Motherboards are available in different form factors and it is important to understand more about their characteristics. Motherboard is also known as main board and it is the most essential circuit board inside the computer. It is where the processor, RAM, drives, expansion slots and other slots are located. Motherboard could help us to facilitate improve communication between devices and this could ensure higher degree of performance on memory and processor. Chipset is the core circuitry of any motherboard and it processor manufacturers typically release their chipset guidelines for motherboard manufacturers. Popular chipset designs are released by Intel, AMD, Nvidia, VIA and SIS; while popular manufacturers are ASUS, Biostar and Gigabyte. As mentioned above, motherboards have different sizes and shapes, these are known as form factors and there are many form factors available. Common form factors of mother boards are mini ATX, flex ATX, micro ATX and standard ATX. In general, micro ATX and standard ATX are the more popular for desktop computers.
Bigger motherboards allow for greater real estate, which allow us to add extra features and greater expansion possibilities. This will make it easier for us to upgrade the computer in the future. Mini ATX motherboards are the smallest of them all and they may contain only one expansion card and one memory slot. On the other hand, standard ATX motherboard could have four RAM slots, six expansion card slots and in some cases, two slots for graphics cards and even processors. A typical micro ATX motherboard has two RAM slots and four or three expansion card slots. In general, we should look for motherboards that fit into our requirements. AMD and Intel continue to wage war in both motherboard and processor markets. While enthusiasts are more concerned about the most powerful and fastest processors in the market, average users may also need to consider models that could provide them with the highest values. However, there are consequences of getting more performance out of those mall chips and this will require some additional features.
However, motherboards have evolved and they continue to keep pace with new processors in the market. Many years ago, AMD and Intel shared common processor socket, because the former produced processors based on Intel’s design. However, both companies are now fierce competitors and they are seeking to deliver parallel performance. In this case, we should choose motherboards that best fit our requirements. Intel and AMD processors have different sockets, so it is impossible to put a Intel processor on AMD board, vice versa.
Processor families continue to expand and grow, so it is important for us to continue get updated with latest releases in the market. Sockets have different pins, so we should make sure that we get processors that match our motherboards. Although average users could benefit from a single processor, they need to consider choosing motherboards with multiple processors, if they want to get enhanced performance. This is particularly true if we want our servers accommodate higher level of performance.
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