I
promised to write a post on motherboards in one of my previous posts.
So here it is… After reading this post, you will get a fair idea about
the motherboard and its various components.
Before you buy a motherboard, you should decide which cpu you’re going to buy.
The Socket
The socket on the motherboard supports the cpu. Intel and AMD use
different types of sockets. Intel uses Land Grid Array (LGA) and AMD
uses Pin Grid Array (PGA).
Socket 775 and socket 1156 are the most common sockets for Intel
processors (as of now). Socket 1156 is the latest one which offers
support to the Core series (i3,i5,i7) processors.
Socket AM2+ and AM3 are the common AMD sockets. AM3 is the latest model that offers support to CPUs like Phenom II.
Bus Speed
The Front Side Bus (FSB) is a system that connects the cpu to the
northbridge. The northbridge contacts the memory (RAM) and other
components and passes the data to the cpu. The speed of the FSB plays a
very important role in the overall performance of a computer. So choose
a motherboard with a high speed FSB. This will enable you to install a
faster cpu in the future, if needed. Overclocking is another advantage
which I’m not going to cover here.
The Chipset
The north-bridge and the south-bridge together constitute the chipset. The
north-bridge
is the more important component as it is more involved with the cpu.
The chipset plays a major role in the graphics performance of machines
without graphics cards, as it accommodates the IGP (integrated/onboard
graphics processor). Other functions include memory controller
(regulates communication between the CPU and RAM), graphics controller
(handles communication between graphics card and CPU), onboard audio
etc. So try to buy a motherboard that has a good chipset. Go to a
manufacturer’s website and you will be able to find the chipset that
suits your needs.
Most part of the above paragraph doesn’t hold true for the high end
models of core series CPUs from Intel (i series). The GPU (Graphics
Processing Unit), memory controller and the graphics controller are
integrated the to CPU’s die itself!
AMD had moved the memory controller to the cpu die a long time ago. But nothing much has happened since.
Memory Slots
It is into the memory slot that you insert the RAM. DDR, DDR2 and DDR 3
are the three types of RAM that are in use today and DDR3 is the
fastest of them all. The type of RAM which the motherboard uses will be
specified in the manual itself. A slot can accept only one type of
RAM. Always go for the motherboard that supports the latest RAM module.
No. of slots and max. memory support are the two other factors. That
is not very relevant for a desktop user as most of the boards these
days have at least 4 slots and can support a minimum of 4 GB which is
more than enough. If you’re a pro. gamer or somebody who frequently
uses memory intensive programs, you may consider these 2 factors also.
Peripheral Interfaces
As you know, all the peripherals of a computer are connected to
the
motherboard. There are ports inside and outside the motherboard to
which we connect the peripherals. Different types of ports are described
below:
IDE port : predecessor of SATA port. Used for connecting optical drives,HDD.
SATA port: a lot quicker than PATA. Used in all modern systems.
FDD port : Floppy disk drives are not used anymore (normally)
but many motherboards still come with an FDD port. Maybe for advanced
users. But even bios flashing is too easy these days so you need not
worry about it.
USB port : Generally used for connecting external devices viz.
pen drives, external hdd, printers to the pc. USB 3.0 is the latest .
Make sure that you buy a board that supports USB 3.0. It’s about 10x
faster than USB 2.0.
FireWire port: Very similar to USB, but offers better speed (not
on paper but in reality) and networking capabilities. Almost all the
modern motherboards come with a firewire (
IEEE 1394) port.
Other ones like parallel port, serial port etc are standard across all motherboards.
Expansion slots
These are the array of slots located on the south and central part of the board. You will generally
see
only 3 types of expansion slots theses days : PCI, PCI x1 express and
PCI x16 express slots. The PCI slot houses devices like LAN card, sound
card etc., the PCI x1 express is not commonly used. Certain TV tuner
cards and graphics use it. PCI x16 express slot is used by graphics
cards. Make sure that you have at least two PCI slots and one PCI x16
express slot on your motherboard.
Manufacturer’s reputation
It’s always better to buy a crucial component like motherboard from a
reputed manufacturer. Reliability and post sales service are the major
reasons. Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI and Intel are some of the leading
manufacturers. If you ask me, I will always recommend Gigabyte
motherboards. They often add useful features to their motherboard. It is
also the most stable motherboard out there.
Final words
Hope that I managed to cover almost all the factors you need to consider
while buying a motherboard. A good motherboard alone cannot make a
super fast system. It’s a combined work. CPU, RAM and Hard Disk are the
three other important members of the network. Make sure that the other
three are also in good condition.