MOTHERBOARD


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Motherboard
The ASUS A8N VM CSM
Connects to
Microprocessors via one of:
sockets
Slots (on older motherboards)
Main memory via one of:
Slots
Sockets for individual chips (on old motherboards)
Peripherals via one of:
External ports
Internal cables
Expansion cards via one of:
PCI bus
AGP bus
PCI Express bus
ISA bus (on older motherboards)
Others
Form factors
ATXmicroATXAT (on older motherboards)Baby AT (on older motherboards)Others
Common manufacturers
ASUSFoxconnIntelOthers

The ABIT KT7, an ATX format motherboard
A motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB) in some complex electronic systems, such as modern personal computers. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, the logic board.[1] It is also sometimes casually shortened to mobo.[2]
Contents[hide]
1 Overview
1.1 CPU sockets
1.2 Integrated peripherals
1.3 Peripheral card slots
1.4 Temperature and reliability
1.5 Form factor
1.6 Nvidia SLI and ATI Crossfire
2 History
3 Bootstrapping using the BIOS
4 See also
5 Notes and references
6 External links
//

[edit] Overview
Most computer motherboards produced today are designed for IBM-compatible computers, which currently account for around 90% of global PC sales[citation needed]. A motherboard, like a backplane, provides the electrical connections by which the other components of the system communicate, but unlike a backplane, it also hosts the central processing unit, and other subsystems and devices.
Motherboards are also used in many other electronics devices.
A typical desktop computer has its microprocessor, main memory, and other essential components on the motherboard. Other components such as external storage, controllers for video display and sound, and peripheral devices may be attached to the motherboard as plug-in cards or via cables, although in modern computers it is increasingly common to integrate some of these peripherals into the motherboard itself.
An important component of a motherboard is the microprocessor's supporting chipset, which provides the supporting interfaces between the CPU and the various buses and external components. This chipset determines, to an extent, the features and capabilities of the motherboard.
Modern motherboards include, at a minimum:
sockets (or slots) in which one or more microprocessors are installed[3]
slots into which the system's main memory is installed (typically in the form of DIMM modules containing DRAM chips)
a chipset which forms an interface between the CPU's front-side bus, main memory, and peripheral buses
non-volatile memory chips (usually Flash ROM in modern motherboards) containing the system's firmware or BIOS
a clock generator which produces the system clock signal to synchronize the various components
slots for expansion cards (these interface to the system via the buses supported by the chipset)
power connectors flickers, which receive electrical power from the computer power supply and distribute it to the CPU, chipset, main memory, and expansion cards.[4]

The Octek Jaguar V motherboard from 1993.[5] This board has 6 ISA slots but few onboard peripherals, as evidenced by the lack of external connectors.
Additionally, nearly all motherboards include logic and connectors to support commonly-used input devices, such as PS/2 connectors for a mouse and keyboard. Early personal computers such as the Apple II or IBM PC included only this minimal peripheral support on the motherboard. Occasionally video interface hardware was also integrated into the motherboard; for example on the Apple II, and rarely on IBM-compatible computers such as the IBM PC Jr. Additional peripherals such as disk controllers and serial ports were provided as expansion cards.
Given the high thermal design power of high-speed computer CPUs and components, modern motherboards nearly always include heatsinks and mounting points for fans to dissipate excess heat.

[edit] CPU sockets