Let's go back to talk about the fundamental and load-bearing component of any laptop or desktop, that is the motherboard that represents, in fact, the backbone of a PC and its largest part, the one that connects and connects all the other pieces. The motherboard, also called Motherboard or MoBo, makes sure that all components speak the same language, functioning as the nervous system or the circulatory system of the computer.
While we have seen how to identify the type of motherboard in a PC, going deeper into the matter, let's see specifically how a motherboard is made and what it is made of, so that by opening a computer you can easily understand where to get your hands in the case of replacement of parts or additions or even for cleaning dust.
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Opening the case of a PC or even disassembling the shell of a laptop you will find that the computer is, in fact, a large chip card and cables on which there are many things such as the processor, the fans, the RAM, the power supply and USB sockets; that's the motherboard . By clicking on this figure on the left you can see the detail of each element of a MoBo.
Slots and connectors are the most important part of a motherboard.
Slots or sockets are the spaces in which to house components such as RAM, the graphics card, the network card, the card with the USB ports.
On desktop PCs most of these slots, called PCI Express, are at the rear at the bottom, with ports that go towards the openings of the computer, such as USB ports, HDMI, VGA or DVI ports (which come from the video card ), the ethernet network port, the audio inputs, the PS2 port of the old keyboards and mice.
The RAM can be formed by one or more blocks of circuits, in a central position, easy to recognize because with an elongated shape, removable using a lever and which can be inserted interlocking.
The RAM slot is called DDR and there are several generations of it, up to DDR4.
The CPU is in the center is not visible because it almost always has a large fan above it.
The connectors are of different types: the small ones are the fan connectors, which are recognizable by the word Fan (CPU, chassis or Pwr) (see also how to manage the computer fans)
The SATA or Serial ATA cables are those to which the disks, Hard disks, SSD drives and even the DVD player are connected.
The SATA cable enters the motherboard, while the energy cable of the disks goes to the power supply, which is in turn connected to the motherboard itself.
SATA connectors are also different depending on the generation of computers, with SATA 1, SATA 2 and SATA 3 being the latest and fastest in data transfer.
The main feature of a motherboard is its socket (the slot) for the CPU, which more be different depending on the model and manufacturer and be compatible or not with one type of processor or another.
An Intel processor has a different shape than an AMD processor, so it requires a different motherboard.
There are many types of CPU sockets and the best known are AM3 and AM4 for AMD processors and LGA sockets for Intel processors.
Motherboards also have their own chipset, a series of circuits that manage communications from and to the CPU from the other components.
Communications traditionally passed through two circuits called northbridge and southbridge.
The Northbridge circuit manages the communication between CPU, RAM and PCI slot and is recognizable by the copper brown color (it may not be present if it is integrated in the CPU).
The more hidden southbridge manages communications with everything else, especially the USB and Ethernet ports.
A well recognizable part in a motherboard is the flat battery called CMOS, which is the one that powers the PC even if disconnected from the mains, keeping the time in memory.
This battery can be replaced if you notice that the time stays still when you turn off the computer
Also you can recognize the BIOS chip, which contains the boot firmware of the computer.
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The motherboard has no direct effect on the speed of a computer, but determines which type of CPU can be mounted and also which and how many memory cards can be added.
In the case of desktop PCs it is also important to choose the motherboard thinking about future updates and additions, for example to change CPU, disk or video card.
Motherboards can be categorized by shape and size .
The most common types of motherboards are, from the largest to the smallest, the ATX, Micro-ATX, Flex-ATX, DTX and Mini-ITX sets.
ATX cards are suitable for large desktop computers for gaming, which need space and many fans, while the smaller ones, Mini-ITX, are ideal for compact home theater systems to be placed under the TV.
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For laptops, a separate discussion is needed because the shape and size of the motherboard depends on the manufacturer and is specifically designed for a specific model in order to optimize communications between the parties and keep energy consumption and weight low.
You hardly buy a laptop thinking about making future hardware improvements or additions on the motherboard.
The important thing is that the notebook is easy to replace or add RAM by opening the bottom door and also replacing the hard disk or DVD player.
The better ones today use to replace the DVD player with an SSD, which is more or less simple depending on how the laptop's motherboard is designed.
READ ALSO: How to assemble the PC, assemble the pieces and build a computer from scratch
