motherboard is the underlying circuit board of a computer. The central processing unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), hard drive(s), disk drives and optical drives are all plugged into interfaces on the motherboard. A video interface and sound card can be optionally built-in or added.
A motherboard can come in many configurations to fit different needs and budgets. At its most basic, it comes with several interfaces for necessary components and a BIOS chip set to control setup of the motherboard.
Many computer enthusiasts favor one type of BIOS over another and will choose a motherboard partially based on the BIOS manufacturer. For example, many gamers prefer the Nvidia BIOS as it is rated as one of the best for graphics applications.
How to choose motherboard
There are a lot of motherboards on the market to choose from. The big question is, how do you go about choosing which one is right for you? Different motherboards support different components, and so it is vital you make a number of decisions concerning general system specifications before you can pick the right motherboard.
If you purchase your case before the rest of the components, the first factor to think about concerning motherboards is the size, or form factor. A form factor is a standardised motherboard size. If you think about fitting a motherboard in a case, there are a number of mounting holes, slot locations and PSU connectors. The most popular motherboard form factor today is ATX, which evolved from it's predecessor, the Baby AT, a smaller version of the AT (Advanced Technology) form factor. Generally speaking, nowadays a standard computer will have an ATX form factor motherboard: only special cases require different form factors.
So now you know which size you need, what comes next? The following are all factors you need to consider.
The first important differential is which CPU the board supports. Two of the biggest makes of CPUs at the moment are Intel and AMD, yet you cannot buy motherboards that support the use of either: it will support one or the other, due to physical differences in the connectors. This is often referred to as a type of platform; for example, an 'Intel platform motherboard' means a motherboard with an Intel CPU. Furthermore, you must choose a specific type of processor; for example, an AMD Athlon 64 or Pentium 4. Therefore, you must choose which CPU you want before you can choose your motherboard. Both Intel and AMD processors are capable of running the same applications, but there are differences in price and performance depending on which one you choose.
Here is a list of motherboard brands you can choose from, click on each one for more information:
gigabyte motherboards
asus motherboards
msi motherboards
asus motherboards
abit motherboards
ecs motherboard
biostar motherboard
By default, your virtual memory is in your C drive. It is better to move it to another partition, suhc as D or E. To change it, right click on "my computer" and select properties, click on advanced tab, go to the first settings tab, select 'advanced' tab again. Here you will be able to change the path to your virtual memory.
