Which motherboard do I need according to my needs?

The motherboard is the first component that we have to think about when assembling a new PC, since it is the basis of our team, and all the features and future expansion options will depend on it. The market offers us hundreds of options, so it is not easy to decide on a specific motherboard. We have prepared this post to present you the keys that you have to take into account when buying a new motherboard.

Index of contents

The motherboard is the central axis of a computer so it is very important to pay attention and choose the correct model, especially in the case of desktop computers, since over time we can change its components to adapt them to the current times, and improve performance. This largely depends on your starting point, because if you are going to start with only 4 GB of RAM, it is highly likely that sooner or later you need to expand that capacity. Your motherboard should have enough room for this expansion, the same goes for storage. Choosing the right motherboard can make the PC last us many more years, with the consequent saving in money that it supposes.

Socket and chipset, the first thing you have to look at when choosing a motherboard

The first thing we should look at when purchasing a motherboard is the socket, as compatibility with the different AMD and Intel processors depends on it. Both processor manufacturers use different sockets, and even within a single manufacturer there are several different sockets. So, we must choose the socket that corresponds to our processor. The main sockets that we can find today and the compatible processors are the following:

Intel:

• LGA 1151 Skylake / Kaby Lake / Coffee LakeLGA 1150 Haswell / BroadwellLGA2066 Kaby Lake-X / Skylake-X

AMD:

• AM4 Ryzen / Bristol Ridge AM3 / AM3 + FXAM1 Kabini

Once we are clear about the socket to use, we have to choose a chipset. The possibility of overclocking and using various graphics cards, among other things, depends on the chipset, so it is very important to choose the one that suits our needs.

In the case of Intel, the Z chipsets with the highest performance, the only ones that allow the processor and RAM to be overclocked, on the contrary, the motherboards that mount them are more expensive. Below we have the H and B chipsets, which cut benefits in exchange for being cheaper. The Z and H chipsets are the only ones that allow using multiple graphics cards on the same PC. In the case of Coffee Lake we have the Z370, B360, H370 and H310 chipsets. It is useless to buy a Z370 motherboard if our processor does not allow overclocking, because we would be paying an extra cost for a function that we are not going to take advantage of.

We recommend reading our post on the best motherboards on the market

If you look at AMD, its highest-end chipsets are X and then we have B and A. In this case, both X and B allow us to overclock and use various graphics cards. In the case of Ryzen we have the X470, X370, B350 and A320 chipsets. In the case of AMD all processors allow overclocking, the A320 chipset is the only one that will prevent us.

Form factor, the other important ingredient

The next step will be to choose the form factor of the motherboard, in other words, its size. Currently, we can find the following motherboard formats:

• E-ATX: they are the largest motherboards and the ones with the greatest expansion possibilities, since their large size allows installing more connector ports, their measurements are 300 mm x 330 mm. ATX: It is the standard size and the most widely used, its measurements are 305 x 244 mm. Micro-ATX: It measures 244 x 244 mm and is becoming more popular today. Mini-ITX: They are the smallest motherboards with measurements of 170 x 170 mm.

The size of the motherboard will depend on how big you want your computer to be, if you want a computer that looks like a console, go for a Mini ITX motherboard, although with this you will have to make some sacrifices in features. On the contrary, if you want a computer without space limitations and with great expansion possibilities, ATX or even E-ATX motherboards are yours.

Connections and aspects to consider

The bigger a motherboard, the more connections and features it can offer us, nowadays small formats are increasingly popular. The most popular ports and connections today are:

Power Phases (VRM)

This is the voltage regulation module and is the component that is responsible for supplying power to our processor. The VRM of a motherboard is made up of different phases that divide the work, the greater the number of phases the less work each one of them will have to do, therefore they will heat up and wear less. We can find motherboards from three or four power phases to twenty or more, if we are going to overclock the processor we are interested in a high number of phases, if we are not going to overclock we will have plenty of four or six phases.

Refrigeration system

The heatsinks of a motherboard are mainly placed on the VRM and the chipset, the one on the VRM being especially important, since it is an element that gets quite hot. If possible, we should look for a motherboard that comes with heatsinks.

RAM

DDR4 DIMM slots: they determine the number of memory modules that we can mount, the most normal thing is that they include two or four slots. It is better to opt for motherboards with four slots, since this will offer us more possibilities when expanding the amount of memory in the future. In the case of Mini ITX boards, it will be difficult to find a model with four slots due to the limited space they have, although some ASRock X299 we have tested with four SO-DIMM (laptop memory) slots.

PCI Express connection

PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots: are those used by graphics cards, if we want a very powerful system when playing we will need to use several graphics cards so our motherboard will have to have several of these slots.

Storage connections

M.2 and SATA III ports: M.2 ports are used by the highest performance SSDs, most motherboards include between one and three of these ports. SATA III ports are those used by mechanical hard drives, optical drives, and inexpensive SSDs, motherboards typically include between two and eight generally. The latest trend among motherboard manufacturers is to include heat sinks for M.2 drives, which tend to get quite hot, an example of which is the MSI M.2 Shield. We recommend that you purchase a motherboard with at least one of these heatsinks.

Other additives that are very cool but not essential

Then we leave you a couple of notes to take into account, but they are not differential when choosing a motherboard.

illumination

Surely you have seen a multitude of motherboards with lighting in various colors, this is an increasingly common trend and the truth is that aesthetically it looks very good. However, you have to know that the lighting will not influence the performance of the motherboard at all and makes the product more expensive, so if you have a tight budget we recommend that you buy a motherboard without lighting, in which all the money is will invest in what really matters.

Liquid cooling bracket

It is also quite common to see motherboards with support for watercoling or water cooling for the VRM mainly, this feature can be interesting for users who want to overclock the processor, although with traditional heatsinks mounted by manufacturers it is enough if they are good quality. We are facing a case similar to lighting, although it is fair to say that in this case it does fulfill a function that may be important. If you are not going to use water cooling, it does not make sense for you to buy a motherboard with a support for watercoling, as it will be more expensive and you will not take advantage of this feature.

Here ends our post on the keys that you have to take into account when buying a new motherboard, remember to share it on social networks so that it can help more users. If you have doubts you can ask us here or in our hardware forum.