How
to Choose a Motherboard? By Benjamin
Wieberg - Edited by James Baker
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Introduction There are many steps in
choosing a motherboard, and I will go through each step in the
process. However, I believe it is important to know about the
motherboard types before you can make an educated decision. In this
article I shall discuss the different motherboards for Intel which
includes: Socket 771, Socket 775, Socket 1156 and Socket 1366, and
the motherboards for AMD which include: Socket AM2, Socket AM2+,
Socket AM3 and Socket F. After discussing each motherboard I will
explain how to choose the best motherboard for your application.
Intel
Socket
2011 Socket 2011 is the latest LGA type socket
produced by Intel. Geared mostly towards the enthusiast gamers and
supporting the latest six core 32nm i7 processors it is definitely
among the fastest chips available. Just like its predecessor
Socket 1366 the 2011 socket supports both crossfire and sli.
However, the socket 2011 has a lot of features 1366 didn’t have.
Among these are USB 3.0, SATA III, PCI-E 3.0, Quad channel memory,
and a lot of other cool features. The down side to all this
greatness is price. Unless your looking to spend a good amount of
money Socket 2011 is not for you. With processor prices at a
minimum of $600 and motherboards at a minimum of $260 this is
definitely not the proper hardware for someone on a budget. Socket
1366 Socket 1366 is the workstation class produced by
Intel. This socket uses the i7 core or the Xeon 3XXX series which,
like the previous Socket 775, contains the pins on the motherboard
instead of on the cpu. Almost all Socket 1366 motherboards support
either SLI or Crossfire, and all Socket 1366 motherboards use
triple-channel DDR3 memory. Socket
1156 Socket 1156 is the average consumer socket for
Core i3, i5, and i7 processors. Socket 1156 will have a lot of the
same features as socket 1366, however it will be more cost
effective. Socket 1156 will support the lower end i7 processors as
well as the i3 and i5 processors. Socket 1156 will support only
DDR3 memory, but in dual-channel configuration instead of the
triple-channel configuration of Socket 1366. Socket
1155 Socket 1155 is the new revision of the previously
released 1156 socket. Supporting almost identically what the 1156
socket supports it also has some extra support for SATA III and
sever other small features. The biggest change between the 2
sockets is the BIOS. Socket 1156 uses the typical BIOS while
Socket 1155 uses the new UEFI bios which supports full mouse
support and allows for easy customizations for how the system
runs. Socket
775 Socket 775 was the first LGA socket created by
Intel where the cpu pins were located on the motherboard. Socket
775 is still the most popular motherboard being purchased by
consumers due to its price and compatibility. Socket 775
motherboards support a range of processors from single core to
quad core and support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. Socket 775
replaced Socket 478 when it came out. You cannot use Socket 478
parts with Socket 775. Socket
771 Socket 771 is cpu interface which allows for the
use of dual processors. LGA 771 was the first server motherboards
to carry pins on the motherboard instead of the cpu. Socket 771 is
strictly meant for server applications. Socket 771 motherboards
support DDR2 FBDIMM’s.
AMD
Socket
AM3 Socket AM3 is AMD’s latest socket for consumer
use. Socket AM3 mother boards have the similar basic socket as an
AM2+ board; however AM3 boards only support DDR3 memory. Therefore
an AM2 or AM2+ processor will not work in an AM3 board. Socket
AM2+ Socket AM2+ motherboards are probably the most
commonly chosen AMD motherboards. This is because Socket AM2+
motherboards support both AM2 and AM3 processors and allow you to
mix an AM3 processor with DDR2 memory whereas when you use an AM3
board it only supports DDR3. Socket
AM2 Socket AM2 is the oldest socket i am going to
discuss in this article. Socket AM2 boards can not support the AM3
processor and only support DDR2. Socket AM2 boards were replaced
with the Socket AM2+ motherboards. Socket
F Socket F is the latest server socket by AMD. It uses
the LGA design with the pins on the motherboard instead of on the
processor. It is the first socket to be created by AMD with this
technology. Socket F allows for the dual processor setup and uses
DDR2 memory.
Choosing a Motherboard
- Motherboard Compatibility
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