| The heart of any computer is the motherboard. It is | | | | The old standard is a PCI slot and these are |
| that big board inside the computer that everything is | | | | appropriate for most expansion cards, excepts new |
| connected to. It performs the role of traffic lights | | | | graphics cards. |
| and policemen, directing flows of information to | | | | The most simple of graphics cards are sometimes |
| where they are needed, when they are needed. | | | | available for PCI slots, but not too many. More |
| Choosing the right motherboard does not have to be | | | | common are AGP cards and the newer PCI express |
| a huge issue, even though there is a lot to consider. I | | | | (PCIe) cards. AGP slots come in speed variants up to |
| will start off with the most major parts and move | | | | 8x, make sure the slot matches your card. PCI and |
| onto the the things that are less important or | | | | PCIe are incompatible, so don't be confused by that. |
| non-essential. | | | | The PCIe slots are much longer and have a securing |
| Firstly is the socket type. | | | | latch. If you want an SLI graphics card setup with |
| The socket is the place where the processor (CPU) | | | | two PCIe cards with SLI attached together, make |
| connects to the motherboard. There is no | | | | sure the motherboard specifically states that it |
| compatiblility between sockets, so it has to be the | | | | supports SLI. |
| right one. The socket connection needs to match the | | | | Fourth is hard drive and optical drive connections |
| connection of the processor you have or the one | | | | Two kinds are available, IDE and SATA, IDE is older |
| you intend to buy for the computer. | | | | with a thick cable and SATA is newer with a thinner |
| Most older Intel Pentium 4s utilise socket 478. Newer | | | | cable. SATA capability is usually an add-on, you can |
| ones use socket 775. AMD chips utilised socket A for | | | | see a dedicated chip on the motherboard. IDE is |
| a long time, but now the AMD Athlon 64 series and | | | | being phased out, but is still used for many drives |
| Semprons use socket 939. Just check with someone | | | | and all optical devices like DVD and CD drives. IDE |
| as to what yours or your intended one will have. | | | | has speeds of ATA66, ATA100 and ATA133, SATA |
| Your choice of chip will have a lot to do with your | | | | has speeds of 150Mbps and 300Mbps the latter |
| needs, but choosing one with an up to date socket | | | | sometimes referred to as SATA2. Make sure your |
| type will ensure slightly longer motherboard life as | | | | board supports as much or more than you intend to |
| you can upgrade the chip for a while. | | | | install. |
| Second is the memory type | | | | Fifth is the extras |
| DDR is the RAM of choice for most systems, but | | | | The number of extras available on motherboard has |
| some newer systems, which includes all Pentiums | | | | increased greatly and so has the quality of the |
| with socket 775 use DDR2. These two kinds are not | | | | extras. Things to be expected are USB 2.0, a sound |
| interchangable and have a different number of pins. | | | | card and network slot. Other things which it may or |
| Both DDR and DDR2 come in different speed ratings | | | | may not have are firewire and extra USB slots. |
| measured in MHz. DDR has a usual 400MHz denoted | | | | So with all that in mind you should be in good stead |
| as DDR400 or PC3200, while DDR2 can go a little | | | | to make a good decision on your purchase. Happy |
| higher and comes in slightly faster speeds. Just make | | | | shopping. |
| it match what the board needs. | | | | Roundup |
| Third is expansion slots | | | | Socket type - A, 478, 775, 939 |
| The expansion slots are the places where you put | | | | Memory (RAM) - DDR, DDR2 |
| extra cards onto the motherboard, like graphics | | | | Expansion slots - PCI and one of AGP or PCIe |
| cards, extra sound card or a wireless internet card. | | | | ATA - ATA66, 100 or 133. |