Motherboard

By Tyler Downer
2/9/08

What is a Motherboard?

A motherboard sounds scary at first. It seems like the place that all the action goes on at, the mother of all computer parts. And that is not to far from the truth. A motherboard (or mobo) is usually the largest part of the inside the computer and is where all the other parts plug into. It acts like the highway system in a city, connecting and transferring information between components. Below is a standard ATX mobo.

What types are there?

Motherboards come is several shapes and sizes. Advanced Technology (AT) boards, are rarely seen these days. They have few components and little support for modern equipment. Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX) is the most common board today. This style has many more features and much better support. It comes in several sizes, such as mini, baby, mid-size and full-size. The most modern for home computers is the BTX (Balanced Technology Extended). This model improves airflow over the components and makes use of newer technologies.

How does it work?

A motherboard works by providing a point for all computer components to be plugged into to communicate with each other. These are like your CPU, Hard Drive, mouse, etc. Many mobos also come with certain components, like the sound support, built in. This is called integration and helps save space and money. However, integrated components, epically inter grated graphics, often do not perform as well as a standalone card. A motherboard also holds the instructions needed to start up your computer, perform power-on tests, and load the operating system. Some high-end motherboards have the capacity for 2 of more CPUs, this makes for very fast performance. However, these are very expensive. But all motherboards, whether an old AT board, or a dual CPU system, do the same thing. They all provide a stable platform to connect your computer together.

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