The motherboard is the main circuit board inside of a PC. Generally, there are 4 types of devices that plug into a motherboard:
• Memory
• Drives (CD or hard drive)
• CPU
• Expansion cards
Memory in a current generation motherboard will usually be in the form of a DIMM. The drives will connect using flat ribbon cables, and the CPU will attach beneath a large heat sink and fan. Expansion cards can include video, sound, and networking, but not always. Some motherboards integrate different expansions directly onto the motherboard (especially sound and networking).
When buying a motherboard, it is important to remember that not all motherboards are compatible with all RAM, power supplies, or expansion cards. If you are building or repairing a PC, double check all the compatibility requirements before purchasing something that won’t play nice with your current setup!
Although several uses for pen drives are listed here, their usefulness tends to make people get creative with them, and you never know when something new and interesting is going to come up. For example, there are now “novelty” pen drives that look like sushi!