Introduction:

In this issue, I will detailedly explain all the different connection points on the computer motherboard, the functions of these connections, and how to plug them in?

There is a lot of knowledge, considering that the audience may not have the patience to watch it all at once, here is a motherboard detailed diagram which I suggest you bookmark and learn slowly.

Motherboard Manual

First, the box of the motherboard will have a manual, which contains charts marking all the connection points on the motherboard. You can also download a copy from the motherboard manufacturer’s website.

Let’s start our explanation today:

01. Motherboard Power Connector:

Motherboard power connector

The size of the motherboard power connector can be: 24 Pin (pins) or 20 Pin (pins).

The 20 Pin connector is only found in very old computers, while most power supplies today have a 24 Pin connector. It can be divided into 4 Pin and 20 Pin plugs.

Now almost every connector on the motherboard has positive and negative designs, which prevents you from connecting incorrectly, unless you apply a lot of force while plugging in and unplugging.

When we insert this power connector, you will notice that there is a small notch on the motherboard connector, align it with the hook of the plug, and connect it to the ATX power connector.

02. CPU Power Connector:

CPU power connector

Another connector on the motherboard is 4 Pin, 8 Pin, 12 Pin, or 16 Pin for CPU power supply. Find the connector labeled CPU on the power supply and use the same method as the ATX power connector to plug it in.

03. Graphics Card Power Connector:

Graphics Card

The graphics card, commonly known as a GPU. Generally configured with 6 Pin or 8 Pin power connectors. Taking this power connector as an example, you can see that the connector can be split into a 6 Pin connector or an 8 Pin connector. Some graphics cards do not require additional connections.

Graphics Card Power Connector

6Pin or 8Pin

04. Hard Drive, Case Fan, and LED Strip Connectors:

To power other devices, the power supply is also equipped with multiple molex and SATA power cables. Molex connectors have four pins, while SATA connectors have 15 pins.

The additional pins in SATA are for supporting hot-swappable devices and other additional functions.

The SATA connectors are set to an L-shape, while the Molex connectors are designed to be inserted in only one way. However, SATA connectors are mainly used for SATA hard drives, while Molex connectors were originally mainly used for hard drives, but are now used for other devices such as case fans and LED strips.

05. CPU and Case Fan Connectors:

CPU and case fans. This is a 3-pin and 4-pin connector. You can plug either one into the same pin on the motherboard.

When inserting these pins, be sure to check the printed labels on the motherboard to know which plug it is.

You should avoid plugging the CPU fan into the case fan pin, as this will cause the fan to be misreported to the motherboard.

This will cause it to show incorrect fan speeds in any monitoring software. And if the computer tries to change the fan speed, it will change the wrong fan speed.

The extra fourth wire on the fan is for pulse-width modulation or PWM. This essentially means that the fan speed is controlled by the fourth wire.

In a 3-pin fan, the fan speed is controlled by the power supply, while in a 4-pin fan, the speed is controlled by changing the signal in the fourth wire.

So this raises a question, which one will you use?

4-pin fans are usually more expensive, and another significant difference is that since the voltage entering the fan does not change, if there are LED lights in the fan, they will not be affected. LED lights are usually not used in 3-pin fans because the changing voltage causes the LED lights to dim and brighten according to the fan’s speed.

The motherboard typically supports both 3-pin and 4-pin fans, so it doesn’t matter which one you use.

06. Front Panel Connectors:

The indicator lights and buttons of the case connect to the motherboard. On many motherboards, you will find a place on the motherboard with pins for these connectors, and beside the pins, there will be printed labels indicating what each pin is for.

You can also check via the motherboard manual. The pin parameters are generally similar across different motherboard manufacturers, but there are differences.

On this, you will see that there are two pins for the power LED. If you find that you have plugged it in incorrectly, don’t worry, if you connect anything incorrectly on the case front panel connector, it won’t cause any damage; it just won’t work. As shown below:

The next two pins are for the power switch; this can be plugged in either way, as shown below:

The next two pins are for the hard drive LED. This indicator light will turn on when any storage device on the computer is active, just like the power LED; if the connection is incorrect, the LED won’t work, but nothing will be damaged. As shown below:

The next two pins are for the reset switch; like the power switch, it is just a switch, so it doesn’t matter if you connect the positive and negative incorrectly. These are standard connectors that you can find on most motherboards. Of course, some motherboards support certain functions while others do not. As shown below:

What you connect and do not connect depends on you; actually, just connecting the power switch is enough; all other connectors are optional.

Depending on the features supported by the computer case, different cases will have different interfaces. Their connectors and wires are also different. They will have markings on the connectors.

07. USB and Type-C Connectors:

Common connector types also include USB, which are usually located on the front or top of the computer case.

In this specific instance, the front of the computer case has one USB 3, one USB 2 port, and one Type-C port. As shown below:

Inside the case, there are USB 3 wires, USB 2 wires, and Type-C wires. The USB 3 wire is blue. The USB 2 and Type ports are black.

08. Audio Interface Connectors:

And the case shell connectors, most computer cases have headphone and microphone jacks. To connect these two jacks to the motherboard, you must have an HD Audio connector, which will plug directly into the motherboard.

09. LED Key:

Besides these, there is also an LED key on the case, which can be seen on some more expensive cases; its wire has two pins and is generally plugged into the RGB controller box.

SATA connectors come in different quantities on different motherboards. We generally see black connectors, but in some cases, they may not have the same functionality, such as RAID functionality.

10. M.2 Solid State Drive Slot:

The M.2 expansion card is installed inside the motherboard, and the M.2 device is inserted into the slot with the gold finger part, after placing it in the slot, push it down and secure it with a screw.

Some now come with heatsinks.

M.2 slots support PCI Express and SATA devices.

11. BIOS on the Motherboard:

The motherboard will have BIOS functionality, and BIOS settings are stored on the motherboard. Damaging the settings may prevent the computer from starting. To clear the settings, the motherboard will have a clear CMOS jumper; on older motherboards, there are usually three pins, while on newer motherboards, there are usually two pins.

In either case, if the pins are shorted while the computer is starting, all BIOS settings will be cleared.

12. TPM on the Motherboard:

Your motherboard may not have this connector, but generally, more expensive motherboards will have this connector.

TPM is a chip that contains encryption keys and other encryption-related functions, used for securely storing these keys for functions such as disk encryption and platform integrity.

Platform integrity is used in systems such as secure boot to check whether the computer has been tampered with. Different motherboards will have different TPM connectors. Typically, different manufacturers will consider their TPM connectors to be the same across all their motherboards. We won’t provide examples here.

Conclusion:

If you encounter problems when inserting connectors, please check the plug and socket; it is common to experience missing pins or locked pins, just align them with the socket plug.

If you cannot find something on the motherboard, please check the manual; every motherboard manual has a chart showing the location of everything, and sometimes they may be difficult to find because many of these titles look quite similar.

This issue on all types and functions of computer motherboard interfaces ends here. If you want to learn more about computer technology, follow 【Build Check Pavilion】. If you like my explanation, please be sure to like, bookmark, and follow; your like is my biggest motivation for explaining. There may also be mistakes in the explanation, please point them out, experts.

Experience trendy hardware, share excellent products, spread assembly knowledge, and solve computer problems. This isBuild Check Pavilion, see you tomorrow!