How we choose the Motherboard
Quick review of Motherboard technology
The choice of motherboard (mobo) is critical because it determines which
components you can or cannot install in your build. The mobo also
determines how upgradeable your computer is. Before you even start you
need to decide whether you want to use an Intel CPU or an AMD CPU. You
can't install an Intel CPU in an AMD platform mobo and vice versa.
Next you need to decide which chipset you want on your mobo. A chipset
is a bundle of integrated components that gives the mobo its different
features. Chipsets in the past were composed of two chips, a north bridge
chip and a south bridge chip though now there is a trend toward a single
chip.
In choosing the chipset you need to make another decision whether your
chipset should include integrated graphics or if you will be installing a
separate video card. Integrated graphics chipsets are good enough for most
PC users and also cheaper than a separate video card. However a separate
video card is a must if you want your PC for intense 3D gaming. We have
covered integrated graphics chipsets in our section How we choose the
Video Card so we wont repeat that here.
Chipsets without integrated graphics are called discrete chipsets. Discrete
chipsets generally are higher end chipsets with more features designed for a
more powerful PC. Lets briefly cover the discrete chipset market.
Intel, AMD and NVIDIA are big in the chipset business. Each of these
companies offer multiple chipsets to choose from, ranging from high end to
low end.
NVIDIA's chipsets appeal lie in their proprietary SLI technology which allows
dual or even multiple NVIDIA video cards to be used in the same PC. In their
discrete chipset range we like their nForce 750i SLI chipset for Intel CPUs
for both price and performance.
AMD's chipsets have their own CrossFireX technology which similar to SLI
allows for dual or multiple AMD ATI video cards. In their discrete chipset
range we like their AMD 790X chipset for AMD CPUs for both price and
performance.
Intel's chipsets do not yet have their own dual and multiple video card
technology. Their latest Intel P55 Express chipset, for you guessed it Intel
CPUs, licenses CrossFireX technology from AMD and also SLI technology from
NVIDIA. We think the Intel P55 Express chipset again falls into a good price
performance ratio.
A short list of other features we think a mobo should support would
include: Quad, triple and dual core CPU chips, PCI Express x16 slot(s), Dual
channel DDR2 or DDR3 memory, SATA 3 Gb/s drives, RAID drives, Gigabit
LAN, HD Audio, S/PDIF and IEEE 1394a (FireWire) output connectors.
For computer enthusiasts it is also critical that we have access to advanced
BIOS settings to overclock our PC. It's part of the fun of having a computer,
and can convert a great computer into an even better one without
spending more cash!
Where possible the motherboard should allow upgrading to the next level of
technology. For example if one chooses integrated graphics now, the
motherboard should include a spare PCI Express x16 slot to add a video card
at a later date, when prices have fallen. Or if one chooses a separate video
card solution now, the motherboard should allow for dual SLI or CrossFireX
video cards at a later date.
There are several high quality mobo manufacturers of which GIGABYTE, Asus
and ECS to name a few offer a range of good boards. We were a little sad
when Abit dropped out of the game. They made great enthusiast boards. A
little nostalgia there.
Quick review of Motherboard technology
The choice of motherboard (mobo) is critical because it determines which
components you can or cannot install in your build. The mobo also
determines how upgradeable your computer is. Before you even start you
need to decide whether you want to use an Intel CPU or an AMD CPU. You
can't install an Intel CPU in an AMD platform mobo and vice versa.
Next you need to decide which chipset you want on your mobo. A chipset
is a bundle of integrated components that gives the mobo its different
features. Chipsets in the past were composed of two chips, a north bridge
chip and a south bridge chip though now there is a trend toward a single
chip.
In choosing the chipset you need to make another decision whether your
chipset should include integrated graphics or if you will be installing a
separate video card. Integrated graphics chipsets are good enough for most
PC users and also cheaper than a separate video card. However a separate
video card is a must if you want your PC for intense 3D gaming. We have
covered integrated graphics chipsets in our section How we choose the
Video Card so we wont repeat that here.
Chipsets without integrated graphics are called discrete chipsets. Discrete
chipsets generally are higher end chipsets with more features designed for a
more powerful PC. Lets briefly cover the discrete chipset market.
Intel, AMD and NVIDIA are big in the chipset business. Each of these
companies offer multiple chipsets to choose from, ranging from high end to
low end.
NVIDIA's chipsets appeal lie in their proprietary SLI technology which allows
dual or even multiple NVIDIA video cards to be used in the same PC. In their
discrete chipset range we like their nForce 750i SLI chipset for Intel CPUs
for both price and performance.
AMD's chipsets have their own CrossFireX technology which similar to SLI
allows for dual or multiple AMD ATI video cards. In their discrete chipset
range we like their AMD 790X chipset for AMD CPUs for both price and
performance.
Intel's chipsets do not yet have their own dual and multiple video card
technology. Their latest Intel P55 Express chipset, for you guessed it Intel
CPUs, licenses CrossFireX technology from AMD and also SLI technology from
NVIDIA. We think the Intel P55 Express chipset again falls into a good price
performance ratio.
A short list of other features we think a mobo should support would
include: Quad, triple and dual core CPU chips, PCI Express x16 slot(s), Dual
channel DDR2 or DDR3 memory, SATA 3 Gb/s drives, RAID drives, Gigabit
LAN, HD Audio, S/PDIF and IEEE 1394a (FireWire) output connectors.
For computer enthusiasts it is also critical that we have access to advanced
BIOS settings to overclock our PC. It's part of the fun of having a computer,
and can convert a great computer into an even better one without
spending more cash!
Where possible the motherboard should allow upgrading to the next level of
technology. For example if one chooses integrated graphics now, the
motherboard should include a spare PCI Express x16 slot to add a video card
at a later date, when prices have fallen. Or if one chooses a separate video
card solution now, the motherboard should allow for dual SLI or CrossFireX
video cards at a later date.
There are several high quality mobo manufacturers of which GIGABYTE, Asus
and ECS to name a few offer a range of good boards. We were a little sad
when Abit dropped out of the game. They made great enthusiast boards. A
little nostalgia there.
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