We explain what the motherboard is and its main functions. Also, the types that exist, its parts and how to identify it.
What is the motherboard?
In computing, the motherboard, main board, motherboard or motherboard (from English: motherboard) It is the main integrated circuit card of the computer system to which the other components that make up the computer are attached.
It is, therefore, a fundamental part of it and is located inside the CPU casing, where it has exits to the outside that allow the connection of different peripherals and accessories.
The motherboard also contains essential elements of the system, such as the microprocessor, RAM, expansion slots or the auxiliary integrated circuit (chipset). Inside, the BIOS firmware is also installed system software that allows you to regulate and test the elementary functions of the hardware and acts as a support for loading the operating system.
motherboards are manufactured based on standard dimensions known as formats, to ensure they fit inside the CPU shells. These formats have changed over time and new technologies, and their latest version is known as DTX (2007). Even so, many companies prefer to ignore these formats and manufacture their motherboards as they wish, in what is known as “proprietary formats.”
There are various types of motherboards, although the market seems to be grouped around all trends: boards that use AMD microprocessors (Advanced Micro Devices Inc.), or those that use Intel microprocessors (Intel Corporation). There are also multiprocessor boards, which can house 2, 4 or more processors simultaneously, which translates into enormous data processing power.
See also: Power supply
Motherboard functions
The motherboard is the place of integration and contact between the various components of the computer system.
This is the main and largest module, where the data emerging from the microprocessor is distributed and the instructions are transmitted to memory, information storage systems, or peripherals.
It could be said that it is the central nervous system of the computer, the place where its minimum and essential operations are carried out.
Motherboard Types
Motherboards are usually classified based on the number of microprocessors they can house at the same time. Thus, we will talk about:
- Uniprocessor motherboards Those that are arranged to house a single microprocessor installed at a time.
- Multiprocessor motherboards Those that, on the contrary, can have several microprocessors installed (2, 4 and even 8 at a time), thus accumulating their combined power.
Motherboard Parts
The components of a motherboard are the following:
- Power supply connectors The different cables and devices that provide the entire board with the necessary voltages for its various parts to operate in a stable and continuous manner.
- CPU socket Called socketis the receptacle for the microprocessor (or several), which connects it to the rest of the system through the front bus of the motherboard.
- RAM slot The slots (slots) of RAM memory (Random Access-Memoryor Random Access Memory) serve to house modules of this type of processing memory. They are usually arranged in pairs, and have certain specifications that delimit the type of RAM modules that can be used in the computer.
- Chipset It is a series of electronic circuits that manage the transfer of information between the various parts of the computer, such as the processor, memory, secondary storage units, etc. It is generally divided into two different sections:
- North Bridge (northbridge) It interconnects the RAM memory, the microprocessor and the graphics processing unit.
- South bridge (southbridge) Interconnects peripherals and secondary, local or external storage devices.
- Other components The motherboard also has other elements such as the system clock, the factory pre-programmed BIOS, the internal or front bus of the Chipset (deprecated) and the CMOS, a small form of memory to preserve the minimum data of the computer, such as its settings, time and date.
How do I know which is my motherboard?
The most traditional method of finding out what the motherboard of a computer is is to open the CPU case and simply look at the largest card into which all the others are inserted.
But there are simpler and less invasive methods, especially if we are not experts in the field and we are afraid of putting the system at risk, or if our computer is a laptop or another small format that would not be easy to disassemble. There are two ways to do it without using a screwdriver:
- With Windows 10 A native tool of the Operating System called msinfo32 is used. We will have to press Windows + R to open the run command, write “msinfo32” and press accept. A window will open containing a “System Summary”. All you have to do is click on it to access the information we are looking for.
- With other applications There are third-party programs such as CPU-Z that can help us investigate the contents of our computer and which often have free download versions. If you want more information about it, you can check the following link: https://www.xataka.com/basics/como-saber-cual-es-mi-placa-base-y-otros-componentes-de-mi-ordenador -on-windows
