If the Central Processing Unit in your computer is the brain, then the motherboard is your computer system's nervous system. The motherboard is the large circuit board that you can find bolted into the inside of your computer case. Each and every component and device in your computer will somehow be connected to your motherboard. Video cards and sound cards plug into slots in the motherboard. Your hard drive will be connected to it via a Parallel

ATA cable or a Serial ATA cable. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) will plug into a socket on your motherboard and then be covered with a heat sink and a fan to keep it cool and safe.

The motherboard is what facilitates communication among the CPU and the other components of your computer, so it is important to take good care of it and make sure the one you purchase is going to be a reliable one – reliable communication is very important, for obvious reasons! When you are out motherboard shopping, one of the most important things you will consider is the motherboard's chipset. The chipset holds all of the motherboard's basic instructions, as well as determines many of the motherboard's basic features, like some of the hardware you can use with that particular motherboard. Your motherboard needs to have enough slots to hold enough memory or RAM sticks for you, and you should also be on the lookout for the number of USB ports and Firewire ports it has for attaching peripherals like printers and other devices, as well as the number of PCI slots it has available.

Motherboards can also come with onboard components for audio, LAN and video. If something is “onboard,” then that means it is built into the motherboard. Unfortunately, much of the time, these onboard components are not up to snuff in terms of quality and productivity. For example, onboard audio is not going to be top notch quality, so you may want to add a sound card if you are a major music buff to get great sound. Similarly, onboard video is not usually excellent, either – you are going to want to add a better video card to get great graphics, especially if you enjoy playing games or watching movies on your computer.

Motherboard costs are usually based on the chipset it has, but in general, the costs are about the same across the board. Look for one that has a built in cooling component for the chipset if you are purchasing a higher chipset, as these tend to run hotter than their less speedy counterparts. Keep an eye out for slots, cooling, and a good chipset, and you will have a good motherboard to add to your computer system!