Table of Contents
What is a motherboards?
A motherboard is an “electronic circuit board” on which various personal computer parts such as CPU, memory, and graphic board are mounted. It is an indispensable part that can be said to be the foundation of a personal computer, and since the parts that can be attached differ depending on the model selected of motherboards, it greatly affects the performance of the personal computer itself.
Since the base is large and it is troublesome to replace it once it is install, it is recommend to consider the high expandability when making your personal computer.
What is a chipset?
A chipset is a foundation for controlling and managing the installed CPU and memory. Please note that the CPU and memory that can be installed differ depending on the chipset standard. Currently, Intel and AMD products are the mainstream CPUs for personal computers on the market, but regardless of which product you use, you need to select the chipset that matches the CPU.
If it is an Intel chipset, the high-end model “Z490” is popular. For AMD chipsets, we recommend the high-end model “X570” and the entry-class to middle-class “B450”, which has excellent cost performance.
The memory is the same as the CPU, and the number of clocks and standards supported differ depending on the type of chipset. When purchasing a motherboard, be sure to choose a chipset that is compatible with the CPU and memory you plan to install.
What is a CPU socket?
The “CPU socket” is a part of mounting the CPU on the motherboard. The feature is that it is installed in the CPU mounting location on the motherboard.
The type differs depending on the manufacturer that manufactures the CPU, and even CPUs of the same manufacturer may not be install depending on the generation that was develop, so check the support standards.
How to choose a motherboards.
Check CPU socket type
The mainstream CPU socket standard for Intel CPUs is “LGA1151”. 6th to 9th generation CPUs can be installed. Also, the “LGA1200” standard is compatible with the 10th generation.
There are several types of CPU socket standards that support AMD, but the mainstream standard is “AM4”. It is used in CPUs sold by the same manufacturer such as Ryzen.
Choose by size (form factor) ATX motherboards
ATX stands for Advanced Technology eXtended. It represents the structural standard of the motherboard, and the maximum size is 305 x 244 mm. It is mainly installed in medium-sized “middle tower PCs” and slightly larger “full tower PCs”.
The advantage of ATX is that it has a large number of connection terminals. Expandability can be enhance by connecting terminals such as PCI Express, USB, and SATA cables. The price depends on the product, but it is relatively reasonable.
However, keep in mind that it will not fit in a compact PC case. Consider an ATX standard motherboard depending on the size of your PC case.
MicroATX motherboards
MicroATX is a structural standard that is one smaller than ATX. The size is a square of 244 x 244 mm. MicroATX is suitable for making your personal computer for mini-towers and middle towers.
Compared to ATX, the disadvantage is that the number of connection terminals is slightly smaller. However, many things have the minimum required extensions. It is said that the performance of your PC will not be significantly reduce, so if you are looking for something smaller than ATX, check it out.
Mini-ITX
Mini-ITX is a structural standard that is one size smaller than MicroATX. The size is as compact as 170 x 170 mm, and the advantage is that it fits easily in a small PC case.
The disadvantage is that it is expensive and less expandable than other sizes. If you try to make your own like a normal personal computer; number of connections is small and you will find it inconvenient.
Check memory slot of motherboards
The memory installed on the motherboard depends on the standard of the chipset installed. Also, regardless of Intel or AMD, the current mainstream is DDR4 standard memory. Therefore, if you want to build a personal computer with the latest parts; it is recommended to choose a DDR4 compatible motherboard.
If you want to reuse the DDR3 memory of your old computer, you need to prepare a DDR3 compatible motherboard. However, keep in mind that chipsets are often outdated and may reduce the specifications of your computer.
Also, if you want to replace the CPU in the future with the old model motherboard; you may not be able to install the new CPU. Since the memory itself is not so expensive compare to other parts, it is safer to choose the currently mainstream DDR4 compatible motherboard when rearranging the parts.
Choose motherboards by application
Gaming and video editing
For heavy processing such as games and video editing, it is recommend to select a “high-end motherboard” with higher specifications than conventional motherboards.
High-end motherboards are equipper with functions that improve the processing power of personal computers, such as “multi-GPU” that combines multiple GPUs to improve graphic performance rand “overclocking” that operates the CPU at frequencies above the rating, so 3D. You can comfortably edit games and high-resolution videos.
If you continue to work for a long time, the temperature of the motherboard will rise and it may affect the performance, so be sure to check the cooling performance of the motherboard.
Internet surfing and watching videos
If you’re just surfing the internet or watching videos; you don’t have to worry about motherboard performance as much as when using a computer for gameplay or video editing. Therefore, it is recommend to choose a standard “middle-range motherboard” or a “low-end motherboard” with excellent cost performance.
There is no big difference in basic performance between the two; but it is common to use chipsets with a high processing power for middle-range motherboards and low-cost chipsets for low-end motherboards. Choose a middle-range motherboard if you value performance, or a low-end motherboard if you value low price.
Select motherboards by interface
PCI Express
“PCI Express” is one of the important interfaces for expanding a personal computer by improving graphic performance and adding new functions. There are several types of PCI Express, each with different characteristics.
Especially if you want to improve the graphic performance of your computer, “PCI Express x 16” is recommend. Since it is compatible with high-performance graphic boards, it is suitable for gameplay and video editing.
Serial ATA (SATA)
“Serial ATA” is an interface for connecting a hard disk, SSD, and optical drive to the motherboard. The number installed varies depending on the product.
The transfer speed also differs depending on the model, and some of them support high-speed data transfer such as 10GB / s. You can comfortably exchange large files, but the product price tends to be high, so please consider it while considering your budget.
Recommended manufacturers of motherboards
ASUS
Asus is a major overseas manufacturer headquarter in Taiwan. We mainly handle personal computer-related products, and currently occupy the top-class share in the world for motherboards.
It is attractive to handle various types of models, from low-end motherboards that can be purchase at low prices to high-end motherboards that support overclocking. This maker is recommend not only for beginners of home-built PCs but also for advanced users.
ASRock B450 Pro4
It is a standard class motherboard equipper with AMD’s cost-effective chipset “B450”. The CPU socket is “AM4”, which is compatible with 2nd and 3rd generation Ryzen processors. It has 4 DDR4 memory slots and has a total maximum capacity of 64GB. Also it is attractive that it has two M.2 slots for SSD that can be connected with PCI Express 3.0.
It also features a premium power choke that boosts the voltage on the motherboard, a 2-ounce copper PCB that provides excellent energy efficiency; and a digital power supply for stable operation. Besides, various apps and support software can be downloaded from the “ASRock APP Shop”; which is recommend for beginners who make their PCs.
GIGABYTE B550 AORUS MASTER
It is a high-performance ATX motherboard equipper with AMD’s new generation middle-class chipset “B550”. The CPU socket is “AM4” and supports 3rd generation and next-generation Ryzen processors. In addition to adopting four DDR4 memory slots, it supports up to a maximum capacity of 128GB.
The expansion slot is equipper with one PCI Express 4.0 x 16 slot on the CPU side and two PCI Express 4.0 x 16 slots on the chipset side. Also, since it is equipper with three M.2 slots include PCI Express 4.0 connection, it is possible to build high-speed and large-capacity storage. Also, it supports 2.5GbE LAN and Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax), making it easy to connect to the Internet. Recommended for those who want to assemble a high-spec PC with the latest parts.