________ and ________________________ switches

• Ports that come directly off the board

• ________________________ Supply Connections

Parts of a Motherboard
EVGA nForce 680i

• Let’s label it!

Purchasing a System Board Determines a lot about a system

• Types and ________________________ of the CPU you can use

• ________________________ set on the board (already installed)

• Memory ________________________ type and size

• Types and number of ________________________ slots

• Type of ________________________

• Maximum amount of ________________________ you can install

• ________________________ amounts by which upgrade memory

• Type of ________________________ *

• ________________________ BIOS (already installed)

• Type of ________________________ connector

• Presence or absence of different types of proprietary video and/or proprietary local bus slots

• Presence or absence of ________________________ , ________________________ , adapters and ________________________ controller

• Presence or absence of ________________________ ports, ________________________ ports, and ________________________ port*

Features of Some System Boards

• On board expansion cards

– Usually ________________________ , audio, NIC

• Support for more than one ________________________

• Support for ________________________ cards

• ________________________ slots

• ________________________ Express slots*

System Clock

• Controls the ________________________ of events in the computer

• Speed is measured in ________________________ (Mhz)

• 1 Mhz= ________________________ 000 beats or cycles of the clock per second (whew!)

• Most CPUs can perform ________________________ activity per cycle (some can perform two)

• Even though a CPU might be able to perform a task in 2 cycles, the CMOS requires a “________________________ ________________________ ” or an extra cycle (or more) to ensure that the task is finished before the next begins.*

New Timing Technology

• HPET— ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ Timer

– Developed by Intel to replace the ________________________ (programmable interval timer) and RTC (realtime clock)

– Produces periodic interrupts at a much higher resolution than the ________________________

– Used for synching ________________________ streams, which provides smoother playback and the need for less instructions

– Initially uses IRQs ________________________ (same as timer and RTC)

CPU and Chip Set

• Early CPUs were IDed by model numbers: ________________________ , ________________________ , 80486, etc.

• Beginning with the 80586 Intel started using Pentium (AMD and Cyrix can still use the x86 designation although that has changed too).

• 8088s worked at about ________________________ Mhz. Today they can work at 3+ Ghz!

Components of a CPU

• ________________________ Unit

• ________________________ Units

• ________________________

• ________________________ are responsible for managing the flow of a program.

• It is the component that retrieves the next instruction to be acted upon or the data to be processed.

Execution Units

• Arithmetic Logic Unit (________________________ ) is an ________________________ unit responsible for calculating and comparing numbers.

• Floating Point Unit (FPU) is an execution unit responsible for fast processing of very very ________________________ or very very ________________________ (fractional) real numbers.

• Original processors didn’t include FPUs

• If a processor has more than one execution unit, it is known as a ________________________ -core processor (Pentium IV Extreme is dual-core because it has two EUs)*

Registers

• Teeny weeny, very fast ________________________ locations that hold instructions or units of data.

• Operate at the same speed as the ________________________ (normal RAM is MUCH ________________________ )

• Data and instructions are stored in ________________________ during their operations.

• The info is then transferred back into main system memory

• To speed operation, the control unit can “________________________ ” instructions from system memory and store it in the CPU registers.

• CPUs can have many registers with groups devoted to specific ________________________ .*

Rating CPUs

• Speed

• Efficiency of ________________________ set

• Word size (largest # ________________________ CPU can process in one operation)

• Data path (largest # bits that can be ________________________ from the CPU)

• Max number of memory addresses

• Amount of memory (________________________ ) on CPU

• ________________________ ability

• Special functionality*

CPU relation to BUS architecture

• Number of memory addresses and data path size relate directly to BUS architecture

• ________________________ path is as large as the bus

• Number of ________________________ addresses is determined by the number of traces or wires on the bus set aside for memory addresses

• Therefore, a 16 bit bus can transmit ________________________ bits at a time. If 10 wires are committed to memory, there can be ________________________ memory addresses.*

Older CPUs

• Used ________________________ volts of electricity (up until the second Pentium)

• Starting with Pentium Pro CPUs used 3.3 and ________________________ volts

• Used a second processor called a co-processor or math co-processor

– Software had to be written to take advantage of the co-processor

– Not all computers had the co-processor*

Pentium Chips

• P-chip has 2 ________________________ logic units (ALUs) so it can perform 2 calculations at once

• Two ALUs make it a true ________________________ environment

• ________________________ -bit external path size

• Two 32-bit internal paths (word paths) one for each arithmetic unit

• The new dual core Pentiums contain ________________________ processor cores on one die*

AMD Chips

• The original 486s ran ________________________ volt sockets (so don’t just shove one into a 5 volt. It’ll fit, but it will be sad and ________________________ .)

• Bus speeds were ________________________ MHz with a clock multiplier of 2.

AMD Chips

• Current Athlon 64x2 have two Athlon 64 processors on a single die and uses advanced Direct Connect Architecture to supply each core with memory and I/O bandwidth for speedy performance on each core.

– Integrated ________________________ memory controller

– ________________________ -transport Technology

– ________________________ virus protection

– ________________________ ‘n’ Quiet

– Allows chip-based virtualization so one PC can act like two or more

– Takes advantage of multi-threaded PC software

– Integrated memory controller to reduce access ________________________

– Socket ________________________

AMD Chips

• As with everything “tech”, the processors change and upgrade quickly

• ________________________ Law—Transistor density and integrated circuits double every 24 months—in other words, every 2 years speed and power double.

• Does Moore’s Law still hold true?*

Comparing Chips

• Speed of system bus-fastest bus on the mainboard. Aka memory bus because it connects the CPU to RAM

• Processor speed—speed at which the CPU operates internally

– ________________________ =The speed of the processor / speed of system bus.

• Example: Processor runs at 150 Mhz, system bus at 75 Mhz, multiplier=2

– Memory bus speed x multiplier= ________________________ speed*

Comparing Chips, cont.

• Memory cache —small amount of very fast RAM (static or SRAM) that holds programming code for CPU

– Internal cache—included on microchip

• Aka L1 cache, primary cache

– External cache—included on system board (older systems) or housed in the CPU chip on a tiny circuit board

• Aka L2 cache

• The ________________________ bus connects L2 to the processor

• Core architecture—single or dual core*

Cache Memory

Cache continued

• New chips have ________________________ cache right on the chip and are called advanced transfer cache (ATC)

• Has 256 bit bus and runs at same speed as processor (cool!)

• ________________________ L2 cache is on a separate microchip, ________________________ bits wide, and runs at ________________________ the speed of the processor

Multi-Core Architecture

• A multi-core CPU combines two or more ________________________ cores into a single package composed of a single integrated circuit ( ________________________ ), called a die, or more dies packaged together.

• A dual-core processor contains ________________________ cores and a quad-core processor contains four cores.

• A multi-core microprocessor implements ________________________ in a single physical package.

• A processor with all cores on a single die is called a ________________________ processor.

• Cores in a ________________________ device may share a single coherent cache at the highest on-device cache level (e.g. L2 for the Intel Core 2) or may have separate caches (e.g. current AMD dual-core processors).

• The processors also share the same ________________________ to the rest of the system.

• Each "core" independently implements optimizations such as ________________________ execution, ________________________ , and multithreading.

• A system with N cores is effective when it is presented with N or more threads concurrently. (Example, if a quad core processor is presented with ________________________ threads, it is more effective than a quad core processor dealing with just 1 or 2 threads.)

Dual Core Architecture

• Two processors on one die—like having a dual processor system, but with only one ________________________

• ________________________ Transport Technology allows for a faster connection so transfer of data is faster.

• The chip itself is not faster, but it can “ ________________________ ” to the other chip faster.*

Are two cores better?

• A processor loads instructions into a ________________________ and data is processed sequentially (like on a conveyer belt)

• An AMD processor pipeline is ________________________ than Intel, which is why AMD runs at slower clock speeds.

• A shorter pipeline means more work has to be done per clock cycle, so ________________________ speed can’t be set as high.

• With a shorter pipeline, data gets through faster though!

• This is why Intel may have higher ________________________ speeds, but AMD can process just as fast.

Are Two Cores Better?

• Data that is needed consistently is stored in the ________________________ .

• The ________________________ is smart enough to anticipate what might be needed next.

• If it is wrong, the processor reaches outside the ________________________ through the bus to the system RAM.

• Remember, the cache runs at the same speed as the ________________________ , so if it has to go OUTSIDE the cache, that slows things down because it has to drop to that bus speed.

• So how do two cores help? Think of it this way. Two pair hands make the work go faster.

• Software that is ________________________ aware (able to use more than one processor) can send different threads to different processors.

• While the processor doesn’t run faster, it can do more work in the same time.

– A dual core processor is ________________________ going to be as fast as a dual processor system, however.

• Advantages

– Two ________________________

– Two processor ________________________ (reduces the need to go outside the cache)

• Who benefits?

– People who ________________________

– ________________________ aware software

– Servers

– ________________________ (dual core should be cheaper than dual processors)

• Quad? Triple? Etc?

– End of 2007 consumer products with triple and quad cores will be available.

64 Core?

• ________________________ is a microcontroller manufactured by Tilera.

• It consists of a mesh network of 64 "tiles", where each tile houses a general purpose processor, cache, and a non-blocking router, which the tile uses to communicate with the other tiles on the processor.

• ________________________ . (Yeah, really…wow.)

Overclocking

• Running a CPU at faster speeds than suggested by manufacturer

• Not recommended by the manufacturer

• Some boards cannot be ________________________

• Others can be by changing ________________________ , ________________________ , and ________________________ settings*

Cooling Fans

• Seem like a minor part, but without fans chips ________________________

• Intel rates CPUs at under ________________________ ˚

• A good fan can keep temps down to ________________________ ˚- ________________________ ˚

• Some CPUS use a ________________________ sink for more cooling

Intel Form Factors

• Single Edge Processors ( ________________________ ) (used slot 1)

• Single Edge Contact Cartridge ( ________________________ ) (used slot 1)

• ________________________ (slot 1)

• Plastic Pin Grid Array ( ________________________ ) (socket 370)

• Flip Chip Pin Grid Array ( ________________________ ) (socket 370, socket 775, etc.)*

Slots vs Sockets

CPU Voltage Regulator

• Different CPUs require different ________________________

• Some CPUs are ________________________ -voltage and require two voltages

• The ________________________ controls the amount of voltage on the board

• On some boards voltages can be changed by setting ________________________ , others are controlled by the CPU.*

Chip Set

• A set of ________________________ circuits (chips) that are designed to work together.

• They hang out on the motherboard, or can be on ________________________ cards

• Usually refers to the ________________________ and the ________________________

• Computers have used chipsets since 1980 to make processing faster.

What does a Chipset Control

• ________________________

• ________________________

• PCI ________________________

• ________________________

• ROM-BIOS

• ________________________ Time Clock

• Keyboard

• ________________________ IrDA

• ________________________ (COM, LPT1)

ROM BIOS

• Read only chip that contains the BIOS (basic input output system)

• BIOS manages the startup ________________________

• Major BIOS manufacturers: ________________________ , Award, American ________________________ , Inc. (AMI)

• Older BIOS chips were sockets so you could change them. New ones are ________________________ for easier upgrading.*

• Some ________________________ cards also contain their own BIOS chips

• During startup these BIOS tell the OS how ________________________ addresses it needs.

• Newer BIOS chips are plug and play. They can set:

– ________________________

– ________________________ channels

– Upper ________________________ addresses*

Incompatibilities

• Sometimes you’ll buy a piece of hardware that is new and incompatible with an old BIOS

• Used to ________________________ the BIOS chip

• Now use ________________________ ROM (Electronically erasable programmable read-only memory ( ________________________ ))

• Only flash BIOS with software from the manufacturer or you’ll kill it*

Random Access Memory (RAM)

• Two types: ________________________ and ________________________

• Dynamic RAM

– Holds data for a very ________________________ time ( ________________________ milliseconds)

– Cheaper than SRAM

– Three flavors: ________________________ , Non- ________________________ , ________________________ Correcting Code (ECC)

– ________________________ tests integrity of bits stored in RAM. ________________________ can locate and repair errors.

• Static RAM

– Holds data ________________________

– Faster and more expensive

– Used for ________________________ *

Types of RAM

• SIMM—Single Inline Memory Modules

– Older ________________________ or ________________________ pin chips

– Slow

– Can hold from ________________________ to ________________________ MB on one board

• DIMM—Dual Inline Memory Modules

– Newer ________________________ pin chips

– Fast

– Can hold from 8 MB to ________________________ GB

Types of RAM

Buses and Expansion Slots

• A bus is a ________________________ pathway

• PCs have 4-5 buses each using different protocols and speeds

– ________________________ —Local I/O

– Memory Bus—Local

– AGP—Local ________________________

– PCI— ________________________

– VESA or VL Bus—Local ________________________ /expansion

– MCA, PCI, EISA ISA (8 & 16), USB (1.0 and 2.0)—Expansion (dif speeds)

– ________________________ Express*

What does a BUS do?

• Carries ________________________ power

• ________________________ signals

• Contains ________________________ addresses

• ________________________ data

• Expansion buses can work ________________________ with the CPU so the CPU does not have to wait

• ________________________ buses work synchronously with the CPU which requires it to endure wait states*

Types of Buses

ISA	8 bit (first) 16 bit	Used in old AT computers	Expansion
MCA	32 bit	IBM proprietary	Expansion
EISA (extended ISA)	32 bit	Designed by gang of nine to compete with MCA	Expansion
PCI PCI Express	64 bit	Standard on CISC & RISC	Local

Types of Buses

PCI

• Runs at ________________________ Mhz

• PCI-X runs at ________________________ Mhz

• Can run ________________________ with the CPU (different speeds) so CPU doesn’t have to wait for it

• Interfaces with the ________________________ bus and memory bus, called a PCI ________________________

• Supports bus ________________________ *

PCI Express

• Uses existing ________________________ architecture to for communication, but uses serial communications.

• Carries data on two lines for faster communications (twice as fast as PCI…about ________________________ MBps

• Allows point to point communication between ________________________

• Carries data in ________________________ , which speeds things up*

PCI Express

• ________________________ Pin slot used for video cards at this point, replacing AGP

• More technologies are being created

• Two PCI Express slots can share the ________________________ lines so two identical video cards can run concurrently, speeding up 3D gaming substantially

• PCI-X is the answer to gigabit networking, firewire, and USB 2.0—all of which slow down in regular PCI slots.

• AKA ________________________ *

Bus mastering

• A card with its own ________________________

• Allows it to access ________________________ and other devices on the bus without bothering the CPU

• The CPU and device can run ________________________ and ________________________ of each other.*

Accelerated Graphics Port

• Provides fast access to ________________________

• Called a port because it can only accept ________________________ card and is not expandable

• ________________________ connected to the CPU

• Faster than ________________________

• Runs at same speed as ________________________

• ________________________ pin or (newer) ________________________ pin

• Can share memory with the CPU through ________________________ ________________________ execute (DIME)

Audio Modem Riser (AMR)

• Can support a small ________________________ card or ________________________ card

• Inexpensive cards which use the logic on the chip set to support audio or modem

• Also called a ________________________ or ________________________ riser*

On Board Ports

• Keyboard and mouse

• USB (usually two)

• Parallel

• Serial

• Video

• If one port fails most boards allow you to set a ________________________ that disables that port and tells the CPU to look to an expansion card for that port*

Configuration Information

• Most configuration information is stored on one ________________________ chip

• A battery near the ________________________ allows it to store the information even when the computer is turned off*

64 Bit Processors

• Has a ________________________ -bit word size and is excellent for high end graphics program, video, CAD

• Can handle twice as many bits of information in the same clock cycle as a 32-bit processor

• Is backwards compatible. Can identify if a program or OS requires 16-, 32-, or 64-bit processing and ________________________ earlier modes.

• Not all programs run ________________________ /faster with a 64-bit processor. *

Review

• AGP stands for

• Width of PCI

• A path that either electricity or data can run along.

• Five different kinds of expansion cards from oldest to newest.

• Who is the Gang of Nine and what did they develop and why?

• What does the CMOS hold?

Review Too!

• Difference between SRAM and DRAM

• Two ways to update BIOS

• Where is L1 cache located?

• Where was L2 cache located?

• Where is L2 cache NOW located?

• What are the two types of ways to install a CPU?

• What is a chip set?

Review Tree!

• Voltage regulator does what?

• Current CPUs use what voltage?

• What happens if an on board port dies?

• USB can have up to ____ devices on one port.

• FireWire aka _____ or _____

• FireWire can have up to _____ devices on one port.

Review Fore!

• The _________ bus connects the L2 cache to the processor.

• The _______ bus connects the memory bus to the CPU.

• SRAM holds data for a _____ time.

• DRAM holds data for a _____ time.

– Until the power is turned off

Module 03 MOtherboards

Lab Check off Sheet and Report

Certification Tests and Objectives Covered in Labs
A+ Operating System		A+ Hardware		Network+		Windows XP Professional 70-270		Windows 2003 Server 70-290		CISCO 640-801
	1.0 OS Fundamentals	X	1.0 Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading		1.0 Media and Topologies		Installation		Managing and Maintaining Physical and Logical Devices		Planning and Designing
x	2.0 Installation, Configuration and Upgrading	X	2.0 Diagnosing and Troubleshooting		2.0 Protocols and Standards		Implementing and Conducting Administration of Resources		Managing Users, Computers, and Groups		Implementation and Operations
x	3.0 Diagnosing and Troubleshooting		3.0 Preventative Maintenance		3.0 Network Implementation		Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Hardware Devices and Drivers		Managing and Maintaining Accesses to Resources		Troubleshooting
	4.0 Networks	X	4.0 Motherboards, Processors, and Memory		4.0 Network Support		Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability		Managing and Maintaining a Server Environment		Technology
			5.0 Printers				Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop Environment		Managing and Implementing Disaster Recovery
			6.0 Basic Networking				Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Network Protocols and Services
							Implementing, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting Security

Check off each of the labs as you complete them below. Turn this in with your lab reports.

Requirement	Completed	Filled Out Lab Sheet	Not Attempted (0 on labs for unit)
Lab 3-1 Draw your motherboard
Lab 3-2 Remove the CPU
Lab 3-3 Jumper banks and DIP switches
Lab 3-4 Label the Motherboard
Lab 3-5 Examine the System Board
Lab 3-6 Print a Summary of Devices
Lab 3-7 Research the Market
Lab 3-8 Mess it Up!
Lab 3-9 Using a system board diagnostic utility
Lab 3-10 Are We Ready for Vista?

Lab 3-1 Draw Your Motherboard

1. Turn off and unplug your computer workstation.
2. Check out a set of tools and a grounding strap from your teacher.
3. Attach the grounding strap and ensure your workstation is free of clutter.
4. Open up the computer.

In the space provided, make a complete diagram of your lab workstation’s system board. In your diagram, label each of the components depicted in Figure 3-1, and describe each component’s function. (See www.howstuffworks.com for information on the components on a motherboard.)

Labeling the jumper blocks

Refer to Table 3-1 to find the documentation you need to label each of the jumper blocks found on the system board. (Documentation can be found at each manufacturer’s Web site, as listed below.)

American Megatrends, Inc.	www.megatrends.com
ASUS	www.asus.com
First International Computer, Inc.	www.fica.com
Giga-Byte Technology Co., Ltd.	www.giga-byte.com
Intel Corporation	www.intel.com
Supermicro Computer, Inc.	www.supermicro.com
Tyan Computer Corporation	www.tyan.com
Table 3-1 Major manufacturers of system boards

Draw the jumper blocks below and label each one:

Review Questions

Circle True or False.

1. The mouse and keyboard ports are always located directly next to the CPU socket True / False
2. AT-style system boards require two power connectors from the power supply. True / False
3. Different system boards can use different types of memory. True / False
4. Most CPUs are bolted to the system board to prevent them from slipping off and causing the entire PC to crash. True / False

5. Describe the role of a voltage regulator.

6. Compare the role of a chip set to that of the CPU.

Lab 3-2 Remove the CPU

Removing your workstation’s CPU

1. Before opening the computer case, follow these guidelines:

Turn off your computer.

Wear a grounding wrist strap (available at most electronics stores) and attach it to a bare metal part of your computer.

Warning	To prevent risk of electric shock, do not insert any object into the vent holes of the power supply.
		Touch a bare metal surface on the back of the computer.

Unplug the power cord and the modem and network cables.

1. Locate the CPU.
2. If the computer’s heat sink must be removed, release the heat sink from the top of the CPU (if the heat sink doesn’t come off with ease, leave it on top of the CPU). Do not force it. If need be, simply work with someone else with an easier to remove heatsink.
1. Slot architecture

i. Depress the release levers located at the top, on either side of the CPU.

ii. Gently pull straight up on the CPU.

2. 
   Socket architecture

i. Release the ZIF (zero insertions force) lever.

ii. Note how the CPU is currently installed. This will be important when you try to reinstall the CPU. Specifically note the orientation of the writing on the CPU.

iii. You may have to use the chip-pulling tool to remove your CPU. Warning: When removing your CPU, pull evenly straight up on the CPU; do not bend it from side to side.

3. Set the CPU on an anti-static bag for safety.
4. Plug in the computer.
5. Power on the PC.
6. Record the results of starting a PC without a CPU below:

Reinstalling your workstation’s CPU

1. Power off the workstation.
2. Remember which direction the CPU should be facing, and gently slide it back into the correct position.
3. Don’t force the CPU.
1. Socket architecture

i. If it is not moving into place with ease, check for bent pins on the bottom of the CPU.

ii. Lock the CPU into position using the ZIF lever.

iii. Make sure that both latches on either sides of the slot have been locked back into position.

iv. If necessary, replace the heat sink on top of the CPU.

2. Slot architecture: just slide it into the holder and engage the latches.
3. Get me to put some thermal paste on your processor! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
4. Reattach the heatsink. Make sure there is no give and that it is firmly attached.
5. Plug in the CPU fan in the proper spot.
6. Test the installation before replacing the case.
7. Stand clear of the case, and plug in the power cord.
8. Power on the PC and verify that the system boots properly.
9. Power off the PC and unplug the power cord.
10. Replace the case.

Review Questions

Circle True or False.

1. All CPUs are the same size. True / False
2. CPU voltage varies depending on the generation and brand name of the CPU. True / False
3. Chip pullers were designed to remove the heat sink from the top of the CPU. True / False
4. ZIF sockets are used to connect the memory to the system board. True / False
5. Which is faster: the 8088 processor or the 486 processor?

6. You are currently employed as a PC support technician at the Heavenly Palace Factory. Your supervisor wants to upgrade his Pentium III computer to a Pentium IV. He has asked you to tell him the parts that he will need to purchase for this upgrade. List below the minimum parts your supervisor needs to complete this upgrade. (Reminder: Don’t forget that many of the newer system boards don’t support the same type of memory as the older computers.)

7. You are at your local computer store and are considering upgrading your home PC to a Pentium 4 600 processor. Will you be able to use the CPU cooling fan from the Pentium Pro you have at home if you purchase the Pentium 4 chip?

8. What type of cooling fan will you need to buy? (Hint, look at Intel.com)

9. What types of CPUs do the following architectures support?

Slot 1

Slot 2

Slot A

Socket 8

Socket 7

Super Socket 7

Socket 370

Socket 478

Socket 939

Socket 754

Socket 940

LGA775

10. What CPU form factor did the first Celeron processors use?

11. What CPU form factor is the newest desktop Pentium Core 2 Quad processor using?

Lab 3-3 Locating Jumper Banks

Locating jumper banks

1. Power off your PC.
2. Verify that you are properly grounded.
3. Unplug unit’s power cord.
4. Remove the case. Your jumper group may resemble that which is shown below.
5. In the space provided, make a diagram of your system board, depicting the location of each jumper block found. Document your design by recording the jumper number and the function of the jumper block.

Draw your jumpers below. 

Now what do those little buggers mean?

Determine the make and model of your motherboard.

1. Look very closely at your motherboard. Somewhere on the board you will find a string of numbers and/or letters that represent the make and model of your motherboard.
2. It may look something like this:
3. Go to www.google.com and type in the number you find on the motherboard. For example, when I type in P4M-915PD1, I get a list of pages that talk about the Pentium 4 Socket 775 motherboard. From here I can find the motherboard manual.
4. What is the ID number you found on your motherboard: _________________________
5. What is the make and model of the motherboard?

6. Locate and show me the manual online.

7. Go back and label the jumpers (use the manual) and tell me what each of them does.

Label the DIP Switches

1. Locate the DIP switches on your motherboard.
2. It should look something like this:
3. Draw your DIP switches below.
4. Label what each DIP switch does below (use your manual).

Note: Most new motherboards won’t have jumpers. If yours doesn’t, that’s okay. Find someone in the room who does have jumpers and diagram theirs.

When Do You Use Them?

1. Describe how a jumper works.

2. When would you use your jumpers to make changes to your system and why? Describe what the manual tells you.

3. Describe how a DIP switch works.

4. When would you use your DIP switches to make changes to your system?

5. Is it a good idea to start flipping switches and changing jumpers willy nilly?

6. Why or why not?

Lab 3-4 Label the Motherboard

Look up the Motherboard, or look at the assignment online in order to make it easier to see the colors.

______ IEEE 1394a Port ______ PS/2 Keyboard ______ PS/2 Mouse ______ S/PDIF out ______ USB 2.0 Ports

______ Center/Subwoofer (surround) ______ Firewire port ______ Microphone ______ RJ-45 LAN ports

______ Line in (sound) ______ Line out (sound) ______ Rear speakers ______ Side speakers

EVGA nForce 680i SE SLI (TR Version) Motherboard

______ Back panel connectors ______ Socket 775 ______ PCI Express slots ______ PCI Slot ______ Another PCI Express Slot ______ ATX Power Connector ______ DDR2 DIMM Memory Slots ______ IDE Header ______ SATA Headers ______ More SATA Headers ______ FDD Header ______ USB 2.0 Headers ______ North Bridge ______ South Bridge

List three processors this motherboard would support How many IDE drives would this motherboard support? How many SATA drives would this motherboard support?

What kind of cooling would this motherboard need? How much RAM does this mobo support? Explain dual channel RAM. List two compatible memory sticks you could use with this mobo.

What is each of the following? Label what it is, and describe its features.

Lab 3-5 Examine YOUR System Board

1. Look at the back of your computer. Without opening the case, list the ports that you believe to be coming directly from the system board.

2. Get out your toolkit and grounding strap. If you do not have a grounding strap, you may not do this lab. You may not check out a grounding strap. You must have your own.
3. Now look inside the case to verify your list.
4. Identify the following major components.
1. Power supply
2. Floppy disk drive
3. Hard drive
4. System board
5. List the different circuit boards in the expansion slots. Was your guess correct about which ports come from the system board?

6. To expose the system board so you can identify its parts, remove all the expansion boards, following these procedures. (If you are working with a tower case, you can lay it on its side so the system board is on the bottom.)
1. To make reassembling easier, take notes or make a sketch of the current placement of boards and cables. You can mark a cable on a card with a marker if you like. Note the orientation of the cable on the card. Each cable for the floppy disk drive, hard drive, or CD-ROM drive has a color on one side of the cable called the edge color. This color marks pin 1 of the cable. On the board, pin 1 is marked either as the number 1 or 2 beside the pin or, on the back side of the board, with a square soldering pad.
2. Be very careful when removing SATA drive cables. The contacts crack easily and we don’t have replacement SATA drives!
3. Remove the cables from the card. There is no need to remove the other end of the cable from its component (floppy disk drive, hard drive, or CD-ROM drive). Lay the cable over the top of the component or case.
4. Remove the screw holding the board to the case.
5. If you aren’t wearing a ground bracelet, touch the case before you touch the board. (All persons working on the computer should be grounded or finding a new class).
6. Grasp the board with both hands and remove the board by lifting straight up, and rocking the board from end to end (not side to side). Rocking the board from side o side might spread the slot opening and weaken the connection.
7. You are now ready to reassemble. Reverse the disassembling activities above. Place each card in its slot (it doesn’t have to be the same slot, just the same bus) and replace the screw. Don’t place the video card near the power supply.
8. Replace the cables, being sure to align the colored edge with pin 1 on IDE channels. (In some cases it might work better to connect the cable to the card before you put the card in the expansion slot.)
9. Plug in the keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
10. Have me check your work before you power up.
11. Turn on the power and check that the PC is working properly before you replace the cover. Don’t touch the inside of the case while the power is on.
12. If all is well, turn off the PC and replace the cover and its screws. If the PC does not work, don’t panic! Just turn off the power and go back and check each cable connection and each expansion card. You probably have not solidly seated a card in the slot.
13. After you have double-checked, try again.

Lab 3-6 Print a Summary of Your System Hardware

1. In Windows 9x, right-click the My Computer icon.
2. On the shortcut menu, select Properties.
3. Click the Device Manager tab.
4. View devices by type.
5. Click the Ports (Com & LPT) icon.
6. Click the Print button.
7. Print Selected class or device.

Using Winaudit in Vista

1. Go to http://www.pxserver.com/WinAudit.htm
2. Download Winaudit. (If you can’t get there, it is in \\csn\pub\software)
3. Run the software from within VISTA
4. Print the following:
1. Processors (both if you have more than one)
2. BIOS Version
3. Memory

Lab 3-7 Research the Market

1. In a current computer magazine or online, find the speed and price of the fastest PC CPU on the market today. List it below.

2. What motherboards support this CPU?

3. In a current computer magazine, find the speed and price of the fastest PC RAM module on the market today. List it below.

4. What kind of RAM is it?

5. What motherboards support this RAM?

6. Choose a motherboard that you’d like to use to build a dream computer.

7. What can you add to this motherboard?

Device	How many/much can you add	Type? (Example: SATA drives, DDR2 RAM)
Hard drives
RAM
IDE
RAID?
Expansion cards
Anything else?

Lab 3-8 Mess It Up!

1. Using the motherboard manual you found online, you are going to mess up your computer and then have a partner on your team try to identify the problem and fix it using the manual.
2. Check out a toolkit and grounding strap from me.
3. Open your motherboard and locate the information in your manual that shows what each jumper and DIP switch does. Caution: If you just make changes without making sure you KNOW what you’re doing. Flipping DIP switches OR changing jumpers willy nilly can kill the system.
4. Make some changes and then close the case back up. (You don’t need to screw it shut.)
5. Have your partner (who should not have been peeking) turn on the workstation and attempt to troubleshoot the problem.

Your partner should fill out the information below:

1. My initial assessment of what the problem is would be:

2. Things I tried to solve the problem:
1. ______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________

3. Description of problem:

4. Description of solution:

5. All better now?

IT HAD BETTER BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now swap and you do the same for your workstation.

Lab 3-9 Using a System Board Diagnostic Utility

There are a variety of utilities that can be used to diagnose problems with a system board. They can also be used to create benchmarks of your system. A benchmark is a report of where things are when the system is running well. Having benchmarks available allows you to compare a diagnosis report to the original report so you can see what is different.

1. Go on the Internet and search for diagnose. List three programs available for diagnosing your computer.
1. ____________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________
2. Locate the program Winoptimizer and download and install it. If you have problems installing, see me for a temporary administrator account.
3. Run Winoptimizer and let it run all of the tests.
4. Answer the questions below from the report Winoptimizer generates.

BIOS type and date

Type of CPU

Speed of CPU

Operating System

Buses on system board

MMX or 3Dnow?

DirectX version

Memory read speed

Installed RAM

Memory write speed

Memory copy speed

Page file size

Lab 3-10 Are We Ready for Vista?

Whenever Microsoft releases a new operating system, they will release tools that allow you to test your computer to see if it is compatible. Let’s test this computer, and then your lab computer.

1. Log into the AA account.
2. Go to www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx
1. Or go to Microsoft and navigate through Operating systems to Vista and find it there.
3. Download the Vista Upgrade Advisor.
4. Run the advisor. Fill out the information below.
5. If it needs a recent version of MSXML, go ahead and download and install that first. You’ll want msxml6.msi
6. While it is running, fill out the information below.

1. What are the different versions of Vista and who are they for?

Version

Audience

Features

2. Can your computer run Vista?

3. Why?

4. What issues did you find?

Issue Type

Category

Action Required

Explanation

5. Program issues

Issue type

Program

Vendor

Version

Action Required

6. Task List
1. Are there things you need to do before installing Vista?

2. Are there things you need to do after installing Vista?

Print each of the lists and turn them in for each different version of Vista.

Unit Project

Your company is offering upgrades as part of its services. Title IX Sports comes to you with the following setup;

8 50 Midtower cases with ASUS ME-99B Socket 370 Baby AT motherboards with Pentium 3 processors.

8 Each has 256 MB SDRAM installed

8 Each has a 40 GB hard drive with Windows 98 installed

8 Each has a 52x CD burner installed

8 Each has a 32 bit video card

They would like to upgrade these computers to Pentium IVs. All they know is they need the processing power. You will determine the rest.

1. Determine the needs of your customer.
1. Current needs
2. Future needs
2. Decide what components you can keep and which you will need to replace.
3. Identify what your system needs and this time be very specific:
1. Make and model of devices
2. Speeds
3. Sizes
4. All specs
5. Everything MUST be completely compatible
4. Price out the hardware for all the systems.
5. Price out the software.
6. Create a spreadsheet that gives a total budget.
7. Create a proposal for the company that completely addresses all of the above information.

Task One: Create a list of words that must be defined in order for the customer to understand the training.

Task Two: Develop a list of questions that must be answered before you can begin fulfilling the customer order. When you have developed this list, show it to me and in exchange I will give you the information from the customer.

Task Three: Develop a list of current customer needs.

Task Four: Develop a list of future customer needs.

Task Five: Research the difference between the PIII and PIV processors and the requirements for each.

Task Six: Design one or more complete systems that meet all customer current and future needs.

Task Seven: Create a complete proposal with spreadsheet that outlines what you can do for the customer.

Task Eight: Print out reference materials related to your configuration.

o The specifications for your motherboard from the motherboard manufacturer’s website.

o Documentation that shows that the processor you chose is 100% compatible with the motherboard.

o The specifications for your processor from the manufacturer’s website.

o Documentation that shows that the other components are 100% compatible with your motherboard.

o RAM

o Hard drive

o CD/DVD drive

o Video card (if applicable)

o Sound card (if applicable)

For me, create a diagram of what you did in order to determine that these systems would work together. Remember, it’s not enough just to go to Newegg and say “Okay, we need RAM” and click “Add to shopping cart” on the first stick of RAM you find! You need to tell me:

1. Why you decided on this particular motherboard.
2. What processors it supports.
3. What processor you chose, and why.
4. If a BIOS update is needed for the processor. If so, how you went about upgrading it.
5. What RAM you chose and how you determined that this RAM was appropriate for this Motherboard.
6. What items are integrated, and why you chose integrated devices over expansion cards.
7. What expansion cards you chose.

I am going to be specifically looking for DOCUMENTATION that tells me that you have a completely working system. The RAM has to be supported. The processor has to be supported. Everything must work like a charm.