What is Motherboard?
A motherboard is a Printed Circuit Board that is considered the backbone of the PC. It allows a variety of components to interconnect and provides them with several connectors for components, including CPU, memory, GPU, storage, etc.
Today, other than PCs, many devices such as tablets, smartphones, and notebooks also use motherboards to connect things together. But, you are only able to purchase motherboards that are used for desktop computers.
Factors to Consider while Buying the Best Motherboards
This guide covers approximately every aspect, so you don’t have to encounter any issue regarding picking a versatile product. So, without wasting further time, let’s move towards our first and foremost tip for getting a perfect motherboard.
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Form Factor
Usually, it is one of the most overlooked features in a motherboard. Since installing the wrong size of motherboard could create some issues; therefore you really need to go for a decent motherboard amongst so many options. The most common motherboards are ATX, Micro-ATX, and mini-ATX, which contain additional expansion slots, which seem helpful.
However, if you are not sure about the size of your motherboard, you can measure your old motherboard and compare it while buying a new one. On the other hand, if you seek really high-end mainstream motherboards, you should invest in an E-ATX motherboard and get a brilliant experience.
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RAM Slots
Another most important factor to keep in mind is the number of RAM slots you need for your PC. However, this factor varies among different people. However, the most common ATX motherboards offer 4 RAM slots. But if you go for an E-ATX motherboard, it will have 8 RAM slots. In rare cases, you may find up to 8 RAM slots in mini-ITX form factor.
Consequently, it is recommended to choose a motherboard with upgradable RAM and could accommodate at least 16 GB. Moreover, you should look for a motherboard with 4 RAM slots, which is pretty standard.
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Connectivity Ports
Basically, these should be the elementary factors to consider, but whenever you are wandering to get a new motherboard, don’t forget to check its ports. That’s why I have mentioned some ports that you should certainly look for:
USB 3.0/3.1 is the most common and essential port because most of the devices in the market support this port type. If you get an extravagant motherboard, you may get eight ports in it.
USB Type-C is the new port type, but it is not the latest. Now, most of the phones and several devices support only type-c ports, so it’s better to get a motherboard that offers this port type. In addition to this, motherboards that come with these port types tend to be fast performers.
Thunderbolt-3 is pretty rare but awfully significant. This is because a signal thunderbolt-3 can run the most innovative devices and delivers data transfers at up to 40 Gbps. So, this type should not be taken casually.
Other than these ports, look upon that your motherboard contains several other ports as well that support audios, videos, and other inputs you require.
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Chipset
The chipset is the factor that makes or breaks your experience for buying the best motherboard. You would find multiple chipsets, and you can choose from Q370, H310, Z370, B360, and H370 on the Intel side. Yet, the ideal from these options is the Z370 because it holds all features of other options in a single package. But, it is only suitable if your motherboard has a processor with K SKU so you could overclock it easily.
For AMD, you can decide on B300, B450, X470, B350, and X470. However, most of these options support overclocking, so you can choose either of the chipsets fearlessly.
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Aesthetics
You should ponder how you perhaps build a gaming PC; you should definitely pay attention to the aesthetics of the motherboard. It will undoubtedly help you substantially in picking the best available option on the market. You would find thousands of motherboards from different manufacturers who concentrate on motherboard visuals that fit your requirements.
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Storage Options
There are a few main storage connectors that should be considered while purchasing a new motherboard. This element includes what kind of connections and how many connections you will have for your PC.
Yet, the most common storage connections are Serial ATA, also known as SATA. If you don’t know what a SATA port looks like, you can check the article that we have describing what it looks like.
The SATA 3.0 storage connection provides the data transfer at up to a 6 Gbps rate and translates up to 600 MB/s in reading and writing rate for SSD. This revision is not more than the 150MB/s reading and writing rate for HDD.
You can purchase a motherboard with SSD and HDD that supports SATA 3.0 storage connections and multiple ports. SATA is also introduced in the SATA 3.X version that is probably faster but works differently. To know how many SATA cables you would need and how you can add more SATA ports, check this two articles. We also have an article on how many fans should a gaming PC have that you might be interested in.
Conclusion
Although buying a motherboard itself is not hard, with multiple options in the market, you may get confused about which one you should opt for, and you end up wasting a lot of time. Therefore, in this guide, I have put several features together to make things easier for you.
In short, it is suggested to purchase a motherboard with a socket that matches your CPU, a chipset that boosts the potential of your hardware, and other features that meet your PC’s requirements.