Select The Right Motherboard For A Gaming Computer.
The motherboard is the body and soul of the computer: everything eventually goes through the motherboard. Since it’s such an essential piece of equipment, you can imagine selecting a board is no small task!
There are a ton of motherboards out there, and a lot of them look very similar to each other. So, to choose one motherboard from the hundreds (literally) to choose from, you’ll have to filter them out.
Your first filter is the processor you’ve chosen. You’ll want a motherboard that supports the same Processor Interface (also called Socket Type), otherwise you won’t be able to use your processor. You’ll also want a motherboard that supports the clock and bus speed of your processor – if the motherboard doesn’t support the processors full clock and bus speed you’re not getting the most out of your money.
Now that you’ve limited your motherboard selection, it’s time to talk features. Specifically, what features the motherboard has that you need.
RAM
While you could select your memory before a motherboard, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to find a motherboard that matches both your processor and your chosen memory. It’s easier to choose a motherboard now and then pick the right RAM.
There are several different types of ram, but there are two rules you’ll want to stick with:
- The faster the memory (memory is clocked in MHz), the better performance.
- The larger the memory (measured in MB or GB), the better overall system performance.
I/O Connections
Motherboards can have several I/O connectors. These are generally used to attach devices, such as video cards, to your computer and can come in several different flavors. Generally, modern retail motherboards have:
- PCI-Express (PCIe) in several speeds, from x1 to x32. PCIe x32 is usually split between two x16 slots – you can read more about this in our How to Select a Video Card article.
- PCI 2.0
- USB 2.0
- Firewire (IEE1394)
- IDE/SATA/SATA-II are the common connectors. IDE is the older/slower cousin of SATA (Serial ATA). SATA-II is a faster version of SATA, and can also be referred to as SATA 3.0Gb/s.
- Ethernet (also called network ports, RJ-45, or LAN ports) can often be provided. High-end motherboards often offer multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports, while most other boards offer single-port 10/100 Ethernet options.
- PS/2 ports can be found on most motherboard. They are the standard connectors for your keyboard and mouse; however, this is slowly being replaced by USB ports.
- Other connectors may be present on your motherboard, such as serial or parallel ports. While they’re available, they’re generally not used unless it’s for a very specific application.
On-Board Audio
Depending on your motherboard it may come with on-board audio, so you won’t have a need to buy a separate sound card. Modern on-board audio devices can provide acceptable performance if you’re looking to cut back on your budget and avoid buying a dedicated sound card.
Video Cards
At this point you should take into account the video card you may want to use. If you’re looking in the low to medium end gaming computer, you’ll want to find a motherboard that supports, at least, one PCI-Express x16 port. For a high-end gaming machine you may want to look into motherboards that support Crossfire or SLI.
Number of Drives
Most motherboards will support SATA or SATA-II drives, but may only support one or two drives, at most. If you’re going to use multiple SATA drives you’ll want to make sure that your motherboard can support the number of drives you plan on installing.
Question of Space
The final thing you’ll want to keep in mind is the amount of space you’ll have on the motherboard. If you plan on using an elaborate cooling system (such as water cooling) you’ll need to make sure all of your components will fit.
Recommended Motherboards
Tight Budget
ECS 915ZT-M – $49.99 – This is a low-end motherboard for a very tight budget, but it gets the job done. The motherboard supports the Pentium D and Core 2 Duo processors. It also comes with one PCIe x16 slot and two PCI 2.0 slots. In addition, this motherboard supports up to 2GB of RAM (at 667MHz), four SATA/SATA-II drives, and one IDE connection. Oh yeah, it has one-board 6 channel audio.
Average Budget
Intel DG33FBC – $104.99 – This is another Socket 775 motherboard that supports Core 2 Quad processors with a bus speed up to 1333MHz. It also supports up to 8GB of RAM (at 667MHz), one PCIe x16 slot, three PCIe x1 slots, and three PCI 2.0 slots. Plus it has four SATA-II headers, and
features 6 channel on-board audio.
Big Budget
BFG nForce 680i SLI – $229.99 – This BFG motherboard has it all: on-board 8 channel audio, two x16 PCIe slots, one x8 PCIe slot, two PCIe x1 slots, and two PCI slots. It supports up to six SATA-II drives and up to 8GB of RAM (at 800MHz). Oh yeah, it supports the Intel Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors and it’s SLI-ready.
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