Week 2 Blog Post - Motherboards

Week 2 Posting - Motherboard Specifications and Performance

This week, there was an assignment to find a web page advertising a motherboard and to provide the specifications, costs, and information on the motherboard. As I built my system not too long ago, I went out of my way to search for an advertisement that would include my board. Unsuprinsgly, it wasn't too hard to find due to the value of the motherboard I received. As I was looking on the specifications website on ASUS, I noticed there were a lot of features on the motherboard. When looking at listed features physically on the motherboard, the number was 23. That is a lot of physical components to take into account. In case you are wondering, the motherboard I am referring to is the ASUS x570 TUF Gaming Wifi Plus. 

 I realized just how many components are actually on a motherboard. It can be quite easy to overlook some of the other various parts on motherboards. This week's reading showed a model of the inside and outside of a computer presented. The first model (Figure 2-12) showed the back of a computer that is responsible for various ports. Another model (Figure 2-13) showed the inner workings of the system. I started thinking about how Chapter 2 was about the "Visual Computer", which is essentially what visual parts make up a computer. Although I knew most of these parts, I wanted to review what exactly the motherboard distributes power to and what ports are commonly available. On the back of the PC, you will find HDMI, SUB, S/PDIF, DVI, PS/2, NIC, and Audio input/output jacks on the back of the motherboard. Inside the system, you will find the CPU, Memory, SSD Drives, video card, expansion slots, power supply, and the motherboard itself. All of these devices work in conjunction and get supplied power thanks to the motherboard. 

 After watching multiple videos and seeing different builds use it on PcPartPicker, I decided to pick up the board myself. I did some basic research on the board but never bothered to visit the website and look at what made the board so efficient and popular. Now, I will take a short look into what makes my particular board unique. I came to realize that the motherboard has a specialized power design. For example, capacitors on my motherboard. The capacitors are listed to have a 52% higher temperature tolerance with a 2 1/2 longer life span than standard solid caps. Could this be marketing? Perhaps, but I am not equipped with the knowledge or resources to test such a claim. Capacitors deal with voltage, and voltage creates heat. The voltage of these capacitors is sent to various components on the motherboard. Improved capacitor caps ensure consistent performance with energy being regulated efficiently. I found this to be interesting because if we were to go back to motherboards 5 years ago, we would probably see a performance difference if appropriately tested over time. There are power design elements that make the board strong, but I will not overload the post.