How to Select the Best Motherboard aka System Board

The computer motherboard is a key internal part of a computer system. If the CPU or processor is considered as the computers brain then the motherboard can be thought of as the heart of the computer. Although the motherboard does not boost the speed of a computer, it plays a pivotal role for the overall functionality and features of a computer system. It can at times be a really daunting task to choose the best motherboard for your computer. For getting the best output from a motherboard you should follow some of the below strategies that will help you to find out the best motherboard for your computer.

Try to find out as much as you can about the brand name or manufacturer name while choosing a motherboard. A motherboard from a well known company gives many added features like a good warranty or product quality, so try to get a motherboard from well known and reputable company. You must also make sure about the availability of technical support from the manufacturer so when you need it, it is then available. Tech support is crucial here as it is needed during troubleshooting. Among the manufacturers to consider, Tyan, Asus, Intel and Soyo. They are the market leaders and have a positive brand image among consumers.

After brand selection you have to focus on the compatibility of your motherboard with your processor. Different manufacturers provide a variety of processors such as Celeron PPGA, Pentium III, AMD Athlon and AMD K6-3. These processors need specific types of motherboards. The compatibility of the motherboard with a particular processor is the most important factor to consider.

Advanced graphics port or AGP is an appealing feature for the gamer and users who are interested in graphic design. AGP allows quicker communication between the video card and the computer thus increasing the frame rate of graphics programs and video games. So if you are a gamer or have enthusiasm about graphics design, you should choose a motherboard with higher AGP performance.

The number of PCI slots in a motherboard are an important criteria to consider when choosing a good motherboard. Plenty of PCI slots allows for the attachment of ethernet cards, sound cards or modems and for future expansion. The more PCI slots that exist in the motherboard the more ports you will have to connect such devices. Also do consider the number of USB ports on the motherboard as these are also needed to connect with modems, mice and with other devices. For video capturing and editing, you should also have a firewire port. So make sure you have a firewire port if you are interested in video capturing or editing.

While choosing your chipset, you should bear in mind the memory type that is compatible with your selected motherboard. Compatibility of the motherboard with high performance RAM is also important. For getting better performance always choose the motherboard that is compatible with all the components of the computer.

Before purchasing a motherboard you must make sure all important features are reviewed that you need. You can browse the motherboards manufacturer's website to get all the important information related to what you will need. You can download the manual from the manufacturer's website and compare the features on various motherboards. So do consider everything covered above and make sure you get the all the information you need to end up with the best motherboard for your computer system needs.

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