The support for a desired CPU is key to choose the motherboard. But a motherboard is far more than simply the device a CPU plugs into. What we must avoid buying a motherboard is an inappropriate component selection that may limit the performance of a high-priced system, making the added expense a waste of money. That is to say, we have to avoid bottlenecks.
There are three basic steps in order to choose our future motherboard:
A) Choosing parts that fit and work well together. For that we have to consider: motherboard size, socket type and chipset features.
B) Getting the best performance. Memory configuration and graphics support is what we have to consider concerning performance
c) Finally, ultimate functionality: Onboard devices and/or additional card slots have to be always considered.
The following picture shows some of this elements:
This is a Socket 775 motherboard from Foxconn (image obtained from www.tomshardware.com)
Choosing The Right Processor Socket
Current possibilities for sockets are especially:
LGA 1366
Intel Core i7. Integrated memory controller, DDR3 support and three memory channels
LGA 775
Intel Core 2 Quad&Duo, Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron. DDR2 support and two memory channels (dual channel)
Socket AM2
AMD Phenom, Athlon 64 & 64 X2 & 64 FX, Sempron. Integrated memory controller, DDR2 support and two memory channels (dual channel)
Socket 939
AMD Athlon 64 & 64 X2 & 64 FX. Integrated memory controller, DDR support and two memory channels (dual channel)
Memory
Memory type and configuration limits are normally thought to be those of the memory controller, but motherboard's slot configuration can further limit choices. For example, several smaller motherboards provide only two memory slots, both wired to a single memory channel, making a dual-channel capable memory controller pointless. Certainly, it's best to have at least four DIMM slots.
In the following posts I will keep explaining more about points A), B) and c)
There are three basic steps in order to choose our future motherboard:
A) Choosing parts that fit and work well together. For that we have to consider: motherboard size, socket type and chipset features.
B) Getting the best performance. Memory configuration and graphics support is what we have to consider concerning performance
c) Finally, ultimate functionality: Onboard devices and/or additional card slots have to be always considered.
The following picture shows some of this elements:
This is a Socket 775 motherboard from Foxconn (image obtained from www.tomshardware.com)Choosing The Right Processor Socket
Current possibilities for sockets are especially:
LGA 1366
Intel Core i7. Integrated memory controller, DDR3 support and three memory channels
LGA 775
Intel Core 2 Quad&Duo, Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron. DDR2 support and two memory channels (dual channel)
Socket AM2
AMD Phenom, Athlon 64 & 64 X2 & 64 FX, Sempron. Integrated memory controller, DDR2 support and two memory channels (dual channel)
Socket 939
AMD Athlon 64 & 64 X2 & 64 FX. Integrated memory controller, DDR support and two memory channels (dual channel)
Memory
Memory type and configuration limits are normally thought to be those of the memory controller, but motherboard's slot configuration can further limit choices. For example, several smaller motherboards provide only two memory slots, both wired to a single memory channel, making a dual-channel capable memory controller pointless. Certainly, it's best to have at least four DIMM slots.
In the following posts I will keep explaining more about points A), B) and c)
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