Phones, tablets and other small devices have motherboards, too, but they’re often calledlogic boardsinstead.
Popular motherboard manufacturers include ASUS, AOpen, Intel, ABIT, MSI, Gigabyte, and Biostar.
Expansion boards used in some older systems are called daughterboards.
Gigabyte
What is a Motherboard?
All three must be compatible to work properly together.
Motherboards vary greatly with respect to the types of components they support.
For example, each motherboard supports a single pop in of CPU and a short list of memory types.
Additionally, some video cards, hard drives, and otherperipheralsmay not be compatible.
The motherboard manufacturer should provide clear guidance on the compatibility of components.
This helps keep these types of computers small in size.
However, it also prevents those built-in components from being upgraded.
Poorcooling mechanismsin place for the motherboard can damage the hardware attached to it.
Devices connected to a motherboard often needdevice driversmanually installed to make them work with the operating system.
SeeHow to Update Drivers in Windowsif you need help.
It’s securely attached via small screws through pre-drilled holes.
The front of the motherboard contains ports that all of the internal components connect to.
A single socket/slot houses the CPU.
Multiple slots allow for one or more memory modules to be attached.
Power from the power supply is delivered to the motherboard by use of a specially designed port.
Also on the front of the motherboard are a number of peripheral card slots.
Also see our lists of the Best Motherboards Overall and Best Gaming Motherboards for a good starting off point.
