Did you know that there is a board named daughter board in your computer? As like motherboard, daughter board performs some important tasks. These kinds of boards were generally used in desktop computers. But now, most of the desktop computer’s do not come with a daughter board. However, many laptops still contain these kinds of board. Do you want to know what is daughter board on a computer? To know about this, go through the whole article.
What Are Motherboard and Expansion Card
To have a better idea about daughter board, you must have a good idea about motherboard and expansion card. The motherboard is your computer’s main board. It is also known as a system board. Almost all other components of your computer are connected to the motherboard. Other components include RAM, CPU, PSU, GPU etcetera. They are connected to each other through the motherboard. PSU gives power to the motherboard and motherboard gives necessary power to all other components. Thus, it acts like a heart in a computer system.
The expansion card is also known as an expansion board, interface adapter, add-on card and so on. It fits into an expansion slot on a computer. This kind of printed circuit board (PCB) is installed in a computer to give the computer some additional capabilities. For example, suppose you are a gamer or a professional graphics designer. Then you may install a new powerful graphics card in your computer to have better visual experience and performance. A sound engineer may install an additional sound card in the computer. These types of cards give the computer some additional capabilities. These types of cards are known as expansion cards.
What is Daughter Board
The daughter board is a computer hardware. It is also known as the piggyback board, riser card, daughter board, daughtercard or daughter card. A daughter board is a printed circuit board which is connected to the motherboard or expansion card. As compared to the motherboard, it is smaller in size. A daughter board does not act as an expansion card. An expansion card adds extra new functions to the computer. But a daughter board that is connected to the motherboard adds or supports the main functions of the motherboard.
Daughter boards are directly connected to the motherboards. You know that expansion cards are connected to the motherboard by using the bus and other serial interfaces. But daughter board is directly connected to the board by soldering. As an update of the motherboard or expansion card, daughter boards are released to extend the features and services of the motherboard or expansion cards.
Motherboard vs Daughter Board
The name of these two boards are quite interesting, right? The names have their own significance. As you know the motherboard is named like that because of its functionalities. It works as a heart of a system. Most of the components are connected to the motherboard and get their necessary power from it. The daughter board is named like that because of its functionalities too. A daughter board is connected to the motherboard or expansion card. It is smaller than the motherboard. The daughter board is directly connected to the motherboard by soldering. A daughter board extends the circuitry of the motherboard or expansion card in which it is plugged into.
Functionalities of a Daughter Board
A daughter board is a circuit board that is directly connected to the motherboard or expansion card by soldering. Sometimes, people think that daughter board and expansion card are same. But this not true. They have their own functionalities. Daughter board’s functionalities are given below:
- It is known as the piggyback board, riser card, daughtercard etcetera.
- A daughter board is smaller than a motherboard and may have some slots like the motherboard.
- A daughter board is a printed circuit board which is connected to the motherboard or expansion card.
- Unlike expansion card, daughter boards are directly connected to the motherboard by soldering.
- Daughter boards do not provide new functions to the circuit like an expansion But they extend the circuitry of the circuit in which they are plugged into.
- Daughter boards are released by the vendors as an update of motherboard or expansion card.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Q.1. Why is daughterboard named like that?
Ans: It is named like that because it is directly connected to the motherboard by soldering and extends the circuitry of the board in which it is plugged into.
Q.2. Are daughter board and expansion cards same?
Ans: No. Expansion cards give new function to the computer where daughter board extends circuitry of the circuit. Example of expansion card: Graphics card, sound card etcetera.The computer has motherboard and daughter board.
Q.2. Is there any board named as fatherboard?
Ans: No. There is no board named as fatherboard. If anyone told you about fatherboard, he has made a joke with you.
Q.3. Is mezzanine card a daughter board?
Ans: A mezzanine card is one kind of daughter board. It is plugged into the computer bus or data path
Q.4. Why my desktop computer does not contain a daughter board?
Ans: Today, desktop computers do not come with a daughter board. ISA cards, PCI cards and onboards have replaced the daughter board. However, many laptops still come with a daughter board.
Summing Up
You know that all the computers have motherboard. Many computers have daughter boards too. But the functionalities of daughter board are not like the motherboards’. They are connected to the motherboard or other circuits to extend the feature of the boards. If you want to know about computer hardware, you should know about daughter board as well as motherboard and other hardware. Did you know what is daughter board? If you have read the whole article, you know all about daughter board and its functionalities.
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