Topic: Motherboard Architecture, Chipsets, Sockets, Slots, and Form Factors

Essential Question:

How does a motherboard determine what components a computer can use and how those components communicate?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVad0c2cljo

📝 FOCUS NOTES — Tuesday

Students copy this whole block.

1. What Is a Motherboard?

The motherboard is the main circuit board that connects all components and controls how they communicate.

It provides:

• physical slots
• electrical pathways
• data lanes
• firmware (BIOS/UEFI)
• chipset control

Everything in the system depends on the motherboard’s capabilities.

2. CPU Sockets (Huge for A+)