Motherboard
A motherboard is the central or primary circuit board making up a complex electronic system, such as a modern computer. It is also known as a mainboard, baseboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, a logic board, and is sometimes abbreviated as mobo.[1]
Most after-market motherboards produced today are designed for so-called IBM-compatible computers, which hold over 96% of the personal computer market today.[2] Motherboards for IBM-compatible computers are specifically covered in the PC motherboard article.
The basic purpose of the motherboard, like a backplane, is to provide the electrical and logical connections by which the other components of the system communicate.
A typical desktop computer is built with the microprocessor, main memory, and other essential components on the motherboard. Other components such as external storage, controllers for video display and sound, and peripheral devices are typically attached to the motherboard via edge connectors and cables, although in modern computers it is increasingly common to integrate these "peripherals" into the motherboard.