The motherboard is the central part of your
computer. Every single component in your
computer is in some way connected to the
motherboard.
The type of
motherboard also determines what CPUs will and
will not work with the motherboard, and also a
graphic card.
The main factor
limiting PC upgradeability is the motherboard.
That's why motherboard represents the most
important part of your computer and you have
to be very careful while choosing one. If you
buy a cheap motherboard it might cause you
many problems and limit your upgradeability
options.
When buying a
motherboard you will need socket A motherboard
for AMD CPU's and
Socket 478 for
Intel CPU's. When buying the motherboard you
should consider these things:
What kind of CPU will
you use?
Will you be trying to
overclock your CPU?
What special features
will you need?
What kind of
components are you going to use, and do you
already own them, or will you be starting
out from scratch?
Most of today's
motherboards come with a built in sound.
Most manufacturers include this as marketing
not to provide high quality sound. Some
people migh find quality of built in sound
good enough for their needs, however there
is another major drawback of a built in
sound. Many of the built in sound cards
require heavy CPU utilization, up to 20%,
because they do not have their own
processor. Even the low end sound card will
probably give you better sound, and most
certainly better performances.
Below I
have listed few good motherboards that I would
recommend:
For
Athlon I would definitely recommend an ASUS
motherboards, as they are proven to be one of
the best for AMD Athlon processors. They are a
bit more expensive but have best quality and
performances, give you the most for your
money.
My
choice for a good and cheap AMD compatible motherboard
would be:
Asus - A7N8X - Socket A ATX Motherboard with Audio, AGP 8X, USB 2.0 and 10/100Mbps Ethetnet LAN Support.
There is also a more
advanced version of it
A7N8X Deluxe, which is a
bit more expensive. If you want better
performances for your Gaming or Multimedia PC
get Deluxe version.
I will
not make any recommendation for a good P4
motherboard because I am not the big fan of SIS
chipset that is currently used. But you can
browse through the selection and decide for
your self if Socket 478 (Learn More) is the right for you.
I personally prefer Socket A for now.
