Computer Motherboard Parts

In the modern computer, the motherboard or the primary circuit board (PCB), is the heart of the machine. The computer motherboard is the device that is solely responsible for ensuring that all the devices and components of the machine are connected to the microprocessor. These devices, that the motherboard powers and regulates, are storage devices, hard disks, graphics cards and sound cards. All these devices, without which the machine cannot function, are either inbuilt in the motherboard or are connected via computer motherboard slots or sockets.

Simply put, it is the motherboard that ensures that each of these computer motherboard components are powered and communicate with each other effectively. The first motherboards that were invented had very few computer motherboard components, and the only things present on those motherboards were the processor and slots, to connect other devices. But today's machines have motherboards containing a wide variety of features and tremendous potential for future upgrades. Read more about computer buying.

What are the Parts of a Motherboard?
So now the question is what are the standard computer motherboard parts that are present in the machines in use today. Knowing the basics of these parts will help you solve many computer motherboard problems that may arise from time to time, and also if you have to build a computer. The layout and the manner in which the computer motherboard parts are placed is known as the form factor. The shape of the case of the computer is also decided by the form factor. To standardize the manner in which computers are assembled across the world, there are certain fixed models for deciding the form factor. Given below is a list that will throw light on what all functions the parts of a motherboard performs.

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slot
Normally, the number of PCI slots on the motherboard could be anywhere between 1 and 6. The peripherals like graphics cards, sound cards, ethernet cards, modems and DVD recorders are attached here, and the slots are 32 bit slots.

Central Processing Unit (CPU) socket
This socket is the home for your computer's processor. There are 2 types of sockets that are commonly used by the major processors (Intel and AMD), these are Pin Grid Array (PGA) and the Land Grid Array (LGA).

Motherboard Battery Compartment
When you shut your system down, your data is stored in a battery on the motherboard. This computer motherboard battery is placed inside the battery compartment that is present on the surface of your motherboard.

RAM slots (DIMM and SIMM)
These are the slots that hold the RAM chips of your computer. They are usually of two types - DIMM (Double Inline Memory Module) and SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module). Memory chips of different sizes can be attached here.

Power Connector
The motherboard requires the power to function properly and this power supply comes from the main power connector. There are usually two main types of connectors - 20 + 4 pins (when there are two connectors on the same motherboard), and the 24 pins.

Apart from these computer motherboard components, the following are computer motherboard parts that have specific purposes for connecting to hardware devices. These connectors show up on the back panel of the computer, once the entire machine is assembled and mounted.

PS/2 Connectors
Every motherboard contains two PS/2 connectors, one for the keyboard and one for the mouse.

USB (Universal Serial Bus) Port
There are many of these ports across the back panel. They are used for connecting external devices like USB flash drives, external hard disks, ipods, mp3 players and cameras.

Game Port
This port is mostly used to connect the devices that are used for gaming purposes, like joysticks.

Display Connector
This port is used to connect the computer monitor of the machine to the back panel.

Sound Card Connector
Your sound devices like headphones and mics are connected here.

This computer motherboard information should illuminate the many purposes of the various computer motherboard parts that are standard requirement for every computer to function properly.