SLC S23 Week2 || Computer Repair - The Motherboard

You can check the entire post related to motherboards and the current challenge in @kouba01's post here SLC S23 Week2 || Computer Repair - The Motherboard

I got my first PC when I was like 9 or 10 years old, and since then, I've been repairing, building, upgrading PCs whenever I had the chance, whether it was mine, a friend's or even a neighbor's PC, always enjoyed fixing/repairing them.

Task 1: First Experience with a Motherboard (2 points)

Question: Remember your first experience with a motherboard. Did you intend to repair it, or were you just curious to see the inside of a central unit? What was your reaction to this technical complexity? If you have never had this experience, take the time this week to open a central unit and explore its motherboard. Share your observations and impressions, including a photo of your exploration.

Evaluation: Attach a photo of your exploration to support your response.

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I don't really remember my first experience with a motherboard, probably it was something silly like getting the case cables on the right pins of the motherboard, nothing special, this wouldn't really fit in this task, but there's something that is pretty old and memorable and would fit here.

At one point I changed my PC with a new one and got my first AMD CPU an FX-6300 it was bought with a pretty basic MOBO, 16GBs of RAM and a GTX 650.

I remember I got this during a Black Friday, it was autumn-winter-ish, the PC was fun the issues that were going to happen a few months later weren't showing up yet.

A few months later summer came and my PC started shutting down randomly under heavy load, playing a game for 5-10mins, bam, shutdown, exporting something in premiere/after effects, bam, shutdown in the middle of the export.

Because it was summer and the temperature in the air was already high, my PC was hitting bigger temps and shutting down after hitting a certain threshold.

Used a tool to log the temps (I think it was hwmonitor or something similar) and it was the temperature on the Northbridge that was usually logging at 90-92 degrees before the PC suddenly shat down.

To solve the issue I bought 2 120mm fans to add one at the back of the case to push air inside and another one in the front panel to pull the air, did some push-pull to increase the airflow and drop the temperature inside the case a little, and also bought some aluminum heatsink that I placed over the northbridge, filled between them with some thermal paste and added a mini-fan on top of the heatsink, something like this:

Heatsink	Heatsink + Fan

With these changes my PC wasn't shutting down anymore, it was still reaching high temps but these were enough to drop 6-8 degrees, enough to avoid the sudden shutdown.

Nowadays the "GAMING" MOBOs come with extra cooling some are just a gimmick to get some extra cash and are there just to be fancy but some also decrease the temps.

Example:

Gaming MOBO	Office PC MOBO

Both share the same socket 1150 of Intel.

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Task 2: Identifying Motherboard Components (2 points)

Question: Take a photo of a motherboard, either your PC's or another PC's. Identify and name its main components, specifying their role. Describe the processor socket, RAM slots, chipset, PCIe ports, SATA and M.2 connectors, power connectors, CMOS battery, and any other visible elements. Also indicate the model of the motherboard studied.

Evaluation: Attach a labeled photo of the motherboard and highlight each component clearly.

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💿 Socket

It's the place where the CPU is installed, it has either pins or contact pads that connect the CPU to the MOBO.

The socket comes in a variety of "versions" each one supporting a specific brand of CPUs.

Examples:

• Intel: 1150, 1155, LGA775
• AMD: AM3, AM3+, AM4, AM5

💿 RAM Slots

Random Access Memory, known as RAM is a module that needs to be placed in the RAM Slot. MOBOs usually come with two or four RAM Slots this also makes them work in Dual-Channel or Quad-Channel (better performance).

The RAM Slots support different types of RAM.

Examples:

• DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, DDR5

💿 Chipset

The Chipset takes care of the communication between the CPU, RAM, GPU and peripherals.

Based on the chipset of the MOBO (Z series for intel and X series for AMD) you can get some extra benefits like overclocking.

💿 SATA Ports

Used to connect HDD/SSD/Optical Drives, we are currently at SATA III which comes with a speed of 6.0 Gbps ~600MB/s. There are other SATA version I and II and all of them are backwards compatible, the difference between them is the speed.

SATA came as a replacement for the old IDE that wide cable some of you might have seen in the older computers.

💿 M.2

The M.2 Connector is used for the faster version of SSDs the NVMe ones, and sometimes for wi-fi modules.

💿 ATX Power Connector

Supplies the MOBO with power from the PSU, depending on the model of MOBO you can have 20/24 pins or an 8 pin EATX, the last one usually comes in small office PCs.

💿 CMOS Battery

A coin like battery (CR2032) that powers the BIOS memory, this is the battery that keeps the date/time and BIOS settings stored when your PC is turned off.

Here's a GIF with main components of a MOBO:

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Task 3: External Ports Identification (2 points)

Question: Take pictures of the back of the PC to capture the external ports. Identify the different ports and explain their functions. Compare USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, Ethernet, audio jack, PS/2, and any other available ports. Detail their uses and differences.

Evaluation: Attach a labeled photo of the back panel, showing and identifying all the ports.

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Let's check the IO Panel and it's connectors what can we have here and what are these used for.

Category	Details
🟡 PS/2	Primarily designed for Mouse and Keyboard before USB was cool, also older gaming controllers and joysticks used this connector
🟡 Ethernet RJ-45	Connector designed for the internet cable, usually connects the PC for the internet provider via a Modem/Router
🟡 USB Ports	Over the years, USB has developed a lot. If on my first PC I only had USB 2.0, today you can have 3-4 types of USBs on a MOBO. Based on their version, USBs come in different colors and sometimes shapes. USB 2.0, USB 3.0, 3.1 (Gen1, Gen2), and 3.2 (USB 4) share the same shape but come in different colors. Also, from left to right, the writing/reading speeds increase. Type-C comes in a different shape than the ones mentioned above, has greater speeds, supports video, and fast charging. This one is usually found on newer motherboards.
🟡 Audio Jacks	- Pink – Microphone input. - Green – Stereo output (headphones/speakers). - Blue – Line-in for external audio sources. - Black – Rear speaker output (5.1/7.1 setups). - Orange – Center/subwoofer speaker output. - Optical S/PDIF – Digital audio output for high-quality sound.
🟡 Video Output	Note! These ports will work only if your CPU has integrated graphics. Otherwise, you need to connect the monitor to your dedicated GPU! In this case, we can have ports like VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Mini HDMI, USB-C, and Thunderbolt. Let's see some key differences between these ports: - VGA - supports resolutions up to 1920x1080 / 1920x1200, no Audio, was used for older monitors, pretty obsolete nowadays - DVI - varies based on the signal type Digital/Digital and Analog/Analog (DIV-D/DVI-I/DVI-A), resolutions stop at 2560x1600, some monitors and GPUs still use it but it's being slowly replaced by newer ports, this one still has no Audio support - HDMI - ( versions HDMI 1.4 / HDMI 2.0 / HDMI 2.1) each newer version bringing an upgrade to the previous one, higher hertz/higher resolution, also HDMI supports Audio meaning you can send audio signal with your video one. There's also a smaller "brother", mini-HDMI which doesn't really bring anything new, it was made to fit smaller spaces - DP - known as Display Port comes in versions (DP 1.2 / DP 1.4 / DP 2.0 / DP 2.1) supports max resolutions from 4k to 16k, the key difference between DP and HDMI are the hertz, you can get a high refresh rate for your gaming experience, also DP supports Audio - Thunderbolt - mainly used on the Apple workstations but can be found on non-apple MOBOs, it serves as a faster USB-C, supports data transfer and also video/audio via DisplayPort/HDMI using adapters

These are some of the main connectors that can be found on the I/O of a MOBO, of course there are other connectors which can be found but usually in rare cases, some examples:

• S/PDIF - for high quality audio
• eSATA - external SATA
• Wi-Fi - for wi-fi antenna if the MOBO has built-in

Here's a back panel with it's I/O connectors, I added a line with the naming's of each port:

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Task 4: Motherboard Failures and Solutions (2 points)

Question: Have you ever encountered a failure affecting your PC’s motherboard? If yes, explain the failure and how you fixed it. If no, mention some common failures such as power supply problems, BIOS problems, overheating components, swollen capacitors, or faulty RAM. Describe possible solutions for each problem.

Evaluation: If possible, attach a photo of a faulty motherboard component and explain the issue.

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Let's check some common MOBO issues, I'll take each component mentioned by @kouba01 and describe it a little:

👉 PSU Problems
Some common problems that you can encounter from a PSU point of view are:

• Random shutdowns or restarts
• PC doesn't turn on
• Burning smell
• Dead MOBO

What can you do in these cases, well you can check the cables connected to the MOBO in case something was missed out or misplaced, you can also try with another PSU if by any chance you have one or even connect the PC to another power outlet. We learnt in the previous homework how to use a multimeter, you can use that to test the PSU for any failure.

👉 BIOS Problems
Here we have multiple ways to tell if we have a BIOS problem, here is a list of common signs:

• BIOS update gets stuck or fails
• The Buzzer beeping give a code related to the BIOS
• PC can't Boot

These problems can occur based on multiple factors, if you update your BIOS with a newer version and that version is not stable enough (super rare times) you can brick your MOBO, if during the update time your PC turns off, the update fails, again the MOBO can be bricked. A faulty BIOS battery can also cause issues.

👉 Overheating Components

• Fans always full throttle
• Random shuts down
• CPU/GPU/Chipset temps too high

The most common overheating issues come from a "dirty" PC, when there's enough dust particles the airflow will be blocked. You'll hear the PC Fans going crazy even when your PC is idling or doing light work.

Faulty fans can also cause overheating issues if there's nothing to move the heat outside the case.

Old thermal paste that dries out can cause overheating for CPUs/GPUs, changing the thermal paste every year or so should do the trick.

Overclocking without proper coolers (usually for CPUs with K for intel and X for AMD).

👉 Swollen Capacitors
Swollen Capacitors are pretty rare and these usually swollen if you have an older MOBO as low quality capacitors degrade over time.

A cheap PSU can also cause swollen capacitors, if the PSU can't protect the MOBO from power surges or fluctuations. If you check the specs of a PSU you can see that based on the brand/price it has more or less power protection features/safety protections. (OVP, UVP, OCP, OPP, OTP ...)

👉 Faulty RAM

There are a few things that could cause RAM problems, one of the first things that might cause problems is a faulty stick of RAM, if you have multiple ones installed and one of them is faulty, 99% of the time the PC won't boot up, or if it will you might end with a BSOD pretty fast. Another issue that can be caused by RAM is when you have 2 or more sticks but these do not have the same specs (different speeds / voltages / timings).

To check for faulty RAM you should remove the sticks and try them one by one in each RAM slot until you find the faulty stick or slot. In case you can boot on you can also try a memory test to log in the error easier.

Now let me show you two cases of a faulty MOBO:

In the picture above you can see an Intel 1150 socket with bent pins, here someone placed the CPU in the wrong position and forcefully closed the latch.
CPUs can be placed only in the correct position, otherwise the latch won't close properly without applying force. The applied force bent the pins.

Here's another MOBO where the GPU was forcefully grabbed out of the slot without removing the secure lock under it. If you grab with with enough force the plastic that holds the pins will be removed with the GPU leaving only the pins. In some cases even some pins might come off.

The pins are bent because someone wanted to see how easily you can bent these.

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Task 5: Preventive Measures (2 points)

Question: How can you prevent dust accumulation, overheating, and power surges? Why is it important to check component compatibility and connections? What are the risks associated with BIOS updates and humidity?

Evaluation: Demonstrate best practices in photos, such as cleaning procedures, proper cable management, or protective measures against power surges.

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One key features of today's PC cases are the filters, modern cases come with one or multiple dust filters, usually around the fans and venting areas. These reduce the amount of dust in a case but in the end over the months your PC will still accumulate dust inside.

To clean this dust, same as described for the PSU, you can use compressed air to clean it, blowing air around the vents, PSU, heatsinks, GPU, this will remove most of the dust. Now if you want to go into more detailing you can use a soft brush (preferable anti-static) to clean it deeper but this would be mostly for visuals as a soft pellicular of dust won't affect your PC's performance.

Without filters you can create a push-pull airflow inside the case which will usually take out part of the dust, but in the end you'd still have to clean it to avoid overheating or other issues.

Soft Brush	Small Pump
Brush used for the fine dust cleaning.	Using a small hand pump with tight nozzle to clean inside the PCI/RAM connectors

For the BIOS updates, if the power is going out during the update or the update fails there's a high chance you'll end with a bricked MOBO.

Picking the wrong version of a BIOS could also brick the MOBO or prevent the PC from booting up, usually on the manufacturer's website for every BIOS version it states what previous version is needed for the upgrade to be valid.

As a recommendation for people who want to increase their success rate of updating a BIOS, you need to follow the instructions of the manufacturer, try to avoid the update if there are known power losses in the area and only do the updates if it's really necessary. (if the BIOS needs to be compatible with newer CPUs as an example).

For the humidity, dust sticks better to the components if there's humidity, also over time humidity can create corrosion and even cause electrical shorts.

The chances of static electricity issues is increased if there's humidity, avoid keeping your PC in areas where this could happen.

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That was it for this homework, it was super fun working on it, can't wait to start the new one, I saw it was related to CPU. In the end I'd like to invite @mojociocio to take a look and participate, if not in this one at least the one next week.

Until next time, I am wishing you a great day! Cya!