The motherboard sets the logical foundation for computer components.
The motherboard is the foundation upon which all internal computer components operate. A motherboard is responsible for connecting all the components of a computer together, so they can operate as one system. The most important aspect of a motherboard is the central processing unit, or CPU, socket it accommodates, as this component is not interchangeable, and so motherboards can be categorized in this fashion.
Socket AM3
Motherboards with the AM3 socket typically support the AMD Phenom II, AMD Athlon II and AMD Sempron 140 processors. The socket in this motherboard houses chips with 941 pins, and has a bus speed between 200 and 3200 megahertz, or MHz. This is important because the bus speed is a measurement of how much data can be transferred across the bus simultaneously. Busses connect one part of a motherboard to another. You might have a fast processor, but the speed at which it calculates might not have any effect on the user's experience if the bus can't transfer the data fast enough.
LGA 1156/Socket H
This motherboard type introduced in 2009 supports the Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, and the 800 series of Intel Core i7 CPU families. The pin count is higher than its AMD socket equivalent, at 1156 pins.
Socket 441
This type of motherboard solely supports the Intel Atom family of CPUs. It has a bus speed of between 400 and 667 MHz, and as the name suggests, it houses a pin count of 441.
Socket P
This notebook platform motherboard introduced in 2007 replaces the Socket M model. The pool of CPU families it hosts is reduced solely to the Intel Core 2, whereas the bus speed has been improved to 133 to 266 MHZ as opposed to 133 to 166 MHz in the old Socket M. The pin count remains at 478 pins.
Socket AM2+
As a precursor to the AM3 and an extension of the AM2, the AM2+ supports the AMD Athlon 64, AMD Athlon X2 and AMD Phenom CPUs, each of which have 940 pins. It features separated power planes and runs at a bus speed of between 200 and 2600 MHz.
LGA 775/Socket T
Introduced in 2004, this motherboard hosts a wide range of Intel processors, including the Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron, Celeron D, Pentium XE, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Xeon models. As the name suggests, the socket provides for chips with 775 pins.
Socket 939
This motherboard, also introduced in 2004, has a bus speed between 200 and 1000 MHz, and supports the AMD Athlon 64, AMD Athlon 64 FX (up to 1 GHz), AMD Athlon X2 and AMD Opteron (up to the 100 series) processors. This motherboard socket and all of the corresponding chips have 939 pins as the name suggests.
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