GA-MA790X-UD4P Anatomy

[inishoc]

Hi,

I've had this motherboard since last May and I still am not exactly sure where the Northbridge and Southbridge are. I can't find any good pictures online detailing which part is which so I took the picture from the Gigabyte website and edited it to illustrate my question.

http://imgur.com/8iNbN.jpg

I am taking a guess as to which part is the Northbridge and Southbridge, but what is the part I circled with a question mark?

Thanks!

 

[bilbat]

 

[welshmousepk]

bilbat sorted it out i see.

i have this motherboard, and can ocnfirm that diagram is correct.

generally, its fairly easy to figure out. looking at the motherboard in the standard orientation, the northbridge should be at the top, and the southbridge at the bottom.

im not sure if this is true of all motherboards, but i would imagine its the most common.

(and you are always looking for small heatsinks that cover the PCB)

 

[inishoc]

Thanks a lot guys, but what is the part that I circled with a question mark. I notice that there is nothing there on bilbat's diagram but the actual board has something there. Is it just a heat sink for the northbridge?

 

[bilbat]

Those are the MOSFET banks; MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconducting Field Effect Transistors) run the high-current end of the system's power supply voltages:

http://www.fairchildsemi.com/an/AN/AN-9010.pdf

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/voltmods/21

 

[inishoc]

Best answer selected by inishoc.