Buying a Motherboard: 20 Terms You Need to Know

Motherboards 101

Folks who shop for motherboards—whether every bit an upgrade component or for a build-a-PC-from-scratch project—are a savvy bunch, confident plenty to accept their PC to pieces and put it back together again. The terminology effectually motherboards tin can exist bewildering, though, and some of information technology can stump even experienced PC builders.

First-time buyers and builders, meanwhile, definitely need to go into a motherboard purchase with a bit of background knowledge (or a savvy friend!) to go a board that fits—both literally in the PC's chassis, and in a usage sense. So, if you don't have that friend, permit us be information technology: Here's a 101-level primer to the lingo you need to talk motherboard.

Form Factor (ATX, MicroATX, Mini-ITX)

"Class cistron" is shorthand for the dimensions and layout of a given desktop motherboard. To be sure that a given lath will fit into a PC example, you demand to know which of the standard board form factors the case supports.

Left to right: ATX, MicroATX, and Mini-ITX boards

The ones that matter about to PC builders and upgraders are ATX, MicroATX, and Mini-ITX. ATX is sometimes referred to as "standard ATX," and ATX boards (usually, but not exclusively) measure ix.6x12 inches. They're what you'll meet in most midtower or larger PC cases—what near of us call up of as traditional belfry PCs. A few multi-CPU boards, intended for servers and workstations, and some outliers (such as EVGA's Classified series boards) support larger ATX "standards" such as Extended ATX and Xl-ATX, merely these won't be of interest to most PC upgraders or builders. The fundamental matter to know apart from the size factor: ATX boards will have more expansion slots than MicroATX or Mini-ITX ones.

Smaller towers ("minitowers"), flat-style "desktop" cases, and home theater PC (HTPC) chassis tend to support boards of the MicroATX or Mini-ITX kind. MicroATX boards measure upwardly to ix.6 inches foursquare (some are smaller) and have fewer slots than an equivalent ATX board, usually enough to install a video bill of fare and a supplementary bill of fare or two. The 6.vii-inch-square Mini-ITX standard, meanwhile, defines boards even more meaty, intended for tight builds in small-scale-form-factor (SFF) PCs. With Mini-ITX, y'all're unremarkably express to just one expansion slot.

Note that most PC cases that support a particular form factor also back up boards of the form factors smaller than it—but ever bank check the specs for confirmation of that before buying a new lath or instance.

BIOS and UEFI BIOS

The basic input/output organization (BIOS) is the long-standard firmware that manages your PC outside the operating-system environs—that is, earlier yous boot up. Accessed during the startup sequence, the BIOS lives in a dedicated flake on the motherboard (on some motherboards, the chip is actually removable/swappable) and governs crucial system settings such as the kicking-device order, as well every bit parameters for integrated components. Overclockers can also tweak system fundamentals in here, though it'southward possible with the correct board and software to overclock from within Windows, too.

Sample UEFI BIOS from a Gigabyte motherboard

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a 21st-century refinement of the sometime-school BIOS, which was long past its expiration appointment due to a variety of inherent limitations. The production of an Intel initiative to update the legacy BIOS environment, UEFI is now managed past a consortium of hardware and software vendors.

The UEFI BIOS outlines something closer to a mini operating system, with more modular programmability and much greater customization possibilities for board makers. Depending on the design, a UEFI BIOS may also be mouse-navigable. For motherboard buyers, the presence of a UEFI BIOS was, for a time, a definite plus to expect out for. Now, information technology'due south the standard.

I/O Shield

If you lot've ever assembled a PC from parts, you lot've probably cut your finger on one of these. The I/O shield is a rectangular metallic plate (the edges can be sharp) that snaps into a gap on the dorsum of your PC case. Just virtually every motherboard includes one. The shield will have cutouts for the specific ports on the motherboard, and it protects the residuum of the board during everyday use when you insert cables into the ports.

Well-nigh I/O shields are not interchangeable between different models of motherboard. (The only things standard about them are their overall dimensions, roughly ane.75x6.five inches, which ensure that they'll fit in a typical PC instance.) So you'll want to be certain, if you lot're buying a secondhand motherboard, that the seller includes the I/O shield in the box. They tend to get misplaced during upgrades, and it can be tricky getting a replacement that fits, since they are lath-specific.

Chipset

"Chipset" is a broad term encompassing the silicon on a motherboard that provides the pathways between (and the controllers for) the various subsystems within a figurer. In a motherboard shopper's context, the chipset, commonly from Intel or AMD, defines the board family, the specific AMD or Intel processor lines that the board supports, and many of the possible features that the motherboard maker could implement. A motherboard maker will typically offer a whole host of boards based on a single chipset, but with differences in form factors and feature levels.

The usual class of things in the motherboard earth is that when a new processor line debuts, a new high-cease chipset will back-trail it, and bottom-featured, cheaper chipsets for the same processor family will debut at the same fourth dimension or a bit later. These "step-down" chipsets permit for more than budget-minded motherboards for different usage cases. When we wrote this in mid-2018, for instance, the newest Intel chipsets for its mainstream CPUs in the 8th Generation Core "Coffee Lake" line were the enthusiast-minded Z370 (stacked with overclocking features) and a host of lower-featured chipsets geared toward more than ordinary boards: the Q370, H370, B360, and H310. The previous generation of Intel boards followed the aforementioned rough numeric paradigm: the top-end Z270 chipset, accompanied by Q270, H270, Q250, and B250 for mainstream Socket 1151 "Kaby Lake" processors.

The X299, meanwhile, is the latest chipset for Intel's loftier-terminate Socket 2066 "Cadre Ten-Series" processors, supplanting the X99 (for Socket 2022) as the "extreme enthusiast" chipset on the Intel side of the aisle. AMD's enthusiast equivalent to the Cadre X-Series, the Ryzen Threadripper, relies on a unmarried chipset, the X399.

AMD boards in the past employed a diversity of AMD chipsets too extensive to list hither, but AMD's Ryzen processors have coalesced around the AM4 socket and the X370 and B350 chipsets, with a few other lower-terminate Ryzen-compatible chipsets (such as the A320) appearing on budget boards. In 2022, the X370 has been joined past the X470, which adds support for 2nd-gen Ryzen CPUs and the new-for-2018 Ryzen "Raven Ridge" fries with on-chip graphics.

Knowing which chipset your board runs on is of import for two reasons. For one, it is related to which specific CPUs the motherboard supports (though you should check that listing carefully, regardless). Second, the chipset indicates the relative positioning of a lath and its feature set. For instance, AMD B350-based boards tend to exist more than budget-minded models than the X370s, though both may support the same CPUs.

CPU Socket

This is the square receptacle into which the processor chip that you purchase fits. The processor's specific socket type (not just the manufacturer) needs to match the socket blazon used by the board. (In other words, not all Intel processor chips work in all Intel boards...not by a long shot.) As well, not all processors of a given socket type will work in every board that has that socket. You lot'll want to check the motherboard maker's CPU-compatibility list for details.

For some fourth dimension now, Intel's processors accept used a design in which the interface pins are function of the socket, with dot-like contacts on the bottom of the processor fleck. AMD'south consumer chips, meanwhile, with the exception of the Ryzen Threadrippers, even so use old-school sockets with holes for pins on the chip.

The most mutual socket types y'all'll run across here in 2022, as we write this, are...

• Socket 2022 and Socket 2066. Not referring to the yr of introduction merely the number of pins in the socket, these are the sockets used past Intel's highest-end processors, such equally the Intel Core i7-6950X Farthermost Edition (Socket 2022) and newer Cadre i9-7980XE Extreme Edition (Socket 2066). Socket 2066 is new with Intel'southward 2022 Core 10-Series of CPUs, and Intel refers to this form of organization generically every bit HEDT (for "high-cease desktop"). Annotation also that Socket 2022 comes in two variants, the original and a later on Socket 2022 v3, that are electrically incompatible.

Intel'southward Socket 2022; Socket 2066 looks similar

• Socket 1151. The current mainstream socket used by Intel'due south latest Cadre, Celeron, and Pentium processors, the 1151 socket came in with Intel's sixth Generation Core ("Skylake") chips and also covers the 7th Generation Core ("Kaby Lake") and 8th Generation ("Java Lake") Intel chips. It succeeds Socket 1150. Important to know: But because a CPU is compatible with Socket 1151, it doesn't mean that every Socket 1151 motherboard supports that CPU. Check the lath specs! The "Coffee Lake" generation of CPUs, for instance, works only with Socket 1151 boards based on 300-serial chipsets, and these boards practise non support earlier (sixth and 7th Generation) Socket 1151 CPUs.

Image: MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (Socket).jpg

Intel Socket 1151, mainstream staple socket, with protective encompass

• AMD AM4. Used by AMD's latest APU chips and by its Ryzen mainstream/enthusiast processor line, AM4 is a new, unifying socket for AMD's consumer CPUs. Over again, though, yous'll desire to look for a specific CPU support list for an AM4 board; newer AM4 CPUs, such equally the AMD Ryzen seven 2700X, may non work in older AM4 boards out of the box.

AMD'southward AM4 socket, showing pin receptacles

• AMD TR4. This enormous socket is used by AMD's Ryzen Threadripper CPUs and employs a whopping 4,096 pins and a special loading mechanism. It's like to that used by AMD's Epyc server CPUs.

AMD Threadripper TR4 socket, with CPU being installed

• AMD FM2 and FM2+. These sockets were used by AMD's and then-called "accelerated processing units" (APUs), which is AMD's marketing term (now in common use) for its CPUs that accept on-chip video acceleration. The FM2+ socket emerged in late 2022 for use with the 2022 "Kaveri" family of APUs, just older FM2-compatible APUs will work in FM2+ boards equally well. Information technology'south now a dead end, though.

• AMD AM3+. This socket was used by the concluding wave of AMD'south FX-serial processors, which are CPUs just, with no integrated graphics. It is also a dead end.

DIMM Slots

For "dual in-line memory module." These are the slots on the motherboard (typically ii or four, but sometimes eight) that take the system's RAM. Levers on ane or both sides lock the retentivity sticks into place.

In the latest consumer motherboards, this will be dual data rate 4 (DDR4) memory. (DDR3 slots are still around in some last-generation motherboards, notably for AMD'south pre-Ryzen CPUs.) Where the "DDR" comes in: Y'all'll more often than not see a performance benefit if RAM sticks are used in identical pairs and inserted in designated "paired" slots on the motherboard for dual-aqueduct throughput. Quad-channel retentiveness (using 4 or eight sticks per set) is supported by a few high-end platforms, such as Intel'due south X299 for the Core X-Series CPUs. It works under the same general principles as dual-aqueduct.

DIMM slots on a tardily-model MSI motherboard

RAM is often sold packaged to facilitate dual- or quad-channel operation (every bit a gear up of 2 or 4 modules with the aforementioned specs), and the motherboard'south paired slots are sometimes color-coded. With paired memory, y'all'd put the two (dual-channel) or four (quad-aqueduct) modules in slots with matching colors, or arranged according to the motherboard transmission's instructions.

The takeaway: When shopping for RAM, know that two sticks of DDR memory adding upwards to a sure capacity can deliver better performance than just one stick of that chapters, all else being equal, cheers to dual-channel throughput. (Ditto four sticks versus ii or just ane, if the board supports quad-channel.)

PCI Express x16, x8, x4, and x1 Slots

Abbreviated "PCIe slots," these are the expansion slots on the motherboard that take video cards, Tv tuners, and other board-based components. The "x" designation describes two things, however: the physical size of the slot, and the bandwidth of the slot itself. And these two numbers can be different for a unmarried given slot.

In terms of the slot size, the higher the "10" number, the longer the slot, and you lot'll ideally want to match a carte with the same kind of slot. In practice, you lot'll run across these days only x16 (long) and x1 (curt) physical slots on new motherboards. A bill of fare with a lower "10" designation tin be used in a college-numbered slot, just not vice versa. (So, for example, you tin can install a PCIe x1 menu in a PCIe x16 slot, merely not the other way around.)

Board shut-upwards showing x16 and x1 physical slots (x16 slots are long and banded in silver)

Where things get complicated is with PCI slot bandwidth, though it's more often than not relevant but when installing dedicated graphics cards. Modern video cards all slot into PCI Express x16 slots, and a motherboard may have several of these. Information technology'south possible, nonetheless, that not all of the x16 slots on a lath (and perhaps, just one of them) supports full PCI Limited x16 bandwidth or lanes, despite being capable of fitting an x16-length carte. (Simply put, the lanes are electrical pathways that enable throughput; more is improve.) If you lot're installing just 1 video carte, it's important to put it in an x16 slot that supports total x16 bandwidth, as opposed one with x8 or x4 lanes just.

Boards that support Nvidia SLI and/or AMD CrossFireX multiple-video-menu setups (see below) will also accept different possible lane/bandwidth configurations that you should be enlightened of, if you intend to install multiple video cards. Using 1 card in i slot might give you x16 bandwidth with that card, but adding a second card might bump both cards downwards to x8, or 1 might run at x16 with the other at x8 or x4. Examine the bandwidth specs earlier buying if multicard gaming is your aim to make certain you lot'll go the most operation possible from your card investment.

SLI and CrossFireX

Two flavors of the same dish, these terms refer to the ability of a motherboard to accept more than than 1 graphics card and have the cards work additively to increase graphics performance. Scalable Link Interface (SLI) is the standard that works with Nvidia GeForce graphics cards, while CrossFireX works with AMD'southward Radeon cards. The cards need to utilise the same graphics processor. A physical bridging connector between cards, often supplied with SLI- or CrossFire-compatible motherboards, may be required for adequate bandwidth for communication between the cards. The latest of Nvidia's high-end GeForce GTX 1000-series cards require a special "loftier-bandwidth" SLI connector to maximize SLI performance.

With SLI, a board may support Two-Manner, Three-Fashion, or Iv-Way SLI, which indicates the maximum number of cards supported, only with the Nvidia "Pascal" video cards in its GTX one thousand series, Nvidia's new limit is just two cards officially supported in SLI, and some Pascal cards in the line don't piece of work in SLI at all. CrossFireX can be ii to four cards; check the board specs for how many are supported.

2 GeForce GTX 1080 cards in SLI, continued past a high-bandwidth bridge

On some AMD-based boards from the generations before the Ryzen CPUs, don't confuse SLI or CrossFireX with "AMD Dual Graphics," which is a different characteristic altogether. With Dual Graphics, yous tin can pair certain AMD Radeon cards with the CPU's onboard graphics in a CrossFire-like operation-boosting arrangement. It's a pocket-sized boost at all-time, though.

As well, know that a given game needs to have specific support for SLI or CrossFireX to run across much of a do good, and that this support is existence de-emphasized past many game developers these days. For nearly users, a single powerful video menu will more than than suffice. (See our guide to the best graphics cards.)

USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB 3.ane Gen2 Headers

Some other kind of on-motherboard pin header, USB headers nowadays come in 3 types: USB two.0, USB 3.0, and USB 3.1. These connect to matching wires in your PC'southward chassis that lead to "front panel" USB connectors situated on the example'south exterior.

A USB two.0 header will have two rows of v pins, with one pin missing out of the 10 equally a "fundamental" for proper orientation of the connector. The matching cablevision connector on your PC's example will have ten pinholes (powering two ports) or five (powering one port). USB 3.0 headers, meanwhile, are more straightforward: They are a 20-pivot rectangular grid that accepts a cable powering one or 2 USB three.0 ports. Y'all'll want to make sure whatsoever board you're buying has connectors that match what'south on your PC case—and vice versa.

All three kinds of USB header, left to right: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB 3.one Gen2

Some of the very latest boards (from 2022 forward) may have a third kind of USB header, for USB 3.one Gen2, which is meant for new, faster USB ports. Only a few PC cases, however, so far have a cablevision that works with this header. The header on the board looks similar a cantankerous betwixt a regular USB Type-A port (it'south rectangular) and an HDMI port (in that it has a protruding set of contacts in the middle).

Front end-Panel Header

The front end-console header is a grid of pins on the motherboard, oftentimes with some color coding or other on-board labeling, that accepts wires from your PC instance. To this ready of pins, y'all'll connect the thin cables for the case's power and reset switches, besides as the hard drive activity and ability-on LEDs (and, in some designs, an onboard speaker). Most of the time, the pins for each connector are in pairs; know that the polarity of the pairs doesn't matter for the switch cables, but it does for the LEDs. The motherboard manual will contain a schematic that shows where the header is and which pins power what.

Color-coded front end-console header on a Gigabyte/Aorus board

Some board makers, pioneered by Asus with its "Q-Connector," provide a minor block that plugs into the forepart-panel pivot header, covering it entirely, merely with an identical pinout on acme of it. This lets you plug in the appropriate wires exterior the PC case, then plug in the connector as a whole.

Asus Q-Connector block

MOSFETs and Capacitors

A MOSFET (for "metallic oxide semiconductor field effect transistor") is a type of transistor, that, in the context of computer motherboards, is used for voltage regulation.

A depository financial institution of MOSFETs (the cubes), fronted by a line of capacitors

From a nontechnical buyer's betoken of view, MOSFETs are not differentiating features, beyond a motherboard maker's claims of premium components. The actual components are often hidden beneath a passive heatsink to continue them cool during operation. The most frequently bandied set-apart feature amidst MOSFETs is a "depression-resistance" blueprint, sometimes denoted every bit RDS(on), which purportedly means less heat is generated.

As for capacitors, you lot'll see these electronic components scattered across a typical motherboard performing in a variety of subsystems, only their base function is to human activity as "property pens" for electrical accuse. Depending on where they are used, they tin take on unlike shapes (though commonly, piffling drums), sizes, and colors. Equally a buying consideration, they are relevant only insofar as the type of capacitor is sometimes heralded as a premium feature.

Run-of-the-mill capacitors are electrolytic, containing a small volume of material soaked with a liquid. Depending on the quality of manufacture and the expected lifespan, these kinds of capacitors tin can swell and leak over fourth dimension, leading to board failure. The PC-enthusiast customs generally rallies effectually Japanese-made electrolytic capacitors equally a better bet for longevity, and motherboard makers tend to trumpet "Japanese capacitors" if they are present. (We can't verify how accurate this longtime claim is, however.) Solid-land capacitors, on the other mitt, are allowed to leakage and thus preferred.

AAFP/Hard disk drive Audio (Forepart Audio Header)

Only about all PC cases have a headphone and microphone jack that terminates, inside the case, in a cable with a ten-pin header connector. This plugs into a pin filigree on the motherboard called an "Hard disk Audio" header. In a nutshell, Hard disk drive Sound brings auto-detection functionality to the ports, allowing the system to sense the presence of devices plugged into the ports and behave accordingly. The pin header is sometimes labeled on the motherboard equally "AAFP," for the "analog audio front panel" cable.

For your case'southward audio cablevision: 10-pin AAFP header connection (one pin is missing for keying)

In earlier times, this connector on the lath was frequently an "Air conditioning '97" header, and during the transition time betwixt the ii, some motherboards provided a selector in the BIOS to allow you switch the operation of the board's audio silicon between the AC '97 and Hard disk Sound modes. (The pin connector is physically the same.) In some older PC chassis, you lot may have a forked cable for the audio ports with connectors for both Hard disk Sound and Air conditioning '97. Ignore the latter. And with a new motherboard and instance, you'll definitely be using the former connector, every bit Hard disk Audio is the current standard. That's the merely one of the 2 you demand to know nowadays.

Serial ATA

Series ATA, oft abbreviated to SATA, is the standard interface for drives inside consumer and concern PCs. It's employed by hard drives, SSDs, and optical drives alike. Drives with a SATA interface will have both a SATA data connector (which connects, in a desktop PC, to one of the SATA ports on the motherboard) and a wider, blade-like "SATA-style" power connector (which connects to a SATA ability pb coming from the ability supply).

A bank of edge-mounted Serial ATA connectors

The SATA interface itself has speed grades, notably SATA 2 and SATA 3, variously chosen "SATA II"/"SATA 3Gbps" or "SATA Three"/"SATA 6Gbps," respectively. These indicate the maximum data transfer rate possible with an attached drive. To gain the maximum throughput benefit, both drive and motherboard must back up the same SATA spec, but any new motherboard and drive you'll be considering these days will support SATA 3 exclusively. SATA 2 volition come into play nowadays only in legacy gear.

Note that on a given motherboard, some of the SATA ports may be handled by dissimilar controller chips, possibly meaning different capabilities. (For example, some of the SATA ports may support RAID, and others not.) The manual should explicate any nuances amidst the ports.

24-Pivot ATX Power Connector

If you lot've e'er built a PC, torn downwards a PC, or upgraded a motherboard, you've tugged at the large power-supply cablevision plugged into this connector. A bulky receptacle with two rows of 12 pins, this connector is the chief power source for your organization, accepting the by-far-biggest power cable coming off a desktop PC's power supply.

24-pin24-pin

This is your motherboard's principal power feed

The 24-pin ATX is at present a standard connector at the motherboard terminate. At a transition time in the mid-2000s, many power supplies started showing upward with ATX ability connectors that were split into twenty-pin and four-pin portions that could snap together. (That's because older boards required merely the twenty-pin connection; the additional four pins added actress circuits at different voltage levels.) Many modern ability supplies still carve up the 24-pin connector into these two pieces every bit a compatibility sop to these older board designs.

"+12V" CPU Power Connector

On mod motherboards, the CPU power connector is a dedicated four-pivot (two by two) or eight-pivot (two by four) power connection, normally positioned near the actual CPU socket. A matching cable from any recent-model PC power supply volition fit in hither—the cablevision volition often be labeled "CPU power."

The eight-pivot version of the CPU ability connector on an Asus board

The connector provides a power source separate from the main 24-pin connectedness, and is at times referred to as a "+12V" connection. This and the 24-pin ATX connector aren't really shopping concerns on the motherboard terminate if you're looking at new boards (pretty much whatsoever mod motherboard will accept these), only they are connections to account for on your PC'southward power supply if you're transplanting or reusing a power supply that's older.

PWM Fan Header

A cluster of four pins to which you lot connect a chassis fan. Motherboards typically come studded with these, the more the larger the board. The PWM header allows for fine command over fan speeds based on temperature guidelines that are set at a organization level. The header sends a 12-volt electric current through one pin to ability the fan, while a control signal on another pin tells the fan the corporeality of electric current to draw, regulating the speed (thus PWM, for "pulse width modulation").

Two four-pin PWM fan headers off to the right

You'll want to be sure that a motherboard you're choosing has plenty of these headers to accommodate the fans in your chassis. Some case fans will have only a three-pin connector; yous tin plug these into a 4-pivot header, but yous won't go the speed control.

M.2 Slots and U.ii Ports

Many motherboards from the last couple of years have adopted a new type of slot, dubbed One thousand.2, used with an emerging grade factor of solid-country drives and certain other components. M.two drives are much smaller than traditional SSDs. They are shaped like gumsticks and come in a diverseness of lengths, indicated past a numeric lawmaking in their names. (M.2 Types 2242, 2260, and 2280 are 42mm, 60mm, and 80mm long, respectively.)

An M.2 slot banded in red, with multiple mounting points for 2242, 2260, and 2280 drives.

Well-nigh of the Chiliad.2 devices of interest to PC builders and upgraders will be SSDs, but it's also possible to detect wireless (Wi-Fi) cards in the M.2 format. (See our picks for the all-time Yard.2 solid-state drives at the link.) You'll want to know what lengths of M.2 device a lath supports if you're looking to outfit your PC with such a drive. Most new boards have at to the lowest degree one M.2 slot, with some offer two. Meaty or space-constrained boards may have an M.2 slot on the back of the board. Also, some boards provide thermal solutions that spiral down or snap over the One thousand.two drive(s) to keep them running cool.

"Chiliad.ii Shield" thermal solution over an M.ii slot

Much less common than M.two is the U.2 port, which resembles a beefy SATA port and is used past a select few enterprise-grade storage devices, such as the Intel 750 Series SSD. You'll meet it here and there on loftier-end motherboards. It isn't a must-accept feature, by whatsoever means, but it's good to know why it's at that place.

RGB and RGBW Headers

Dedicated on-motherboard RGB headers take emerged in the last couple of years, every bit RGB mood lighting has invaded the motherboard itself and now extends to light strips that you can ophidian effectually your PC case's interior. These headers apply a four- or 5-pin connection, much like a example-fan header, to which you tin connect discrete LED strips. Ordinary RGB headers have four pins, while their RGBW variant uses five pins. The RGBW headers provide for purer whites in the lighting and work with specific RGBW strips; these headers should also take the iv-pin strips if that is what you have, but check the transmission for details.

An RGBW 5-pin header; yous tin can plug in four-pivot strips, too

To control the patterns and colors, RGB headers (and whatever RGB lighting congenital into the boards themselves) work with software solutions provided by the motherboard maker. Each major maker has its own, including Asus (Aura Sync), Gigabyte (RGB Fusion), and MSI (Mystic Light).

CMOS, CMOS Battery

CMOS stands for "complementary metallic-oxide-semiconductor." It's a chunk of retentiveness on a system motherboard that holds the BIOS and its settings, as well as maintaining the system clock settings.

To retain its settings with the organisation powered off or unplugged for long periods, an onboard battery keeps the CMOS juiced up. In modern motherboards this battery is well-nigh e'er a CR2032 coin cell.

Debug LED

Common on premium motherboards, the debug LED is an exceptionally handy feature for nonveteran PC builders and pros alike. A (usually two-digit) readout, it shows off error codes if the PC fails to boot. The codes, outlined in the lath manual, can help you pinpoint the reason for a failed kicking sequence, such as RAM that is installed improperly or a video-card error.

(Have suggestions for more terms nosotros should add? Chime in below in the comments section beneath.)

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/microsoft-windows-10/21303/buying-a-motherboard-20-terms-you-need-to-know

Posted by: clementseciou1967.blogspot.com