Computer Motherboards Guide

Step 4 – Computer Motherboards Guide

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What Is A Motherboard?

Lets put it in lamen terms. The motherboard of a computer is what a brain is to a human. Yes! Without “The Mother” the computer cannot think.

For the technical people: A motherboard is a printed circuit board used in a personal computer. It is also known as the mainboard and occasionally abbreviated to mobo or MB. The term mainboard is also used for the main circuit board in this and other electronic devices.

There is nothing complicated about installing a motherboard but I will give you some additional information about it just to make sure you understand it’s importance. A typical motherboard provides attachment points for the one or more of the following: CPU, graphics card, sound card, hard disk controller, memory (RAM), and external peripheral devices.

All of the basic circuitry and components required for a computer to function sit either directly on the motherboard or in an expansion slot of the motherboard. The most important component on a motherboard is the chipset which consists of two components or chips known as the Northbridge and Southbridge. These chips determine, to an extent, the features and capabilities of the motherboard.

Most devices that can be attached to a motherboard are attached via one or more slots or sockets, although some modern motherboards support wireless devices using the IrDA, Bluetooth, or 802.11 (Wi-Fi) protocols.