What is the point of buying an expensive motherboard?

[cerealtoys]

I see quite a few motherboards that are +$400 and I can't help but wonder why they cost so much. I don't know much about computers but my teacher gave me a broad explanation of what a motherboard does, "It just connects all the hardware together"
What are the reason why motherboards cost this much? In what situation would someone want to buy one of these boards? Thanks for reading.

 

[clutchc]

While some boards a just plain over priced, the better (more expensive) boards are generally better overclockers and have extra features that enthusiasts enjoy.

 

[JeebusSK]

Not only do they provide a foundation for all the systems/parts of a computer connect and communicate with each other, they also can be explained as if they are made in performance tiers.

The bottom Tier is very basic, may have only one of everything (One ram slot, one PCI-E slot, One SATA header, one USB connector and may not have mounting holes for water cooling, thus relegating the user to stick to air cooling)
The toptier is feature rich and is open to be used in any way the owner wishes.
(Four+ Ram slots, Four+ PCI-E slots, 6 SATA headers, 8+ USB ports, an advanced cooling system, Bluetooth or Wifi connectivity, Ability to have bios managed with an external device like a phone or tablet, Water cooling mounting holes, etc)

 

[maxstygian]

its a marketing strategy

 

[jihtu]

JeebusSK, that is only the one side of the story.

The other is reliability and performance.

Performance: I have witnessed various occasions where the motherboard had a direct impact on performance. So if you need a PC for word processing and a bit of browsing, a cheap one will do. As soon as you are building a performance oriented machine, I would recommend getting a higher-tier motherboard.

Reliability: Many high-end motherboard have special components that are aimed to last longer than cheaper motherboard. EG: UltraDurable from Gigabyte http://www.gigabyte.co.za/microsite/297/images/overview.html

I hope this helps.