Motherboard...

When buying a motherboard, one must be aware that certain processors require specific types of motherboards.

For instance, only Socket AM2 motherboards work with the current-generation AMD 64 X2 processor; similarly, only a Socket 478 motherboard works with a Pentium 4 processor.

Motherboards are probably one of the most rapidly changing areas of computers, as there are hundreds of different makers and models of them, and it'd be difficult to recommend a specific one today (as a better one will just fall into the "sweet spot" of the market). There are several specific things to look for when selecting a motherboard:

Standard Socket A MB

  • This is what a standard Socket AM2 motherboard looks like. What all of the open slots are used for will be told in the Assemble Section later.


  • The only real variant among most motherboards is the quality of the slots and the motherboard processing chip, which really only matters in the high-stress applications (again, like video processing and gaming).


  • Generally, a motherboard that has up-to-date slot features will have a decent procssing chipset in it (more on this below).

    • Selection Criteria

    When selecting a motherboard, one needs to look for certain features. Several that have become quite common on them nowadays include ethernet ports, USB, and PCI Express, among others. Modern motherboards generally have the following features:

    PCI Express is a relatively new innovation, designed to rapidly increase the bandwidth (speed) for video cards. In comparing AGP vs. PCI Express, PCI Express is 5x faster than 8x AGP (which is a big jump for video cards). AGP used to be the standard for video cards, but PCI Express, with it using similar technology to Serial ATA (more on that below), is pretty much the defacto standard of today's video cards.

    USB 2.0 is the upgraded version of the old 1.1 format. Theoretically, 2.0 is 40x faster than 1.1. USB 2.0 came out in reply to the increasing popularity of Firewire, which is still somewhat faster than USB. However, USB is much more common in peripheal devices, like digital still cameras, mice, scanners, and the like.

    Firewire is crucial for items that require faster transfer rates, especially for digital video cameras, and if you need one for flexibility's sake, an external hard drive (which, if you plan your PC purchases right, you'll never have to resort to).

    The Dual GB LAN connection is now the defacto method to network computers together. Whether you are in fact building this computer for your kid going off to college, as a second computer, or as a replacement computer, having a LAN connection is a basic necessity, and is normally built into every motherboard. If this is in fact a second computer, the Networking section will vastly expand the options you will have with your computers, from sharing Internet access to playing video games against each other.

    Serial ATA is relatively new technology that allows for faster connection speeds to your hard drive and other devices like your CD-ROM drives. Here's a very easy-to-understand FAQ on SATA with some pictures of the technology as well. Currently, there are several motherboards that support both the standard IDE cable connection and SATA. This is not an absolute requirement right now as opposed to the other three criteria; in fact, you can avoid this feature all together if you are the slightest bit unsure about it and still have an amazing PC. However, if I was purchasing a motherboard now, though, I'd invest in a board with this feature.

    There are also other features you could shop for on a motherboard, including RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). RAID is most commonly used by high-end users, such as servers or video editing who want to run 2 hard drives in parallel, called RAID 0. Both drives are used in their entirety when configured this way. Essentially, the configuration separates data into 2 segments, which allows for faster load and recall time. The home user generally will have no use for this and would not notice any real difference. The more likely use in a home PC is in the RAID configuration RAID 1. This allows a user to automatically make a mirror copy of your hard drive, making a redundant backup system that will save all your data if one of the drives kicks the bucket. Another excellent RAID description can be found here.

    For AMD-based computer, I'd recommend getting a board that can support the most current 64 bit processors, as eventually you may want to upgrade to it once prices fall a bit. Generally, I've seen that on Tiger Direct that the motherboard you should probably end up purchasing costs from $90-$130.

    Also, when thinking of expansion/upgrading, I'd make sure that there are 4+ PCI slots available (so you should pretty much discount a microATX motherboard), as you may eventually want to add more USB ports or Firewire, a better sound card, or many other components.

    For those wanting a higher-end machine (primarily for gaming, video editing, or bragging rights), I suggest going with the most recent Athlon 64 X2 processor/motherboard combination.

    Motherboards are based on two different chipsets, the Via chipsets, which perform wonderfully (and is in fact what my motherboard uses), and the NVIDIA nForce2 chipsets. NIVIDIA also makes high-quality, popular video cards, and has done so well that only one other dominant company remains, ATI. If you are interested in high-end gaming or similar tasks for your computer, I would look more strongly at a NVIDIA board, as it enables the Serial Link Interchange (SLI) technology, which allows you to use multiple video cards to achieve better/faster graphic performance.

    Most of the Motherboards that you will come across have built-in sound (mine currently does), and some very basic boards even have built-in video cards as well.

    Depending on how elaborate you'll need your computer to be, a motherboard with integrated sound may work perfectly for you, well enough in fact, to not require any add-on sound cards. I'd recommend, though, to at least consider how the computer will be used. Will it be just a word processor & Internet machine, or will it also be used for some video games and to store your music collection? If your uses also include the latter, I would suggest buying a nice sound card, like one of those that I recommend.

    Here again are my complete recommendations for building a computer with a great Motherboard at a low price!


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    Rule of Thumb: Unless you have very specific, high-end uses for your motherboard, you should not expect to spend more than $150 for a motherboard. You will be able to find a quality board, with all the features that a normal user should expect to need, for that price.