The motherboard is the mainboard of a computer.
Computers rely on numerous components to run efficiently. These hardware devices must interface or communicate with each other in some way in order to operate. A mainboard is a crucial interface device.
Definition
A mainboard is a printed circuit board used to support and connect components using electrically charged paths called conductive channels or pathways. A motherboard, also known as the mainboard, is the computer's primary printed circuit board.
History
Computer components, memory and most peripherals originally connected to separate computer circuit boards. Motherboards were designed in the late 1980s to accommodate several hardware devices and peripherals for added functionality and upgrades. By the 1990s this motherboard style had become standard in most PC systems.
Function
Motherboards serve as a mount, and hold many integral components for a computer, including the computer's central processing unit (CPU) and memory storage chips. The motherboard, or mainboard, contains numerous slots, or sockets, that are used as a connection point for peripheral devices, like sound cards, video display adapters and printers.
Tags: circuit board, hardware devices, mainboard computer, motherboard mainboard, printed circuit