At the moment I haven't decided what level of PC I want to build, as cost will determine what I eventually buy.

The one thing (for now) that I haven't managed to get my head around is what Motherboard is suitable (or best suited) for which processor. The motherboards say Intel or AMD or both, but the impression I get from reading various articles around the web is that it is a little more complicated than that, and it's that part that's leaving me wondering what I am supposed to be taking into consideration...

So my question is: how do I choose the right motherboard for any given processor, and what are the factors that I need to take into consideration?

Thanks.

The motherboard is the base of your entire computer and will dictate what you can and cannot install. In order to choose the right one, you need to answer:

1. Do I want to start with 2 video cards or expand later to 2 cards?
   
2. Do I want SLI or Crossfire video setup?
   
3. Do I care about Gigabit ethernet or is the slower 10/100 speed enough?
   
4. Do I want an Intel or AMD processor... and which line of those do I want?
   
5. Am I restricted to a tiny computer case?

Most boards come with audio and everything else is pretty much just an added bonus unless you are a truly hardcore hardware addict and want to spend more than $200 on the board.

When I build my computers, I prefer nVidia video cards and since I use 3 monitors, I know I need at 2 video cards installed. I also prefer Intel processors as AMD has had problems with certain things in the past (less efficient at rendering animation, Windows XP SP3 would shut down your whole PC).

As for the other questions, I like fast networks and mine can handle it... I prefer large cases because I don't like feeling cramped when working on the computer.

So you've got your questions answered... now it's time to match the processor to the motherboard. Not every motherboard can accept every processor. Processor choices range from price, make and speed. This will greatly narrow your motherboard selection.

With your motherboard and processor chosen, you can move onto memory. Lookup the compatible memory for that motherboard on the manufacturers website (motherboard manufacturer). Just because memory fits into the motherboard doesn't mean it will work. A non-matching set of memory sticks can drive you insane with errors that don't make sense.

Hope that gets you started.

Good breakdown foyle - I'm proud of you man ...."sniff"

I couldn't have put it better myself, in fact I don't think I could have put it down. I will pass on that I generally start with choosing the Processor as I see it as the base for everything I do from there. Once chosen I go into graphics and then ram blah blah blah. Once completed my son generally borrows it on a permanent basis.

Hope this helps some [ATB]

Cheers

Thanks guys, the fog of confusion is starting to lift a little.

I think what was confusing me was once I'd selected a processor (and knew what range of motherboard I would need) I was faced with multiple options from even the same manufacturer, with the only obvious difference being price. What I wasn't doing is considering in detail what I might also want options and support for. After comparing several suitable motherboards (same make) it became apparent that some more expensive ones had extra stuff that I really didn't need and visa versa with the cheaper ones. So when I'd eliminated those the remaining choices were much fewer and more obvious...

Thanks again, Foyle and Foxhound. Much appreciated!

Be sure to match the sockets of the board and processor, ex. they both have to be 'socket 775' or which ever you choose. And the FSB (front side bus) speeds should match, or you will create a bottleneck. For instance, if your motherboard is transferring data at 800mhz, and your processor is running at 1000mhz, your processor will be trying to pass more data than the board can handle.

Hope that didn't confuse the issue. gl

Hey, wow, thanks for the heads-up, 18Rabbit - I was currently only considering socket type and what the board supported, hadn't even thought about bus speed even though I'd read about bottlenecks in various articles...

doh!

This quote springs to mind:

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

Cheers!

This is good stuff guys, could we expand on it a bit into recommendations for MB and VID cards and CPU(quad,dual). What's better for a gaming computer, a quad or dual? Also with windows 7-64 and the ability of adding insane amounts of ram will MB manufacturers be taking that into consideration with future boards? 3 monitors? Foyleman, you hog!

edited on Feb. 1, 2010 11:48 am by GomerPyle

Just thought I'd give an update...

I finally went with the following:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.33Ghz

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR Intel P45 (Socket 775) DDR2

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GV-N98TOC-1GI GeForce 9800GT ATX HDMI

Memory: Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache

Case: AOpen ES45C Mid Tower ATX

Power supply: Novatech 750W ATX "SILENT" Power Supply

Optical Drive: Samsung S223C 22x DVD+/-RW 8x Dual Layer DVD-RAM SATA Black - OEM

My original idea was to build a low cost but capable 2nd computer to do all my internet stuff and stream media on to my television, while leaving my primary pc free (and uninterrupted) to do all my gaming stuff. That wasn't how it turned out though, as I have basically built an identical pc to the one I already had and it cost a lot more than I originally intended to spend (£520 - the one I already had cost £660 from a computer shop). Still, it does all I wanted it to do and more.

I've just finished building my Dad one as well. Pretty much the same, but he opted for an Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33Ghz. Although he likes playing Call of Duty, his main interest is graphics, and so spends a lot of time rendering (or more accurately, drinking tea while waiting for the render to finish). Above all other considerations, cutting down that waiting time was his main concern. When we researched it we concluded that he would be better spending his money on a faster Duo than a more multitasking Quad, and it has proved to be a good choice. He did spend twice as much on the processor than I did (£198), but cut that cost down by opting for the cheaper Duo instead.

Both computers are running great. Given that I'd never built a computer before I'm pleased with the end results, even if they're probably not the best components I could have bought. The fact that they work, and work well, is all I was really concerned about...

Thanks for all your help guys, much needed and much appreciated!

Note to self the Socket 775 will no longer be made it will end up like the AMD 939 socket and you cant go wrong with the 1156 socket. that is and i5 mother board that also supports the i7. if you are sticking with Intel go with the new socket cuz if your board goes bad you will have to buy whats left of that socket thats has been used or whats been left on the shelfs.because the makers will no longer make it. I know this because i built and 775 computer for a customer and the board burned up and i could not get that board anymore.
The Reson why they are stop making the boards for 775 it cost to much money to make these boards then it does for the 1156 sockets. you would think that the new boards would cost more but thats not true