The definition of a motherboard used to be a circuit
board that other circuit boards (daughterboards) were plugged into. The
motherboard had interconnections between the daughterboards. In computers, the
motherboard is the circuit board that contains most of the computer. IBM uses
the term "system board," which is probably more appropriate.
There are
several motherboard manufacturers with different circuit families that they are
designed for. However, all computer motherboards have the same functions.
The original IBM PC motherboard
Know your system
CPU-Z is a freeware program that provides a comprehensive inventory of the
hardware present on a motherboard. There are two versions for Windows and
Android. CPU-Z can be downloaded at cpuid.com.
Form factors
The
motherboard form factor refers to the board's size, shape, and layout. There
have been many form factors over the years, but those based on the ATX layout
are now nearly universal on non-proprietary systems. ITX is based on ATX. The
differences are based on the size and compactness of the board. The most notable
difference is that smaller form factors have fewer expansion slots. Larger form
factors are usually designed for more powerful systems, such as gaming computers
and graphical workstations, whereas smaller form factors are designed for
compactness, sacrificing power for size.
ATX and ITX form factors
Many form factors are available, but the most common are those based on the
ATX form factor. The standard ATX form factor is 10 x 12 inches and has five or six expansion
slots. The illustration shows that other form factors are smaller with fewer
slots. Notice that the smaller form factors use notebook memory modules
(SODIMMs).
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you must
choose a case large enough for your motherboard. You can usually put a smaller
form factor into a larger case, but don't expect your micro Micro-ATX board to
fit your Mini-ITX case.
