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.