# Purpose of Motherboard



## SAAER45

Sorry for what's probably a stupid question for you guys, but what does the motherboard do in context to the computer? I'm trying to take apart a computer and this question has come up. Thanks for your help


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## Geoff

It does a number of things, one is that it holds and conects all the parts of a computer (processor, video card, other PCI cards, memmory, and it connects all the drives.  Now i cant say every function that it does since i really dont know, but its probably the most complex part of the computer.


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## diduknowthat

if the cpu is the brain of the computer then the motherboard is the circulatory system. 

that sorta works...right?


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## s_m_w_d

SAAER45 said:
			
		

> I'm trying to take apart a computer



Safety About the house:
you should real carefull when disassembling your computer especially when new to this whole area. The only way to learn is to have a hands on approach but obviously unplug and let sit there before opening it up. has anyone else here been stupid absent minded enough to actually get shocked by there PC?


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## diduknowthat

not relaly cause the highest voltage in your computer is 12v unless you opened up the psu...


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## gamerman4

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/motherboard.htm

This should clear things up


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## 4W4K3

I describe it as the "highway of your data flow." It's responsible for all the data flow inbetween CPU, expansion cards, memory, etc. And it's the one piece of hardware ALL the other hardware connects to.

Funny, that question was just on a PC Maintenance worksheet i got in class  You're not in my class are you?


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## Shambree

> Safety About the house:
> you should real carefull when disassembling your computer especially when new to this whole area. The only way to learn is to have a hands on approach but obviously unplug and let sit there before opening it up. has anyone else here been stupid absent minded enough to actually get shocked by there PC?


 ummm,yeah  And not while taking it apart.I touched all three pins on the back of the psup while carying it and yeah,lets not go their ok


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## Geoff

liuliuboy said:
			
		

> not relaly cause the highest voltage in your computer is 12v unless you opened up the psu...



well dont you feel a shock when you stick your tounge to a 9v battery?  and there are high amps.  You will feel  a shock, but i dont think it would do anything to u unless you opened up the psu.


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## flame1117

geoff5093 said:
			
		

> well dont you feel a shock when you stick your tounge to a 9v battery?  and there are high amps.  You will feel  a shock, but i dont think it would do anything to u unless you opened up the psu.



yhour tounge and your fingure are difffernt though, stick your finger over both ends of the 9V and see if you get shocked.


and i certainly hope your not making out with your computer. 


Plus, "technicllly" you shouldn't get shocked anywas, becuase of the grounding wire the PSU has.


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## MadModder

Voltage doesn't determine the size of the shock, amps do, voltage is the "push"  of the electricity through a circuit.  For example if you had a house with 120v outlets, but each one was only pushing thirty amps, you could blow a fuse with two hair dryers.  Amperage determines how much electricity travels on a circuit.


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## Praetor

> has anyone else here been stupid absent minded enough to actually get shocked by there PC?


I been shocked all the time ... of course i do a lot of stuff with live computers



> not relaly cause the highest voltage in your computer is 12v unless you opened up the psu...


well voltage doesnt really matter all that much compared to current...



> You will feel a shock, but i dont think it would do anything to u unless you opened up the psu.


Well you can open a PSU all you want as long as u dont do something like discharge a capacitor on yerself



> yhour tounge and your fingure are difffernt though, stick your finger over both ends of the 9V and see if you get shocked.


Sure you do. You just dont feel it.


Regardless lets end this voltage crap as its not pertaining to the original topic.


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## Kanduu

The motherboard has three main circuits. ADDRESS, DATA and CONTROL. Along the way are a series of GATES, termed ports, where you can connect other devices,
including MEMORY-MODULES, DRIVES, SOUND, NETWORK, etc, and the CPU, which controls the INPUT PROCESSING OUTPUT, (IPO) phases, of the circuits.


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## Vampiric Rouge

My friend was moding his xbox and accidently put his hand down to rest on the xbox PSU, it flung him band and put his arm through the drywall. lol


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## ViperGTS19801

An XBox did that?  BS.


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## atomic

Vampiric Rouge said:
			
		

> My friend was moding his xbox and accidently put his hand down to rest on the xbox PSU, it flung him band and put his arm through the drywall. lol



Had a similar accident with a small strobe light (capacitor)


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## Praetor

Second warning: let's stay on topic.


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## I2EN3GADE

gamerman4 said:
			
		

> http://computer.howstuffworks.com/motherboard.htm
> 
> This should clear things up



i didnt know that mobos from 1982 had 24 pin power connectors. interesting


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## Geoff

I2EN3GADE said:
			
		

> i didnt know that mobos from 1982 had 24 pin power connectors. interesting



lol, doesnt this look like a really nice LGA775 motherboard?


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## robina_80

the motherboard connects all the hardware to one another its like a switchboard


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## apj101

robina_80 said:
			
		

> the motherboard connects all the hardware to one another its like a switchboard


consistantly helpful


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