Motherboard: Why Should You Invest In It?

In this article I am going to discuss a significant component of a computer system. A motherboard is the main part from where all hardware components get their power supply and have connectivity with each other. In addition to that it also houses connectors for different ports which can be used to connect various devices such as printers, speakers etc. Without the motherboard none of the components exist.

What is a motherboard and what does it do?

A motherboard is one of the main parts in your computer system. It houses various components such as CPU, RAM, PCI devices etc which can be found in most CPUs these days. The main purpose of the Motherboard is to provide power supply to all components, providing connectivity between them and something known as address bus which is used for communication via memory.

How to choose the right motherboard for your needs?

When it comes to choosing a motherboard for your system there are various factors which you have to consider before making a purchase.

i) Number of sockets:

This is the number of CPU sockets present on the motherboard. The number of sockets varies based on different manufacturers and models. You can get motherboards with 1, 2 or even 4 sockets.

ii) Support for CPU(s) :

Check the support page of the motherboard manufacturer to see if your CPU is compatible or not. You can check out various resources regarding this online, I usually rely on Wikipedia as a reference source.

iii) Memory slots:

This is for RAM and you need to estimate the number of RAMs you want to install in your system. You can check out various resources online for compatible RAM modules.

iv) PCI Slots:

If any of your components requires a PCI slot like Graphic Card, Sound Card etc you will need to make sure that your motherboard supports it. Again I would suggest using Wikipedia as reference for compatible PCI hardware.

v) Other ports:

Make sure that the ports on your motherboard are enough to connect all of your devices. For eg USB 2.0, 3.0 etc are coming out these days so if you have multiple devices which support these connectivity ports make sure that your motherboard has both of them or atleast one.

vi) Size:

Make sure that your motherboard fits into the case you have already chosen. There are different types of motherboards available in the market, some of them are ATX, Micro ATX etc and they all come in various sizes. You can check out a website like Wikipedia for a list of all form factored motherboards that are available in the market right now. For eg Micro ATX, ATX are some of the form factors available.

vii) Brand:

This is not really an important factor according to me but if you are looking to buy a motherboard from a well established brand then go for it. Just make sure that the price isn’t much different because of the brand name attached with the product.

Why should you invest in a good quality motherboard?

Over the years motherboards have become much more advanced and provide high tech features to make your system work faster and better, but sometimes these very features lead to compatibility issues due to manufacturers making products with low quality components which are used for manufacturing motherboards. These might be either defective or incompatible so you have to be extra careful while buying a motherboard. However, the best Motherboard for i7 7700k is available on amazon at an affordable price.

How to choose a good quality motherboard?

Before making a purchase, always check the customer reviews of the product at different online stores because this will give you an idea about the working of the product and if there are any compatibility issues with other components. You can also make use of the warranty or guarantee period provided by different manufacturers because if there are any issues with the product during the time frame mentioned, you could get it repaired or replaced easily. This will definitely give you an idea about the products that are made keeping in mind customer satisfaction and great after sales service.

What to do if I buy a motherboard and it doesn’t work?

If you have recently purchased a motherboard and it is not working then you should immediately contact the manufacturers customer service. If they don’t respond to you in a proper manner, ask them about what will happen if your product breaks after using within warranty period and ask them if there is any other solution for this. If they continue to ignore your queries then you could ask them to contact you on the number of a third person for this matter because it is always advisable that any business transactions are conducted through an attorney or notary. Sometimes there are laws in certain countries which allow customers to deal with customer service representatives on behalf of their companies if they refuse to provide their services.

Conclusion:

All the above mentioned factors should be kept in mind to buy a motherboard, however it is very difficult to find out which motherboard will work for you and what price range should we expect from any given motherboard as there are so many variations available for almost every component that goes into building a computer. The only way to know which product will be compatible with your system is to do thorough research and read customer reviews online so that you can choose the best motherboard according to your needs.