How to choose a motherboard for a new computer or upgrade? Universal technique. Which motherboard is better to buy

Long gone are the days when you could choose a PC of almost any configuration on the market for any task. There are now few companies that assemble PCs, and there are practically no companies left that specialize specifically in PC assembly. Moreover, the rest, as a rule, are engaged in exclusive and very expensive PCs, which not everyone can afford. But computers from companies that do not specialize in PC assembly often cause criticism. As a rule, these companies are engaged in the sale of components, and for them the assembly of ready-made configurations is not their main business, which is often just a means of cleaning warehouses. That is, computers are assembled according to the principle “what do we have in our warehouse?” As a result, for many users the motto “If you want it to be good, do it yourself” remains very relevant today.

Of course, you can always order a PC assembly of any configuration from commercially available components. But you will be the “foreman” of such an assembly, and it is you who will have to develop the PC configuration and approve the estimate. And this is by no means a simple matter and requires knowledge of the assortment on the component market, as well as the basic principles of creating PC configurations: in which case it is better to install a more powerful video card, and when you can get by with an integrated graphics core, but you need a powerful processor. We will not consider all aspects of creating a PC configuration, but we will have to remember several important steps.

So, at the first stage when creating a PC configuration, you need to decide on the platform: will it be a computer based on an AMD processor or based on an Intel processor. The answer to the question: “Which is better?” - simply does not exist, and we will not campaign in favor of one or another platform. In this article we’ll just talk about computers based on the Intel platform. At the second stage, after choosing a platform, you should decide on a specific processor model and select a motherboard. Moreover, we consider this choice to be one stage, since one is closely related to the other. You can choose a board for a specific processor, or you can choose a processor for a specific board. In this article we will look at the modern range of motherboards for Intel processors.

Where to begin

The range of modern motherboards for Intel processors, just like the range of Intel processors themselves, can be divided into two large families:

boards based on the Intel X299 chipset for Intel Core X processors (Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X)
boards based on Intel 300 series chipsets for 8th generation Intel Core processors (Coffee Lake).

These two platforms are completely different and incompatible with each other, and therefore we will consider them in more detail each separately. The remaining boards and processors are no longer relevant, although they can be found on sale.

Intel X299 chipset and Intel Core X family processors

The Intel X299 chipset, along with boards based on it and a family of compatible processors, was presented by Intel at Computex 2017. The platform itself was codenamed Basin Falls.

First of all, boards based on the Intel X299 chipset are only compatible with processors from the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X families, which have an LGA 2066 processor socket.

The platform is quite specific and is aimed at the segment of high-performance solutions, which Intel dubbed HEDT (High End DeskTop). Actually, the peculiarity of this platform is determined by the peculiarity of the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors, which are also called the Core X family.

Kaby Lake-X

Kaby Lake-X processors are 4-core. Today there are only two models of such processors: Core i7-7740X and Core i5-7640X. They are not much different from the “regular” processors of the Kaby Lake family with the LGA 1151 socket, but they are compatible with a completely different platform and, accordingly, have a different socket.

The Core i5-7640X and Core i7-7740X processors have an unlocked multiplier and lack a graphics core - like all models of the Core X family. The Core i7-7740X model supports Hyper-Threading technology (it has 4 cores and 8 threads), and the Core i7-7740X model supports Hyper-Threading technology (it has 4 cores and 8 threads), and the Core i5-7640X - no (4 cores and 4 threads). Both processors have a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller and support up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 memory. The number of PCIe 3.0 lanes in both processors is 16 (as in regular Kaby Lake).

All processors of the Core X family with six or more cores are based on the Skylake microarchitecture. The range of models here is quite large. There are 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-core models, they are presented in two subfamilies: Core i7 and Core i9. 6- and 8-core models form the Core i7 family, and models with 10 or more cores form the Core i9 family.

Skylake-X

All processors of the Skylake-X family have a four-channel memory controller and, accordingly, the maximum amount of supported memory for them is 128 GB. The L3 cache size for each core is 1.375 MB: for a 6-core processor it is 8.25 MB, for an 8-core processor it is 11 MB, for a 10-core processor it is 13.75 MB, etc. Models of the Core i7 family ( Core i7-7800X and Core i7-7820X) each have 28 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and Core i9 family models have 44 lanes.

Intel X299 chipset

Now let's focus on the Intel X299 chipset, which is the basis of the motherboard and determines 90% (relatively, of course) of its functionality.

Since Core X processors can have either dual-channel (Kaby Lake X) or quad-channel (Skylake-X) DDR4 memory controllers, the Intel X299 chipset supports both memory modes. And boards based on this chipset usually have eight DIMM slots for installing memory modules. It’s just that if a Kaby Lake X processor is used, then only four of the eight memory slots can be used.

The functionality of the chipset is determined by the set of its high-speed input/output ports (High Speed Input/Output, abbreviated to HSIO): USB 3.1/3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s or PCIe 3.0.

The Intel X299 chipset has 30 HSIO ports. The set is as follows: no more than 24 PCIe 3.0 ports, no more than 8 SATA 6 Gbps ports and no more than 10 USB 3.0 ports. But we note once again that in total there should be no more than 30. In addition, there can be no more than 14 USB ports in total, of which up to 10 can be USB 3.0 versions, and the rest can be USB 2.0.

Flexible I/O technology is also used: some HSIO ports can be configured as PCIe or USB 3.0 ports, and some others can be configured as PCIe or SATA 6 Gb/s ports.

Naturally, the Intel X299 chipset supports Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology), which allows you to configure the SATA controller in RAID controller mode with support for levels 0, 1, 5 and 10. In addition, Intel RST technology is supported not only for SATA ports , but also for drives with PCIe x4/x2 interface (M.2 and SATA Express connectors).

The distribution diagram of high-speed I/O ports for the Intel X299 chipset is shown in the figure.

Speaking about the Basin Falls platform, one cannot fail to mention such technology as Intel VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU). This is not a feature of the chipset, but of Core X processors, and not all of them, but only the Skylake-X family (Kaby Lake-X has too few PCIe 3.0 lanes).

VROC technology allows you to create a RAID array from SSD drives with a PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 interface, using PCIe 3.0 processor lines.

This technology is implemented in different ways. The classic option is to use a container card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, which has four M.2 slots for SSD drives with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface.

By default, RAID 0 is available for all SSD drives connected to the container card. If you want more, you have to pay. That is, in order for a RAID level 1 or 5 array to become available, you need to separately purchase an Intel VROC key and connect it to a special Intel VROC Upgrade Key connector on the motherboard (this connector is available on all boards with the Intel X299 chipset).

Intel 300 series chipsets and 8th generation Intel Core processors

The Basin Falls platform discussed above is aimed at a very specific market segment that requires multi-core processors. For most home users, computers on such a platform are both expensive and pointless. That's why The vast majority of PCs with Intel processors are 8th generation Intel Core computers, also known under the code name Coffee Lake.

All Coffee Lake family processors have an LGA1151 socket and are only compatible with motherboards based on the Intel 300 series chipset.

Coffee Lake processors are represented by the Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 series, as well as Pentium Gold and Celeron.

Processors of the Core i7, Core i5 series are 6-core, and CPUs of the Core i3 series are 4-core models without support for Turbo Boost technology. The Pentium Gold and Celeron series make up the entry-level 2-core models. Coffee Lake processors of all series have a built-in graphics core.

The Core i7, Core i5 and even Core i3 series each have one processor model with an unlocked multiplier (K-series), that is these processors can (and should) be overclocked. But here you should remember that for overclocking you need not only a K-series processor, but also a board on a chipset that allows overclocking of the processor.

Now about the Intel 300 series chipsets. There's a whole garden of them here. Simultaneously with the Coffee Lake processors, only the Intel Z370 chipset was announced, which represented the entire family for almost a year. But the trick is that this chipset is “not real”. That is, at the time of the announcement of the Coffee Lake processors (October 2017), Intel did not have a new chipset for these processors. Therefore, they took the Intel Z270 chipset, made cosmetic changes and rebranded it as Intel Z370. Essentially, these are the same chipsets, with the only exception that they are aimed at different families of processors.

In April 2018, Intel announced another series of Intel 300 series chipsets - this time truly new ones, with new functionality. In total, the 300 series today includes seven models: Z370, Q370, H370, B360 and H310. Two more chipsets - Z390 and Q360 - will be announced, presumably, in early autumn.

So, All Intel 300 series chipsets are compatible only with Coffee Lake processors with LGA 1151 connector. The Q370 and Q360 models are aimed at the corporate segment of the market and are not of particular interest to users in the sense that motherboard manufacturers do not make consumer solutions for them. But the Z390, Z370, H370, B360 and H310 are just for users.

The Z390, Z370 and Q370 chipsets belong to the top segment, and the rest are obtained by castrating the functionality of the top models. The H370, B360 chipsets are for mass-produced inexpensive motherboards (boards that are called popular), but the H310 is when life begins to crack.

Now let's talk about how the rest get from the top models. It's simple. The top models Z390 and Q370 have exactly 30 numbered HSIO ports (USB 3.1/3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s and PCIe 3.0). Please note that we do not classify the Z370 chipset as a top model, because, as we have already noted, it is “fake” simply because it does not have the features that are inherent in Intel 300 series chipsets, although there are also exactly 30 HSIO ports In particular, the Z370 does not have a USB 3.1 controller and there is no CNVi controller, which we will talk about a little later.

So, the Z390 and Q370 chipsets have 30 HSIO ports, of which there can be up to 24 PCIe 3.0 ports, up to 6 SATA 6 Gb/s ports and up to 10 USB 3.0 ports, of which up to 6 ports can be USB 3.1. Moreover, there can be no more than 14 USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 ports.

To get a non-top chipset from a top-end chipset, you just need to block some of the HSIO ports. That's all. True, there is one “but” here. The H310 chipset, which is completely castrated, differs from the others not only in that it has some HSIO ports blocked, but also in the fact that the PCIe ports here are only version 2.0, and not 3.0, as is the case with other chipsets. In addition, the USB 3.1 controller is also blocked here - in other words, there are only USB 3.0 ports.

The distribution diagram of high-speed I/O ports for Intel 300 series chipsets is shown in the figure.

If you have already become confused, then the easiest way to understand how the Intel 300 series chipsets for desktop PCs differ from each other is from this table.

	Q370	Z390	Z370	H370	Q360	B360	H310
Total HSIO ports	30	30	30	30	26	24	15
PCIe 3.0 lanes	up to 24	up to 24	up to 24	up to 20	14	12	6 (PCIe 2.0)
SATA 6 Gb/s ports	until 6	until 6	until 6	until 6	until 6	until 6	4
USB 3.1 ports	until 6	until 6	No	up to 4	up to 4	up to 4	No
USB 3.0 ports	to 10	to 10	to 10	up to 8	up to 8	6	4
Total number of USB ports	14	14	14	14	14	12	10
Intel RST for PCIe 3.0 (x4/x2 M.2)	3	3	3	2	1	1	No
Overclocking support	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
PCIe 3.0 processor lane configurations	1×16 2x8 1x8 and 2x4			1×16
Memory support	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4
Number of memory channels/ number of modules per channel	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/1
Intel Optane Memory support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
PCIe Storage support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
PCIe RAID 0, 1, 5 support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Support SATA RAID 0, 1, 5, 10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
CNVi (Intel Wireless-AC) support	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Built-in gigabit network MAC layer controller	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Motherboard Manufacturers

There were times when there were dozens of motherboard manufacturers. But natural selection led to the fact that there were very few of them left - only the strongest survived. And if we talk about the Russian market, there are only four manufacturers of motherboards: ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte and MSI (do not pay attention to the order - everything is in alphabetical order). There is, however, also a company called Biostar, but you can safely forget about it.

Talking about whose products are of better quality is pointless and incorrect. The factories where boards are produced are the same for all companies in the sense that they use the same equipment. In addition, motherboards from the same Asus can be produced at Gigabyte factories and vice versa. It all depends on the workload of the factories, and not a single company disdains OEM production. In addition, there are companies such as Foxconn and ECS that are exclusively engaged in OEM and ODM manufacturing, including for ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. So the question of where exactly the board was made is not so important. It matters who developed it.

Features of boards based on the Intel X299 chipset

First of all, we note that boards based on the Intel X299 chipset are aimed at expensive PCs. The peculiarity of these boards is that they support processors with different numbers of PCIe 3.0 lanes - 16, 28 and 44 lanes. Based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines, primarily PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8/x4 slots are implemented, as well as sometimes M.2/U.2 connectors. The difficulty in this case is that each type of processor must have its own implementation of slots.

In a simple case (not very expensive boards) the implementation is as follows. The processor version with 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes will have two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, one PCI Express 3.0 x8 (in the PCI Express x16 form factor) and one PCI Express 3.0 x4 (again, can be in the PCI Express x16 form factor) ).

In the processor version with 28 PCIe 3.0 lanes, one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot will become unavailable, that is, there will only be one PCI Express 3.0 x16, one PCI Express 3.0 x8 and one PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot.

In the processor version with 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes (Kaby Lake-X), another PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot is simply blocked and only PCI Express 3.0 x8 and PCI Express 3.0 x4 slots remain.

But it may also be that in the processor version with 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes, two slots will be available: PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 and PCI Express 3.0 x8 - which operate in x16/- or x8/x8 modes (an additional PCIe 3.0 line switch is required ).

However, such sophisticated circuits are used only in expensive boards. Manufacturers do not pay much attention to the operating mode of the board with Kaby Lake-X processors. Moreover, there is even a motherboard based on the Intel X299 chipset, which simply does not support Kaby Lake-X processors.

Actually, this is quite logical and correct. There is no point in using Kaby Lake-X processors in combination with boards based on Intel X299 chipsets - this greatly limits the functionality of the board. First, there will be fewer PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 slots available for use. Secondly, out of eight slots for memory modules, which are usually found on boards with the Intel X299 chipset, only four will be available. Accordingly, the maximum amount of supported memory will be two times less. Thirdly, Intel VROC technology will also be unavailable. That is, if a board based on the Intel X299 chipset is used with a Kaby Lake-X processor, then you will get an expensive solution that will be inferior in both performance and functionality to solutions based on the Coffee Lake processor. In a word, expensive and pointless.

In our opinion, boards based on the Intel 299 chipset only make sense in combination with Skylake-X processors, and it’s better if these are Core i9 series processors, that is, models with 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes. Only in this case can you take advantage of all the functionality of the Basin Falls platform.

Now about what the Basin Falls platform is needed for.

Most motherboards with Intel X299 chipsets are positioned as gaming ones. The names of the boards either contain the word “Gaming” or they generally refer to the gaming series (for example, Asus ROG). This, of course, does not mean that these boards are somehow different from those boards that are not positioned as gaming ones. It's just easier to sell. Now the word “Gaming” is thrown around everywhere, simply because there is at least some demand for it. But an extra word on the box, of course, does not oblige the manufacturer to anything.

Moreover, we would say that motherboards based on the Intel X299 chipset are least suitable for gaming. That is, you can, of course, build a gaming computer based on them, but it will be expensive and ineffective. Just The main highlight of the Basin Falls platform is multi-core processors, and games do not need this. And using a 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, or 18-core processor will not give you any advantage in games.

Of course, boards with the Intel X299 chipset have a lot of PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots and, it would seem, you can install several video cards. But this is good just to show off to your neighbors: two video cards can be installed on a system with an Intel Z370 chipset, but three video cards simply do not make sense (however, two either).

But if the Basin Falls platform is not the most suitable option for games, then what is the best way to use it? The answer will disappoint many. The Basin Falls platform is very specific and most home users do not need it at all. It is optimal to use it for working with specific applications that can be well parallelized by more than 20 threads. And if we talk about the applications that home users encounter, there are very few of them. These are video conversion (and editing) programs, 3D rendering programs, as well as specific scientific applications that were originally developed for multi-core processors. In other cases, the Basin Falls platform simply will not provide any advantages over a platform based on Coffee Lake processors, but it will be much more expensive.

But if you still work with applications where 36 threads (18-core Skylake-X processor) would not be superfluous, then the Basin Falls platform is just what you need.

How to choose a board based on the Intel X299 chipset

So, you need a board on the Intel X299 chipset for Skylake-X processors. But the range of such boards is quite large. Only Asus offers 10 models based on this chipset in four series. Gigabyte has an even larger list of models offered - 12 pieces. Further, 10 models are produced by ASRock and 8 models by MSI. The price range is from 14 to 35 thousand rubles. That is, there is a choice, and it is very wide (for every taste and budget). What is the difference between these boards that they can differ so much (more than twice) in cost? It is clear that we will not describe the features of each of the 40 board models that are on the market, but we will try to highlight the main aspects.

The difference is primarily in functionality, which, in turn, is determined by the set of ports, slots and connectors, as well as various additional features.

If we talk about ports, slots and connectors, these are PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8/x4/x1 slots, USB 3.1/3.0 and SATA ports, as well as M.2 connectors (PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 and SATA). Not so long ago, there were also SATA Express and U.2 connectors on boards (there are such connectors on some models of boards sold), but still, these are already “dead” connectors, and they are no longer used on new models.

PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 slots are implemented via PCIe 3.0 processor lines. PCI Express 3.0 x4 slots can be implemented via both processor lines and PCIe 3.0 chipset lines. And PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots, if any, are always implemented via PCIe 3.0 chipset lines

Expensive board models use complex switching schemes that allow maximum use of all PCIe 3.0 processor lines in the version of all processor types (with 44, 28 and 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes). Moreover, switching between processor and chipset PCIe 3.0 lines is even possible. That is, for example, when a processor with 28 or 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes is used, some slots with the PCI Express x16 form factor are switched to PCIe 3.0 chipset lines. An example would be a board or. It is clear that such opportunities do not come cheap.

Asus Prime X299-Deluxe board

As we have already said, the Intel X299 chipset has exactly 30 HSIO ports, which are PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s ports. For inexpensive (by the standards of this segment) boards, this is quite enough, that is, everything that is implemented on the board (controllers, slots, ports) can work without being separated from each other. Typically, boards with the Intel X299 chipset have two M.2 connectors (PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA), a gigabit network controller and a Wi-Fi module (or two gigabit controllers), a pair of USB 3.1 controllers, and a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot. In addition, there are 8 SATA ports and 6-8 3.0 ports.

More expensive models can add more network controllers, USB 3.1 controllers, more USB 3.0 ports, as well as PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots. Moreover, there are also network controllers that meet new standards. For example, the 10-gigabit network controller Aquantia AQC-107, which can connect to the chipset via two or four PCIe 3.0 lanes. There are also Wi-Fi modules of the WiGig standard (802.11ad). For example, the Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme board has both an Aquantia AQC-107 controller and an 802.11ad Wi-Fi module.

But... you can’t bend it above your head. And the fact that there is a lot of stuff on the board does not mean that all of it can be used at the same time. No one has canceled the chipset limitations, so if there is a lot of everything, then, most likely, something must be separated from something, unless the board uses an additional PCIe line switch, which allows, in fact, to overcome the limitations on the number of PCIe lanes . An example of a board that uses a switch (albeit PCIe 2.0 lines) would be.

ASRock X299 Taichi board

The presence of such a switch certainly increases the cost of the solution, but the feasibility of such a switch is questionable, since the basic capabilities of the Intel X299 chipset are quite sufficient.

There are also boards where switches are used not for chipset lines, but for PCIe 3.0 processor lines, this allows you to increase the number of PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 slots. For example, the Asus WS X299 Sage board, which is positioned as a workstation, has seven slots with PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8, which can operate in x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8 mode. It is clear that even 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes of Skylake-X processors will not be enough for this. Therefore, the board additionally has a pair of PCIe 3.0 PLX PEX 8747 switches. Each such switch is connected to 16 PCIe 3.0 processor lines and provides 32 PCIe 3.0 lanes at the output. But this, of course, is a specific and expensive solution.

Asus WS X299 Sage board

The range of motherboards based on Intel X299 chipsets also includes quite exotic and expensive solutions. For example, boards or Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme. The first of them is designed for extreme overclocking and has a reduced number of memory slots (one module per memory channel). Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme is different in that it does not support Kaby Lake-X processors at all. In addition, both boards have proprietary DIMM.2 connectors, which are visually similar to slots for memory modules, but provide a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and are designed for installing special expansion cards. Each such card allows you to install up to two SSD drives with an M.2 connector.

Asus ROG Rampage VI Apex Board

Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme board

There is practically no demand for such solutions and it is almost impossible to sell them. But such boards are not made for sale - they are a kind of calling card of the company. Of all the motherboard manufacturers, only Asus can afford to make such boards.

As we have already noted, in addition to the diversity in the set of slots, connectors and ports, motherboards based on the Intel X299 chipset differ in the set of additional features and, of course, in the packaging.

A new trend is the presence of RGB backlighting on the board, as well as separate connectors for connecting LED strips. Moreover, there are even two types of connectors: four-pin and three-pin. A non-addressable RGB strip is connected to the 4-pin connector, in which all the LEDs glow the same color. Naturally, the color can be any and can change, but synchronously for all LEDs.

An addressable strip is connected to the 3-pin connector, in which each LED can have its own color.

The LED lighting on the board is synchronized with the lighting of the connected LED strips.

Why backlighting is needed on boards with the Intel X299 chipset is not very clear. There are all sorts of whistles, tricks and various lights - it’s all aimed at pioneers. But when it comes to expensive, high-performance PCs that are designed to run highly specialized applications, LED backlighting hardly makes sense at all. However, it, like the word Gaming, is present on most boards.

So, let's summarize briefly. Boards based on the Intel X299 chipset are aimed at high-performance PCs that are designed to work with well-paralleled applications. It makes sense to use these boards in combination with Skylake-X Core i9 series processors. Only in this case can you take advantage of all the functionality of the boards. Not all home users need computers based on boards with the Intel X299 chipset. First of all, it's expensive. Secondly, it’s not a fact that your super-powerful computer based on, for example, an 18-core Core i9-7980XE processor will be faster than a computer with a 6-core Coffee Lake processor. It's just that in some cases it is better to have fewer fast cores than many slow ones.

Therefore, the Basin Falls platform only makes sense if you know for sure that the applications you are working with can be parallelized by more than 20 threads. But if not, then a computer with a Coffee Lake processor will be optimal for you, which, accordingly, will require a board based on the Intel 300 series chipset.

Features of boards based on Intel 300 series chipsets

Of the seven Intel 300 series chipsets, only five models are aimed at motherboards for home users: Intel Z390, Z370, H370, B360 and H310. The Intel Z390 chipset has not yet been announced, so we won’t talk about it yet, but boards based on the other chipsets are already available. The top of the remaining list is the Intel Z370 chipset. Next in terms of price and features are the H370, B360 and H310. Accordingly, motherboards based on the Z370 chipset are the most expensive. Then, in order of decreasing cost, there are boards based on the H370, B360 and H310 chipsets.

All Intel 300 series chipsets with the exception of the Z370 have built-in CNVi and USB 3.1 controllers (with the exception of the younger Intel H310 model). So why then is the Intel Z370 the top one, and the boards on it the most expensive?

Firstly, of the four (Z370, H370, B360 and H310) chipsets under consideration, only the Intel Z370 allows you to combine 16 PCIe 3.0 processor lines into x16, x8+x8 or x8+x4+x4 ports. All other chipsets only allow grouping into an x16 port. From a user's point of view, this means that only boards with the Intel Z370 chipset can have two graphics card slots based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines. AND Only Intel Z370 based boards can support Nvidia SLI mode. Accordingly, two slots with the PCI Express x16 form factor on boards with the Intel Z370 chipset operate in x16/— (when using one slot) or x8/x8 (when using two slots) modes.

Note that if a board with an Intel Z370 chipset has more than two slots with the PCI Express x16 form factor, then the third slot is a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot, but in the PCI Express x16 form factor, and it can already be implemented on based on PCIe 3.0 chipset lines. The combination of x8+x4+x4 ports based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines on boards with the Intel Z370 chipset is found only in the most expensive models.

All other variants (H370, B360 and H310 chipsets) can only have one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot based on 16 PCIe 3.0 processor lanes.

Secondly, of the four chipsets under consideration only Intel Z370 allows overclocking of the processor and memory. You can change both the multiplication factor and the base frequency BCLK. Changing the base frequency is possible for all processors, but changing the multiplier factor is only possible for K-series processors that have this factor unlocked.

As you can see, the Intel Z370 chipset has undeniable advantages over its brothers H370, B360 and H310. But, if you are not planning to overclock the system, then the advantages of the Intel Z370 chipset are no longer so obvious, since the need for two video cards is rather an exception to the rule. However, one more circumstance must be taken into account. The Intel Z370 chipset is top-end not only because it allows you to overclock the processor and group PCIe 3.0 processor lines into different ports. This chipset does not have blocked HSIO ports, and, accordingly, its functionality is wider. That is, based on the Intel Z370 chipset, most can be implemented.

True, the Intel Z370 chipset does not have a USB 3.1 controller or CNVi. But can this be considered a serious drawback?

As for USB 3.1 ports, on boards with the Intel Z370 chipset they are implemented, as a rule, using a dual-port ASMedia ASM3142 controller. And from the user’s point of view, there is no difference in how exactly USB 3.1 ports are implemented: through a controller built into the chipset, or through a controller external to the chipset. Another thing is more important: what exactly to connect to these ports. And the vast majority of users do not need USB 3.1 ports at all.

Now about the CNVi (Connectivity Integration) controller. It provides Wi-Fi connections (802.11ac, up to 1.733 Gbps) and Bluetooth 5.0 (a new version of the standard). However, the CNVi controller is not a full-fledged network controller, but a MAC controller. For a full-fledged controller, you also need an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 card with an M.2 connector (E-type dongle). Moreover, no other card will do. Only Intel 9560, which supports the CNVi interface.

Again, from the user’s point of view, it makes absolutely no difference how exactly the Wi-Fi network interface is implemented. In this case, the situation is approximately the same as with the Intel i219-V and Intel i211-AT gigabit network controllers. The first of them is a PHY-level controller, which is used in conjunction with a MAC controller built into the chipset, and the second is a full-fledged network controller.

How to choose a motherboard based on the Intel 300 series chipset

So, there is an awareness of the fact that you need a board for a Coffee Lake processor with an LGA1151 socket. The range of such boards is very large. For example, Asus alone has 12 models of boards only on the Intel Z370 chipset, 10 models on the Intel B360 chipset, 6 models on the Intel H370 chipset and 5 models on the Intel H310 chipset. Add here the range of motherboards from Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI, and it becomes clear that there are a lot of possible options.

Intel H310

In the line of Intel 300 series chipsets, the H310 is the entry-level model or, in simple terms, this chipset is aimed at the cheapest motherboards with minimal capabilities.

In addition, only 15 of the 30 HSIO ports (6 PCIe, 4 SATA, 4 USB 3.0 and one port dedicated to LAN) are not blocked on the Intel H310 chipset; all ports are PCIe version 2.0. There is no USB 3.1 controller here either. It is also important to note that boards with Intel H310 can only have two slots for memory modules, since one module is supported per memory channel.

With such a limitation of the chipset, you won’t be able to get much faster. That's why all boards based on Intel H310 are very similar to each other, and the price range here is not very large. In a typical version, the board has one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for a video card (based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines). In addition, there is a maximum of one M.2 connector (or none at all), a gigabit network controller, four SATA ports and a pair of PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots. There are also several (no more than 4) USB 3.0 ports. That's all, actually.

An example of a cheap (4800 rubles) version of a board based on the Intel H310 chipset could be the model. A more expensive option (6500 rubles) is a board.

Conclusion

We reviewed two modern platforms for Intel processors: the Basin Falls platform on the Intel X299 chipset, compatible with processors from the Intel Core-X family (Skylake-X, Kaby Lake-X), and the platform on Intel 300 series chipsets, compatible with processors from the Intel Core-X family of processors. Coffee Lake. We hope our story will help you more confidently navigate the huge range of motherboards and make the right choice for your specific tasks.

In the future, we plan to make a similar article dedicated to motherboards for AMD processors.

1. Interaction between motherboard and processor
2. Socket selection
3. Bus frequency
4. Chipset
5. Manufacturers
6. “Gaming” or “non-gaming” board
7. Memory
8. Board Form Factor
9. Number of interfaces and connectors
10. CPU overclocking

The motherboard is the connecting link of all other computer devices, and therefore the question of how to choose the right motherboard is far from idle. The stability of the PC and its longevity depend on the choice of motherboard, and we don’t want to find ourselves in the situation of needing frequent, expensive selections and upgrades of hardware, do we?

In this material we will tell you what types of motherboards there are, what parameters you should pay attention to first of all, how to choose a motherboard so that it fits the processor, and so on. First of all, you should ask yourself the question: in which PC will the motherboard be located - office, gaming or mixed-purpose (home).

Interaction between motherboard and processor

First of all, we must decide on the architecture of our future PC, namely, decide whether we will build our entire system based on AMD or Intel.

Selecting a Socket

A socket is a type of connector in the motherboard that corresponds to the processor socket; it is this that divides all existing boards into two large categories:

Sockets starting with AM, FM and S support AMD processors;
Sockets starting with LGA support Intel processors.

Thus, we understand that the choice of motherboard and processor must occur simultaneously, and if you plan to use the motherboard for more than one processor generation, you will be forced to remain faithful to the previous choice of the processor manufacturer. It is also worth noting that the motherboard can be equipped with more than one socket (but of the same type), but such solutions are usually preferred for creating servers rather than PCs for personal use.

Bus frequency

At this point we are talking about the total throughput of the device; the higher the frequency, the greater the system performance, everything is obvious here. Let us remind you that the processor bus frequency must also match the motherboard bus frequency, otherwise you will waste your money. Select devices that will show the best performance when working in tandem.

Chipset

Everything is simple here, the chipset, also known as the north bridge, is a set of microcircuits contained on the motherboard and acting as a connecting link between connected devices. The most popular manufacturers include the above-mentioned AMD and Intel, as well as ATI and NVIDIA, famous for the production of video cards.

The main modern Intel chipsets include:

B250/H270 – for office, multimedia and gaming PCs;
Q270 – for the corporate sector;
Z270 – for powerful gaming and professional PCs;
X99/X299 – for very powerful professional PCs.

The main modern AMD chipsets include:

A320 – for office and multimedia PCs;
B350 – for gaming and professional PCs;
X370 is for enthusiasts.

These chipsets have a lot of differences, but ultimately we are only interested in their intended purpose. If we select a motherboard for a gaming computer, then we settle on the Z270 and B350, and so on. Selecting a motherboard knowing the final purpose of the computer being assembled will not be difficult even for a beginner.

Manufacturers

This point is important if you decide to choose a motherboard. The most expensive and most relevant in the high price segment are motherboards from ASUS. If we look through the prism of price/quality, especially if we are looking for a motherboard for gaming, then we should pay attention to the MSI brand. In the more customer-friendly segment, motherboards from Gigabyte and ASRock look good.

There are also less famous manufacturers on the motherboard market, and their names are legion, but there are no such fierce battles around motherboards as there are around processors or video cards, and therefore it is not worth overpaying solely for the name, especially since unsuccessful models are also found among market headliners. In any case, it is worth remembering that when asked how to choose a motherboard, the answer should not begin with the name of the manufacturer - it is secondary.

“Gaming” or “non-gaming” board

In fact, the motherboard is not responsible for performance in resource-intensive applications like demanding games, so this concept is very ephemeral. If you insert four sticks of RAM into an expensive board and repeat this process with a cheaper one, the result will not change.

You have to pay for appearance

The only difference is the card’s potential when overclocking the processor; here it’s worth taking a careful look at the board’s power supply, its cooling, voltage stability during overclocking and other secondary characteristics. In general, a few words will be said about this in the conclusion.

Memory

The number of slots depends on the form factor of the motherboard, so don’t expect to fit more than two slots into a compact motherboard. Full-size motherboards can handle four slots, and sometimes more. The current type of memory at the moment is DDR4, but they also differ in frequency. True, we do not recommend chasing beautiful numbers above 3000 MHz just yet, the price increase is exponential, but the performance increase is not so great

These are not all the characteristics that distinguish a good board from a weak one, but they will be enough to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation after the purchase.

Board Form Factor

The size of the board directly affects the size of your computer case, and, accordingly, the space it takes up, so there is no point in choosing the largest format - it will not necessarily be the most productive, but it will certainly be the most cumbersome.

Let's take a closer look at the available options:

E-ATX– size 305x330 mm. These boards are presented for the LGA 2011-3 connector and, as can be seen from the dimensions, can become a headache in terms of ergonomics. They are designed for top-end processors and are equipped with the most efficient cooling and power elements. If the space you occupy is not a headache for you, you can safely give them your preference.

Standard-ATX– 305x244mm. Perhaps the most widely represented format on the market, with it you will not have problems with compatibility with other devices, but, as before, the board is quite bulky and is not suitable for compact solutions.

Micro-ATX– 244x244 mm. The reduction in board height is achieved by reducing the PCI-e slots. If earlier this form factor was perceived as a budget analogue to larger boards, then with the development of electronics it became capable of implementing all the functionality of its older brothers.

Mini-iTX– 170×170 mm – an option for those who like to replace a standard computer case with something compact and stylized as a multimedia player.

Mini-STX– 140×140 mm. Memory modules from external laptops and external power supplies are already used here. You can experiment with building a PC based on this board, but most likely you will lose in performance and overpay.

Number of interfaces and connectors

Often, buyers choose a board based on the name of the manufacturer or the mythical term “gaming,” but when they come home they discover that they simply cannot connect this or that device to it. To prevent a similar incident from happening to you, we will try to briefly review all the external interfaces necessary for the motherboard.

First you need to decide how many USB outputs you will need on the rear panel to connect peripheral devices. You shouldn't chase the quantity, but a reasonable 4-6 ports should be present. It is advisable that a couple of them comply with the 3.0 standard, then you will not have any hassle connecting portable hard drives. The 3.1 format is slowly entering our lives - it would be nice to look beyond the event horizon and become concerned about its presence.

SATA is another necessary connector; high-speed SSDs work with this interface, since this connector is an integral part of any, even the most budget, motherboard.

Advice from my own experience - be sure to take into account the presence of a built-in Wi-Fi adapter. There is already a router in almost every home and it is much easier to purchase a suitable board rather than go through the laborious process of laying a cable to your computer and spoil the appearance of the room.

If you are an audiophile and sound quality is important to you, pay attention to whether the integrated sound card supports 5.1 and 7.1 systems, or immediately ask to add a suitable discrete sound card to your motherboard.

PCI-express slots and their location are not so critical for gamers choosing one top-end card, but if you have other goals and want to use SLI/Crossfire technologies, then take a look at the number of ports and the comfort of their location - it will not be superfluous.

CPU overclocking

If your motherboard is the basis for overclocking the processor, then you need to immediately inquire about the previous experience of the owners of this board in order to achieve maximum results and increase performance as much as possible. If you are looking for an “overlocker” card, do not disdain reviews from reputable experts. If the same card shows decent performance in this difficult task over and over again, it is likely that it is the answer to your question of how to choose a motherboard for a computer.

I hope our article on the tricky issue of choosing a motherboard helped you, and you will never again become a victim of the cunning of sellers or your own ignorance of the issue. Be patient when analyzing the saturated motherboard market and good luck with your purchase.

1. Interaction between motherboard and processor
2. Socket selection
3. Bus frequency
4. Chipset
5. Manufacturers
6. “Gaming” or “non-gaming” board
7. Memory
8. Board Form Factor
9. Number of interfaces and connectors
10. CPU overclocking

Interaction between motherboard and processor

First of all, we must decide on the architecture of our future PC, namely, decide whether we will build our entire system based on AMD or Intel.

Selecting a Socket

A socket is a type of connector in the motherboard that corresponds to the processor socket; it is this that divides all existing boards into two large categories:

Sockets starting with AM, FM and S support AMD processors;
Sockets starting with LGA support Intel processors.

Bus frequency

Chipset

The main modern Intel chipsets include:

B250/H270 – for office, multimedia and gaming PCs;
Q270 – for the corporate sector;
Z270 – for powerful gaming and professional PCs;
X99/X299 – for very powerful professional PCs.

The main modern AMD chipsets include:

A320 – for office and multimedia PCs;
B350 – for gaming and professional PCs;
X370 is for enthusiasts.

Manufacturers

“Gaming” or “non-gaming” board

You have to pay for appearance

Memory

These are not all the characteristics that distinguish a good board from a weak one, but they will be enough to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation after the purchase.

Board Form Factor

Let's take a closer look at the available options:

Mini-iTX– 170×170 mm – an option for those who like to replace a standard computer case with something compact and stylized as a multimedia player.

Number of interfaces and connectors

SATA is another necessary connector; high-speed SSDs work with this interface, since this connector is an integral part of any, even the most budget, motherboard.

CPU overclocking

Each user has their own opinion about where a computer starts. Some people prefer to build a system “around” the monitor, selecting components in such a way that they provide comfortable performance at the desired screen resolution. Some people prioritize the performance of a video card, choosing first the desired model of graphics accelerator, and then a power supply of suitable power and a case with sufficient cooling. Finally, for some, the highest speed of data processing is most important, and the computer is essentially assembled around a central processor and a pair of RAID arrays of SSDs and hard drives.

But when the user has already decided on the model of the most priority devices, he has to choose something that will allow them to be assembled into a single system that corresponds to the user’s initial ideas about the appearance and characteristics of the PC.

And, as you may have guessed, today we will talk about choosing a motherboard.

What you shouldn't pay attention to when choosing.

Board manufacturer.

A very large number of companies are engaged in the design and production of motherboards, and not all of them are represented in the DNS assortment. Moreover, the most famous vendors are already familiar to you from video cards and other computer components. ASUS, Gigabyte And MSI- the “big three”, from whose products users most often have to choose.

The paradox is that system performance in games does not depend on the motherboard. At all. The effectiveness of overclocking the central processor may depend on it, if such a function is available - this is a separate conversation. But if we exclude overclocking from attention, the same set of processor, video card and two to four memory sticks will produce the same performance when installed in a top-end motherboard or in one of the lower-end models.

Why? Because they determine gaming performance.

Recommendation #2: If you are planning to overclock a processor, pay attention to the number of phases in the board's power supply system, its cooling efficiency, voltage stability during overclocking, and BIOS capabilities. Yes, you cannot do without thoughtful and lengthy reading of reviews, but the result of your choice can also please you a lot. Again, these characteristics have nothing to do with the board’s positioning as “gaming/non-gaming” or even its price tag.

If overclocking is not planned at all, choose a board based on the characteristics that are more important to you: the number and type of peripheral connectors, the number of slots for memory modules, form factor, connectors for connecting case fans, and so on.

What is REALLY important for you to keep in mind.

Board form factor

It would seem that this is not the most serious aspect, but it is better to start with it. Agree, it’s not much fun if you choose the most suitable board, but it simply won’t fit into the case?

In addition, thanks to various motherboard standards, a personal computer today can be built in anything. There is no need to buy a bulky midi-tower case if you need a compact system that will fit in a desk niche. And it’s not at all necessary to place such a “box” next to the TV, if compact motherboards of mini-ITX or mini-STX formats can be “housed” in a small low-profile case, stylized as a multimedia player!

And don’t think that small systems always mean limited performance. Today, you can assemble a powerful gaming system in a compact case, and thanks to modern cases, coolers and the energy efficiency of current processors, it is not even in danger of overheating.

But let's get back to the point. So, what form factors of motherboards are presented in the DNS catalog?

Recommendation #5: The chipset does not affect performance, but as a rule, it allows you to clearly determine the positioning and functionality of the board. If you are not considering overclocking the processor, there is no point in chasing top models. Moreover, we are talking here not only about Intel platforms - for normal operation of AMD Ryzen processors and Bristol Ridge/Raven Ridge APUs, boards based on the budget AMD A320 chipset are enough.

However, if you plan to overclock the processor, connect a lot of high-speed peripherals, or build SLI/Crossfire systems, you should pay attention to older chipset models. In addition, since top-end motherboards are traditionally characterized by the best equipment, there is a chance that you will find among them models with built-in wi-fi and bluetooth modules, as well as other things useful to you.

CPU compatibility

Generally, if the motherboard and processor share the same socket, it means they are compatible. However, there are exceptions to every rule. So, not every LGA 775 board supports Wolfdale and Yorkfield processors, not every AM3+ socket board supports Piledriver processors, and not every LGA 1155 board supports Ivy Bridge processors without additional manipulations, and so on.

Recommendation #6: Before you go to the store to buy a new motherboard, visit the page for this model on the manufacturer's website and look at the list of compatible processors. It's completely easy and doesn't even take much time. But returning the board to the store or updating the BIOS at the service center will take time. Moreover, the BIOS update service at the service center is paid. And does it make sense to pay for it if the same money could simply be added to the budget and bought a more suitable motherboard?

Number of memory slots

RAM is an element of the PC that you can ignore for a long time, until one fine moment it is no longer enough. And it’s very good if at this moment you have the opportunity to increase the amount of memory. After all, if your PC has free slots, you just need to purchase the appropriate number of modules and continue to use the computer.

But if all the slots are occupied, you will have to sell the existing memory sticks, losing in price, and then buy larger capacity sticks, which in total will cost much more money, and will also take a lot of time... but you must admit, time can be spent with much more more benefit!

Recommendation #7: Save money by buying the entire motherboard with two RAM slots, it’s worth it only when you are firmly convinced that the PC should survive as long as possible without an upgrade and be replaced entirely. Otherwise, you will end up in the situation described above and make a hole in the family budget.

The "gold standard" in this regard is board with 4 memory slots. So, if you build a PC with two memory sticks of 8 gigabytes each, then in the future, if there is a lack of memory, it will be enough to just add two more sticks of 8 gigabytes each, which will be quite affordable.

Boards with 8 slots Memory, as expected, belongs to the LGA 2011 and LGA 2011-3 platforms. With them everything is simpler: there the amount of memory is determined by the tasks for which the system is assembled, and is used immediately and completely.

Number of interface connectors

Since, when assembling a PC, you already have a rough idea of what components and how many peripherals you will use, it is worth ensuring that the board allows you to connect everything you need without a clutter of adapters and splitters. It only seems at first that you can save money here, but in reality all sorts of USB hubs, external adapters and other extraneous parts make life very difficult.

So, what is desirable to provide?

Number and type of USB connectors on the rear panel. You shouldn’t get carried away here, especially since these ports are used primarily to connect a keyboard, mouse, graphics tablet and other stationary peripherals. Nevertheless, it is advisable to have at least four, and preferably six, connectors of the appropriate type on the back of the PC.

It is also advisable that at least two of which belonged to the 3.0 standard - high-speed peripherals such as portable hard drives will thank you.

Not necessary, but it wouldn’t hurt to availability of USB 3.1 ports. Today this is exotic, but in the foreseeable future the standard has every chance of becoming ubiquitous, so why not provide for it right away?

Having chosen a board that seems suitable at first glance, ask on the manufacturer’s website or in the “” service on the DNS website whether it has the ability to output USB ports to the front panel of the case. This doesn’t seem to be the most important thing to you now, but believe me, you will get tired of moving the system unit from place to place to connect a flash drive or cable from a camera/smartphone to the port on the back very quickly. And extension cords are just extra clutter on the desk. And besides, they love to fall at this very table.

It is also important to pay attention to the number and type of SATA connectors. You should pay attention to boards that support the currently fastest version - SATA 6 Gb/s. This will not require overpayment - connectors of this type are found even on completely budget devices. But one or two This type of connector will have a very good effect on the speed of the SSD.

Availability of type connectors SATA Express not necessary today, but it will be a good start for the future, when high-speed SSDs with such a connector become more common.

In some cases, a good bonus will be the presence built-in wi-fi adapter. For multimedia PCs living in the living room under the TV, this is practically a necessity, and for a large drawer with a separate table it may not be superfluous. Still, with the spread of smartphones and tablets, local networks in houses and apartments are most often implemented via wi-fi: it is more convenient to install one router / access point to which all devices will connect at once, than to make holes in the walls by laying a cable.

Most owners are satisfied with a very simple audio system, but if you have something other than the “two speakers, one subwoofer” setup in your home, pay attention to this point as well. Boards that allow you to connect surround sound systems like 5.1 or 7.1 , can seriously improve the sound in movies and games. Although the most demanding audiophiles, of course, cannot do without a discrete sound card.

If we are talking about discrete adapters, immediately evaluate the number, type and location of PCI-express slots. There is no secret here - everything is visible in the photographs of the product. Sufficient for a gaming PC in most cases one x16 connector, since one top-end video card is more than enough for games at current resolutions. Boards with two x16 slots are needed if you plan to build SLI/Crossfire, but here you need to make sure that the slots can operate in the “8+8” or “16+16 lines” mode. In the "16+4" mode, SLI simply will not work, and the gameplay when using the "inferior" Crossfire will be far from comfortable.

Boards with three or more PCI-e x16 slots are necessary only if you use any rare and highly specialized expansion cards. Installing more than two video cards into the system makes no sense. In addition, in the latest generations (GeForce 1000) of video cards, even Nvidia officially abandoned support for SLI from more than two accelerators (or rather, support for 3-way SLI is in benchmarks, and in several games it is enabled unofficially...).

It would be more useful to have it on the board PCI-e x1 slots: if you need an alternative sound or network card, or a discrete controller for any interfaces that are not on the motherboard, most likely these devices will use the x1 interface.

Legacy support PCI interface Today it is not necessary for an ordinary PC, but if you use some rare controllers or expansion cards in your work, it is worth considering it.

In addition, you should evaluate the number of connectors for connecting case fans. Of course, today's hardware has a predominantly calm disposition; you will no longer find real stoves among video cards and processors. And yet, it would be nice if the board allowed you to connect all cabinet turntables and control their speed without unnecessary adapters and reo-bass.

Recommendation #8: Of course, sometimes savings are at the forefront, and at many points you have to turn a blind eye just to assemble a PC faster and stay within the budget. And yet, the better equipped your motherboard is, the more convenient it will be to operate your PC. Moreover, again, it is not necessary to take exactly the top versions - sometimes even budget models can offer an interesting set of interfaces and connectors, you just need to carefully choose.

Overclocking options

If you are considering a motherboard for a platform that allows you to overclock central processors, you will agree that it would be nice to choose one that will allow you to achieve higher values and, as a result, get O better performance. A little careful analysis in this case can pay off many times over, but neglect of information can, on the contrary, lead to useless expenses.

Recommendation #9: When choosing an “overclocking” motherboard, focus primarily on reviews on reputable resources. Of course, you should remember that in overclocking everything depends on the capabilities of a particular processor instance, but if several authors on several sources have one board that allows you to achieve a higher frequency than its analogues, this is a clear signal to buy.

Criteria and selection options:

According to the above, motherboards from the DNS directory can be ranked as follows:

For a nettop in a custom case, a home file server, a CarPC or an entry-level multimedia PC, mini-ITX motherboards are suitable for socket AM1, or options with soldered on the board AMD or Intel processors. You shouldn't expect enormous computing performance from these platforms, but they solve simple tasks easily and without wasting energy.

For a home multimedia PC that lives in the living room and masquerades as a VCR or stereo system, these are best suited compact boards for AM4 socket, having digital interfaces for video output. APUs are much more preferable for these tasks than a combination of a CPU and a discrete video card: when the processor and video live under the same cover, the computer can be made smaller and the heating will be lower. The latter is even more important for a compact system than for a gaming machine.

Whether your PC will become an office tool, a universal home assistant, a top-end gaming machine or a workstation for a reasonable price depends primarily on the processor you choose. But you need to choose from two options: either socket AM4, or LGA 1151_v2. At the same time, for a gaming machine you should pay attention first of all to boards that support processor overclocking- the opportunity to add speed to the system will not be superfluous.

For a purely office PC, probably a more suitable choice would be budget boards based on LGA 1151_v2, which do not support overclocking, but have video outputs for the graphics built into the processor. For obvious reasons, discrete video cards are not needed in most office workstations, and the graphics in the APU for the AM4 socket are too powerful for these purposes.

For a top-end workstation you will have to choose a motherboard either socket TR4, or under LGA 2066. The choice in this case will be determined only by which of the platforms will perform better in professional tasks, while the functionality and equipment of the boards themselves belonging to the top segment are at an approximately comparable level.

I think everyone knows that the motherboard is considered the connecting link in the design of the system unit. Therefore, some criteria need to be taken into account. You can learn how to choose the right inexpensive and good motherboard from this article. Or watch a special video that I have selected for you. Here is a summary of the article below:

Main components
How to choose a motherboard manufacturer
Form factor selection
Chipset selection
PCI-Express and memory slot
External connectors
Supporting Features

Video instructions on how to choose a motherboard

Main components

To better understand its structure, I propose to consider its structure using a specific example. As a sample, let's take one of the highest quality models - Sapphire Pure Z77K. Of course, in order to examine in detail the main elements of the part, you can take any model. But we will focus on this one.

In the picture, the numbers indicate not only the main components of the motherboard, but also elements that are characteristic only of overclocking options.

Number (1) indicates the processor socket, which is the main element of the device. It is important to ensure that the processor socket is absolutely compatible with the socket. The number (0) indicates a “double” radiator, which is responsible for the elements of the power converters of the built-in graphics core, processor and CPU VTT, namely for their cooling. Such radiators are found only in motherboards for overclocking. On ordinary ones there is no cooling element at all.
The number (2) indicates PCI-Express slots. The printed circuit board contains three such X16 slots version 3.0. Such connectors are needed to install one or more video cards. The older version of the slot - 2.0 is numbered (3).
The number (14) indicates PCI-E X1 slots. They are intended for installation of devices that require large bus bandwidth. One X1 line is enough for this. Examples of such devices are TV tuners, various controllers, audio and others.
Number (4) is the chipset. It is located behind the cooling radiator. Connectors numbered (5) are needed for installing DDR3 RAM. They are usually painted black or blue. The slots are designed for installing memory modules, which significantly increases operating efficiency. Number (6) is the CMOS battery that powers the BIOS CMOS memory chip. This way the chip does not lose its settings after the computer turns off.
(8) and (12) are 24-pin and 8-pin connectors. The first is the main 24-pin power connector. It is through it that most of the components are powered.
Numbers (9) and (10) indicate SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) and SATA 2 connectors. They are located on its edge and are intended for connecting devices on the side for stands. Manufactured in the style of an overclocking connector. The SATA 2 connector is needed to connect a hard drive, drives and various SSD drives. Conventional models contain connectors located at the front and offset to the center. Therefore, it is convenient to use them within the system unit of a “non-overclocking” system.
The number (11) indicates a non-standard element - a POST code indicator. It shows the processor temperature, but with slight inaccuracies.

The rear panel with external connectors is shown as number (13). This panel has connectors that are needed to connect various peripherals, keyboard, mouse, headphones, speakers and many other add-ons.

So we have dealt with the main components, now we will analyze the individual blocks, and also consider the parameters that need to be taken into account when purchasing.

Which company to choose a motherboard

With this choice, oddly enough, it is not necessary to take into account its performance. You need to rely on trust in the manufacturer. The most famous companies are MSI, Gigabyte, Biostar, Intel, ASRock and Asus. And the sample that we are considering today is also worthy of attention. It happens that some models have an inconvenient layout or the supplied kit from a particular manufacturer is not wide enough. There are still flaws that some users would not like to see. But such shortcomings do not give grounds to write off motherboard manufacturers. Ultimately, their equipment from all manufacturers is not always the same, so it is impossible to say which company to choose or which is the best.

My advice to you is to take this one:

which suits you at a price
convenient location
with good reviews on major portals

Chipsets come from AMD and Intel, so the functions of the devices are very similar. The only thing worth noting is reviews from real customers and detailed reviews of motherboards. This way you can at least somehow decide on the variety of products.

Form factor selection

A properly selected form factor will help avoid many problems in the future. Most popular form factors:

ATX - full size
Micro-ATX - stripped down version

The form factor determines the future expandability of the system. Micro-ATX usually has a small number of PCI-E and PCI expansion slots for video cards and other devices. Often such models are equipped with only two slots for installing memory modules. This fact greatly limits the expandability of RAM. And not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of convenience. The main advantage of Micro-ATX is its low price. Choosing from two standards, we can safely say that Micro-ATX is a budget option for office and home systems.

The size of the board is also very important. The ATX form factor is larger in size. It is necessary to take into account the compatibility of the case and motherboard in size!

How to decide on the motherboard socket

After choosing a processor, you need to choose the right motherboard. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the socket. It is this that ensures compatibility between the motherboard and processor. So, for a processor with an LGA 1155 socket, only an LGA 1155 motherboard is suitable. Supported sockets and the processor can be found on the official websites of the manufacturers, but for AMD it is AM3 or AM3+.

Chipset selection

The chipset is the connecting link between the entire system. This component largely determines the capabilities of the motherboard. It has always been believed that a chipset is a set of system logic chips consisting of a south and north bridge. But now the ideas are a little different.

Particularly popular chipsets are the seventh series of Intel and the 900th AMD. Nvidia is famous for its small range of chipsets, but no less popular.

Intel's 7th series differs from the standard chipset because it only consists of a northbridge. But this does not affect the functionality of the motherboard in any way, because some controllers are transferred to the processor. This can be understood using the example of a PCI-Express 3.0 bus controller and a DDR3 memory controller. The North Bridge in this case received control of SATA, USB, PCI-Express. The block diagram of the Z77 chipset clearly shows what the elements are tied to and on which buses:

Z, H and B represent the positioning of the chipset for market segments.

Chipsets from AMD have two chips, it has 990X, 990FX and 970 northbridges and an SB950 northbridge.

The 990FX gives the chipset support for 42 PCI-Express lanes. Therefore, four video cards can be connected on the lines in a Cross Fire combination. But not everyone needs such opportunities. The remaining two northbridges support 26 lines, but the loss is not noticeable.

Supporting Features

Additional functions include those that are not always necessary. For the average user they are not very popular:

ESATA - some models have an interface for connecting removable drives. Very useful for owners of external drives.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module for wireless network and data transfer. They significantly increase the functionality of the motherboard.
Thunderbolt - provides data transfer at a speed of 10 Gb/sec and connection of peripheral devices. Transfers data several times faster than USB 2.0, USB 3.0. Today only a few people need it, but in the future it will become more popular.
Additional buttons and indicators for overclocking, proprietary technologies and manufacturer elements.

Rating of the best motherboards of the year

As you may have noticed, choosing a motherboard is not an easy task. Based on the listed parameters, you need to choose an option that would suit you both in terms of cost and functionality. Of course, the motherboard parameters are individual for each user. But still, for greater convenience, you can see the rating of the best motherboards for 2015-2016. Focusing on the main parameters and the best models, you can make a truly right choice. Below is a video on this difficult topic for a better understanding.

Best motherboard socket 1150 (2016)