The motherboard, also called ” motherboard ” or ” motherboard “, is a key piece of hardware in our computers. In this article we are going to explain what the motherboard is, what its function is, what type of motherboards are on sale and how they are installed. To give you the most visual idea possible, it is the backbone of your computer. Without it, nothing would work, a fact that makes it a very important element.
Its name, motherboard, comes from the fact that its function is to have all the pieces connected to each other, as a mother does with her children. The base card connects the CPU, the hard drives of the computer, the memories, the ports and video or sound cards, the power supplies, or the fan; among other components.
Motherboards are not exclusive to computers. In these they are present as an independent piece, which can be changed; if it breaks, or because you want to improve the performance of your equipment. Something that cannot be done on mobiles and tablets, in which it is also found, although with the components soldered directly to it, in order to save space. That is to say, on computers they are interchangeable individual pieces, but not on mobiles and tablets.
Brief history of the motherboard
Motherboards weren’t invented that long ago. In fact, not even 40 years have passed. It was in 1981 when the IBM brand launched the first motherboard in history on the market. Back then, it was called “planar.”
In this time, various types of motherboards have emerged. Some vary greatly with respect to others; fundamentally, because they do not support the same types of components. Each of them only supports one class of CPU and some of the memories that are on the market. But not only that, each model is compatible with certain video or sound cards, with certain types of hard drives or with certain peripheral elements.
Motherboard Types
In the current market there are two types of motherboards, depending on the processor with which they are used. There are those that are for AMD processors and those that are for Intel processors. It depends on the processor you use, you will have one of one type or the other installed.
As for the shape, there are also different motherboards:
Miniature and full-size AT motherboards, for 386 and 486 processors.
ATX motherboards, better than the previous ones because they cool better and allow peripherals to be connected. There are standard, micro, flex and mini types.
BTX motherboards, which are sold in three different sizes.
ITX motherboards, in mini or nano format.
Instructions
How to identify your motherboard
- The Motherboard is installed inside your computer. The place it occupies is inside the box, on the less accessible side, fixed by screws. It is the big plate to which all the elements of your computer are connected. The motherboard is the largest piece, like the column in which the pieces that make up the equipment are embedded.
- On the front of the motherboard are the ports where you have all the components of your computer connected. In one slot is the CPU. Near it are usually located the slots to connect the memories. On that front, the hard drive and any optical drive, such as a DVD, that you have on your computer are also connected.
- On the other hand, the motherboard is connected to the power and reset lights by means of a few small wires.
- For equipment power supply; that is, for it to have power, the motherboard has a special port to which said power is connected.
- In addition, on the front there are other slots in which video cards, sound cards or other types of cards can be connected.
- On the left side, remaining outside the casing, in the back, and accessible from the outside of the equipment, it has several ports to which the monitor, keyboard, network cable, mouse and other elements are connected. like cameras or microphones.
- Another important fact is that all motherboards include USB ports and other ports such as HDMI.
What do you need
To identify your motherboard, in case you want to change it or simply want to know what possibilities it offers you, you will need the following:
- Completely disconnect your equipment from the electrical current.
- Open the case of your computer on one side. Normally you have two small screws that you will have to unscrew.
- The motherboard is the plate on which you will see all the elements connected.
- Make a diagram of how everything is connected to it.
- Disconnect all the elements of the motherboard, including the fan and cables that go to the power supply.
- Use a small screwdriver to remove the motherboard and replace it with the new one that you have bought, and that will have to be suitable for the elements that make up your computer and the dimensions and design of your case.
Tips
- The Motherboard is the mother of all the elements of your computer. By itself, it is not very useful because it does not develop any functionality of its own. Its presence in your computer responds to being the driving vehicle for the operation of all the elements together. In it, everything is connected.
- If your motherboard is outdated or you want another one that allows new connections, you should buy a model that is suitable for your operating system and for the type of CPU and memories you have in your computer. And very important too, that it fits in the box of your equipment. This is very important, because it is useless to buy a new motherboard if later you cannot connect some of your components to it.