Grade 11 · Theory
Motherboard
Hardware · about 4 min
Visual overview: Motherboard1 MIN READ
2 study sections · pause after each one and recall the key ideaThe motherboard is the backbone of the computer: every component either plugs into it or communicates through it. Grade 11 looks deeper at its parts and how they cooperate.
Key points- CPU socket, chipset, RAM slots, storage connectors (SATA/M.2), expansion slots (PCIe) and I/O ports.
- The chipset controls how data flows between CPU, memory and peripherals.
- Buses: the address bus says WHERE, the data bus carries WHAT, the control bus says WHEN/HOW.
- Form factors (ATX, micro-ATX) determine size and expansion options.
- Firmware (UEFI/BIOS) configures hardware and boots the OS.
- Chipset — support chips that manage communication on the board.
- M.2 — a compact slot used for very fast SSDs.
EXAM TIP
given a motherboard diagram, name each labelled part AND state its function — one phrase per label.