Sound cards enable the computer to output sound through speakers connected to the board , to record sound input from a microphone connected to the computer, and manipulate sound stored on a disk . Nearly all sound cards support MIDI , a standard for representing music electronically. In addition, most sound cards are Sound Blaster- compatible , which means that they can process commands written for a Sound Blaster card, the de facto standard for PC sound. FM Synthesis mimics different musical instruments according to built-in formulas. Wavetable Synthesis relies on recordings of actual instruments to produce sound.
Wavetable synthesis produces more accurate sound, but is also more expensive.
The main circuit board of a microcomputer. The motherboard contains the connectors for attaching additional boards . Typically, the motherboard contains the CPU , BIOS , memory , mass storage interfaces , serial and parallel ports , expansion slots , and all the controllers required to control standard peripheral devices , such as the display screen , keyboard , and disk drive . Collectively, all these chips that reside on the motherboard are known as the motherboard's chipset . On most PCs , it is possible to add memory chips directly to the motherboard.