What is a motherboard?

The last time you faced any hardware issues on your smartphone, laptop, tablet, or even TV, a word you’d have almost certainly heard being thrown around is the “motherboard.” What exactly is a motherboard though? Well, quite simply put, the motherboard is what allows your gadgets to function. Here’s all you need to know about what it is, and just how it does so.

What is a motherboard and what does it do?

A motherboard is the main printed circuit board on a smartphone, laptop, or desktop. Typically made of fiberglass and copper, it helps components such as the central processing unit (CPU), RAM, graphics cards and others, communicate with each other at all times. That’s not all. The motherboard also regulates and distributes the requisite amount of electricity required for all these components to function, which is supplied by the power supply unit (PSU).

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It is not possible for these components to operate in isolation. Any given computer or smartphone would therefore be rendered inoperable, should the motherboard fail to function properly.

Motherboards come in various shapes and sizes, depending upon the design of the device they power. That’s not all. While they do come with specific parts pre-installed, some of them also get expansion slots, which allow for one to install additional components such as high-performance graphics cards or extra memory modules.

The motherboard then, plays an extremely crucial role in the functioning of any modern computer or smartphone, and understanding its importance is key to ensuring all the devices that we use in our everyday lives, keep functioning as usual.