Choosing a Motherboard
Motherboard Chipset
We will now get into the specifics of motherboard choices. When we talk about motherboards, the first and most important thing (after CPU socket) is chipset. The chipset of the motherboard will determine how the board handles all the various parts that get plugged into it. If your CPU is the brain of the computer, the chipset is the spinal cord. So, we classify motherboards by the chipset on them. I use chipset in a broad way here, and it can include more than one chip (or controller) on the same board.
Advanced: Learning about the voltage regulation of a motherboard will take you a very long way in evaluating the quality of that board. For a truly masterful guide to this subject see this
Hardware Secrets Article.
Thomas Soderstrom, A.K.A Crashman, wrote an
excellent article for TH covering motherboard choices. It is now a bit old, but still has good data. You will find a bit more opinion and links to external sources in my guide, as I'm not in anyone's employ... that's in no way a knock on Crashman, he does excellent work. I just felt the need to point out potential differences. I make assumptions based on who I think is reading my guide. Crashman does not have that luxury.
Intel CPU Boards
(in order of current new build popularity)
Intel Socket LGA 1155 (Most recent mainstream socket. Supports both Sandy bridge and Ivy bridge processors. Individual older boards may not support the Ivy Bridge processors)
Panther Point Chipsets (coincides with the release of Ivy Bridge processors, but also supports Sandy Bridge processors)
These chipsets ALL support onboard graphics. They all have native USB 3.0. They have PCI-E 3.0. Whether a manufacturer implements all those features on a budget board is another matter, but in most cases they do.
Z77
Supports overclocking and onboard graphics (with appropriate CPUs only). The most feature rich chipset.
Z75
Just like the Z77 chipset but a few less features, especially SSD caching that is present in Z68 and Z77.
H77
No overclocking but it does support SSD caching. Normally the most feature rich non-overclocking board.
B75
This is a "business class" chipset with no overclocking or SSD caching, but some enterprise features. It may be found at a good price for budget builds, and has great features for budget oriented gamers too.
Cougar Point Chipsets (coincides with the release of Sandy Bridge and the LGA 1155 socket. Many motherboards with this chipset can support Ivy Bridge CPUs, but will need a BIOS update to do so.)
- Intel Z68
This chipset offers a couple features found in P67 and H67, but combines them. It is able to OC but is ALSO able to support the built-in graphics of SB CPUs. It is able to use a small SSD drive as a HDD cache, speeding up performance. If you are a gamer and have enough money to buy a larger SSD (80GB or more) then this choice doesn't give you anything really and you can stick with P67. Note though that Z68 boards do come in very deluxe models. Perhaps having that backup graphics option will be something some people will want. Most gamers building an Intel rig will get one of these.
- Intel P67
The chipset that most gamers buying Intel used to get. Supports the newest LGA 1155 CPUs. Does NOT support the graphics built in to those CPUs. Does support overclocking. Supports dual PCI-E slots running at x8/x8, but look carefully at the specific motherboard as some will not have this feature. SLI or Crossfire. SATA 6GB/S support but no native USB 3 support (But most boards will still support USB 3 using another chip). Still a very good choice, especially if a price is much better than similar Z68 board.
- Intel H67
The new LGA 1155 chipset for those that want the built-in graphics of the new CPUs. Does not allow for CPU overclocking, but memory can be overclocked.
- Intel X79
This is for socket 2011 CPUs. It offers more features and is strictly high-end. There are not many compelling reasons to use these boards and CPUs currently, as almost all gamers will not benefit from these features. Machines that must do double duty 3D rendering as well as gaming might be one use. Perhaps as video cards develop over the next two years, and place a larger demand on motherboard resources, this platform will get more recommendations. If you have very deep pockets and a desire to show off, perhaps. (
NOTE: Recent studies indicate that the extra PCI-E lanes available may indeed benefit those gamers that are using two high-end video cards)
- Intel P55
This was the previous gen chipset for desktops, and used discreet graphics cards. No reason to buy this for a new system now, as the newest chipset and CPUs offer such a large increase in performance... unless you find a very good deal. these boards and CPUs still outperform AMD options.
- IntelH55, H57
This is the previous gen chipset for desktops that only needed onboard graphics. No reason to buy this for a new system now, as the newest chipset and CPUs offer such a large increase in performance.... unless, again, you get a very good deal.
-Intel x58
The x58 supports LGA 1366 i7 quad core or 6-core CPUs from Intel. This is now obsolete, not recommended as it has been replaced by sockets LGA 1155 and LGA 2011. It's still a VERY nice platform and owners of these boards and CPUs have little need to upgrade.
- Intel Q57
LGA 1156 chipset intended for corporate applications.
AMD CPU Chipsets
Most of the modern AMD chipsets now come in an AM3+ flavor - what that means is that the motherboards use DDR3 and both AM3 and AM3+ CPUs can be used in them. This gets confusing and we really don't want to be confused, do we? For new AMD builds, you will probably want an AM3+ board and DDR3 now.
AMD 990X, 890GX
This AMD chipset supports crossfire at x8/x8 and SATA 6GB/USB 3.0. The 890GX has a very slight onboard graphics improvement over 790GX, depending on who you ask. The 990X does not have onboard graphics.
AMD 990FX 890FX
More bandwidth for the PCI-E slots (for your multiple graphics cards). Should have all the bells and whistles and will usually cost a bit more.
AMD 970, 870
Will normally have just one PCI-E slot and no onboard graphics. A great budget choice.
AMD 790GX
An older chipset, but still many sold. Much like the 890GX but with no support for USB 3 or SATA 6GB/S
AMD 790X
Like the 790GX but without the onboard graphics.
AMD 880G
Popular budget board with onboard graphics. May have SATA 6GB/s and USB 3.0. Still used for new AMD budget builds.
Other Motherboard Considerations
There is a lot more on a motherboard than the AMD or Intel chipset. Audio chips, SATA controllers, USB chips, heatsinks... it can be a long list. Currently, USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s are new standards that are not yet available on every board. Check for these and do not omit them from your budget, if you are too poor to afford them you are likely better off buying used parts.
Integrated graphics?
There are times when you just don't want a separate graphics card. Many computers just need to run office apps, or play a few movies occasionally. Fancy gaming video cards are not wanted. This is a good time to consider AMD actually. The A-series AMD processors have built-in graphics that can even do moderate gaming. I will not cover this in detail here, as most of our visitors are building rigs that could use a bit more GPU power. Ask us which onboard graphics motherboard is right for you, and we'll help.
What about SLI?
SLI means running two or three Nvidia graphics cards linked for increased gaming performance.
Crossfire means running two or more ATI Radeon cards linked for gaming performance.
SLI/Crossfire FAQ by Maziar
Many P67 and Z68, Z77 boards and all x79 boards support both crossfire and SLI. 890GX and 890FX run only crossfire, not SLI. Most 990FX boards should now support both CF and SLI.
Expansion slots?
Can be important, and a key part of planning out your computer. A large video card that is placed on some boards might block access to parts of the board you need. Two large video cards may make it impossible to install that sound card you want. Look at the expansion slots, imagine your cards and where they will be.
Ethernet?
All modern boards come with built-in wired networking ability. Only certain boards come with built-in wireless functionality, so you may need to buy a wireless add-in card. The onboard wired Ethernet will be all that most people need.
Sound?
See the sound card section below.
Ports?
Hey, there are all sorts of things that can be plugged into a motherboard. PATA, SATA, USB, eSATA, Firewire, the list goes on. Make sure you know what you need, and what you do not. Make sure you aren't paying extra just for some fancy port you will never use. Some people really do need 8 USB ports. Many of your ports are accessed in the back of the board, and some are internal – meaning they accept cables from the front of your case.