So how do i choose a Motherboard?

The Risky · 18 Jun 2011

Hello lovely people of 7F.
So ive been wondering for a while now that its time to build me a new PC.
But i really don't know how to choose a motherboard.Im the kind of person who knows what part does what and how do i install them,but other than that,i dont realy know how to choose any of the parts.
So first of,i chose the video card and the processor i wantet.
Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Videokaardid / Club 3D Geforce 500 series GTX 550 TI PCIE 1GB GDDR5 2X DVI (video card)
Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Protsessorid / Intel Core i5 2310 2,9GHz 6MB S1155 (Processor)

Now this is were i get stuck,how in the hell do i choose a motherboard?Does this work?
Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Emaplaadid / MSI Socket 1155 H67MS-E23 B3

Halp?And another question,when and why would i need to use a liquid cooling system?
would appreciate it,thanks.

ignatzatsonic · 18 Jun 2011

One would use a liquid cooling system for very very heavy overclocking.

You have chosen a socket 1155 processor. Therefore any socket 1155 motherboard will work.

The only caveat might be regarding your case. If you have a micro ATX case, you must use a socket 1155 micro ATX motherboard. On the other hand, if you have a regular ATX case, you can use either a micro ATX motherboard or a regular ATX motherboard.

The major difference between ATX and micro ATX motherboards is that the latter do NOT have PCI slots--which many people don't need anyway. Your processor should have built in video and your motherboard will probably have built in audio, so you may not need PCI slots. Micro ATX motherboards and cases are smaller and usually a bit cheaper, so you can save some money if you don't need PCI slots.

Regarding motherboards---some brands have better reputations that others, but all of them can have bad examples, so it's a bit of a crap shoot.

Motherboards will differ in such things as:

Number of RAM slots
Number and type of USB ports
Number and type of SATA ports
Number of eSATA ports; many don't have it.
Presence or lack of built in audio; most have it
Presence or lack of built in networking; nearly all have it.

Etc.

Decide which of those features you will need. Decide on whether you are going with ATX or micro ATX. Decide if you can get by with 2 RAM slots (micro ATX motherboards often have only 2 RAM slots). Two RAM slots is enough for 8 GB of RAM, which is plenty for nearly everybody.

The better motherboard brands include Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Intel, and maybe Asrock. Some models are better for overclocking than others, so you should decide if you will be overclocking.

Sardonicus · 18 Jun 2011

ignatzatsonic said:

One would use a liquid cooling system for very very heavy overclocking.

You have chosen a socket 1155 processor. Therefore any socket 1155 motherboard will work.

The only caveat might be regarding your case. If you have a micro ATX case, you must use a socket 1155 micro ATX motherboard. On the other hand, if you have a regular ATX case, you can use either a micro ATX motherboard or a regular ATX motherboard.

The major difference between ATX and micro ATX motherboards is that the latter do NOT have PCI slots--which many people don't need anyway. Your processor should have built in video and your motherboard will probably have built in audio, so you may not need PCI slots. Micro ATX motherboards and cases are smaller and usually a bit cheaper, so you can save some money if you don't need PCI slots.

Regarding motherboards---some brands have better reputations that others, but all of them can have bad examples, so it's a bit of a crap shoot.

Motherboards will differ in such things as:

Number of RAM slots
Number and type of USB ports
Number and type of SATA ports
Number of eSATA ports; many don't have it.
Presence or lack of built in audio; most have it
Presence or lack of built in networking; nearly all have it.

Etc.

Decide which of those features you will need. Decide on whether you are going with ATX or micro ATX. Decide if you can get by with 2 RAM slots (micro ATX motherboards often have only 2 RAM slots). Two RAM slots is enough for 8 GB of RAM, which is plenty for nearly everybody.

The better motherboard brands include Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Intel, and maybe Asrock. Some models are better for overclocking than others, so you should decide if you will be overclocking.

Sure they do! :)
There are a bunch of Micro ATX boards with PCI slots. :)

essenbe · 18 Jun 2011

You won't be overclocking much with that CPU. If you want to overclock you will need a CPU with a K at the end. The K indicates an unlocked multiplier.

LiquidSnak · 18 Jun 2011

Since you have chosen your processor, that greatly narrows down your choices for motherboards (thank goodness, since there are thousands and thousands).

Picking and choosing a motherboard is a lot to do with personal preference on brand, which will be developed over time, and what you need it to do. Since you have a grapics card picked out, you can open your options up to motherboards without onboard grapics as well. From there, you need to choose if you want to have USB 3.0, Sata III, and how many expansion slots you think you might need. Your motherboard will also determine how much RAM and what type you can use, so that is a factor as well. If you like, you can tell us some of these requirements that you think you might want to use (Say, you want 8GB of DDR3, but might want 12 in the future, and USB 3.0 is important, but sata III is optional, something like that) we would be more than happy to help you narrow down your choices

bobkn · 18 Jun 2011

If "The Risky" wants to overclock his CPU any significant amount, there will be two requirements:

1) a "k" suffix CPU (unlocked multiplier) The least expensive one is the I5-2500k. In the US, that's not a great deal more expensive than the I5-2310.

2) a P67 or Z68 chipset board (not an H67 board, like the one listed)

Water cooling is used for at least two reasons. Overclocking is one. Silence is another.

Other factors in choosing a board: number of SATA ports, external SATA (eSATA), firewire (IEEE 1394), PATA (parallel ATA, also known as IDE), USB3, SLI/Crossfire, PCI slots, etc. If those are unfamiliar to you, you may not need them.

Beyond that, there's the ego thing. I don't know how many people run Windows 7 Ultimate on home gaming PCs just to have the highest-end possible version of the OS. Or the people who spend more money and effort on case mods than most people spend in building a basic PC.

The Risky · 19 Jun 2011

Well,thank you,all of you.
Since i've reached towards another question,i though of it to ask it right here, rather than to create a new topic.
Lets say,i decide to build a PC with these parts,what else would i need to add/change?
Motherboard Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Emaplaadid / MSI Socket 1155 H67MS-E23 B3
Processor Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Protsessorid / Intel Core i5 2310 2,9GHz 6MB S1155
Case Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Korpused / Thermaltake V9 Coating
Video Card Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Videokaardid / Club 3D Geforce 500 series GTX 550 TI PCIE 1GB GDDR5 2X DVI
PSU Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Toiteallikad / Inter-Tech Power Supply Energon EPS AC 230V, 50Hz, DC 3.3/5/
Hard drive Hinnavaatlus / Arvutiriistvara / Kõvakettad / Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200rpm 32MB NCQ SATA 3Gb/s

And i apologize in advance for the language on the pages.
Last question,and this is for the European Users.What EU pages do you use to buy parts for you rig?Preferably a page that ships all across Europe.

ignatzatsonic · 19 Jun 2011

Your parts list does not include RAM or a DVD drive.

And you may need thermal paste and fans.

Does your motherboard include built-in sound and a NIC? Most do.

Xplicit · 19 Jun 2011

Future-proof motherboards would be best though.

essenbe · 19 Jun 2011

I went to the link for the PSU and had trouble reading it, but it sounds like an external UPS and not a power supply. Am I reading it wrong?