Motherboard

A motherboard, also called a mainboard, system board or logic board, is the main printed circuit board in a general-purpose computer or other expandable electronic system, holding and connecting many of its most important components, including the central processing unit and memory, and providing connectors for other peripherals; unlike a simple backplane, a motherboard typically integrates substantial subsystems itself, such as the chipset's input and output and memory controllers alongside its interface connectors. The term is first attested in Electronics magazine in 1965, and the name reflects the board's importance and size relative to the smaller components that attach to it.