Thread: Processors + Motherboards

When you think of these two don't differentiate between them as being two separate entities. Simply put, you are building a solution for yourself, and not a PC! A solution is less about individual choices, and more about overall impacts. If you're building a simple home PC, a multime¬dia PC, a gamer building a frag box, or an enthusiast building the ultimate rig-your primary choice should always be the basics ... and it doesn't get any more basic than this duo.

However, the processor and platform does playa major role in building your Pc. If you want an Intel processor, for example, you would obviously be limited to choosing a chipset I motherboard meant for Intel processors. Nowadays, with compatibility not really being the issue it once used to be, a motherboard for one platform supports nearly all the available processors in that platform. Upgradeability of a processor on a particular chipset isn't an issue either.



For example, earlier AMD Athlon 64s, Athlon X2s, Semprons and the much newer Phenom processors (around three years apart) still use the same socket I chipset and hence the same motherboards. For Intel, the two-plus-year-old P965 and nForce 680i motherboards still support all the latest quad core processors, and even the newer Penryn processors. However, a completely new architecture, for example the move from Socket 478 to LGA 775 for Intel a few years ago required a total redo. In the future, Nehalem promises a sim¬ilar change, and all motherboards would be incompatible with the new architecture. This is nothing to fear however, and you need to do a little background research on your own, and not end up with an obsolete solution.

Another word of advice is not to upgrade as soon as something new is out, or something faster becomes avail¬able. Instead, ask yourself if you are already displeased with the features and performance you are getting, and more importantly do you need more power? If you don't, then simply sit tight and wait for something that will bring about significant performance and feature enhancements over what you currently have. Below are some of the com¬mon concerns you may have as a user.