Praetor

Mobo 101

Revision History
1.00 - July 2006

Contents

1. All them fancy terms
2. Ok so how do I pick a Mobo?
3. I'm lazy! What do you reccommend? [INTEL]
4. I'm lazy! What do you reccommend? [AMD]
5. VFAQ

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

Praetor

Section 01 - All Them Fancy Terms
Basics
Mobo
Short for motherboard, this is the big chunk of PCB that you'll be plugging everything more or less, into. The difference between two motherboards can be subtle (i.e., how much one can overclock compared to the other) or they can be drastic (i.e., this mobo is incompatible with your hardware, that one isnt).

BUS? FSB? Hypertransport?
The BUS is the network of wires that connects one thing on your motherboard to any other thing. If you look very carefully at the below image you'll notice all them copper traces between the chips and such -- that's the BUS!

The FSB or front-side bus is the interconnect that the CPU uses to connect to other "high-level" devices (i.e. communication between two CPUs in a SMP system is traditionally done across this bus as well as between the CPU and RAM). Think of the FSB as a specialized "BUS" just for CPUs and RAM (and a few other high level things). Oh and yes, there is a "back-side bus" and is the bus that the CPU uses to connect to things like on-board L2 memory cache (found on older setups). This backside bus is faster than the frontside bus.

As for HyperTransport, HyperTransport is a newer form of "bus". It is a point to point interconnect meaning any two things that need to communicate with each other have a direct private connection between them. This differs from the traditonal system BUS or FSB which is a series of wires connecting anything to anything else . By having a private connection between various components, devices are assured very high communication speeds.

So how fast are these different busses?
For FSBs,

• The FSB is the base speed (for systems featuring a FSB). The most common FSB is 200MHz although current high-end and next generation FSBs are 266MHz
• The BUS speed is the FSB x DataRate

What this means is that, if a chip can send four words per clock cycle and the FSB "number" is 200, then this means the BUS "number" is 200x4 or 800[*] For stock clocks, it is incorrect to say that the FSB runs at speed like 533MHz, 800MHz or 1066MHz. Marketing people do this all the time because for some reason, consumers get blown away by a big number and end up buying things based on a big number (and not looking deeper). Even manufacturer websites and OEMs do this. Here's a few examples of this:

• Dell, leader in consumer PC sales cant seem to get it right that the PentiumD 820 processor runs a 200MHz FSB and not an 800MHz FSB
• ASUS, a leader and fabulous manufacturer of motherboards doesnt get it that motherboards do not have 1066MHz, 800MHz or 533MHz FSBs
• Newegg also cant seem to get it right!

Things are a bit different with HyperTransport based systems (for the most part now, just AMD boxes),

• There is a base clock speed, the HTT (HyperTransport Tunner, not to be confused with HyperThreading Technology) which correlates to the "FSB" for non-HyperTransport based systems. By default this value is 200MHz.
• Instead of a "BUS" clock, there is a HTL (HyperTransport Lane). Different system configurations provide different multipliers (CPU101 will cover this in more depth) but with defaults, the HTL speed is either 800MHz or 1GHz. However, by transfering data on both the rising and falling clocks (i.e., DDR technology), we can say that there are 1600MT/s (megatransfers/sec) or 2000MT/s. Colloquially this is often written as 2000MHz or 2GHz to avoid confusion.

Bring on the math! Which of these BUS systems has the most bandwidth?

• The net bandwidth available to FSB/BUS based systems is 6.4GB/s [Calculations]
• The net bandwidth available to HyperTransport based systems is up to 12.8GB/s [Calculations]

Why such the pickness about FSB and BUS?
Normally it doesnt matter all that much, if you're asking whether you should get a motherboard with FSB800 or whether you should spend a bit more and get one with FSB1066 for future compatability ... in that case, we all know what you mean and it doesnt matter that much (although one could argue that complacency is the seed of misinformation). The problem arises when some manufacturers list correct values and consumers are deciding between BrandA with FSB800 and BrandB with FSB200 and they (the consumer) doesnt realize there isnt a difference. A similar problem arises when comparing "2000" (the number associated with effective HTL speed) with "200" (the actual base clock speed). The ambiguity can go on and on.

Chipset, Northbridge, Southbridge, IGP, etc
Your mobo isn't just a mounting mechanism that you simply plug dumb components into but rather your motherboard allows you to power and control various components connected to it without the need of expansion controller cards (i.e., as they did back in the olden-days).

Collectively, these controllers and chips are referred to as the chipset. However, various devices are handled by certain parts of the chipset and various features and functionality are provided by other parts. In light of that, techies have subdivided the word "chipset" into two more coherent units: the northbridge and the southbridge.

• Northbridge. Of the two, the northbridge is the faster, more important and impactful. Colloquially, often "chipset" and "northbridge" are used interchangeably. The northbridge traditionally provides support for communication to RAM as well as providing support for the AGP bus
• Southbridge The southbridge is the "behind-the-scenes" part of the chipset and doesnt so much affect overall system performance but rather it determines what and how many features a given mobo has. The southbridge is in charge of the PCI bus, USB, the system clock, etc

Why North and South? Why not A and B or Primary and Secondary?
When diagraming a computer's internal structure, we list the items from most important to least important (and generally most people start writing at the top of a page and move downwards). So at the top, designers will write "CPU" and then they list memory controller, AGP controller, PCI bus, USB support, etc and it just happened that they grouped memory+AGP into one group and the remainder in another. In this manner, the items now referred to as the northbridge are above those referred to as southbridge (and we commonly associate up and north together)

So are northbridges and southbridges indepdnent of each other? Or is this north and south stuff just a logical means of grouping one single chip?
The northbridge and southbridge are somewhat independent of each other. What this means, is that, a motherboard engineer can make a motherboard by grabbing a PCB, slapping a bunch of chips and circuitry from the northbridge bin and a bunch of chips and circuitry from the southbridge bin. However -- it's not quite that simple and relaxed: a given northbridge can only be paired with certain few southbridges however often, there is more than one option (and since southbridges affects the lower level functionality of the motherboard like USB ports and stuff, this would explain why some motherboards have more USB ports or what-not than others)

What about AMD's Athlon64 family of chips? How come I hear people say that it has an integrated chipset or an integrated memory controller -- wasnt the chipset/memory-controller supposed to be glued to the motherboard?
Sorta. While an Athlon64 motherboard just by itself has no memory controller, by itself it is also useless. So, knowing that you have to have a CPU and a motherboard together to have anything meanigful, moving the memory controller to the CPU does not change all that much as far as the end consumer is concerned (i.e., they will still need to buy both a CPU and a motherboard). From the engineers point of view however, things change drastically: by running the memory controller in the CPU, memory performance is significantly improved. More commonly the concept of moving the memory controller to the CPU is reffered to as "integrated memory controller" or "on-die memory controller"

Ok so whats the catch about having an on-die memory controller? Why doesnt everyone do this?
Well one of the benifits of having a non-on-die memory controller is that a given CPU is not bound to a given type of memory. What this means is that, for us to get a basic computer (without on-die memory) to work we needed the following

• A cpu
• A motherboard that was compatible with that CPU
• Some RAM that was compatible with that motherboard

By moving the memory controller to the CPU, the relationship is now slightly different; to get a computer working, we now need:

• A cpu
• A motherboard that is compatible with that CPU
• Some RAM that is compatible with that CPU

So whats an IGP?
IGP stands for integrated graphics processor and all it means is that the motherboard has an extra chip that allows it (the motherboard) to provide basic video support (meaning that you dont need to buy a videocard). The upside of this is that the motherboard manufacturer does not need a fancy chipset that provides support for more advanced video interfaces as well as saving on PCB and plastic for making connectors for those interfaces (i.e., the board is cheaper). Another benifit is that these low-power graphics chipsets do not generate a lot of heat and thus the overall internal temperature of the system is cooler. The downside is that in almost every single case (if not all), motherboards with IGPs are feature low-performing chipsets (in addition to low performance graphics chips)

So why would anyone use a motherboard with IGP? Wouldnt it be better to get a better system and add another fan?
Systems with IGPs (sometimes referred to as "built in graphics" or "on-board graphics") are, above all else, cheap! They appeal to:

• Users with lower budgets as well as those who need a basic machine to do typing and email etc (which does not require fancy high performance videocards)
• Users who want a hometheater type PC (and thus are do not want the extra noise of a wirring videocard fan to bother them). This also extends to sound-sensitive users like sound engineers etc
• Users who want to build shuttle boxes (a shuttlebox is an uber-small form factor for PCs and are generally the size of large shoebox or two; here is an example)

Stuff on Your Motherboard

• PCI Slots. This interface is used to add functionality to your computer: you can plug in soundcards, video cards (although most have transitioned to AGP and even moreso, onto PCI-Express), harddrive controllers etc. In the picture, the PCI slots are the two yellow slots on the far left. The mainstream PCI bus has a throughput of 133MB/s shared amongst all the devices connected to it
• PCI Express A newer standard for both graphics and standard expansion slots, PCI Express is significantly faster but more importantly, scalable. Interfaces and devices are scaled with PCI-Express by adding more and more lanes of communication, each of which provides 250MB/s of bandwidth. The number of lanes a given interface has is denoted by adding a multiplier to the end. So, PCIEx1 provides 250MB/s, PCIEx4 provides 1GB/s and so on. In the picture, the PCIEx16 slots are the two longer slots, the PCIEx1 is the shortest slot and the PCIEx4 is the slot on the rightmost.
• AGP. As far as new components and development go, AGP is dead. It will be awhile still before AGP is actually phased out of the market. AGP is/was a dedicated PCI-like interface that connected the video interface to the CPU and RAM. You can read more on AGP here
• Power connectors All motherboards will have a 20pin or 24pin power connector which provides power to the rest of the connected components. Most will feature an additional 4pin ATX12 connector and some high performance boards may also have additional connectors on the motherboard to improvde board stability. Lastly, the motherboard will feature at least two fan connectors, one for the CPU fan, one for an additional chassis fan

Other things found on motherboards include

• Sound. Most motherboards will have some form of basic sound (although modern onboard sound is becoming more and more sophisticated). Some premium motherboards will features a hardware accelerated sound chip on the motherboard (i.e., the soundcard processes sound data by itself rather than getting the CPU to do it)
• Network: Virtually all motherboards nowadays have at least one 10/100 NIC built in although many opt for one or even two Gigabit connectors
• USB and Firewire. Powered by the southridge and/or other controllers, your motherboard should provide a handful of USB ports. Firewire isnt nearly as popular with PC hardware however many boards will still provide a jack or two.
• Drive connectors. Whether it be PATA, SATA or even SCSI, motherboards provide from a few to a large number of drive connectors. The number and type of connectors depends on the chipsets present.
• Additional convenience features. Some boards will feature buttons on the board for power and reset which is great during install and troupleshooting while other boards provide LEDs for BIOS messages or wireless addons etc. The features that come with your motherboard depend on it's targeted audience as well as the chipset.

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

Praetor

Section 02 - Ok so how do I pick a Mobo?
Step 1: Pick your platform
Too many people come asking "someone reccomend me a motherboard" and then when they are asked "what platorm do you want?, do you want AMD? Intel? AGP?" they dont know the answer. That's akin to going to a grocery store and asking them to pick your groceries for you! So, before you endevour to pick a motherboard (which, in itself is not necesarily an easy task), make sure you know what you are building towards.

Step 2: Pick your bracket
It's pointless to slap a $900 videocard solution, a $1000 CPU and $600 of RAM onto a $55 motherboard and by the same token its pointless to slap a $50 videocard, $200 CPU and $80 of RAM onto a $300 motherboard. This is really an extension of Step 1 really and it requires to to figure out what kind of performance you want and how you want to divide your money.

Step 3: Pick a chipset
An extension of Step 2, this step requires you to look at the available chipsets on the market and select a few chipsets that match your criteria as specified by Step 2. Yes this step may require some research (and a learned consumer is a smart consumer). For a list of widely available chipsets look here for AMD comptible ones and for Intel compatible ones. Some considerations here are whether you want onboard graphics, whether you want to have a multi-GPU configuration, whether you need to have support for a certain class of CPU or memory. Some considerations:

• For basic Intel support, i915 chipset or better is required
• For Intel, 90nm DualCore support, a i945 chipset or better is required (or nVidia's nForce4Intel Edition)
• For Intel, 65nm (Single and Dualcore) support, a i975 chipset or better is required
• For AMD Socket939 Athlon64 X2, an nForce4, Radeon X200 or K8T800Pro or better is required

Step 4: Filter out brands you dont want
After you've picked out a chipset, now you need to find all the motherboards with that chipset you are looking for, When you're done that, apply the following (highly reccomended) filter (i.e., dont buy from these manufacturers)

• AOpen
• ASRock
• BIOSTAR
• ECS
• Intel
• PCCHIPS

Why am I blacklisting these brands? With the exception of Intel, they all have a track record of low performance, cheap parts (resulting in direct failures and sometimes consequential failures i.e., motheboard fails and then also causes something else to fail). Intel was included because their motherboards dont offer anything useful that can be had from any other (even budget oriented) manufacturer. These are just suggestions though.

Step 5: Fine-tune and order
Of the list of potential motherboard you have, compare them to each other. Here are some sample points (and counterpoints):

• This one has more USB2 ports than that one! (Will 2 USB ports make a difference? Will a USB2 hub suffice?)
• This one has a different layout than the other! (Does that matter for what you want?)
• This one has onboard hardware audio! (Do you already have a soundcard? Does this matter to you?)
• That one has more RAID options! (Will you be using RAID at all? Will you be using those RAID options?)
• That one has more fan connectors! (Do you plan on that many fans? Will a fan controller suffice?)
• If the northbridge/chipset has a fan, make sure that fan has unobstructed airflow -- especially if you plan on getting a high end videocard which may end up sitting over it, make sure there is enough clearance
• If you want to get watercooling or a high end fan, make sure there is enough clearance around the CPU area
• If you plan on getting an addon PCI card, make sure there is enough space (some videocards either directly or indirectly take up more than one slot)
• Does that board have finicky RAM requirements? Sometimes boards with zillions of features can be finicky
• If you're planning on overclocking and such, is this board made by a brand that has a track record of making highly overclocable boards for your platform. The distinction is important because, just because a brand is known to make great boards does not mean that they are great at making those boards for your platform (one example is pre-nForce4SLIx16 days, ASUS, known for kickass Intel and AMD K7 boards, had a fairly unspectacular K8 lineup and was easily outclassed by many other makes).

After this, you should have a few options that you've arrange in order of preference.

Step 6: Double Check
Now that you've got a list of a few boards that you'd settle for, do a bit of forum searching and Googling. Do lots of people have problems with that board? (one persona having, even catastrophic issues) does not mean it happens to everyone no matter what that person tries to convey ). If everything checks out, then you've made a good buy!

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

Praetor

Section 03 - I'm lazy! What do you reccommend? [INTEL]
Budget with IGP
Boards in this category

• Will have onboard video
• WIll have as many features as possible (although not necesarily the class-leading in any of them)
• Will cost less than $75
• All be LGA775 compatible
• If any graphics expansion slots are present, they will be PCI-Express for future value

JetWay P4M890DMP
Price: $51.99
Chipset: VIA P4M890 + VIA VT8237R
Formfactor: mATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 2xDDR2-533
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 2xSATA/150
Onboard Video: Yes
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, 10/100
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: For a low price, this board provides all the basic functionality required to get a box up and running

MSI RC410M-L
Price: $60.99
Chipset: ATi Radeon XPress 200 Intel + ATi SB450
Formfactor: mATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 2xDDR-667
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 4xSATA/150
Onboard Video: Yes
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, 10/100
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: For not that much more than the previous, this board offers a whackload more features including twice the SATA connections, a less finicky graphics chip, support for faster memory, and high-definition audio

ASUS P5RD2-VM *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $72.99
Chipset: ATi Radeon XPress 200 Intel + ULi M1575
Formfactor: mATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 2xDDR2-667
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: Yes
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: Wow, for a cheap budget board this thing packs a lot: support for RAID5, SATA-3.0, Gigabit ... the only downside (in comparison to the MSI board) is the unspecified audipo

Budget without IGP
Boards in this category

• Will not have onboard video
• WIll have as many features as possible (although not necesarily the class-leading in any of them)
• Will cost less than $75
• All be LGA775 compatible
• Will be PCI-Express based

Albatron PC915P-2V *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $49.99 (after $15.00 MIR)
Chipset: Intel i915P + Intel ICH6
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR-533
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 4xSATA/150
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, 10/100
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All single-core Intel 90nm chips
Comments: A basic's oriented motherboard, this doesnt support dual-core processors but then again it's less than $50!. With the PCI-Express configuration and the forward looking DDR2 in conjunction with the price this is a definitely a bargain

Foxconn 915A03-P-8LRS
Price: $71.95
Chipset: Intel i915P + Intel ICH6R
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIx16, 3xPCIx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR-400
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 4xSATA/150
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, 10/100
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All single-core Intel 90nm chips
Comments: For a fairly low price this board tacks on RAID support courtesy of the ICH6R however it takes a step back and uses DDR rather than the more forward looking DDR2

Mainstream
Boards in this category

• Wont have integrated video
• Will have at least one Gigabit LAN
• Will have at least 6-channel audio
• Will at the least, be 90nm DualCore compatible
• Will cost less than $120

EPoX EP-5P945-J
Price: $87.99
Chipset: Intel i945P + Intel ICH7
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-667
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: A pretty impressive starting board - as a basic board, this has pretty much everything you could need.

ABit AW8
Price: $89.99
Chipset: Intel i955X + Intel ICH7R
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: Last generation's flagship board, for well under $100, this is a steal of a board with all the expected features: PCI-Express based Gigabit, high definition audio and additionally it has support for DDR2-800. This is probably the best-value board from this category.

Gigabyte GA-8I945P-G
Price: $92.99
Chipset: Intel i945P + Intel ICH7
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-667
Drive Controllers: 3xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: For less than $100, this board packs a whopping amount of features: it has enough drive controllers to be a light fileserver, high-definition 7.1 audio, PCI-Express based Gigabit as well as the standard support for all 90nm processors.

ASUS P5LD2
Price: $116.99
Chipset: Intel i945P + Intel ICH7R
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-667
Drive Controllers: 3xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 90nm chips
Comments: Better than the Gigabyte board above, this ASUS board packs a tried and true PCI Express based Marvell Gigabit connector, support for Intel's MatrixRAID courtesy of ICHR7 and ASUS's time-honored implementation of Intel boards.

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $142.99
Chipset: Intel i965 Express + Intel ICH8
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 6xSATA/3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 65nm chips
Comments: Support for Core2 chips, Intel's 65nm chips, a whackload of drives and faster memory than it's 945/955 brethen, this board packs a crapload of features for it's pricetag. The plentiful and forward-thinking feature-set this board offers scores it the pick.

Enthusaist
Boards in this category must

• Have 4xDDR2-800
• Some form of non-basic RAID
• Dual-Gigabit
• 8-Channel Hi-Def Audio built in
• Support all Intel 65nm chips

ABIT AW8D
Price: $164.99
Chipset: Intel i975X + Intel ICH7R
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 1xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 6xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Dual Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 65nm chips
Comments: A lot of features for what, comparatively, isnt a whole lot of price-tag.

ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $249.99
Chipset: Intel i965 Express + Intel ICH8R
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 1xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 8xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio:
LAN: Dual Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: All Intel 65nm chips
Comments: A major step up in functionality compared to the previous, this board packs a crapload of features in addition to being able to operate as a HTPC base and as a WAP and even as a fileserver with multiple RAID banks. The raw featureset here wins it the pick

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

Praetor

Section 04 - I'm lazy! What do you reccommend? [AMD]
Budget with IGP

• Will have onboard video
• WIll have as many features as possible (although not necesarily the class-leading in any of them)
• Will cost less than $80
• All be AM2 compatible
• If any graphics expansion slots are present, they will be PCI-Express for future value

Foxconn 6100M2MA-RS2H
Price: $62.99
Chipset: GeForce6100+nForce410
Formfactor: mATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-667
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 2xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: nVidia GeForce 6100
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, 10/100
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: A pretty decent feature set and support for AM2 which is nice for a budget board like this.

Gigabyte GA-M51GM-S2G *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $79.98
Chipset: GeForce6100+nForce430
Formfactor: mATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: nVidia GeForce 6100
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: Gigabit, High-definition audio, DDR2-800 and an impressive drive array support, this board handedly takes the pick for it's price.

Budget without IGP
Boards in this category

• Will not have onboard video
• WIll have as many features as possible (although not necesarily the class-leading in any of them)
• Will cost less than $80
• All be AM2 compatible
• Will be PCI-Express based

EPoX EP-MF4-J
Price: $74.99
Chipset: nVidia nForce4-4X
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 8
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: A fairly competent bAM2 capable board with gigabit and a respectable amount of support for drives

MSI K9N Neo-F *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $76.95
Chipset: nVidia nForce 550
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 1xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: Although one less drive controller, the chipset here is a bit more advanced and adds an addition two USB2 ports (and users in this bracket are more likely to make use of the USB2 ports before maxing out the drive counts).

Mainstream
Boards in this category

• Wont have integrated video
• Will have at least one Gigabit LAN
• Will have at least 6-channel audio
• Will be AM2 compatible
• Will cost less than $150

Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4
Price: $96.99
Chipset: nVidia nForce4 SLI
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 3xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 2xATA100, 4xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Yes, Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: Last generation's SLI chipset adapted for AM2 allows this board to have a fairly rounded featureset without costing an arm and a leg.

MSI K9N Platinum *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $108.99
Chipset: nVidia nForce 570Ultra
Formfactor: mATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 6xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Dual Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: A significant featureset increase including a healthy number of expansion slots, dual-gigabit without incuring a massive price jump. The overall value of this board scores it the pick.

MSI K9N SLI Platinum
Price: $130.99
Chipset: nVidia nForce 570 SLI
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 2xPCIEx1, 3xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR2-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 6xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Dual Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: Like the other MSI boards, this one too has a healthy number of expansion slots (the more the merrier). This board raises the bar slightly by providing SLI support although this may only appeal to a small subset of consumers in this category

Enthusaist
Boards in this category must

• Support SLIx16
• Have 4xDDR2-800
• Some form of non-basic RAID
• Dual-Gigabit
• 8-Channel Hi-Def Audio built in
• Support AM2

Foxconn C51XEM2AA-8EKRS2H
Price: $194.99 (after $15.00 MIR)
Chipset: nVidia nForce 590 SLI
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 1xPCEx4, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 6xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Dual Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: At the time of writing, this was one of the only boards to make it through the filter: it's got SLIx16, High Definition 8channel audio, a decent drive array and a very nice set of expansion slots.

ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe *** Praetor's Pick ***
Price: $209.99
Chipset: nVidia nForce 590 SLI
Formfactor: ATX
Expansion: 2xPCIEx16, 1xPCEx4, 1xPCIEx1, 2xPCI
Memory: 4xDDR-800
Drive Controllers: 1xATA100, 8xSATA-3.0
Onboard Video: No
Onboard Audio: Yes
LAN: Dual Gigabit
USB2: 10
Power: 24p
Compatibility: Socket AM2
Comments: Compared to the Foxconn, this board has a more robust drive array, being able to run as a wireless access point, running passive (and thus quieter) in addition to the usual ASUS bonuses. With that in mind, this board gets the pick

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI

Praetor

Section 05 - VFAQ
I put my computer together and it wont turn on!
Check that you followed the instructions to the letter (use the instructions from the motherboard manual rather than from the CPU or the videocard or whatever). Also make sure you've connected the appropriate power connections (at the least, two cables need to be connected); also check that the PSU has been switched on and the power button has been connected.

What makes a board good for overclocking?
Both the chipset as well as the manufacturer's BIOS for that chipset make the biggest difference (in addition to whatever hardware you happen to also have). Furthermore, while a second rate motherboard may have options to allow for overclocking, if the board is cheap (both literally and figuratively), then I wouldnt bother even trying ... you're not going to be able to score anything practically noticeable and furthermore, most of the time, cheaper boards dont have the QC that the more premium boards go through and they usually dont specifically test for overclocking.

Whats the best chipset? Whats the best motherboard?
At any momentin time, there maybe a handful of really good boards out there or even over a period time there maybe a few boards that linger in memory (LP NF4 SLI, A8RMVP, P4C800-E, IC7, etc). For the most part there are two way that boards are deemed "awesome" or "best" or whatever happens to be the catchy phrase of the week:

• They have an obscene amount of features or can do something in a nify manner. For example
  • The MSI K8N Neo4 SLI Platinum was one of the few boards that featured hadrware accelerated on-board audio
  • The DFI LanParty NF4 Ultra-D could be user-modded to allow for SLI
  • Certain ASUS boards could overcome the multiplier locks on Prescott processors
• Some boards are deemed awesome because they can support an obscene amount of overclocking or are very well known to be rock solid stable
  • The ASUS P4C800-E and ABt's IC7 were among the best boards of their time for overclocking
  • The DFI LanParty NF4 Series (S939), ASUS A8RMVP Series (S939), MSI K8N Neo Platinum (S754) were also spectacular boards for overclocking
• There seems to be an association with "pretty" and "fast and overclockable" -- so many people used to commen that the ABit Fatal1ty (i925XE) was the most overclockable board of its class when, more often than not, the ASUS P5AD2-E could outdo it handedly).

It is important however to note that, just because a board has some funky feature or someone can overclock a system on it to a zillion Mhz does not mean that (1) you will make use of that feature or (2) you will be able to come anywhere close to that overclock (people that do come close to that overclock usually dont need that much help picking out motherboards to start with).

As for best chipset, that's a bit more reasonable a question (because there are so fewer chipsets to pick through) but that, of course, then depends on your usage style and your platform. Again, the answer is that there isnt an absolute best -- so do your research and pick what works best for what you want and need.

__________________
ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8
4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400
5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10
OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI