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Dated: Dec. 05, 2010

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Motherboard

In the event of taking an existing computer in for repairs only to be told that a new motherboard is needed, it may sound like it is very expensive to buy. The good news is that motherboards come by very cheap compared to purchasing a new PC. Many online retailers specializing in computer parts sell motherboards for under $100 for a board that meets the requirements of building a high-end computer for a lot more, although there are boards that cost more for what a builder needs for the ultimate custom PC.

A motherboard is not just for restoring old computers, but it can be used for building new systems from the ground up without spending a lot of money for a custom computer by request, and you can get what you want without relying on tech support when something goes wrong. It is also a good way to learn more about computers, opening up plenty of ideas for future system upgrades.

The Role of the Motherboard

motherboard A motherboard is the body of a computer system. It holds everything that runs the computer: the CPU for the heart, the RAM for the brain, the video card for the eyes, the audio card for the ears, and the data ports for the mouth. There is more to it than the idea of the computer as a living breathing species: treating a motherboard is like treating a human body, but the responsibility of taking care of a computer is greater.

Form Factors

There are a lot of form factors of a motherboard that fit specific computer cases, but four of them are currently being used in modern systems. For example: an ATX form factor motherboard fits all standard size desktop cases, and a MicroATX motherboard fits into smaller cases that are half the size of a desktop case. Mini-ITX and Mini-ATX are other motherboard form factors for other types of PC cases, but ATX is a more common choice when building or upgrading PCs.

Getting a case that matches the motherboard form factor is very important: a ATX form motherboard does not fit in a MicroATX case as the peripheral placements on the board will not match. A matching form factor board and case will always match the peripheral bays behind the computer.

CPU Types and Sockets

A motherboard includes sockets for specific processors depending on the manufacturer of the CPU: AMD processors fit AMD-based motherboards, and Intel processors fit Intel-based motherboards. The socket on the board are fitted for the pins on the CPU chip itself. In the early days of computer processors, there were fewer pins that would easily fit into any board. With the advancement of CPU technology, the socket number increases, and so does the demand of processors in the socket family.

Varying on the manufacturer of the CPU, the higher the number, the newer the technology. For example: the Socket 470 series are based on the previous Intel Pentium processors and Socket A are older AMD processors. With this in mind, when buying a motherboard for PC building purposes, parts must be obtain immediately to keep up with the current technological advancements as they can be hard to find in the future.

Memory Slots

The key to having a perfect system is installing the recommended amount of RAM on the board. Most motherboards have two slots, although four slots are becoming a mainstay for modern motherboards: the more slots, the more memory supported. Like the pins on the CPU socket, RAM slots are also counted on to the number of pins on a RAM chip. On newer boards, the minimum number of pins found are 240. Finding RAM with these number of pins is not too difficult, but may varying depending on the motherboard CPU manufacturer.

Installing RAM also counts on the motherboard CPU fitted. A newer Dual Data Rate (DDR3) RAM chip transfers data faster than previous DDR RAM: an older memory chip on a newer board would not work very well. A fast CPU requires the most memory which is usually the maximum supported, normally 4 gigabytes. A benefit of adding the maximum amount of RAM is unleashing the full power of a PC for uninterrupted performance, especially with video card applications.

On-Board Devices

Many motherboards come with on-board devices such as video and audio cards. These are commonly found on retail computers, but they are known to be less powerful than external cards. There are a few boards that have stable on-board devices, but seasoned PC builders prefer external devices instead. Purchasing a board with internal devices are idea for first time PC builders, but the option of building a system in addition of adding brand new devices is what makes building a custom PC so special.

Conclusion and Warnings

There is a lot more to cover in handling motherboards, but having a motherboard in your hands is just the beginning of an amazing journey into learning about computer hardware. Before buying a motherboard, do a research for reviews and user experiences for the best board in the market. Beware of buying a motherboard that does not have little or no instructions that would create problems later.

Before building a PC for the first time, there are few warnings before handling any computer parts:

  1. When building computers alone, following the instruction manual of the motherboard should be very understandable and should not be "broken" from another language.
     
  2. When handling internal computer components, your body should be grounded and not conduct static electricity.
     
  3. Before opening a PC, it should be completely unplugged from the power source has it can cause damage to the PC or to the builder.

 

Now that you've gotten free know-how on this topic, try to grow your skills even faster with online video training. Then finally, put these skills to the test and make a name for yourself by offering these skills to others by becoming a freelancer. There are literally 2000+ new projects that are posted every single freakin' day, no lie!


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Rabia's Comment
Case ( Coolermaster HAF 932 Full-Tower Gaming Case w/420W Power Supply Black )Case Lighting ( None )Power Supply ( 850 Watt Ikonik Vulcan MT 850 Power Supply Quad SLI Ready )Processor ( Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (2x 3.16GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB) )Processor Cooling ( [$10 OFF Mail-In Rebate] [=== Silent ===] Thermaltake MaxOrb CPU Cooling Fan System Kit Silent Overclocking Proof = Maximum cooling efeccifniy for quietness and performance )Motherboard ( [SLI] MSI P7N Diamond Nvidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Three PCI-E MB == $30 OFF Mail-In Rebate == )Memory ( 4 GB [1 GB X4] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )Hard Drive ( 320 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )2nd Hard Drive ( None )External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )CD/DVD Drive ( [Lightscribe Technology] Sony 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVDb1R/b1RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVDb1R/b1RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )Speaker System ( 600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )Floppy Drive ( None )Monitor ( LCD Monitor [--- Special ---] 20.1 LCD 16:10 Wide WSXGA HD(HDCP) Monitor Support DVI Video up to 1080P(HDMI) )2nd Monitor ( None )Keyboard ( None )Mouse ( Logitech G9 Laser Gaming Mouse Black )USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )Meter Display ( XION Color LCD Thermal Control Panel )Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )Operation System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access .) 64-Bit )
12 Sat Jan 2013
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Ishmael Ayittey's Comment
Well it's really awesome to help people on how to manage their computer. Thanks a lot for your good work done.
26 Wed Dec 2012
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Thanks for such a wonderful compliment Ishmael.




Sucheta's Comment
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13 Fri Jul 2012
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I'm really sorry Sucheta. These banners are the only way to keep the site operating. We don't sell anything. We don't ask for money to become a member either. Even commenting doesn't require membership of any sort.




Napoleon's Comment
Respected sir, i thank everyone of you who has contributed to what i can see here and i will be happy to have every updates of A+ questions to be sent to my e-mail.thanks.
07 Mon Nov 2011
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 Hi Napoleon

sending you every update through email might be difficult for the time being but i ll let you know once we have that feature with its full strength. till then you have to visit us for latest information.




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19 Sun Jun 2011
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Anurag Gupta's Comment
It is superb knowledge portal.
14 Tue Jun 2011
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Mayank's Comment
good
14 Fri Jan 2011
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Thanks




WikiFunna's Comment
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16 Thu Dec 2010
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