MOTHER BOARD

Motherboard ( Main Circuit Board )

Motherboard is the board which interconnects the components of the computer. Like its name , it is the mother of the computer , controlling , checking , assembling the workings of the computer. Motherboard  is the main printed circuit board (PCB) found in computers .It holds many of the electronic components of the system, such as the central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and provides connectors for other components. Unlike a backplane, a motherboard contains significant sub-systems such as the processor and other components.

Motherboard specifically refers to a PCB with expansion capability and as the name suggests, this board is the "mother" of all components attached to it, which often include sound cards, video cards, network cards, hard drives, or other forms of persistent storage; TV tuner cards, cards providing extra USB or FireWire slots and a variety of other custom components 

Types of Motherboards

Basically there are two types of motherboards which distinguish them completely.

• Integrated Motherboards
• Non-integrated Motherboards

Integrated Motherboards

It has multiple components integrated into the board itself. These may include the CPU ,video card ,sound card and various controller cards. All the things that you are required are integrated on board , you cannot upgrade it by your self. If you wanted to upgrade your system board ,the only thing you can do is changing the whole motherboard.

=> Most of the laptops have fully integrated system boards. From this ,it is obvious that a laptop once manufactured ,can't be upgraded.

Non-integrated Motherboard

These system boards uses installable components and expansion cards .A non-integrated system board may allow you to upgrade your video card by removing the old one and installing a new one . Non-integrated motherboards typically have several PCI( Peripheral Component Interconnect ) expansions slot as well.

Form Factors

Motherboards are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes called computer form factor, some of which are specific to individual computer manufacturers. Basically the form factor is the specification of a motherboard ,that is dimensions, power supply type, location of mounting holes, number of ports on the back panel, etc.

 

Some common Form Factors

Standard-ATX

ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) is a motherboard configuration specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve the previous AT design.

Micro-ATX

Micro-ATX is a standard for motherboards that was introduced in December 1997.  The maximum size of a microATX motherboard is 9.6 × 9.6 in (244 × 244 mm), but some microATX boards can be as small as 6.75 × 6.75 in (171.45 × 171.45 mm). The standard ATX size is 25% longer, at 12 × 9.6 in (305 × 244 mm). 

Currently available microATX motherboards support CPUs from VIA, Intel or AMD.

Mini-ITX

Mini-ITX is a 17 × 17 cm (6.7 × 6.7 in) low-power motherboard form factor developed by VIA Technologies in 2001 .They are commonly used in small form factor (SFF) computer systems. Mini-ITX boards can often be passively cooled due to their low power consumption architecture, which makes them useful for home theater PC systems, where fan noise can detract from the cinema experience.

Nano-ITX

Nano-ITX is a computer motherboard form factor first proposed by VIA Technologies at CeBIT in March 2003, and implemented in late 2005. Nano-ITX boards measure 120 × 120 mm (4.7 × 4.7 in), and are fully integrated, very low power consumption motherboards with many uses, but targeted at smart digital entertainment devices such as PVRs, set-top boxes, media centers, car PCs, and thin devices.

Pico-ITX

Pico-ITX is a PC motherboard form factor announced by VIA Technologies in January 2007 . The Pico-ITX form factor specifications call for the board to be 10 × 7.2 cm (3.9 × 2.8 in), which is half the area of Nano-ITX.

Some Other Form Factors

• XT Motherboard
• AT Motherboard
• Baby AT Motherboard

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