Motherboard (Mainboard)

a motherboard, also known as a mainboard or system board, is the core part of any computer, to which every other part connects. this is why it is called a motherboard. add-on cards or boards that add extra ports or functionality to a motherboard are called daughterboards.

in electronics, the mainboard is the programmed control center of a device. the motherboard is the control center of any computer. a computer cannot have anything added to it without being connected to the motherboard.

the motherboard determines what the computer will be capable of doing, and what parts can be used to build the computer. you need to choose parts that are compatible with the motherboard when choosing parts. for this reason, the motherboard should be chosen before you buy other parts for your computer build.

for example, depending on which motherboard you have, you may only be able to use a PCI-Express, AGP, or PCI video card, depending on which slots the motherboard comes with.