A motherboard is the main circuit board present in the inner area of a computer. Its basic function is to connect several parts of a computer. It contains different types of sockets for the storage devices of computers like RAM, CPU, etc. Hard drives, disc drives, and front panel ports are also in the junction with the motherboard along with wires and cables.
The mainboard or system board is the secondary name of the motherboard. It is a machine that connects all individual components of a computer. Furthermore, it provides access and control to the CPU for separating the parts. External devices can also be connected with pc through the ports of the motherboard.
Modules of the Motherboard
The motherboard contains a few integrated modules that are present in a board like CMOS, the BIOS, chipset, and bus system. Logic board also has numerous sockets and ports for the linking of the pc devices. These sockets are for Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and RAM slots for the storage.
Motherboard Form Factors
Layout and the design of a motherboard are known as form factor. Form factor defines the standard and the specification of the motherboard. It determines the power supply, the kind of casing, and the area where different components will adjust. The most renowned mainboard form factor is ATX because it minimizes the size of the motherboard with great proficiency.
4 Major Types of Motherboard Form Factor
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ATX
The ATX form factor begins to sell in the late 1990s. At that time these boards were assumed to the part of the revolutionary period. In the early time expansion slots came up with riser cards and required to be plugged in the board. But since the arrival of ATX, no need for a riser card, and also the requirement of space is also condensed. Power pins and other air ventilation headers were introduced by ATX that consisted of 20 pins.
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Micro-ATX
Micro-ATX arrived in the electronic market when people were extremely demanding for the lower-cost solution as a motherboard. The Micro ATX motherboard provides related advantages with a more modified design. The size of micro ATX is smaller as compared to a full-sized motherboard which is another reason for its cost reduction.
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LPX
LPX or Mini LPX are the non-standard proprietary form. Sound Integration and video quality are one of the highlighted benefits of LPX. The greatest advantage of this form factor is that it saved massive space especially when pc could become dense.
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BTX
Motherboards of BTX form factor is called composting technology. Devices such as USB 2.0 and PCIe were the reasons for the formation of the BTX board. The size of the BTX board is smaller than the ATX board but has much-improved placement of components specifically the back panel of the I/O controller. The BTX brought the industry towards tower-sized systems that allowed system more slots. The way of using airflow to provide a cooling system is the main feature of the BTX system.
Functions of the Motherboard
As we have discussed the importance of motherboard in the computers that offer several advantages as well. Furthermore, the functions that are performed by the motherboards include, they behave like a central backbone of a pc and give the facility of installation of crucial parts like CPU or RAM. It also facilitates the installation of other interfaces through its several expansion slots.
The distribution of power between various computer components is also the duty of the motherboards. The performance of storage devices in a computer also dependent on the mastery of the motherboard. Moreover, the coordination among numerous devices is established by these mainboards and maintaining of the interface as well.
Conclusion
Motherboard assists as a single platform to make the coordinate of all components of a computer. It acts as a central circuit hub for the PC. The motherboard is the main circuit board that handles all the activities that are taking place in the CPU. The most prominent function of the mainboard is to a junction among the several parts. In an epilogue, Motherboard is the core foundation of computers
