What is the Function of the Computer Motherboard?
The function of the computer motherboard is to act as the main circuit board that connects and communicates to all the devices and components attached. The motherboard also facilitates the communication of devices with each other. Motherboards are designed around the type of central processing unit (CPU) that will be installed. Because motherboards act as the base for all other computer components, the number of PCI slots, USB headers, memory slots, SATA headers, and other slots should be checked ahead of time before building a personal computer.
Speed
Measuring the motherboard's speed can be difficult and varies, depending on the CPU attached. A motherboard has a maximum front side bus (FSB) speed, for example, but a CPU with that speed as well must be used. Motherboards have a chipset, which directs the flow of data between the various buses which have attached components; its primary function is to traffic the information to its appropriate destinations.
CPU
The CPU is the computer's brain, responsible for taking commands and executing them. CPUs are only compatible with certain motherboards. CPUs attach to the CPU socket on the motherboard, pin side down, and a lever is clamped to hold it down. CPUs have heat sinks to keep from overheating, as well as a fan. When purchasing motherboards or CPUs, they are usually bundled together as a single package.
PCI Slots
Peripheral component interconnect refers to PCI slots, which allow components to be placed directly into the motherboard. There are as many as 10 types of PCI slots available on motherboards, with the larger slots having faster speeds. PCI Slots have speeds of 33 MHz and 66 MHz ,while PCI-Express slots may be as fast as 2.5 GHz. PCI-Express slots are also full-duplex, meaning data is sent and received at the same time.
Graphics Card
A graphics card, or graphics controller, is a device that takes data and converts it into images to be displayed onto a computer monitor. Older graphics cards were plugged into the advanced graphics port (AGP) on the motherboard, while new graphics cards use the PCI-Express slot. High performance cards can be large enough to take up two slots. Even more sophisticated cards allow two identical cards to be linked together, with the use of a scalable link interface (SLI) Bridge.
Other Components
Motherboards have external connectors for mouse and keyboard devices, display adapters, and audio jacks, like output and microphone. USB ports also allow USB devices to be plugged into the motherboard, which can take the place of mouse, keyboard and audio devices.
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