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SYSTEM BOARD a.k.a

motherboard

System Motherboard, also known as (a.k.a.) motherboard is the backbone of a computer system. It consists of the main components of a computer, including the central processing unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), power supply connector, HDMI/DVI and or VGA ports to connect to the monitor or any display device as well as USB ports, etc. It also has connectors for other devices such as Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (SSD). It will have slots to plug in extension cards such as an Nvidia Graphics Cards, etc. The base of a motherboard consists of a very firm sheet of non-conductive plastic.

Parts of a System Board

The system board or motherboard inside a desktop computer would look something like this.

The main components of a system board are:

  • A CPU socket - CPU is placed onto the socket. Since CPUs generate a lot of heat, a heat sink with fan will be mounted on top of the CPU.

  • A power connector to distribute power to the CPU and other components.

  • Memory slots where RAM chips will be placed.

  • Storage connectors to connect to Hard Disk Drives (HDD) or Solid-State Drives (SSD).

  • The BIOS which contains the firmware, or start-up instructions for the computer system.

  • Slots to connect hardware in the form of Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots.

  • Various display ports like VGA, DVI and HDMI.

  • Peripheral ports like USB and audio ports.

Motherboard - Modified-01.jpg
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