What's with on-board stuff?

[PureEvil]

I've been lookin' at computer stuff where you pick the components and some company puts 'em together for you (Since I know little-to-nothing about building computers), and one of the things you have to pick is the motherboard.

So I'm looking at motherboards to pick, and a bunch of them have different on-board aspects to them.

On board audio, video, lan, ect...

I was just wondering, what's the deal with this stuff? Is it good to buy a motherboard with a bunch of on-board stuff, or is that a bad idea?

And what the hell is on board lan?

[Yoda9864]

On-board stuff is exactly that, the parts are included on the motherboard.

On-board stuff is there so that you don't have to buy extra parts if you are just starting to build a computer. If you plan on getting a good video card/sound card, getting a motherboard with on-board stuff is not imperitive.

If you plan on getting a good system for gaming, don't plan on using the on-board video and sound, most blow serious goats. It doesn't hurt to have them there though, you can always turn them off. On-board things are usually the bare minimum to be able to start your computer.

On-board LAN is great to have. A LAN (local area network) port is used to hook up to a router, switch, HUB, cable modem, etc.. These are usually satisfactory for anything you will need it for.

All in all, on-board thigns are nice to have. If you have problems with your video card, for example, you can fall back on the on-board while you exchange/fix your good video card.