Guide to Computer Motherboards

Computer motherboards are the most important component in your system. Selecting a motherboard can be a daunting process since there are so many different and confusing specifications. This guide will go through the most important features in selecting a motherboard that suits your needs and budget.

If you're interested in checking out some great deals then check out TigerDirect for the best motherboard prices.

All the other components in your system connect to your motherboard. This means that you must decide what type of computer you want before you can select your motherboard. When you build your own computer you must choose components that are compatible with your motherboard.


Lets start by looking at the names of the most important specifications:

1. CPU

There are three different motherboards types that support the three main CPUs in use today.

• Socket A motherboards for AMD Athlons and Durons
• Socket 370 motherboards for Intel Pentium IIIs and Celerons
• Socket 478 for the new Pentium 4

You must buy a motherboard that supports the type of CPU you want. CPUs differ by speed and price. You always pay a lot more for fast CPUs.

If you are looking at getting a cheap computer then I recommend getting a minimum of a socket 370 Pentium III/Celeron motherboard.

2. Memory

There are also three different memory types:

• DDR SDRAM this fast memory is the most common type supported by Althlon/Duron (socket A) motherboards. It is also supported by some of the newer Pentium 4 (socket 478) motherboards. DDR memory also comes in different speeds with 266Mhz the most common and 333Mhz just starting to arrive now.
• SD RAM This is oldest, slowest and cheapest memory type. This is the only memory type found on Pentium III/Celeron motherboards. If you want to build your own cheap computer then I still recommend this memory type. Remember to get PC 133 SD RAM as it is the fastest and most common type.
• RD RAM this memory is only supported by Pentium 4 (socket 478) motherboards. RD RAM is very fast and worth getting if the price is right.
  

3. Hard drive tranfer speed: Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 or Raid

Ultra DMA 133 is the fastest while Ultra DMA 33 is the slowest. Your Hard drive must also support the transfer spped in order to get the speed boost. You can connect an Ultra DMA 33 drive to an Ultra DMA 133 motherboard but you will only get Ultra DMA 33 speeds.

Raid hard drive interface can also be built in. This requires more than one hard drive to work and involves splitting data up over two drives that either prevents data loss due to hard drive failure or increases the read write speed by sharing the load. Raid effectively turns two drives into one fast drive or one automatically backed up drive. This is definately not a required feature and is mostly found on servers.

4. USB ports

If you are buying a new motherboard get a USB 2 compatible one. USB 2 is much faster than USB 1 and new USB devices are starting to come out now. USB 2 is fully back compatible with USB 1 so all the old stuff will still work.

Also get as many USB ports as you can. 4 ports should be the minimum.

5. Onboard graphics and sound:

Some new motherboards come with a built in graphics and sound capabilities. This saves you money as you do not have to spend extra to get these separate graphics and sound cards. However the built in graphics cards are slow and won't play the latest games very well. Usually built in sound is fine and definately worth getting.

That about wraps up everything you need to know about motherboards. If you're interested in prices have a look at TigerDirect for some great motherboard deals.

Take a look around the rest of my site if you are interested in buying tips or technical guides to building your own computer.






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