What Is A Logic Board? | Important Difference Between A logic Board And A Motherboard — MotherboardMag
What is a logic board? | A logic board is a board containing a bunch of “logic gates.” A logic board may also hold electronics other than logic gates. For example, a motherboard is a logic board. But it is not necessary that every logic board will be a motherboard. Because most add-on cards inserted into your computer (such as Graphics Cards, Network Cards) are also logic boards.
In general-purpose computers/PCs/Laptops, the main PCB is most often referred to as the motherboard. It is also known as the mainboard, main circuit board, system board, baseboard, planar board or logic board, or a mobo.
Apple refers to their main PCB as a Logic board, and apart from apple, almost all the other PC manufacturers refer to their main PCB as the motherboard or the mainboard.
In this article, we will discuss the logic board (i.e the main PCB) of general-purpose computers/PCs/Laptops. So let’s start with the difference between Logic Board and Motherboard.
Logic Board Vs Motherboard
After researching the internet, I realized that the only notable difference between a standard “motherboard” and a “logic board” is implementation or what product you refer to.
Apple calls their main PCBs “logic boards,” while most other computer manufacturers call them a motherboard or the mainboard. But, it is just alternative names for the same general piece of equipment.
Why does Apple call a motherboard a logic board?
Apple calls a motherboard a logic board to differentiate their main PCBs from the rest of the boards.
Generally, companies adopt different terminology for seemingly the same stuff to differentiate their product from the rest.
For example, Mercedes Benz calls their All Wheel Drive (AWD) system the 4MATIC, whereas BMW calls it as xDrive.
It’s just a marketing strategy. Nothing more. Both the logic board and motherboard are more general terms and not specific to any PC manufacturer. The actual term is PCB (Printed Circuit Board).
Why is a Logic Board Important?
The Logic Board is one of the most important computer components. The Logic Board will tell you the minimum case size, type of chipset, type and configuration of RAM that you can utilize, and other attributes of the build.
It is responsible for delivering power from the attached PSU unit to all the components such as CPU, Graphics Card, Storage Drives, Cooling Fans, RAM, etc.
If any Logic Board component is damaged, there are very few chances to damage other components. But if the Logic Board itself is damaged, then there is a high chance that it will damage the other electronic components like CPU, GPU, etc. Therefore the reliability of the logic board is very important.
Does Logic Board matter for gaming?
For the performance concern, Logic Board does not matter that much. Your machine’s performance depends on the components mounted on your Logic Board, like CPU, RAM, GPU, etc., more than the Logic Board.
The higher-end gaming Logic Boards are usually made of higher quality materials and have more ports and support more stuff, can better support overclocking, netting a greater FPS benefit.
Can the logic board be repaired?
The Repairability of a Logic Board depends on the type of failure. Many factors can cause logic board failure. But the most common causes of logic board failure are
1) Physical damage
2) Overheating
3) Aging of capacitors
4) Partially or incorrectly connected cables
5) Dirt
6) Electrostatic discharge
7) Liquid spills
8) Aging of the battery and
9) Improperly seated expansion devices.
But as discussed, repairability depends on what type of failure it is. If you mean it is not working; then in many cases, you can repair your logic board.
But the logic board repair cost will most likely be prohibitive. It will take specialized equipment and knowledge to desolder and resolder the failed modules. But if there are burned traces, it is probably junk.
Conclusion | What Is A Logic Board?
Technically, a logic board is a board containing a bunch of “logic gates.” Every motherboard is a logic board, but not all logic boards are motherboards. However, if we talk about the general-purpose computers/laptops/PCs, Apple calls their mainboard a logic board but almost all the other computer manufacturers call them a motherboard. But both are the same.
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I hope you have understood What is a logic board? If you still have any questions about the logic board, do let me know in the comment section.
Kevin Henry
Originally published at https://motherboardmag.com on May 24, 2021.
