1 - Introduction
Choosing a motherboard requires some understanding of its role in the functioning of the PC. The motherboard not only
has to meet your functional and performance requirements, it also has to be compatible with or support the other components
of the PC. As mentioned earlier, the motherboard houses the basic circuitry and components such as CPU and RAM. The
motherboard you choose must be compatible with or support the CPU and RAM. Also, most motherboards today have integrated
sound cards. This feature could eliminate the need for a sound card, unless of course, you are looking for high quality
sound, in which case you will require an additional sound card. Also, the size of the motherboard is one of the factors
that determine the size/type of the PC cabinet or the chassis. With so many other decisions being interlinked to the
decision of choosing a motherboard, the decision of choosing a motherboard becomes crucial to the selection of other
components of the PC. Hence, it is important that you consider all aspects of performance and compatibility before buying
a motherboard.
| The reason why a choice has to be made between motherboards is because there is lot of difference between various motherboards available. The most important difference is the type of processor it supports (Pentium, Celeron, Athlon etc.). There are also differences in the type of memory supported (DDR, RDRAM, SDRAM etc.), expansion slots, support for hard drives/CD-ROM drives, and presence or absence of integrated sound and graphics. |
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2 - Chipset
The chipset is an integrated part of the motherboard. All components of the computer system communicate with the CPU
through the chipset. The chipset performs vital functions such as routing data from hard drive to memory to CPU. It is
the chipset that ensures that the peripherals and expansion cards can communicate. E.g.: Communication between speakers
and sound cards. The chipset determines the CPU types and CPU speeds the board can take, and (to a certain extent) whether
integrated sound, graphics, USB ports etc. can be included with the board. Manufacturers base their motherboards around
the chipsets they use. Hence, it is crucial to know specifications such as CPU and memory support, IDE controller speed
and whether sound and graphics are integrated. Popular Intel Pentium 4 chipsets include Intel’s 850E, 845E and 845G;
SIS’s 650 and 645 DX. AMD Athlon XP+ chipsets include SIS 745, Nvidia’s NForce and ATI’s Radeon IGP.
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3 - CPU
| Pentium 4 and Athlon XP are the two main choices for CPUs. Motherboard vendors sometimes list their boards by the type of socket that accommodates the CPU. For example: |
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- Socket 478 - for older Pentium and Celeron processors
- Socket 754 - for AMD Sempron and some AMD Athlon processors
- Socket 939 - for newer and faster AMD Athlon processors
- Socket A - for older AMD Athlon processors
Currently socket arrangements are often named after the number of pins in the Pin Grid Array (PGA). The newest Intel CPU does not have a PGA. It has a Land Grid Array (LGA), also known as Socket T. A LGA is different from a PGA in that the pins are actually part of the socket and not the CPU. If you want to use one of the new multi-core chips made by Intel or AMD, choose a motherboard with the correct socket for those chips. CPUs simply will not fit into sockets that do not match their PGA.
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4 - RAM
The amount and type of RAM the motherboard can support is an important parameter to evaluate when buying motherboards.
Keeping in mind that your memory requirements are likely to increase in future, it is always best to buy a board that
supports more RAM than currently needed. Also, getting a board that supports the newer chips will help future-proof the
investment. A motherboard that provides support to newer chips, and can support additional RAM makes it easier to upgrade
the PC at a later date. Most boards today, use DDR (double data rate) SDRAM, though a few P4 chip sets still require
Rambus memory (RDRAM). DDR memory is available in a variety of speeds; consider buying the fastest your motherboard
can support. From slowest to fastest, the DDR SDRAM types are: DDR200 (PC1600), DDR266 (PC2100), DDR333 (PC2700), and
the upcoming DDR400 (PC3200). RDRAM is available only on motherboards having Intel's 850 or 850E chip sets. RDRAM must
be installed in pairs and free memory slots must be filled with continuity modules (CRIMMs). RDRAMs are twice as
expensive as DDR memory, but offer value for money in high-bandwidth applications. RDRAM is currently available in two
speeds: PC800 and PC1066.
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5 - Sound & Graphics
Most motherboards today, have integrated sound. With evolving technology the quality of onboard sound has also
improved. The latest models support six-channel (5.1) digital sound chips which provide reasonable quality sound for
casual gaming and playing music. However, if you require very high quality sound, you can disable integrated sound and
add a sound card that meets your performance standards. For high quality graphics (you require these while playing 3D
games) avoid integrated video and make sure your motherboard includes an AGP slot for adding a graphics card.
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6 - Hard Drive Support
Most motherboards today, have integrated sound. With evolving technology the quality of onboard sound has also improved. The latest models support six-channel (5.1) digital sound chips which provide reasonable quality sound for casual gaming and playing music. However, if you require very high quality sound, you can disable integrated sound and add a sound card that meets your performance standards. For high quality graphics (you require these while playing 3D games) avoid integrated video and make sure your motherboard includes an AGP slot for adding a graphics card.
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7 - Connections
Many motherboards offer Ethernet, USB 2.0, and FireWire ports. USB 2.0 is much faster than USB 1.1. USB 2.0 supports higher-bandwidth devices, such as cameras, video conference cameras, fast storage units and next-generation scanners. Most motherboards today, ship without PS/2, serial, and parallel ports which are used to connect older mouse parallel printers and older keyboards. |
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As mentioned at the start of this guide, motherboards come in different shapes and sizes. However, to ease the process
of designing cases for PCs, certain formats, known as form factors, have been standardized.
The form factor refers to the physical layout of the motherboard. It is used to determine the board's feature design,
including the physical size and shape of the motherboard, the location of mounting holes and slots, and power supply
connectors. The motherboard form factor has to be matched with the computer case that supports the particular form factor.
The most common form factor is ATX. The ATX specification not only dictates where the connectors on the back of the
motherboard should be (to line up with the holes in the case), but also encompasses details such as the power supply
connector. There are variations on form factor - for example, MicroATX and Mini ATX take the basic ATX specification,
but have fewer expansion slots to allow for smaller cases if required.
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