Motherboard Compatibility

When buying a computer motherboard you should be 100% sure that it will be compatible with other existing/new parts. I will explain what to look for when choosing a motherboard to make sure it is completely compatible.

Okay, so you finally get all your computer parts in the mail after waiting 3 times longer than expected because of holiday delays. You go to piece it all together and for some reason the video card won't fit into it's slot. There are some things you can make sure are compatible to prevent this from happening.

CPU Compatibility:
CPUs (or processors) are the "brains" of your computer. They perform the mathematical tasks required for your computer to function. CPUs are classified primarily by their socket. For example: A socket 478 pentium 4 processor will not work with a newer LGA 775 socket motherboard, even though both are for Intel processors.

RAM Compatibility:
RAM is the extremely fast "piece of paper" that your processor uses to do it's "math homework" on. The more RAM, the more "space" your CPU has to do it's work. Your CPU may be extremely fast, but if its only got a 3x5 index card to work on, its not going to be able to work at it's full potential. RAM is classified by its pin number (# of pins) and its whether its DDR or DDR2 (There is DDR3, but it costs too much for a little performance gain and is not worth the upgrade as-of-yet). An example: The motherboard you bought lists that it can use 240-pin DDR2 and DDR3, but you purchased 184-pin regular DDR. Oops, oh well, should have checked before buying.

Video Card Compatibility:
The video card is the main gaming component of your computer. There are 3 types of slots that video cards come in. The first is the PCI slot, this is usually used when a motherboard does not have a PCI-E (Express) slot, and is not usually wanted. The second is AGP. AGP was the successor to PCI-E, it is a decaying technology and since PCI-E came out, motherboards with AGP are few and far between. The last, of course, is PCI-E. PCI-Express x16 is the most common, but x1 is also in use (and not very good).

I hope this helps all of you Christmas shoppers out there!

Tags: computer motherboards, motherboard