What are the components of a motherboard

The motherboard of a computer, which is also known as Mobo or MB (abbreviation), system board, and in some other cases logic board, is used to connect all the parts of a computer. The processor, memory, hard drives, graphics card, expansion cards, and other ports connect to the motherboard directly or via cables. The motherboard is the piece of computer hardware or component that can be seen as the "backbone" of the PC, or rather the central element where all the pieces are kept together.

Phones, tablets, and other small devices also have motherboards, but these are often referred to as logic boards or PCBs. Its components are usually soldered directly to the board to save space, which means there are no expansion slots for upgrades like those seen on desktop computers.

Going back a few years, the IBM computer that was released in 1981 is considered the first computer motherboard. However, today the most popular motherboard manufacturers are ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA, Supercomputer or the classic Biostar.

Everything behind the computer case is somehow connected to the motherboard so that all the components can communicate with each other. This includes graphics cards, sound cards, hard drives, optical drives, microprocessor (1 or 2), RAM memories, USB connections, or power management components like the power supply.

There are also expansion slots, jumpers, capacitors, data and device power connections. On the cooling system, we have fans, heat sinks, etc. All these components are, at the same time, attached together by screw holes and motherboard mounting hardware.

PC motherboards, power supplies, and cases are manufactured in different sizes, known as "form factors." These three components of a PC need to be size compatible to function properly.

Motherboards vary greatly in the types of components they support. For example, each motherboard supports only one type of CPU and a short list of memory types. Also, some graphics cards, ram memories, hard drives, and other peripherals may not be compatible. The motherboard manufacturer should provide clear guidance on component compatibility.

In laptops and tablets, and increasingly even in desktop computers, the motherboard often incorporates video card and sound card functionality. This helps keep these types of computers small. However, it also prevents those built-in components from being updated.

On the other hand, poor motherboard cooling mechanisms can damage the hardware connected to the motherboard. This is why high-performance devices like CPUs and high-end video cards are often cooled with heat sinks, and built-in sensors are often used to sense temperature and communicate with the BIOS or operating system to regulate the fan speed.

Devices connected to a motherboard often require device drivers to be installed manually to work with the operating system.