Buying a computer Motherboard Tips

The type, or form factor, of the motherboard is a crucial consideration when looking at a motherboard. There are various types of form factors and not all computer cases can accommodate each form factor. Today, the most commonly found and used motherboard is the ATX motherboard. When looking at the motherboard, ensure that the computer case can use this type of motherboard. Additional information and help with the form factors can be found on our motherboard page

When looking at who to purchase a motherboard through, consider all different brands of motherboards and vendors who sell those motherboards, as all motherboards will have positive and negative reviews. A listing of motherboard links and manufacturers can be found on the motherboard section of our network.
CPU Socket / Slot There are a wide variety of different types of CPU Sockets and Slots. When looking at purchasing a motherboard, ensure it is compatible with the CPU you have or that it will be compatible with the CPU you plan on purchasing.

Additional information about CPUs and the Sockets or Slots can be found on our CPU buying tips page.

Drive connectors Drive connectors can be an important consideration when purchasing a computer. Determine the type of interface of the drives you plan on using, and ensure that the motherboard supports that interface or has the connector for that interface. An example of such an interface is IDE, EIDE or SCSI.

Additional information about hard disk drive buying tips can be found on our Hard drive buying tips page.

Additional information about CD-ROM buying tips can be found on our CD-ROM buying tips page.


Memory slots / type Today there is a wide variety of different types and speeds of memory. When looking at purchasing a motherboard, ensure that it is compatible with the memory you currently have or plan on purchasing.

Additional information about Memory buying tips can be found on our Memory buying tips page.

Slots The type of slots can be an important consideration. Below is a listing of the different types of slots used in motherboards.

1. AGP - AGP, or Advanced Graphics Port, is used for video cards and is highly recommended that only motherboards with AGP slots be considered and/or purchased.
2. AMR - AMR, or Audio Modem Riser, is a new type of slot that is used for Audio / Modem cards and is found on some motherboards. This is not a critical slot and has been replaced by the CNR.
3. CNR - CNR, or Communication and Network Riser, is a new type of slot that supports audio, modem, USB and Local Area Network cards. This slot is highly recommended for any user building a large amount of computers as the cards are generally cheaper than the standard PCI or ISA cards.
4. ISA - Today, ISA is becoming obsolete and is not found on all motherboards. Unless you have old ISA cards that need to be used, it is recommended you purchase a new motherboard with no ISA slots and additional PCI slots.
5. PCI - The most widely and commonly used slot, the PCI slot, allows for all types of cards.

Additional information and help about each of the above slots can be found on our Information about the computer bus page.

Buying tips for computer video cards can be found on our video card buying tips page.

Buying tips for computer sound cards can be found on our sound card buying tips page.

Buying tips for computer modems can be found on our modem buying tips page.

Jumpers Jumpers are generally overlooked when considering a motherboard; however, they can be an important consideration, especially for users who plan on overclocking their computer. Below is a listing of some of the jumpers that should be asked about or known when purchasing a computer motherboard.

1. Does the motherboard have a clear CMOS / BIOS jumper?
2. Does the motherboard have CPU settings jumpers? Or is it configured through CMOS? Is it auto detect?
3. Does the motherboard have onboard video / sound? If yes, can they be disabled with jumper or is it done through CMOS? Note: either way is fine as long as it can be disabled.

USB Ports While all motherboards today have USB ports, ensure that the motherboard you plan on purchasing has USB ports.
AFFECTS

Upgrading / replacing a new computer motherboard may have the below effects on the computer.

*

Speed up the overall performance of the computer. May not be noticeable.
*

Allow for new improved hardware to be added into the computer.

PC Motherboard DFI LP JR GF9400-T2RS Socket 775 GeForce 9400 Chipset SLI Micro ATX DFI

CPU
Supports the LGA 775 socket for: - Intel® Core™2 Quad and Intel® Core™2 Duo
Supports Intel Enhanced Memory 64 Technology (EMT64T)
Supports Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)
Supports Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
Supports 1333/1066/800MHz FSB
Chipset
NVIDIA GeForce 9400 chipset

Memory
Four 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets
Supports DDR2 667/800/1066 MHz DIMMs
Supports dual channel (128-bit wide) memory interface
Supports up to 8GB system memory
Supports unbuffered non-ECC x8 and x16 DIMMs
Expansion Slots
2 PCI Express (Gen 2) x16 slots - Hybrid SLI®
combination of the integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card
in a PCIE slot (16-lane port). - Two graphics cards support SLI®;
each operating at x8 (8-lane ports) bandwidth
1 PCI Express x1 slot
1 PCI slot
BIOS
CMOS Reloaded
8Mbit SPI flash memory
Graphics
Integrated graphics core
Hybrid SLI® technology combines the onboard integrated graphics and a discrete PCIE graphics card
Onboard graphics interface - HDMI port for both digital audio and video HD display - DVI-I port for digital LCD display
Microsoft® DirectX 10
PureVideo® HD and PhysX technology will provide high-definition video decode acceleration.
Audio
Realtek ALC885 8-channel HD Audio Codec
High-performance DACs with 106dB dynamic range (A-Weight), ADCs with 101dB dynamic range (A-Weight)
LAN
Vitesse VSC8601 PCIE Gigabit LAN controller
Fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), 802.3u (100BASE-TX) and 802.3ab (1000BASE-T) standards
Serial ATA
Supports up to 6 SATA devices
SATA speed up to 3Gb/s
RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID 5
IDE
One IDE connector allows connecting up to two UltraDMA 133Mbps hard drives
Rear Panel I/O
1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
1 HDMI-out port
1 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-out port
1 optical S/PDIF-out port
1 DVI-I port
4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
1 RJ45 LAN port
Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks
Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks
Internal I/O Connectors
3 connectors for 6 additional external USB 2.0 ports
1 connector for an external COM port
1 front audio connector
1 CD-in connector
1 IrDA connector
1 CIR connector
6 Serial ATA connectors
1 40-pin IDE connector
1 floppy connector
1 24-pin ATX power connector
1 8-pin 12V power connector
2 4-pin 5V/12V power connectors (FDD type)
1 front panel connector
4 fan connectors
EZ touch switches (power switch and reset switch)
Power Management
ACPI and OS Directed Power Management
ACPI STR (Suspend to RAM) function
Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse
Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
Wake-On-Ring
Wake-On-LAN
RTC timer to power-on the system
AC power failure recovery
Hardware Monitor
Monitors CPU/system/chipset temperature
Monitors 12V/5V/3.3V/Vcore/Vbat/5Vsb/Vdimm/Vchip voltages
Monitors the speed of the cooling fans
CPU Overheat Protection function monitors CPU temperature during system boot-up
Form Factor
Micro ATX Motherboard Form Factor
24.5cm (9.64") x 24.5cm (9.64")
Form Factor
Warranty
DFI LANPARTY JR GF9400-T2RS
30 Days Motherboard Pro DOA Warranty
DFI Warranty
Motherboard Warranty Information
Motherboards

How to choose motherboard

Free computer tips on selection of motherboard

In this post you will get 9 free tips on buying a new motherboard. What points you should keep in mind before making a choice for motherboard. As you know creating a customized PC is much easier and fulfill your requirements. The most important decisions you will make for your customized PC is which motherboard to buy. Motherboard prices and features vary tremendously so you need to consider performance, Prices, and features in a new motherboard depending on your need and requirement.

Motherboard shopping tips

Tip 1 : take some time to think about how you will use your system.

Understand what kind of system you are building. Someone with a power meter that requires a serial port will care a lot more about the peripheral features than the average user will, while the hard-core gamer will probably focus on the GPU, CPU, and chip set while ignoring peripherals and form-factor issues.

Tip 2 : Selecting the chip set

If the CPU is the brains of the PC than the Chip set is the spinal cord. Chip set is the single and most important component of motherboard and it directly influence the performance. Chip sets normally employ two different chips referred to as the northbridge and southbridge.North bridge is responsible for dealing with high-performance devices while less sensitive devices are dealt by southbridge. Northbridge includes the memory controller and graphic controller while southbridge includes networking, storage, audio, general peripherals. Pick chip set first, then the motherboard. The difference is chip sets can be significant but two motherboard with same chip set will be nearly identical in performance.

Tip 3 : Selecting Memory

Stay with DDR2 memory unless you need the extra bandwidth and performance. A modern desktop PC should have at least 2GB of memory, possibly 4GB for more demanding applications. Most chip sets use DDR2 memory at up to 800 MHz but newer chip sets from Intel may also use DDR3. DDR3 offers more bandwidth and consume less power but its expensive also.Both DDR2 and DD3 uses 240 pins the difference is that the key ( a small gap between the pins) is closer to the center of the DIMM ( the memory module ) for DDR. while it is closer to the edgeof the DDR3 DIMM. Remember : If the memory module doesn't fit into the slot, don't force it!

Tip 4 : Selecting graphic Hardware

The graphic processing unit (GPU) is the third most important component of a system, right after the CPU and chip sets. You need to consider the cost, performance and upgradability. AN IGP is a fine choice for for users interested in a little multimedia, office work and other lighter workloads.

Tip 5 : PCI Slot

PCI express comes in two flavors. GEN 1 and GEN 2. The difference is that Gen 2 PCI express slot runs at 5GHz twice the speed of previous generation. If the price is no object and maximum gaming performance is your goal, your selection is bit different. True multi-GPU support is a your high-end is priced accordingly. The only options for multiple GPUs are SLI and Crossfile. SLI for nvidia and Crossfire for ATI cards. Remember nVidia is the clear performance leader and note that nVidia chip sets and intel's Shulltrail motherboard.

Tip 6 : Sound card

AC97 is an older audio standard that has been superseded by HD audio or Azilla. For the dedicated enthusiasts who would benefit from a discrete sound card an = extra PCI-E slot is enough to find.

Tip 7 : Networking

A good chip set will always have at least one integrated gigabyte Ethernet port. simply check it before buying.

Tip 8 : Associated Peripherals

On the motherboard, the peripherals can include USB 2.0, fireWire, PS/2, serial and parallel ports, and a floppy drive. OF those options, USB 2.0 is an absolute necessity and fire Wire can be nice obsolete unless you pretty much specific peripheral device.

Tip 9 : Form factor

The last aspect of the motherboard to consider is form factor. Most motherboard uses the ATX form factor, with the microATX design meeting the needs of space conscious user.