Motherboard Functions

Computers are a part of everyday life. We use them at home, in school and in the office. We rely on them in many ways. Some of us even have some endearing feelings towards them, but do we know what the driving force behind our precious little desktop or laptop is? It is aptly named the Motherboard and it is in control of all of your computer functions.

The Motherboard is the most important part on your computer. If you are going to be computer savvy, you need to know a great deal about it. It is a large circuit that holds the CPU, memory board and peripheral cards. By itself the Motherboard is basically useless but it’s true, no computer can function without one. The Motherboard is the meeting place for everything that you have plugged into your computer.

The Motherboard is responsible for storage. The two most common type of storage are ATA/100 and ATA/133. One performs about as well as the other so you don’t need to spend too much time investigating them.

Your Motherboard is where all PCI slots are located. The more you have, the more gadgets you can plug into your PC. If you buy a peripheral card to improve sound or graphics, it will be plugged into a PCI slot. Most Motherboards have 4 or 5 PCI slots. AGP slots are essential and ISA or CNR slots may also be included, if necessary.



For the most part, sound and graphics are a given these days. Almost all Motherboards support both. But if you have a dinosaur, it may not. If you are a big gamer you will want a Motherboard with an AGP slot.

The Central Processing Unit determines the speed and ability of your PC. There are three basic classes that range from older, slower noncomplex models, to newer, faster complex ones that perform a number of high tech operations. Price and age tend to determine how much juice your CPU has.

Hard drives are controlled by the Motherboard. This is where you store data that operates your system. Hard drives hold and organize bits of information using magnetic storage techniques.

Any additional external plug-ins that you use in conjunction with your computer will have to be approved by your Motherboard. If you go out and buy a graphics card, it will have to be connected through one of the PCI slots in the Motherboard. If you want to upgrade, you will basically need to get permission from your Motherboard.

RAM is stored in the Motherboard. Most systems use DDR SDRAM but some higher class computers use Rambus memory. Memory comes in different speeds and the higher, the better. If you are going to upgrade the memory on your computer you will have to turn to the Motherboard. It is important to find out how much RAM a Motherboard can handle before you purchase a PC. If you purchase more memory, you must make sure that it is compatible with your system.

The form factor of the Motherboard, case, and power supply usually match one another. There are several types of form factors. The most common type used today is ATX. This integrates all of the connectors in the Motherboard.

Motherboards can have a number of PCI slots, ports and interfaces. Most will have four or five. The more PCI slots the better because you can connect more gadgets. And more gadgets allow you to use more applications.

The Chipset inside of the Motherboard serves as a sort of brain. The Chipset controls what hardware your computer can support. It carries information from the hard drive to memory to the CPU. You will want to know what type of CPU, rate of the IDE controller and if sound and video are included for future reference. Most of us get new toys from time to time. If you know these important facts about your chipset you can make sure they are compatible with new items.

It is good to know your Motherboard well. In the future, when you want to make changes to your computer, or purchase a new one, your Motherboard will be a big determining factor. You will want to know as much as possible about the Motherboard of any computer you buy, already own or build.