What is Motherboard in Computer? | 6 Best Types of Motherboard

What is Motherboard in Computer? A motherboard is a computer main printed circuit board (PCB). All components and external devices are connected to the motherboard, which serves as the computer’s crucial communications backbone.

Examples include processor sockets, DIMM, HTX, PCI, PCIe, and M.2 slots, as well as power supply connections. Additional connectivity, such as PCI, SATA, Thunderbolt, USB, and more, is typically provided by a Southbridge chip on boards.

Hyper Transport (HT), rapid path interconnect (QPI), and Ultra path interconnect are common point-to-point interconnects that connect the CPU to RAM and PCIe (UPI).

ATX, an Intel upgrade on IBM’s AT architecture, is the most prevalent motherboard design in desktop computers today. Extended ATX, mini-ATX, microATX, BTX, microBTX, mini ITX, micro ITX, and nano ITX are some of the other form factors.

With the introduction of CPU memory controllers, integrated video has also moved from the board to the CPU.

Due to the SOC (system on a chip) design of AMD’s new Ryzen, even the Southbridge is optional. While also allowing highly customized implementations that support a variety of CPUs for platform upgradability.

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Table of Contents

Where is Motherboard Located?

The majority of the hardware and computer peripherals are connected to the mainboard, which is placed inside the computer chassis. The motherboard, which is the largest circuit board in tower computers, is located on the left or right side of the tower.

How Does a Motherboard Work?

You don’t have to spend your days surrounded by techies to hear the term “motherboard.” This vital component of a contemporary PC is responsible for keeping your computer functioning.

But what is the purpose of a motherboard? How can you tell whether it’s working properly? Is it possible for you to change it on your own? In this straightforward guide, we answer all of your board-related questions.

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Main Motherboards Components

The most Important Components of the Motherboard are defined in the following section:

Expansion Slots
3-Pin Case Fan Connectors
Back Pane Connectors
Heat Sink
Capacity
Inductor
Screw Hole
Memory Slot
Audio Connector
IO Chip
CPU Socket
Super I/O
Serial ATA Connections
FWH
RAID
Keyboard & Mouse
USB
Floppy Controller
SPDIF

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Types of Motherboards

The components and functionalities of motherboards are the same in desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone computers.

The majority of components in desktop computers are slotted into sockets on the motherboard, making repair and upgrade easy.

Despite the fact that different motherboards have varying capabilities, constraints, features, and physical sizes/shapes (form factor), form factors remain the most common way to identify/group/categorize them.

To accommodate the design of computers, each manufacturer has developed its own form factor. The majority of computers manufactured in 2005, including IBM and Apple, utilized ATX form factor motherboards.

The Six Different Types of Motherboards are listed below:

AT Motherboard

These motherboards have physical dimensions of hundreds of millimeters, making them unsuitable for PCs in the tiny desktop category.

Larger physical dimensions make it much more difficult to install new drivers. These boards employ sockets and six-pin plugs as power connectors.

This sort of mainboard was popular in the 1980s, and it lasted a long time.

ATX Motherboard

ATX stands for Intel produced Advanced Technology Extended in the 1990s, and it was an upgraded version of an earlier iteration of the AT mainboard. When compared to AT, it is smaller and allows the connected components to be interchanged.

LPX Motherboard

This version of the board included two improvements over previous versions.

The AT motherboard included some of these capabilities. The lack of Accelerated Graphic Port (AGP) slots, which forced a direct connection to PCI, is the board’s worst flaw. NLX boards addressed issues with these motherboards.

BTX Motherboard

Balanced Technology Extended Bal Intel’s ATX-compatible board, released in 2004, has been superseded by the ATX-compatible. Unlike the ATX, the BTX defines the location of all chip sockets to ensure enough airflow over the processor and graphics card.

Pico BTX Motherboard

Pico BTX is a motherboard form factor designed to reduce the 12.8 10.5 in (325 267 mm) BTX standard to a more compact size. These motherboards have the same top half as the other BTX sizes. But only have one or two expansion slots, making them ideal for half-height or riser card applications.

Mini ITX Motherboard

The Mini-ITX Industrial Motherboard is built with a lot of features, a tiny footprint, and low power consumption (less than 100 Watts). Mini-ITX Motherboard has a height of only 25 mm, making it perfect for applications that require both size and power efficiency.

What is the Motherboard Chipset?

A PC’s chipset controls communication between the CPU, RAM, storage, and other components. The chipset on your best mainboard determines how many high-speed components or USB devices it can support.

Different chipsets support different CPUs, therefore keep in mind when purchasing a processor that it will only function with motherboards that use a specific chipset (and CPU socket).

It’s crucial to remember that while a chipset may enable specific functionality, your motherboard may not. If your board doesn’t support a particular chipset feature, your PC won’t be able to use it.

Can a Motherboard Bottleneck GPU?

If you’re unfamiliar with the word, a bottleneck is a concept that describes an imbalance in power between components inside a system. If your CPU is significantly more powerful than your GPU, for example, your CPU is producing a bottleneck.

We can apply the same concept to motherboards and how they can generate bottlenecks. Your motherboard connects everything from your GPU, CPU, and RAM to your SSD, HDD, and CPU fan. So, can the mainboard be a bottleneck for the GPU?

However, if you plan to overclock your GPU, the difference between a low-end and high-end board may matter. The same is true for your CPU and RAM, as the board is in charge of the voltage and power regulation required by those components.

Your motherboard will not be a bottleneck for your GPU. Instead, your CPU may be the bottleneck.

Keep in mind that your CPU should be slightly more powerful than your GPU when purchasing PC components, including your board.

Conclusion – Can a Motherboard Bottleneck GPU?

Choosing the perfect motherboard for you may appear to be a challenging chore at first, but if you know what to look for, it becomes much easier. You’re not alone if you’re wondering if your motherboard is a bottleneck for your GPU.

The explanation is that your GPU and other components are not bottlenecked by motherboards.

Uses of Motherboard

The motherboard is the primary component of a computer system, and it is responsible for linking all of the system’s components.

The motherboard is a key device that connects all of the computer’s devices and keeps the system running smoothly.

Conclusion of Full Motherboard

In conclusion, the motherboard is critical to the computer in a variety. The mainboard is essential for the computer to perform optimally. It has a CPU that serves as a hub for several devices and subsystems.

It is an important part of a computer’s day-to-day operation and greatly influences the gaming experience.

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