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bhaiyaji
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How do you pick a motherboard ?

Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:14 pm

This is one of the absolutely toughest things I've ever tried to research, and I would know... I am a graduate student who does constant research. But I am dumbfounded. There are thousands of motherboards each with their own non-descriptive name like MSI G563-M4 or EVGA 3XCLP40.... and I have no idea what the f%&k I'm even looking for.
I want to fit a nvidia 1060/1070/1080 and a core i7 to this PC. But I have no idea what I need.
 
dragontamer5788
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:30 pm

bhaiyaji wrote:
This is one of the absolutely toughest things I've ever tried to research, and I would know... I am a graduate student who does constant research. But I am dumbfounded. There are thousands of motherboards each with their own non-descriptive name like MSI G563-M4 or EVGA 3XCLP40.... and I have no idea what the f%&k I'm even looking for.
I want to fit a nvidia 1060/1070/1080 and a core i7 to this PC. But I have no idea what I need.


Buy the cheapest motherboard that does the job.

Some features you might be interested in:

* Overclocking (especially RAM overclocking, as XMP RAM isn't supported on the lowest tier).
* If performing very high overclocks, VRM research is suggested. Voltage regulator modules deliver power to the CPU, and the better the VRMs, the higher your overclock can be while remaining stable.
* PCIe 3.0 vs 4.0.
* Number and configuration of PCIe lanes
* NVMe SSDs
* SATA Ports and number
* 1Gbps Ethernet, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, 5Gbps Ethernet, and 10 Gbps Ethernet.
* Brand of Ethernet adapter: Intel is usually considered great, Realtek is fine.
* USB 3.1, number of USB ports.

core i7


Intel's "Core i7" is completely meaningless. The generation is far more important, such as 10th generation Core, or 4th generation. Intel has been naming the last 10-years worth of chips i7, so it really doesn't mean anything anymore. The "generation" will determine which motherboard even works with your chip.
 
Igor_Kavinski
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:04 am

bhaiyaji wrote:
This is one of the absolutely toughest things I've ever tried to research, and I would know... I am a graduate student who does constant research. But I am dumbfounded. There are thousands of motherboards each with their own non-descriptive name like MSI G563-M4 or EVGA 3XCLP40.... and I have no idea what the f%&k I'm even looking for.
I want to fit a nvidia 1060/1070/1080 and a core i7 to this PC. But I have no idea what I need.


Do you have the CPU and the graphics card already? If so, what are their models?
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:55 am

The most critical thing is that you get a motherboard with the correct socket for your CPU. Which CPU do you have? If you haven't already purchased the Intel Core i7 CPU, do take a look at an AMD Ryzen processor as a better value that would also be more energy-efficient and require less cooling.
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just brew it!
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:08 am

1. What will this system be used for?

2. What is your budget?

Answer those two questions, and we can provide some meaningful guidance. Also, "Core i7" is a product line that has existed for over a decade, with dozens (hundreds?) of different CPUs released under that branding; if you already have the CPU we need to know the exact model number before we can recommend motherboards.

dragontamer5788 wrote:
Buy the cheapest motherboard that does the job.

This is dangerous advice. A cheap motherboard that looks good "on paper" may not be the bargain it seems to be if it is from a dodgy brand with poor QA and support. I'd qualify this statement with "...from a Tier 1 or 2 vendor".

dragontamer5788 wrote:
Some features you might be interested in:

* Overclocking (especially RAM overclocking, as XMP RAM isn't supported on the lowest tier).
* If performing very high overclocks, VRM research is suggested. Voltage regulator modules deliver power to the CPU, and the better the VRMs, the higher your overclock can be while remaining stable.
* PCIe 3.0 vs 4.0.
* Number and configuration of PCIe lanes
* NVMe SSDs
* SATA Ports and number
* 1Gbps Ethernet, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, 5Gbps Ethernet, and 10 Gbps Ethernet.
* Brand of Ethernet adapter: Intel is usually considered great, Realtek is fine.
* USB 3.1, number of USB ports.

Oh, c'mon... OP is obviously a newbie starting from square 1. Extreme overclocking capabilities, PCIe 3 vs. 4, lane configuration, and 10 Gb Ethernet are the least of his worries at this point. We don't even know the use case or budget for this system yet. Don't confuse the issue by implying that he needs to pay attention to "power user" features which are in all likelihood completely irrelevant.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
dragontamer5788
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:06 pm

just brew it! wrote:
dragontamer5788 wrote:
Buy the cheapest motherboard that does the job.

This is dangerous advice. A cheap motherboard that looks good "on paper" may not be the bargain it seems to be if it is from a dodgy brand with poor QA and support. I'd qualify this statement with "...from a Tier 1 or 2 vendor".


Fair point. Don't go to Alibaba and looking for the cheapest motherboard possible, but maybe go to Microcenter and browse the cheaper motherboards from decent brands over there.

Gigabyte, ASRock, ASUS, and MSI are the top brands from my memory.

dragontamer5788 wrote:
Some features you might be interested in:

* Overclocking (especially RAM overclocking, as XMP RAM isn't supported on the lowest tier).
* If performing very high overclocks, VRM research is suggested. Voltage regulator modules deliver power to the CPU, and the better the VRMs, the higher your overclock can be while remaining stable.
* PCIe 3.0 vs 4.0.
* Number and configuration of PCIe lanes
* NVMe SSDs
* SATA Ports and number
* 1Gbps Ethernet, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, 5Gbps Ethernet, and 10 Gbps Ethernet.
* Brand of Ethernet adapter: Intel is usually considered great, Realtek is fine.
* USB 3.1, number of USB ports.

Oh, c'mon... OP is obviously a newbie starting from square 1. Extreme overclocking capabilities, PCIe 3 vs. 4, lane configuration, and 10 Gb Ethernet are the least of his worries at this point. We don't even know the use case or budget for this system yet. Don't confuse the issue by implying that he needs to pay attention to "power user" features which are in all likelihood completely irrelevant.


Recognition memory is easier than recall memory. I'm not pushing my views onto the OP, I'm providing the OP a list so that his recognition memory works instead of his recall memory.
 
just brew it!
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:11 pm

dragontamer5788 wrote:
Recognition memory is easier than recall memory. I'm not pushing my views onto the OP, I'm providing the OP a list so that his recognition memory works instead of his recall memory.

He's already confused/overwhelmed. You're just adding more noise and confusion. Teach him to walk before you try to teach him to pole vault.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
ordskiweicz
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Fri Apr 24, 2020 12:12 pm

Picking a mobo is a challenge - maybe why a system guide is useful?

I'd look for some future proofing - USB C or thunderbolt, etc. in addition to suggestions made.

Online reviews - when massive - do seem to be another useful indicator.
 
toki
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Re: How do you pick a motherboard ?

Fri Apr 24, 2020 7:44 pm

I would say to ask yourself these things. What do you want to do with it? Do you want to futureproof it? What size case do you want to put it in? At least these basics will help to narrow down the search some.

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