Which Hardware Defines PC the most?

[Deleted member 185158]

The rest is just you arguing semantics. Time to move on.

What is ascribed to define what a computer is shouldn't be difficult.

Basically w/e hardware put together that does computational tasks is a computer.

Then there's types, which have been ascribed by definition of the industry, in example: Home, Office and server for a few examples.

We can ascribed a "name" like AmD rig or my "other wife", but that's not the definition of a computer.

If we use the original posters silly question, we would ask the industry what would define your computer by the hardware therein.

Yes, I believe the rest is just semantics.

 

[OkieDan]

The CPU may very well be the heart, but it is not soul.

Sources please? Google results most often cite the OS as the soul, sometimes "the programmer" or "software". I haven't seen the motherboard referenced as a top result. [Do you really believe a analogous body part is going to help us decide what part best defines a system anyways? ]

And no, QVLs and MS Software licensing has not been debunked. You illustrated this yourself by explaining how, with OEM licenses, you need a new license if you upgrade the board. Yet you don't if you upgrade the CPU, (including boot drive) or any other component. There is no reason for that if the motherboard didn't define the computer in term of licensing.

You've yet to provide any evidence that what MS ties a license to should be used to determine what "part defines a system". The MBD doesn't define what software licensing ties to, the software vendor in decides what the license ties to. You tried to use MS licensing as a "technical fact" [as to what part defines a system, I disagree, that's what MS found convenient. [If MS changed their policy to look primarily at another part, like the CPU, would it change your mind? If not, I don't find this as a good argument]].

You used MBD QVL's that show what RAM kits and CPUs a motherboard is compatible with [as proof of the MBD being the part that defines a system [motherboards can't have a QVL until they have a CPU design to design their MBD around, making the board design dependent on the CPU. Even the RAM QVL somewhat depends on the CPU the board was designed for as you're not going to test DDR4 for a CPU that only has an IMC that supports DDR5 like Zen4]].

 

[kilo]

Lots of great opinions on this. I think some people are mixing up how they, themselves define which part makes the PC, how other people define a PC, and how it should be defined. Imo, it's similar to saying a CPU's most important part is the ALU and not FPU. A PC doesn't exist as a single component that defines it.

The most important part is the operator.

Or if I really really must pick a single component it would be the keyboard.

 

[OkieDan]

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

The motherboard is dependent on the CPU based on these technical facts:

1. A motherboard MFG cannot design a PCB without knowing what socket the CPU calls for.
2. A motherboard MFG cannot design a PCB without knowing what RAM the CPU calls for.
3. A motherboard MFG cannot design a PCB without knowing what chipset the CPU calls for.

It's self-evident the CPU design be completed prior to MBD design being completed. You must know the requirements of the CPU, what it supports, before you can design the board. Therefore the motherboard is a supporting part and is dependent on the CPU, that's a technical fact. Only after the MBD has been designed, based upon the requirements of the CPU, can a board MFG create a list of compatible CPUs.