Popular Products > Computers > Motherboards

Technological advancements have led the world to move towards faster computing due to the availability of advanced and improved components and computer parts. Of all the computer parts, the motherboard is the most important. Also known as the main board or “mobo”, the motherboard is an electronic circuit board housing the complete computer circuitry essential for the flow of data between all the computer components. The motherboard also houses the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), fairly simple yet necessary software needed to run the computer when it is turned on. The other components that complete the computer like the memory, Central Processing Unit (CPU), graphics card, sound card, hard drive, disk drives, along with various external ports and peripherals are attached directly to the motherboard. Needless to say, without a motherboard you cannot have a computer. Having a motherboard that is both stable and trustworthy is vital to the functioning of your computer, whether it is a desktop PC or a notebook (laptop).

Computers began their journey without the modern system board that is capable of handling complex functionalities. The earlier generation computers used to function with the support of a mainframe that was used to connect all the necessary electronics with the help of a backplane (a set of slots connected with wires). All this changed with the arrival of the modern day microprocessors and everything was fitted onto one board – the motherboard. Current generation motherboards are able to fit in some of the most complex components, thereby providing an exceptional computing experience.

Selecting a motherboard for any computer system needs lot of consideration regarding specifications like the form factor (ATX, micro ATX, mini ATX), CPU compatibility and the hard disk controllers (IDE/ATA and SATA) available on the board. The type of RAM (Random Access Memory) that the motherboard supports is also important, for example DDR/DDR-2 or SDRAM. Some of the other things that you need to check for are the expansion slots and the additional ports available on the motherboard.

Currently, there are a number of motherboard manufacturers in the global computer market, offering a range of motherboards with various specifications, addressing different computing needs. These companies manufacture some of the most advanced system boards catering for gaming, home use and office use, and also for more complex needs like high-end scientific calculations or server specific needs. Some of the popular motherboards brands are ASUS, Intel, Gigabyte, Foxconn and Asrock.