A motherboard, also known as a mainboard or logic board, is the main printed circuit board. It is sometimes called “mobo” (a one-time nickname derived from MOdular DIgital BOard).
Modern motherboards contain integrated circuits with microprocessors memory blocks, including ROM, RAM, and Flash Memory. Since they are all interconnected by buses on the motherboard, information can be transferred between different system components.
The design of a motherboard impacts the performance of the whole system. Older systems were often built around certain brands of microchips like Intel or AMD – nowadays, most people opt for chipsets designed to work with multiple brands, but at some point, this was not the case.
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The motherboard has a significant effect on system stability. It often contains an advanced GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), which controls the computer’s display output, as well as sound cards for audio control.
Other common parts include complex drive connections for attaching storage devices, USB ports for connecting peripherals like mice and keyboards to the computer, and expansion slots for network or graphics cards.
Although motherboards exist in various sizes and designs, they are often made to fit into a number of widely used form factors. How many expansion slots are accessible, what size power supply must be utilized, and other considerations are determined by these form factors.
Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX) and Mini ATX are the most popular motherboard types. The casing of a pre-built Computer is probably going to be made to support one of these two configurations.
Here’s the list of all motherboard buying guides;
