Purchasing a motherboard is very easy because you’ve to see a picture and press the “ORDER” button. But the selection process is difficult because there are numerous things that you’ve to keep in mind before selecting a motherboard.
Before selecting and purchasing a motherboard, you’ve to see if your motherboard can run games and heavy applications. Does your motherboard have the latest PCI Express, which Chipset it has, and several other things?
This article will cover the 5 main things you’ve to consider before purchasing a motherboard for yourself. If one thing is bad, your entire motherboard is useless because if you purchased a motherboard with PCIe 3.0 revision and want to insert an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, that would not work because this RTX 3090 works with PCIe 4.0 revision.
So that’s what I am trying to say. You’ve to decide the components first, and then you must order a motherboard. So let’s start with our first point, which is the Form Factor.
Form Factor
Before purchasing any motherboard, you’ve to see that which form it has. There are different types of Form Factors in the motherboard, and the smallest one is PCIO ITX that has only 2 RAM slots. So on 2 RAM Slots, what can you do? Simply, nothing!
So before purchase, decide the components that you want to insert in it. If you want to insert an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD graphics card, you must have a large motherboard to place this graphics card comfortably. So that’s why the Form Factor is the most important thing before purchasing a motherboard.
ATX is the best format for motherboards, and you should purchase that because, with ATX Form Factor, you’re able to insert whatever you want to.
Socket
After Form Factor, the 2nd thing that matters is the Socket of the motherboard. In Socket, you insert the processor, either AMD or Intel. Without a Socket, you cannot expect a good power delivery from your processor because Socket holds the processor. If your Socket is the latest and it has the caliber to hold hefty processors, then it’s good.
LGA 2066 is the best example of that. It’s the best Socket with an excellent power delivery system, and it holds the latest processors of the Intel series.
Sockets are difficult to understand, but Review Scot is the first external resource I recommend a visit.
Chipset
When the Form Factor and Socket of your motherboard are reliable, the third thing that matters the most is the Chipset. Chipset controls everything on your PC. Before plane Chipset, there was a different concept.
Before 2016, there were 2 Chipsets in every motherboard, one was North Bridge, and the second was South Bridge. North Bridge Chipset and South Bridge Chipset. North Bridge Chipset was used to control your motherboard’s power components, including processor, graphics card, RAM, and hard disk.
The South Bridge Chipset was used to control the external components of your motherboard. Sometimes you insert a Flashdrive into your PC. That Flashdrive was read through South Bridge Chipset. SouthBridge Chipset controls the external component, but now this concept has been removed.
The developers of motherboards have worked hard and minimized the Chips from their motherboards to get extra space. Now one Chipset controls the whole system, either power components or external components.
So it means that 70% of your PC is controlled through Chipset because it includes a processor, graphics card, RAM, hard disk, and external components like Flashdrive and SD Card Readers. Now every Chipset cannot control all these things at a fast speed.
It would help if you had the latest Chipset on your motherboard to get full speed from all these components. For that, you’ve to make a decision. If you want to equip your motherboard with Ryzen Processor, then TRX40 Chipsets are best because they have the latest PCI Express Revision.
With this Chipset, you can insert any graphics card you want and insert the heaviest processor like AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper processor.
While seeing the Intel section, you must have an Intel X299 Chipset because this Chipset supports the latest PCIe 4.0 Revision with a Core i9 processor.
The study of Chipset is extensive, so you need a proper guideline for that. We’re going to reveal a trusted resource for you. Don’t forget to visit Bigeno because it’s a trusted resource for selecting the best laptops and motherboards for themselves.
Heatsinks
What do you think if your motherboard has the latest Chipset, Socket, and Form Factor? Is it enough? Well, no, because you’ve to take some other precautions.
Heatsinks matter a lot in any motherboard because if your motherboard doesn’t have enough heatsinks or heat ventilation space, your motherboard’s temperature will be uncontrollable.
Heatsinks protect your motherboard’s component from being heated, and that helps a lot because if any power component is running normally, it delivers good speed to any input.
Heatsinks are available on the different sections of your motherboards. The first heatsink that matters a lot is on your M.2 NVMe SSD slot. Every gaming motherboard comes in an M.2 NVMe SSD slot, and some motherboards also have dual M.2 slots.
All the data is stored inside the hard drive, and if your hard drive isn’t covered with heatsink, it will produce heat, and a time will come that its temperature will not allow that component to work normally. So heatsink on M.2 NVMe SSD matters a lot, and that’s the first precaution you’ve to take.
The 2nd heatsink should be on your Chipset. Chipset controls 70% of your computer operations, and if it isn’t covered with a heatsink, it will decrease its speed slowly. There are several motherboards with the heatsink on Chipsets, and you should focus on that thing.
VRM Panel
VRM Panel works as a broker in between the power supply and your motherboard. It would help if you had the latest VRM with enough capacitors because your motherboard works well when it receives good voltages.
There are different types of VRMs, and you should grab a motherboard whose VRM has the latest capacitors and heatsinks. Heatsinks are also present on the VRM panel, and it would help if your VRM panel has a heatsink.
So don’t pick a motherboard with older VRM and without a heatsink. I’ve seen many people using different motherboards without any heatsink on VRMs, but it would be good if you have a heatsink on the VRM panel.
Also Read: What Parameters To Choose A Motherboard
USB Ports
The last thing that matters the most is the USB Ports. Your motherboard should have the latest USB ports because external components are connected through USB ports, and if they aren’t the latest, you can face connectivity problems.
USB 3.0 is the latest USB port, and after that, there comes a new concept Thunderbolt. There are several motherboards with Thunderbolt ports, and when we see the USB 3.0 types, we get USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2.
The types of USBs are different, but I am mentioning the speed of USB 3.1, 3.2, and Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports.
USB 3.1 and 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2 have the maximum speed of 5 to 10 Gbps. When we see Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 ports, the idea is different.
You’ll be shocked after reading the features of Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 come in a C-Type USB port, and its maximum speed reaches 40 Gbps. It is 3X faster than USB 3.1 and 3.2, either Gen 1 or Gen 2. You can connect 2 monitors externally through these Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports, and these are not simple monitors. Thunderbolt ports also support even 4K quality monitors.
Might be interested: Format USB in CMD
Apple and Intel together made this technology, but later, Apple decided to continue it alone, and Intel withdrew its services from the Thunderbolt section. Now Apple is continuing this service, and it also comes in a standard motherboard. Your motherboard must have a Type-C port of the Thunderbolt series to get enough transfer speed.
Conclusion
So that’s it, guys. These are some precautions that you’ve to take before purchasing a motherboard. If you like this article, please share it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Any questions, feel free to ask in our website’s comments section.
