Computer Motherboards

Motherboard Brands

2008-01-03T22:54:00.000-08:00

Computer motherboards come in all different shapes, styles, and speeds. Usually for most people the only distinguishing factor when it comes to two similar motherboards is price. Making a decision based on price can sometimes lead to you getting an outdated, crappy computer motherboard. This article will deal with why if given two similar computer motherboards, you should take the ASUS over the MSI and so on.
[Covered in this article: ASUS, Gigabyte, Abit, MSI]

Asus Motherboards
ASUS motherboards are generally considered to be the best supported and most dependable computer motherboards available. Although, one major downfall of ASUS's motherboards are that they are usually a lot more expensive than other computer motherboards in their class. Overall, if your looking for the best you should definitely take a serious look at ASUS's line of motherboards.
[For those that must excellent quality, or just must have the best.]

Gigabyte Motherboards
Gigabyte motherboards are a good mix between reliability and competitive pricing. While Gigabyte's computer motherboards don't have the same amount of quality put into them as it's ASUS counterparts, they still make great boards.
[For those who want a good motherboard that won't cost an arm and a leg.]

Abit Motherboards
Abit Motherboards are another middle-of-the-road brand. They are based on my experience usually a little more reliable than Gigabyte motherboards and a little more expensive as well.
[For those who want just a little more quality for a little more price.]

MSI Motherboards
MSI Motherboards are sometimes very reliable and completely compatible with all of your components, and then sometimes things just go horribly wrong. Now, don't get me wrong -- most of the time you will be satisfied with the computer motherboard you receive. But sometimes there are compatibility issues and you may have to find work-arounds for them.
[For those who want a cheap motherboard thats not complete crap.]

There are many other brands that I didn't think to include in this, but I base most of this off of personal experience, and I haven't used any other computer motherboard brands. So, thanks for reading.

Tags: computer motherboards, motherboard, motherboard brands

Reasons to Upgrade Your Motherboard

2007-12-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons why someone would want to switch out a motherboard (or a whole computer). Some of which stem from wanting more performance to the computer is just general not running as it should. In this article I will examine some legitimate reasons why you would (or should) upgrade your motherboard.

Performance
So you got a brand new video game for your birthday and you installed it onto your computer and started it up. Your screen is shaky and you can hardly see whats going on. Your fps is probably somewhere in the low 20s (or maybe lower). You need an upgrade. Now since upgrading a motherboard alone will result in a very minimal performance gain your probably also going to want to look at a new video card and CPU to go with your brand new mobo (motherboard). See my Motherboard Compatibility post.

Random Restarts/Crashes
Most of the time, when your computer restarts it is probably windows doing an automatic update or something like it. But, if you have ruled out software (viruses, ect) you may want to look at a new motherboard. Getting a new motherboard will certainly fix the problem (if your sure that your old motherboard is INDEED the problem). Before switching out a motherboard for something like this, you should probably update your Motherboard Drivers.

Not Starting
Usually a computer not starting randomly is a sign of something simple like an unplugged cord, or a loose motherboard pin. If you can rule power issues out, it is probably time to start looking at a new motherboard. Make sure you get something compatible with your current setup by checking out my Motherboard Buying page.

Hopefully if your motherboard is broken, you found a solution; and if you were upgrading, you found the right parts =D.

Tags: computer motherboards, motherboard

Motherboard Drivers

2007-12-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

Motherboard drivers are usually only downloaded if there is a problem with performance or a technical issue. They are generally discarded by the average computer user because many people go by the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Which, most of the time is true, but sometimes motherboard drivers have updates which can add extra functionality you were not even aware of.

Motherboard drivers should be the first thing you update when you install a new motherboard. If you don't you could be risking random restarts or worse, your motherboard shutting off for good. (It should be said that most current motherboards come loaded with drivers, and a CD if not.)

Drivers can also fix simple problems like double restarting when turning the computer on after the power has been cut or USB slots not working. Problems like this can also be caused by improper set-up when the computer was first constructed.

If drivers don't solve your problem:
If these aren't the cause of random restarts/crashes, you may want to run a virus-check.

Hope this helps!

Tags: computer motherboards, motherboard

Motherboard Compatibility

2007-12-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

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

Computer Motherboard Buying

2007-12-13T15:13:00.001-08:00

When looking for a motherboard for an upgrade or a brand new build, there are a lot of things for you to consider.

First, do you know what kind of motherboard you will need? How much RAM you want to have? What kind of processor you are going to be using? Do you need to have PCI-Express slots? How many? For example; If you want to be playing DX10 (Directx10) games like Crysis with 60fps+ on vista, your going to need a LOT of RAM and a VERY good motherboard/CPU combo (You can get very good motherboard bundles from online retailers on sale days).

Secondly, do you have any idea how you would go about putting all these components (and many more) together? Do you know if ALL of this brand new equipment you just bought will work together? Or will you have to send half of it back for replacements? If you don't, maybe you should consider doing some research. For the most part computer motherboard manufacturers have made it as simple as possible for all the parts to "mesh" together correctly, but if something goes wrong, are you going to know what to do?

Lastly, what brand of motherboard are you going to want? Some brands are DEFINITELY betters than others. For example, I would take a lower model ASUS or ABIT motherboard over a company like Foxconn or even the generic Intel boards.

Hopefully this will clear up some of the issues you all have when buying computer motherboards and matching computer equipment.

Tags: computer motherboards, motherboard