[SOLVED] How do you pick a motherboard ?

[albalynga48]

This is one of the absolutely toughest things I've ever tried to research, and I would know... I am a graduate student who does constant research. But I am dumbfounded. There are thousands of motherboards each with their own non-descriptive name like MSI G563-M4 or EVGA 3XCLP40.... and I have no idea what the f%&k I'm even looking for.
I want to fit a nvidia 1060/1070/1080 and a core i7 to this PC. But I have no idea what I need.

 

[rgd1101]

there are 10 gen of core i7(soon be 11). and they don't work will all intel motherboard.
budget? what the case? how much ram? what storage?

 

[punkncat]

Generally speaking....

First, research the CPU you would like to use. Pay attention to it's generation and chipset. Many retailers will have a "spec" tab where you can see recommended chipsets to use. Then, do a little more homework to make sure that the particular generation and chipset are a match with/without a BIOS update. Take a look at 8th/9th gen Intel to see what I mean.

If you selected a "K" CPU and actually want to OC it, you will need a "Z" chipset (for Intel).
If you are selecting an i7/9 variant that you wish to OC I would suggest doing a bit of research into the VRM and power delivery of the motherboards you go further to select (but am getting a little ahead of myself)

So, from the above you should know what CPU you want, and what chipsets will pair and work with it.
The next thing would be to look up specific models. I personally love NewEgg and Microcenter for that aspect as they have great tools for finding specific chipsets, by price. Then look through the spec of them and the backplane. Does it have as many RAM slots as you want? Does the backplane have all the connectors you want? Does it have the video output you want? (this may not matter if you have a GPU)

Lastly, filter all those desires by cost. You should find a few things that come to the top. Review those specific ones a bit closer (as mentioned above) to be sure they are suitable for the CPU you selected.
Lastly, after that selection is made do comparative shopping to see where it's the best cost to delivery time.

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of "this PC" ?
Do you have an i7 processor that you want to use?
What is your budget?
What are you trying to accomplish?
List, as best you can, the make model of all your parts.

You should be able to install any modern graphics card in any modern motherboard.
They all will have at least one pcie x16 slot which is what you need.

The cards you mentioned will need aux power so a simple 300w psu will not do the job.

I7 comes in many generations of intel processors.
The key is that certain processors need certain chipsets in a motherboard.
Also, the size of your case may be a factor.
A MATX motherboard with 4 expansion slots will fit in a large ATX(7 slot) case, but not vice versa.

 

[punkncat]

Also, the size of your case may be a factor.
A MATX motherboard with 4 expansion slots will fit in a large ATX(7 slot) case, but not vice versa.

Good point to catch/make. Size IS important where it comes to mobo and case.

 

[Math Geek]

i start with the socket to be sure the cpu even works on it and size to be sure it fits in the case. then i start looking at features. how many/kinds usb ports? internal usb headers needed? fan headers, rgb headers needed? pcie slots, m.2 slots, any other slots, and so on. start narrowing down models that have the right features you need until you have maybe a dozen or so to pick from. (might be more or less depending on how specific your needs are)

once i have a smaller amount of models i start looking at things like power delivery. can it deliver the power needed by the cpu and system? especially important with the intel cpu's right now using a ton of power. you may not need the top of the line 25 phase mobo but the 4 phase one may not be good enough (or it might be, you have to research to know what your cpu needs are).

now you're likely down to only a handful of choices. now you start looking at price, looks and any possible extras one has that the others may not have. things like wifi/bt or maybe it comes with some sata cables you may need anyway. or whatever else it may offer to make it stand out from the others. here is where you can look at some reviews for those few models and see what they have to say.

and by reviews i don't mean amazon customer babbling nonsense or some youtube fool declaring one "awesome" because it has flashy lights. i mean professional reviews done by pros who will test that power delivery and other important stuff to know if it is a solid board or not.

in the end i usually get down to 2 or 3 that all fit the bill at a decent price. then it's just a matter of taste or a coin toss.


we see a ton fo questions here from people asking how to get a feature on the mobo they bought that does not come with it. don't be that guy who buys because "i saw that people liked it" and then find out it is not what you need. do your homework first and you'll never regret your purchase like so many here do.

 

[Zerk2012]

This is one of the absolutely toughest things I've ever tried to research, and I would know... I am a graduate student who does constant research. But I am dumbfounded. There are thousands of motherboards each with their own non-descriptive name like MSI G563-M4 or EVGA 3XCLP40.... and I have no idea what the f%&k I'm even looking for.
I want to fit a nvidia 1060/1070/1080 and a core i7 to this PC. But I have no idea what I need.

You can start here it does basic checks, pick the processor first.

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

I would post back with the link before buying anything.