 |
 |
 |
 |
Buying a
Computer Motherboard.
Kenilworth Computer
Repairs Mobile Computer Maintenance,
Repair, and I.T Desktop Support Services for Kenilworth, Warwick, Royal
Leamington Spa, Rugby, Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Solihull and environs.
What is a Motherboard / Mainboard ?
The motherboard
or mainboard is the heart of your computer. It is the 'brain' where all
the processing is handled for running applications, browsing the
internet or sending and receiving emails.
How do I know the best Motherboard to buy ?
There are lots and lots of
motherbards in the marketplace today ranging in price from a few tens of
pounds up to several hundred pounds for some top-end models. All
motherboards will have the same basic features, that is to say
connections and sockets USB devices, Networking, Video and Sound. Computer Solutions will be happy to advise on what is best for your particular requirements.
Popular Makes
Motherboard manufacturers are
constantly bringing out new models to support the latest range of
processors and memory. Basically motherboards fall into two broad
categories. these are Intel motherboards that support Intel's range of
processors and AMD which support AMD's range of processors. The two are
not interchangeable. You cannot use an Intel processor in an AMD
motherboard and vice-versa.
Popular makes to look out for are ASUS and
Gigabyte. For the budget conscious Asrock do some less expensive
motherboards.
Motherboard Features
Almost all motherboards today should have sockets
for the DDR3 memory type. This has now superseded the DDR2 memory type
popular 3 or 4 years ago. Your motherboard should also have at least two
SATA hard drive sockets as these hav also superseded the older IDE
hard drive sockets.
For those motherboards that do not have a build in
video socket the standard is now PCI-X, which looks like a jumbo PCI
socket. Most manufacturers are now ONLY providing PCI-X sockets
rather than 3 or 4 standard PCI sockets of a couple of years ago. Some
budget, cheaper motherboards do have a built in VGA video socket. This
is a 15 pin connector ro which your monitor is attached.
As a minimum your motherboard should at least be
capable of normal stereo sound output usually via a 3.5mm mini jack
socket, as well as a microphone input and aline output socket too. Many
motherboards today have surround sound features as standard.
Higher end motherboards will usually have built in
HD-Video sockets to or multiple networking sockets, which can be used
together. Sometimes on-board wireless adapters are also included. Expect
to pay more for these features though.
Buying A Processor & Motherboard Together
This is undoubtedly one of the best options
buying both the processor, motherboard and sometimes the memory as a
bundle can result in a saving and you know that everything is going to
work together as intended. But beware of extremely cheap deals as these
are usually based on stock that the retailer is finding it difficult to
sell.
Cost & budget
With all motherboards it really comes down to
which features you would like and what budget you have available to
spend. For most people, browsing the Internet or working from home, the
basic motherboards will suffice. However if you are a "die-hard" gamer
or software developer then a more expensive motherboard, wit some degree
of "future-proofing" might be suitable.
Computer Solutions are always happy to advise you in this respect.
No comments:
Post a Comment