Motherboard meaning (what is it, concept and definition)

What is a motherboard:

A motherboard is a printed circuit board, with some built-in components, to which the essential components of a computer are connected. It is, therefore, a fundamental element in the design of computing devices.

The term 'motherboard' comes from English ( motherboard ) Also known as motherboard ( mainboard , in English) or motherboard.

Parts of a motherboard

The motherboard contains a number of integrated components:

• the chipset (circuit that controls most of the resources), the clock, the CMOS and the CMOS stack, the BIOS or BIOS chip ('Basic input and output system', which is used as an interface between the motherboard and the system operating), the system bus, and the expansion bus. See also: Chip and Microprocessor.The power connectors that provide the power for the operation of the motherboard. See Also Power Source. The CPU socket or socket, which is a slot that allows connection to the processor or microprocessor, of the computer. The Random Access Memory (RAM) connector that allows connection to RAM memory and data storage. See also RAM and ROM Memory expansion slots, whose models and capacities are varied (some of them existing in less current devices): ISA, VLB, PCI and PCI Express, AGP, AMR and CNR slot, for devices of communication like LAN cards, USB and modems. The input and output connectors, some of them are optional: a serial port and a parallel port (for the connection of peripherals and old printers), the USB ports (for more modern peripherals), the RJ45 connector (LAN or Ethernet port), the VGA connector (for connection to the monitor) and the audio connectors (line in, line out and microphone).

Motherboard types

There are different types and formats of motherboards. Depending on the processor, two broad groups can be identified: for AMD processors and for Intel processors.

Depending on the shape format, there are different types of motherboards:

• Miniature AT and full size AT format, typical of computers with 386 and 486 processors. ATX format, whose design improves the previous format, facilitates the connection of peripherals and offers better cooling. There are several subtypes: standard ATX, micro-ATX, Flex-ATX and mini-ATX. BTX format . Depending on its dimensions, three types of motherboard can be distinguished with this type of format: standard BTX, micro-BTX, and pico-BTX. ITX format. The main subtypes with this format are: mini-ITX and nano-ITX.

Motherboard brands

There are various brands that market motherboards. Some of them are:

Gigabyte: The motherboards manufactured by the company Gigabyte Technology are marketed internationally and present various models and formats, which support AMD and Intel processors. Gigabyte motherboards have a code made up of segments and that begins with the letters GA (which indicates that it is a model of the Gygabyte brand), followed by the type of chipset it uses and a last code segment that indicates the main characteristics of the motherboard.

ASUS: These motherboards are developed by the company ASUSTeK Computer Inc. The design and manufacture of motherboards by this company are characterized in many cases by their innovative nature, improving the capabilities of computers.