Buying Guide - The Motherboard
Motherboards (a.k.a. Mainboard, MoBo, Board) are the heart and lifeblood of your PC. All of the other components connect to this board, so it's important to find one that is expandable for the future. Motherboards have to be compatible with any new technology you install in your PC, so if you're planning on upgrading your other components in the future, make sure you install one with more technology than you currently need. Understanding each of the other components and their technology will assist greatly in making decisions regarding which motherboard to choose. The other key factor when choosing a motherboard is how it will fit in your desired case. If you're going with a space-saving micro-tower, remember that regular ATX boards will not fit and you will need a Micro-ATX board. XPC's come with their custom-shaped motherboard, but you will still have to decide what features you want. Read on to find out which features you need to make the most of your purchase. Click the component you would like to learn about in relation to the motherboard or read on to look at all of them in order:
Processor (CPU)CPU's ultimately decide the speed of your computer. For the purpose of motherboard compatibility, they come in different "socket" sizes (i.e. Socket 775, AM2, etc.). The different socket sizes will only fit in the motherboard that has the identical socket. There are currently 3 main socket sizes for desktop PCs (as opposed to laptops and servers) on the market: AMD's AM2 and AM2+, and Intel's Socket T (aka LGA 775). Check out the CPU section to learn the capabilities, features, and benefits of the various models. I recommend using a motherboard that supports the newest technology so it's easy to upgrade later. MemoryThere are two main factors to look at when choosing memory for your motherboard. The first factor is the type. Currently, there are four types on the market: original SDRAM, which is virtually phased out, DDR SDRAM (DDR), which is the old standard, but almost phased out, DDR2 SDRAM (DDR2), which is the current standard and faster version of DDR, and DDR3 SDRAM (DDR3), which uses even a newer and faster technology, but is still quite expensive and not yet a good value at this point. The second factor is the amount of slots available. Most ATX motherboards will have room for 4 sticks of memory, but a trend in the Micro-ATX world tends to be 2 slots. This means that with less slots available, you can't simply add more sticks to increase the memory if the slots are full, and instead, you might have to replace smaller sticks with bigger sticks to perform this upgrade. If you decide on a Micro-ATX board, make sure you invest in bigger sticks of RAM initially to avoid extra upgrade costs later. Click to check out the memory buying guide. Hard DriveIn the home-user world of hard drives, there are three ways they can connect to the motherboard: An older IDE (Parallel ATA, PATA) interface, a newer, faster, Serial ATA (SATA) cable (1.5Gb/s a.k.a. SATA-150), or an even newer and even faster SATA 2 connection (3.0Gb/s a.k.a. SATA-300). When SATA was initially introduced, it was quickly overtaken by SATA 2, which can transfer data twice as fast. Each hard drive is specifically designed for only one connection (PATA or SATA) but most new motherboards can connect to all both types of devices. If the motherboard only supports SATA-150, it will still run SATA-300 devices, just at the lower speed. To investigate further, check out the hard drive buying guide. Today I would choose a motherboard with at least four SATA 2 connectors for maximum expandability. Graphics CardFor motherboard purposes, there are 6 interfaces for displaying graphics: On Board, PCI, AGP, PCI-Express (PCI-E)x16, PCI-Express (PCI-E)x16 2.0, and SLI/Crossfire. If a motherboard has "On Board" graphics, that means a graphics processor and connection has been built into the motherboard and a separate card is not required. When you use On Board graphics, system memory and processing power is borrowed to support your video demands, which slows down your computer. On Board is excellent and cost-effective for internet browsing and word-processing tasks, but if you plan on multi-tasking or watching DVDs, you should consider using a separate card to alleviate some stress on your system. If you're editing video or playing graphics-intensive games, an add-on card is pretty much a requirement. PCI is the oldest graphics technology still on the market. It's mainly used now for older computers that don't have the newer technologies. PCI technology is great for other devices that don't demand the speed that a graphics card does, but for all intensive purposes, don't use PCI graphics on a new computer. AGP is the old industry standard, almost phased out by PCI-E. AGP comes in different speeds, of which 8x is the most current and most widely used. Graphics cards built on AGP technology can handle some demanding applications and games, but will struggle on the high-end games. PCI-E (E stands for Express) is the industry standard, with speeds up to twice that of an AGP card. High-end cards based on this technology have the ability to handle the most demanding games virtually flawlessly. Motherboards that have PCI-E technology also require a 24-pin power supply connection to the motherboard, so make sure to have a compatible Power Supply. I recommend purchasing a motherboard with PCI-E technology. PCI-E 2.0 is the newest edition to the already long list of interfaces. It's capabilities cannot yet be fully taken advantage of, so it will function very closely to a normal PCI-E slot. It's backwards-compatible with PCI-E video cards, so if you don't want to splurge on a PCI-E 2.0 video card, you can always use a normal PCI-E card for now and be able to upgrade later. SLI (by Nvidia) and Crossfire (by ATI) are graphics technologies build for graphics-intensive applications and games. It incorporates the speed and power of two (or 3!) PCI-E graphics cards working together (similar to dual-channel memory), and is on the cutting edge of graphics technology. If you want the cutting edge of graphics on your motherboard, make sure your board supports SLI or Crossfire, even if you don't plan to use it yet. This will make for an easy upgrade later. Otherwise, any board with PCI-E will do just fine. If you plan to use SLI or Crossfire, make sure you pair it with the appropriate graphics cards: they must support the technology on your motherboard and it's best to use identical graphics cards. Click to check out the buying guide for graphics cards. CD/DVD DrivesCD/DVD (Optical) drives connect to your motherboard the same way hard drives do: via either IDE cable or Serial ATA cable. Optical drives can connect with only one of the two cables, but most new motherboards support both. I recommend a motherboard with at least 4 (if not 6) Serial ATA ports if you plan on connecting your optical drives via Serial ATA. Check out the optical drive buying guide. Sound CardsNearly all motherboards on the market come with a sound processor on board. To alleviate a little stress on your other components and to beef up the audio quality and options, invest in a sound card. Sound cards typically connect to the motherboard by sliding them into an available PCI slot. All motherboards come with a few PCI slots, but the Micro-ATX boards are notorious for only having 2-3. If you choose a Micro-ATX board, be aware that you will have less room for PCI cards. Read the buying guide for sound cards. PCI SlotsThere are quite a few different PCI cards you can get for your computer to expand it's functionality. Wireless network cards, Ethernet cards, TV tuner cards, sound cards, modem cards, USB-port cards, device controller cards, and adapter cards all use the PCI interface to connect to your computer. No matter what size of motherboard you choose, make sure it has enough PCI slots to go around, and maybe an extra one or two, just for expandability's sake. Tiny replacements for these PCI slots are appearing in most mainstream motherboards nowadays; PCI-E 1x slots are a newer alternative to the mainstream PCI technology, but because they're made for non-intensive hardware, work at almost the same speed as the older PCI slots. To read more a about PCI cards, look at the expansion card buying guide. Input/Output PortsThese ports are collectively known as the "back panel ports" or "I/O" for short. Most motherboards come with a standard set of ports:
Some motherboards will also have a serial port and a parallel port. To put it simply, a serial port is like an ancient USB port. Most new equipment does not have a serial connector, but if you have old, serial hardware you would like to use, make sure your motherboard supports it. A parallel port used to be the primary connection to a printer. Now that the world has moved to USB, newer printers don't use this type of connection. If you have an older printer you would like to use with your new system, make sure there is a parallel port on your new motherboard. If the board you really want doesn't have these, you can always buy a converter or a PCI adapter. Newer motherboards will sometimes have a Firewire, Firewire 800, and/or eSATA port to connect external devices. These are used mainly for external hard drives, video cameras, or other equipment where higher speeds are necessary. They are roughly comparable to USB 2.0 in functionality, however Firewire 800 is twice as fast as USB 2.0 and eSATA is almost 5 TIMES faster. The latest editions to the I/O panel are the coaxial and optical S/PDIF out ports for digital audio output. If you're connecting to a home theater system or a nice set of speakers, this is something to look for (if your speakers or amplifier support it), or you can always get a sound card with these outputs. Some motherboards, mainly MicroATX forms, will have a VGA port for a monitor. This means the motherboard is set up to process graphics without needing an additional card. Click to read about onboard graphics.
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