The motherboard (system board) is a multilayer printed circuit board to which the main devices that make up a personal computer are connected. In terms of importance, this is the second component of the system unit.
Instructions
Step 1
The main task of the motherboard is to combine and coordinate the work of various equipment. Motherboards are usually distinguished by form factor. This is a kind of standard that allows you to determine the following parameters: dimensions of this device; holes for attaching the motherboard to the case of the system unit; the location of various slots on it; type of plug-in power supply and so on.
Step 2
Currently, the following motherboard formats are actively used: microATX, ATX, WTX and Flex-ATX. Such types of motherboards as Mini-ITX and BTX are actively developing. At a certain stage in the development of motherboards, some manufacturers produced their own models that did not fit the standard classification. This was due to the desire to use only certain equipment in conjunction with these motherboards.
Step 3
The most popular motherboard manufacturers are MSI, ASUS, Intel, Gigabyte and ASRock. Among Russian companies, only Formosa has become widespread.
Step 4
The choice of the rest of the equipment depends entirely on the model of the motherboard. This point is especially important when choosing a central processor. Each motherboard model is compatible with CPUs with a specific socket. Typically, only one type of RAM card can be connected to a motherboard. But there are models that allow you to alternately use DDR and DDR2 strips.
Step 5
The model of the motherboard also determines which video card can be used in conjunction with it. If this board has only an AGP port, then you will hardly be able to connect a relatively new powerful video adapter to it. If you decide to assemble a personal computer yourself, then you need to start with the choice of a motherboard.
