Motherboard with integrated processor: pros and cons

Have you ever wondered if a motherboard with an integrated processor is worth it? In this article we will see what it is about, what they are useful for and where and how we can identify a board with an integrated processor, such as those that integrate Intel Core Silver or Celeron J series processors.

Index of contents

Of course we will focus on the field of personal computers, and not on programmable boards such as the Raspberry Pi or the Arduino among others, which also have embedded processors

What is a motherboard with integrated processor

Well, a motherboard with an integrated processor is nothing more than a PCB where a processor has been permanently installed or soldered. In this case we are referring to processors, in principle for desktop computers, for example, for a normal Linux or Windows platform.

In general, these motherboards have everything you need to be able to run a computer, for example, RAM memory slots, SATA, M.2 connectors for high-speed flash drives or ports for peripherals. It is not something different from a motherboard for a desktop computer, the only detail is that the CPU cannot be removed or updated because it is soldered on it.

You will already know that the processors for personal computers are mounted on a socket, and in this case it is exactly the same. Surely you have heard of Intel's sock et LGA or AMD's PGA, but in this type of boards we will be talking about BGA sockets. Let's see what with each of them:

• LGA socket: means Land grid Array, and in this case the connectors or pins are in the socket itself instead of the processor. Then in the processor there are some flat contacts that will make contact with the socket pins when it is installed and it is pressed with the clamping plate. They are used by Intel processors on LGA 1151 and LGA 2066 and AMD with the Threadripper TR4. Socket PGA: means Pin Grid Array, and is the one used for example by Ryzen processors in the AMD AM4 socket. It is an older format that typically supports fewer contact pins as these are found in the CPU rather than the socket. Socket BGA: this is the one we are dealing with today, it means Ball Grid Array because the processor has a series of small contacts in the form of balls that will be directly soldered on the motherboard. This eliminates the possibility of updating the board with said processor. Used by Intel for current laptop CPUs with BGA1440 socket or embedded computers

What types of motherboards are there with an integrated processor?

Let's see now what boards we can find today with integrated SoC.

And the first ones that we will cite will be the most widespread, since practically any user nowadays has a laptop at home. Yes, practically all current laptops have soldered processors in a BGA socket.

Other devices that have this feature are many of the miniPCs that are currently for sale. These devices have a custom size motherboard and smaller than ITX, almost always with a soldered processor, just like notebooks. An example may be Mini PCs with AMD Carrizo-L processors under FP4 BGA socket, or those using Intel processors from the Mobile family.

And the third element that we have with integrated SoC are the boards that are marketed for ourselves to mount HTPC, and they are the ones that we will see listed in the recommended products. These boards almost always come in Mini-ITX format and feature Intel's Gemini Lake family processors, both Celeron and next-generation Pentium Silver.

Parts or elements that include these plates

Precisely staying with the latter, we are going to see what elements these ITX boards include, because we must bear in mind that one of them costs between 60 and 150 euros approximately, a very economical price if we consider that they have the processor included.

Processor

Undoubtedly Intel stands out here with its family of Gemini Lake processors with Pentium Silver, Gold and also Celeron, especially the J variants with minimum power consumption.

And it is that they are CPUs that have a power not at all small, for example, the Pentium Silver J5005 has 4 cores at 1.50 / 2.80 GHz and 4 MB of L3 cache consuming only 10W. They are ideal for small multimedia PCs, since they include high-level IGP such as the Intel UHD Graphics 605 and Integrated AC Wi-Fi connectivity.

Memory

Being a small size, they are usually boards that install two SO-DIMM slots for a maximum memory capacity of 8 GB DDR4-2400 MHz, if we have Pentium Silver or 16 GB LPDDR3-1866 if we have Pentium Gold of the Y series.

Expansion and storage slots

Due to the low power of the chipset and the processor, the storage is normally limited to being under the SATA interface. There would also be little point in putting an M.2 unless space is an issue.

These boards don't have PCIe 3.0 x16 for GPUs, in fact they are limited to having one or more PCIe 2.0 x1 slots and M.2 slots to install Intel CNVi Wi-Fi modules.

Connectors, BIOS and sound

Practically all the current boards already have UEFI BIOS also in this market segment, rather more basic than desktop computers, but functional and adapted to new hardware.

The sound card is of course integrated which are the chips that we already know in large teams, we are talking about Realtek ALC892 with 7.1 channels. And in the same way we will have connectivity according to the user's needs, with PS / 2 ports for mouse and keyboard, HDMI video, USB 3.1 Gen1 or 2.0, RJ-45 Ethernet or audio connectors. We even have internal headers to connect the chassis USB like any other board.

The boards of laptops: how to know if they have an integrated processor

Many times you will have wondered if your laptop has a welded processor or instead it is possible to update it because it has a normal and current socket. We are sorry to tell you that practically all current computers have an on-board SoC, although it is worth taking a look to see what type of socket it is and what processor you have.

For this, we recommend our following tutorial:

Change processor of a laptop Is it possible? How do I know if I can

In any case, always remember that the best way to increase the speed of an old laptop is to install SATA SSD drives instead of mechanical hard drives, and this is possible in almost all of them.

Similarly, we recommend increasing the amount of RAM and cleaning the cooling system well. Changing the CPU isn't usually a big improvement, keep that in mind.

Pros and cons of boards with integrated processor

Let's look at a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of having a motherboard with an integrated processor and without the possibility of updating this component:

Advantage

• Very small formats, ideal for MiniPC and HTPC Very low power consumption of your hardware Easy to transport and install since there are no removable elements Economic prices, much more than buying an ITX board with independent CPU They offer full connectivity and only need a PSU to work CPU boards very powerful (in the case of laptops)

Disadvantages

• It is not possible to update the CPUS If the CPU fails, we will have to change the entire board Reduced power, only recommended for multimedia equipment They do not have the capacity to install external GPUs

Precisely for this reason, it is recommended to purchase one of these boards together with a small chassis to mount multimedia equipment for home use or for the smallest. They will be of a very small cost, much more than without buying a complete miniPC, although we will have to assemble it ourselves.

Recommended boards for HTPC

We continue citing the best motherboard options with an integrated processor that we can acquire in the market.

ASRock J4205-ITX - Mini-ITX motherboard with integrated CPU (Integrated J4205 processor, 2x DDR3 SO-DIMM, Mx. 16GB, D-Sub + HDMI + DVI-D, 4x SATA3, 1x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1x M.2, 4x USB 3.1)

• Easy to use Compatible Windows Maximum Resolution

84, 64 EUR Buy on Amazon

It is a fairly inexpensive board and not for this reason it is not very powerful, it is ideal for mounting small PCs thanks to its ITX format and having a standard size port panel. The installed audio chip is a Realtek ALC892 and also includes LAN connectivity. The one downside is that it doesn't integrate Wi-Fi.

This board has a quad-core Intel Pentium J4205 capable of 2.6 GHz performance, supporting 16 GB of DDR3 RAM. It has great connectivity, with capacity for four SATA disks, CNVi Wi-Fi card and HDMI video output along with 4 USB 3.1 Gen1.

Asrock J4105-ITX 90-Mxb6N0-A0Uayz - Motherboard, Color Black

• Built-in Quad-Core J4105 2.5 GHz processor, offers better performance, lower power consumption and new multimedia capabilities. Supports 10-bit HEVC encoding / decoding to provide improved video quality and higher bit depth video experience. Audio 7.1 CH HD (ALC892 Audio Codec), ELNA Audio Capacitors

95.99 EUR Buy on Amazon

ITX motherboard very similar to the previous one, including all the connectivity that we have discussed, but in this case installing an Intel Pentium J4105 quad-core processor that supports 8 GB of DDR4-2133 RAM. So we recommend it for users who want something more current.

ASRock J4005M 90-MXB6L0-A0UAYZ - Motherboard with Intel Dual-Core J4005 processor, Color Black

• Dual core2.7 ghzDdr4

81.45 EUR Buy on Amazon

And for users who want something even more basic, less powerful and cheaper, here we have this ASRock with 2.7 GHz dual-core Intel Pentium J4005 CPU, but it also supports 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. We must bear in mind that this board is in Micro-ATX format.

The sound card is a little more basic also with Realtek ALC887, and the storage connectivity is reduced to 2 SATA ports, keeping the 4 3.1 Gen1 ports and the M.2 connector for Wi-Fi.

TO BUY

And finally we have this ITX board that includes the Intel Pentium Silver J5005 processor, a quad-core chip working at 2.80 GHz that supports 8 GB of DDR4-2133 MHz RAM. The good thing about this processor is that it includes Wi-Fi connectivity. AC and an integrated GPU capable of playing content on 4K UHD.

Otherwise, it offers more or less the same connectivity, 4 SATA connectors, 4 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports and a Realtek ALC892 sound chip .

Conclusion and interesting links about motherboards with integrated processor

Well, here ends our article on motherboards with an integrated processor. We have reviewed which are the ones that we can find on the market, the most recommended and that consists of embedded SoC technology to facilitate the task in small multimedia computers.

We see a clear trend from manufacturers to integrate soldered CPUs on their boards for non-desktop computers, and soon the vast majority of them will be. In fact, there are practically no laptops that do not have the CPU soldered today.

Now we leave you with some interesting links:

We hope that the article has served to make it clearer what the topic of integrated processors is about. If you have any note to give or doubt, tell us in the box below.