Choosing the right CPU + Motherboard Combination
The most confusing part about assembling a Pc is choosing the right CPU MOTHERBOARD combination.
I will lay down some things I think one must consider while buying the same.
Needs of the User & CPU:
The user must first scale down the needs, the task that he plans to run on the processor, the kind of application, background tasks, the need of the operating system that’s he is going to run over it. Its easy to understand the fact that Microsoft word uses less cpu power compared to maya or photoshop cs3.
A home user who plans to just surf the net and read his mails and other daily tasks one should opt for the cheap combination available with good amount of ram and a motherboard with decent onboard graphics which will handle the latest operating system or the one he plans to run on the combination for as long as its used.
A gamer should understand that a good graphics card is more necessary than a processor, so the budget allocation should be towards a better graphics card, but at the same time remember not to opt for a processor that would bottle neck while playing games. Choose the motherboard with keeping in mind the compatibility with the graphics card.
A performance user planning to do multitasking, digital, animations, must get the best cpu motherboard combination available in his budget. Choosing a good motherboard is also necessary, a performance user would always look to upgrade in the future so opting for motherboard that are capable of handling future processor is always an advantage. A good motherboard would always perform better overall so before choosing a motherboard, a google about the same is must. L1 L2 cache and hopefully L3 with the Barcelona release, one must understand that during such heavy applications the more the better rule applies generally. One must also remember that ram would play a important role also.
Over clocking is common these days, need to gain the maximum performance in a limited budget is done by the over clocking process ( on of course remembering that you void the warranty ), for over clocking one must remember choosing the right stepping if he has the knowledge about it ( its basically a batch of processors which might be better over clockers compared to others). The right motherboard, choosing a good motherboard is the heart of the over clocking process or else even otherwise, a motherboard must be stable overclocker, able to handle the heat, the bios must be good with maximum amount of tweaking options available a google is a must here also. While choosing this one must also remember during the over clocking process a good cpu cooler would also be needed, along with a cabinet to fit in that .
[BREAK=Future Compatibility & Budget]
Future Compatibility & Right Balance of Money - Budget
The combination of the processor and motherboard should be such that it should be able to handle not only the applications of today but have room for some further updates that might come in the near future. There can be no end to the future but some room is a smart buy.
So what % of money should one spend on the right combination of the cpu and motherboard? Though there can be no fixed percentage, any were between 20 – 30 % of the total allocated budget for the pc should go over these.
After Sales Services
One must always try and buy from a dealer who would provide better after sales services, because dealing with distributors like Rashi Peripherals is a difficult and slow job at times. The better dealers usually get the stuff replaced quickly and promptly, incases I was even given a temporary motherboard by one of them.
A good eg. for delhi is : Is that computer empire would not entertain you for faults, ask you to visit the service center on your own. SMC takes this trouble from you, has done it for me at least so I favor them over CE even if they are 40 50 bucks higher in prices sometimes.
[BREAK=Things to remember while buying the motherboard]
Things to remember while buying the motherboard
Firstly is the socket type.
The socket is the place where the processor (CPU) connects to the motherboard. There is no compatibility between sockets, so it has to be the right one. The socket connection needs to match the connection of the processor intend to buy for the computer.
Your choice of chip will have a lot to do with your needs, but choosing one with an up to date socket type will ensure slightly longer motherboard life as you can upgrade the chip for a while.
Second is the memory type
The memory type that is supported by the motherboard should be known to the user and one must get the same, DDR 400 would be of no use on a motherboard that would only support DDR2 type of memory. The maximum amount of ram that the motherboard would support, with the need of the time and softwares, 64 bit operating systems like the vista 2gb is like a requirement and with the time its only going to increase, so if you think your requirements would increase choose the right motherboard.
Third is expansion slots
The expansion slots are the places where you put extra cards onto the motherboard, like graphics cards, extra sound card or a wireless internet card. The old standard is a PCI slot and these are appropriate for most expansion cards, excepts new graphics cards.
The most simple of graphics cards are sometimes available for PCI slots, but not too many. More common are (PCIe) cards. Make sure the slot matches your card. PCI and PCIe are incompatible, so don't be confused by that. The PCIe slots are much longer and have a securing latch. If you want an SLI graphics card setup with two PCIe cards with SLI attached together, make sure the motherboard specifically states that it supports SLI.
Fourth is hard drive and optical drive connections
Two kinds are available, IDE and SATA, IDE is older with a thick cable and SATA is newer with a thinner cable. IDE is being phased out, but is still used for many drives and most optical devices like DVD and CD drives. IDE has speeds of ATA66, ATA100 and ATA133, SATA has speeds of 150Mbps and 300Mbps the latter referred to as SATA2.
Fifth is the extras
The number of extras available on motherboard has increased greatly and so has the quality of the extras. Things to be expected are USB 2.0, a sound card and network slot. Other things which it may or may not have are firewire and extra USB slots, e sata ports. The bios is also very important , a stable bios and with good tweaking options is the need for a over clocker.
[BREAK=Conclusion]
The article might look incomplete as to not referring any combination of the motherboard and cpu of todays date, for that check out this thread.
http://www.techenclave.com/forums/pc-buying-guide-june-07-a-92046.html
The most confusing part about assembling a Pc is choosing the right CPU MOTHERBOARD combination.
I will lay down some things I think one must consider while buying the same.
Needs of the User & CPU:
The user must first scale down the needs, the task that he plans to run on the processor, the kind of application, background tasks, the need of the operating system that’s he is going to run over it. Its easy to understand the fact that Microsoft word uses less cpu power compared to maya or photoshop cs3.
A home user who plans to just surf the net and read his mails and other daily tasks one should opt for the cheap combination available with good amount of ram and a motherboard with decent onboard graphics which will handle the latest operating system or the one he plans to run on the combination for as long as its used.
A gamer should understand that a good graphics card is more necessary than a processor, so the budget allocation should be towards a better graphics card, but at the same time remember not to opt for a processor that would bottle neck while playing games. Choose the motherboard with keeping in mind the compatibility with the graphics card.
A performance user planning to do multitasking, digital, animations, must get the best cpu motherboard combination available in his budget. Choosing a good motherboard is also necessary, a performance user would always look to upgrade in the future so opting for motherboard that are capable of handling future processor is always an advantage. A good motherboard would always perform better overall so before choosing a motherboard, a google about the same is must. L1 L2 cache and hopefully L3 with the Barcelona release, one must understand that during such heavy applications the more the better rule applies generally. One must also remember that ram would play a important role also.
Over clocking is common these days, need to gain the maximum performance in a limited budget is done by the over clocking process ( on of course remembering that you void the warranty ), for over clocking one must remember choosing the right stepping if he has the knowledge about it ( its basically a batch of processors which might be better over clockers compared to others). The right motherboard, choosing a good motherboard is the heart of the over clocking process or else even otherwise, a motherboard must be stable overclocker, able to handle the heat, the bios must be good with maximum amount of tweaking options available a google is a must here also. While choosing this one must also remember during the over clocking process a good cpu cooler would also be needed, along with a cabinet to fit in that .
[BREAK=Future Compatibility & Budget]
Future Compatibility & Right Balance of Money - Budget
The combination of the processor and motherboard should be such that it should be able to handle not only the applications of today but have room for some further updates that might come in the near future. There can be no end to the future but some room is a smart buy.
So what % of money should one spend on the right combination of the cpu and motherboard? Though there can be no fixed percentage, any were between 20 – 30 % of the total allocated budget for the pc should go over these.
After Sales Services
One must always try and buy from a dealer who would provide better after sales services, because dealing with distributors like Rashi Peripherals is a difficult and slow job at times. The better dealers usually get the stuff replaced quickly and promptly, incases I was even given a temporary motherboard by one of them.
A good eg. for delhi is : Is that computer empire would not entertain you for faults, ask you to visit the service center on your own. SMC takes this trouble from you, has done it for me at least so I favor them over CE even if they are 40 50 bucks higher in prices sometimes.
[BREAK=Things to remember while buying the motherboard]
Things to remember while buying the motherboard
Firstly is the socket type.
The socket is the place where the processor (CPU) connects to the motherboard. There is no compatibility between sockets, so it has to be the right one. The socket connection needs to match the connection of the processor intend to buy for the computer.
Your choice of chip will have a lot to do with your needs, but choosing one with an up to date socket type will ensure slightly longer motherboard life as you can upgrade the chip for a while.
Second is the memory type
The memory type that is supported by the motherboard should be known to the user and one must get the same, DDR 400 would be of no use on a motherboard that would only support DDR2 type of memory. The maximum amount of ram that the motherboard would support, with the need of the time and softwares, 64 bit operating systems like the vista 2gb is like a requirement and with the time its only going to increase, so if you think your requirements would increase choose the right motherboard.
Third is expansion slots
The expansion slots are the places where you put extra cards onto the motherboard, like graphics cards, extra sound card or a wireless internet card. The old standard is a PCI slot and these are appropriate for most expansion cards, excepts new graphics cards.
The most simple of graphics cards are sometimes available for PCI slots, but not too many. More common are (PCIe) cards. Make sure the slot matches your card. PCI and PCIe are incompatible, so don't be confused by that. The PCIe slots are much longer and have a securing latch. If you want an SLI graphics card setup with two PCIe cards with SLI attached together, make sure the motherboard specifically states that it supports SLI.
Fourth is hard drive and optical drive connections
Two kinds are available, IDE and SATA, IDE is older with a thick cable and SATA is newer with a thinner cable. IDE is being phased out, but is still used for many drives and most optical devices like DVD and CD drives. IDE has speeds of ATA66, ATA100 and ATA133, SATA has speeds of 150Mbps and 300Mbps the latter referred to as SATA2.
Fifth is the extras
The number of extras available on motherboard has increased greatly and so has the quality of the extras. Things to be expected are USB 2.0, a sound card and network slot. Other things which it may or may not have are firewire and extra USB slots, e sata ports. The bios is also very important , a stable bios and with good tweaking options is the need for a over clocker.
[BREAK=Conclusion]
The article might look incomplete as to not referring any combination of the motherboard and cpu of todays date, for that check out this thread.
http://www.techenclave.com/forums/pc-buying-guide-june-07-a-92046.html
hyeah: These type of points would have make it gr8 
PCI-E 2.0