Computer Motherboard Guide

By: Peter Stewart

The heart of any computer is the motherboard. It is that big
board inside the computer that everything is connected to. It
performs the role of traffic lights and policemen, directing
flows of information to where they are needed, when they are
needed.

Choosing the right motherboard does not have to be a huge issue,
even though there is a lot to consider. I will start off with
the most major parts and move onto the the things that are less
important or non-essential.

Firstly is the socket type.

The socket is the place where the processor (CPU) connects to
the motherboard. There is no compatiblility between sockets, so
it has to be the right one. The socket connection needs to match
the connection of the processor you have or the one you intend
to buy for the computer.

Most older Intel Pentium 4s utilise socket 478. Newer ones use
socket 775. AMD chips utilised socket A for a long time, but now
the AMD Athlon 64 series and Semprons use socket 939. Just check
with someone as to what yours or your intended one will have.

Your choice of chip will have a lot to do with your needs, but
choosing one with an up to date socket type will ensure slightly
longer motherboard life as you can upgrade the chip for a while.

Second is the memory type

DDR is the RAM of choice for most systems, but some newer
systems, which includes all Pentiums with socket 775 use DDR2.
These two kinds are not interchangable and have a different
number of pins. Both DDR and DDR2 come in different speed
ratings measured in MHz. DDR has a usual 400MHz denoted as
DDR400 or PC3200, while DDR2 can go a little higher and comes in
slightly faster speeds. Just make it match what the board needs.

Third is expansion slots

The expansion slots are the places where you put extra cards
onto the motherboard, like graphics cards, extra sound card or a
wireless internet card. The old standard is a PCI slot and these
are appropriate for most expansion cards, excepts new graphics
cards.

The most simple of graphics cards are sometimes available for
PCI slots, but not too many. More common are AGP cards and the
newer PCI express (PCIe) cards. AGP slots come in speed variants
up to 8x, make sure the slot matches your card. PCI and PCIe are
incompatible, so don't be confused by that. The PCIe slots are
much longer and have a securing latch. If you want an SLI
graphics card setup with two PCIe cards with SLI attached
together, make sure the motherboard specifically states that it
supports SLI.

Fourth is hard drive and optical drive connections

Two kinds are available, IDE and SATA, IDE is older with a thick
cable and SATA is newer with a thinner cable. SATA capability is
usually an add-on, you can see a dedicated chip on the
motherboard. IDE is being phased out, but is still used for many
drives and all optical devices like DVD and CD drives. IDE has
speeds of ATA66, ATA100 and ATA133, SATA has speeds of 150Mbps
and 300Mbps the latter sometimes referred to as SATA2. Make sure
your board supports as much or more than you intend to install.

Fifth is the extras

The number of extras available on motherboard has increased
greatly and so has the quality of the extras. Things to be
expected are USB 2.0, a sound card and network slot. Other
things which it may or may not have are firewire and extra USB
slots.

So with all that in mind you should be in good stead to make a
good decision on your purchase. Happy shopping.

Roundup

Socket type - A, 478, 775, 939

Memory (RAM) - DDR, DDR2

Expansion slots - PCI and one of AGP or PCIe

ATA - ATA66, 100 or 133. SATA or SATA2

Extras - USB, network and sound card (expected), firewire, extra
USB, extra SATA slots (optional but becoming more common)

About the author:
Peter Stewart is a computer enthusiast, his interest in
computers and focus on practical down to earth advice inspired
his two websites.

http://computer-buying-gu
ide.com - Practical buying tips

http://computer-reviews.net - Fair and honest reviews and opinions