Motherboards

Previously we’ve talked about the CPU. After deciding on the microprocessor, now came the next important consideration. Since the motherboard is the "heart & soul" of the system that connects all the other devices such as CPU, graphics card, memory, hard drives etc, selecting some of the best motherboards ensures that you get the type of system you intend to build (and possibly upgrade later on) but more importantly the devices work harmoniously with each other for maximum system performance.

 

Motherboard Buying Guide

1) CPU Support: Type & Chipset

Before even choosing the motherboard, you should have already decided on the the socket and chipset type of the central processing unit (CPU) you intend to have. There are many types of CPU sockets but the latest is Socket A that powers Athlon XP as well as Socket T/LGA775 for use on Intel’s Core 2 Quad.

After selecting the CPU socket type requirement, the next consideration should be on the chipset supporting the processor. A chipset is a set of specialized chips that controls communications between the CPU and external devices. Different chipsets work with different family of microprocessors for maximum performance so you need to make sure that the chipset supports the CPU chosen.

2) Memory Support: DDR or DDR2?

Synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) was the standard in the 1990s and slowly replaced by double data rate (DDR) RAM in 2002 that transfers data at twice that of SDRAM. DDR2 however takes a different approach in the DDR design at chip level which allows double the memory chips that of DDR working together to achieve double the speed on a single module. For higher performance (and future upgrades), adopt motherboard that can accept DDR2.

3) Graphics Support: AGP or PCIe?

For motherboards built in the last 2-3 years, they will definitely have an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot. However AGP is currently being phased out in favour of PCIe because faster graphics card demand faster data transfer rate that PCIe can provide. Currently the fastest 8x AGP delivers maximum data transfer rate of 2.1 GB/s while the fastest PCI x32 delivers maximum data transfer rate of 8GB/s. So choose a motherboard that has at least 1, yet better still 2 PCIe slots if the need arises for double graphics card usage such as Nvidia Link Interface (SLI).

4) PATA/IDE or SATA?

Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA), also called IDE interface has been in use since 1986 for hard drives. It has reached the limits of data transfer rates at 133 MB/s and slowly being replaced by Serial ATA interface with data transfer rates of 150 MB/s - 300 MB/s. With manufacturers pushing hard for SATA hard drives due to efficiency and faster bandwidth, a motherboard that supports SATA interface is greatly recommended.

5) Form Factor

This refers to the size of the motherboard and ultimately influences the layout of all components attached to it. Currently there are 2 types namely the popular ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) and less well-known BTX (Balanced Technology Extended). Within ATX there is the smaller version namely Mini-ATX or Micro-ATX. The choice of the size of the motherboard you intend to buy depends greatly on the casings as well as the other components you intend to include inside. It would be wise to choose an ATX size motherboard for better layout.

 

Motherboard Reviews & Ratings

Best Motherboard (Gaming, Intel-Based)

Motherboard Reviews #1: Our top pick is the Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard. A key feature that separates this motherboard from the rest is the ability to overclock to the extreme so as to squeeze out maximum power and performance. Key specifications: Dual PCI Express x16 connectivity, supports 1333 FSB, DDR2 1200MHz memory modules.

Resources: Motherboard (Wikipedia)