Thread: A Motherboards Connect all the PC's components

The processor plugs into a motherboard, connecting it to all other parts of the PC. Mainstream motherboards support either AMO processors or Intel processors, but it's important to check a motherboard is compatible with the specific processor in use, since some do not support the fastest quad-core processors, for example. Motherboards come in various sizes. The most common are microATX (mATX) and ATX. ATX is the bigger of the two and requires an ATX case to hold it. MicroATX motherboards are smaller and can fit into both mATX cases and bigger ATX cases.
MicroATX motherboards usually sacrifice some PCI slots to save space, so if lots of peripheral cards (such as sound cards, Wifi cards and TV tuners) are destined to be installed, it's worth buying an ATX motherboard.



The best way to decide which motherboard to buy is to make a list of the ports and slots needed (say, four USB ports, two Sata ports, one Flrewlre, two PCI slots etc) and then make sure the motherboard has everything listed. We've chosen an MSI Neo P45-F motherboard for our PC, which supports all the latest Intel processors. It has one PCI Express x16 slot for a graphics card and integrated audio. Another one to lookout for is the Asus P5QL-E, this one is a good motherboard as well with support for all latest Intel processors.