PC WORKSHOP

[AJIexander]

Publication №8: How to choose Motherboard
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Greetings to all! We definitely went most of the way and a lot is already behind. Hope you are still with me. This time we will try to understand the motherboard.

Form Factor​

If you have a Midi Tower case, you do not have to buy a commensurate ATX board. Micro ATX will be enough for you, unless of course you are going to install several video cards.

Socket​

There is one rule for choosing a socket, it is selected based on the CPU you have chosen. Currently relevant AMD - AM4 and Intel - 1151 (v2).

Chipset​

Depending on the chipset, your motherboard may have:

- ability to overclock memory and CPU;
- enhanced nutrition;
- additional slots (PCI-e, Sata and USB.).

Below I have left tables for comparing the current chipsets.

AMD

Spoiler

Intel

Spoiler

Many people may wonder why not buy the very youngest chipset, because it has almost the same functions. For example, take the CPU R7 2700. Installing it in a budget-level motherboard with the A320 chipset is a bad idea. You can save a lot on the motherboard, but the processor can run at a lower frequency, which will cause a decrease in performance. Also increases the likelihood of failure of computer components. In addition, there may be compatibility problems when replacing the CPU with a model from a new generation, as the manufacturer actively supports more expensive solutions. The balanced options are the chipset B360 for Intel and the B450 for AMD, this is if you do not plan to buy a flagship processor with overclocking support.

General recommendations​

To simplify the choice of the motherboard, I recommend remembering a few simple tips for yourself:

1) The motherboard should have four slots for RAM. Thanks to this, there will be no problems with increasing the amount of memory.

2) It is worth choosing models mainly with radiators in the zone VRM. it It will protect you from overheating of the power components and help the motherboard work more stably, even under not very comfortable temperature conditions.

3) If you do not plan to overclock the system, then you should not overpay for additional power phases, huge radiators and consoles such as Gaming, Pro, and so on. This will not add to your performance.

4) You should not buy a specific model because of an improved sound or network chip. You can always buy an external sound card or network adapter the size of a USB flash drive which will be much better and cheaper.

5) Before buying a motherboard, pay attention to which CPU models it supports. This information can be viewed on the manufacturer's website.

Motherboard for overclocking​

Overclocking is good, but effective overclocking requires a motherboard with an increased number of real power phases, large heatsinks, a successful memory controller, as well as a convenient and multifunctional bios. All this is still needed an:

- effective air cooling system of the CPU or a three-section water cooling system;

- processor with an index K (if it is Intel), these processors are significantly more expensive than those without K;

- perforated case, with the correct airflow system and at least four coolers (120mm or more);

- scalping the CPU with the replacement of the thermal interface with liquid metal;

- memory with good overclocking potential.

If you will be interested in the future, we will try to make a analysis of the motherboard for effective overclocking.

Summary​

Looking at the above, we can say with confidence that the best solution would be to buy an i5-9400f and a motherboard on the chipset B360 than an i5-9600k on the Z370 (Z390), plus the entire list above, and invest the remaining funds in the GPU. The option with the most expensive chipset can only be justified if you buy a core i9 (k) or core i7 (k) processor. When gaining extra performance cannot be achieved by purchasing a more expensive CPU and there is only overclocking. If we talk about AMD, then there are even fewer reasons for buying motherboards on the expensive chipsets X370, X470 and X570, since the mid-price chipset B450 also supports overclocking. But this is not the only reason. CPU AMD they do not have a high overclocking potential; accordingly, overclocking them does not make sense. And on this we complete our today's release, see you soon in the workshop.[/spoiler]

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