What is the primary purpose of a motherboard?

The primary purpose of a motherboard is to serve as the main circuit board that houses the CPU, memory, and connectors for peripherals. This central component acts as a backbone for the computer, allowing communication between all the other components such as the processor, RAM (Random Access Memory), storage devices, and external peripherals. The motherboard facilitates connections and data transfer among these parts, ensuring that the computer operates as a cohesive unit.

In addition to housing the CPU and memory, the motherboard includes expansion slots for additional components like graphics cards, sound cards, and networking interfaces. It also contains integrated circuits and control chips that manage power and signal flow throughout the system.

While cooling the CPU, storing data, and adding processing power are important aspects of a computer system, they are functions that do not encompass the primary role of the motherboard. The motherboard itself is fundamentally about housing and connecting all critical components of the computer.