Free computer tips on selection of motherboard
In this post you will get 9 free tips on buying a new motherboard. What points you should keep in mind before making a choice for motherboard. As you know creating a customized PC is much easier and fulfill your requirements. The most important decisions you will make for your customized PC is which motherboard to buy. Motherboard prices and features vary tremendously so you need to consider performance, Prices, and features in a new motherboard depending on your need and requirement.
Motherboard shopping tips
Tip 1 : take some time to think about how you will use your system.
Understand what kind of system you are building. Someone with a power meter that requires a serial port will care a lot more about the peripheral features than the average user will, while the hard-core gamer will probably focus on the GPU, CPU, and chip set while ignoring peripherals and form-factor issues.
Tip 2 : Selecting the chip set
If the CPU is the brains of the PC than the Chip set is the spinal cord. Chip set is the single and most important component of motherboard and it directly influence the performance. Chip sets normally employ two different chips referred to as the northbridge and southbridge.North bridge is responsible for dealing with high-performance devices while less sensitive devices are dealt by southbridge. Northbridge includes the memory controller and graphic controller while southbridge includes networking, storage, audio, general peripherals. Pick chip set first, then the motherboard. The difference is chip sets can be significant but two motherboard with same chip set will be nearly identical in performance.
Tip 3 : Selecting Memory
Stay with DDR2 memory unless you need the extra bandwidth and performance. A modern desktop PC should have at least 2GB of memory, possibly 4GB for more demanding applications. Most chip sets use DDR2 memory at up to 800 MHz but newer chip sets from Intel may also use DDR3. DDR3 offers more bandwidth and consume less power but its expensive also.Both DDR2 and DD3 uses 240 pins the difference is that the key ( a small gap between the pins) is closer to the center of the DIMM ( the memory module ) for DDR. while it is closer to the edgeof the DDR3 DIMM. Remember : If the memory module doesn't fit into the slot, don't force it!
Tip 4 : Selecting graphic Hardware
The graphic processing unit (GPU) is the third most important component of a system, right after the CPU and chip sets. You need to consider the cost, performance and upgradability. AN IGP is a fine choice for for users interested in a little multimedia, office work and other lighter workloads.
Tip 5 : PCI Slot
PCI express comes in two flavors. GEN 1 and GEN 2. The difference is that Gen 2 PCI express slot runs at 5GHz twice the speed of previous generation. If the price is no object and maximum gaming performance is your goal, your selection is bit different. True multi-GPU support is a your high-end is priced accordingly. The only options for multiple GPUs are SLI and Crossfile. SLI for nvidia and Crossfire for ATI cards. Remember nVidia is the clear performance leader and note that nVidia chip sets and intel's Shulltrail motherboard.
Tip 6 : Sound card
AC97 is an older audio standard that has been superseded by HD audio or Azilla. For the dedicated enthusiasts who would benefit from a discrete sound card an = extra PCI-E slot is enough to find.
Tip 7 : Networking
A good chip set will always have at least one integrated gigabyte Ethernet port. simply check it before buying.
Tip 8 : Associated Peripherals
On the motherboard, the peripherals can include USB 2.0, fireWire, PS/2, serial and parallel ports, and a floppy drive. OF those options, USB 2.0 is an absolute necessity and fire Wire can be nice obsolete unless you pretty much specific peripheral device.
Tip 9 : Form factor
The last aspect of the motherboard to consider is form factor. Most motherboard uses the ATX form factor, with the microATX design meeting the needs of space conscious user.
