Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.

But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.

OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
others are for AMD??

BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!

How do I choose?
What should I look out for?

Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
(Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)

I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
options available!!
Are there other things that are relevant?

Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
VGA and the more expensive ones don't?

AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
AND... which should I avoid!?

Any enlightenments would be helpful.

Thanks.


OM

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

One would suggest that you actually llok to the specifications.
From a basic viewpoint they would be designed to accept only one of the
various processor families such as Celeron or Pentium 4. This is identified
as Socket Type.

Then it goes to the Chipset - partially CPU dependent so a LGA775 socket
board would most likely use an Inel 925XE Chipset.

The chipset also determine what types of memory are supported: the example
above will allow use of DDR2 memory and also governs the Front Side Bus Speed
[FSB]: as high as 800MHz or 1066MHz FSB. The higher the FSB speed the
quicker data moves in and out of memory.

Some boards will have on board sound - with quality differences in the chips
used.
Some boards will have on board AGP - with quality / performance differences
in the chips used.
Some boards will have on board LAN - with speed differences in the chips used.
Some boards will have on board USB - with up to 6 or 8.
Some boards will have more than 3 PCI expansion slots.
Some boards will support higher Memory Capacity [both by number of DIMM
slots and Size of Modules].
Some boards will have on board S-ATA to accomodate SATA HDDs.
Nearly all boards will have 2 IDE slots and 2 FDD slots.
Most, even if they have on-board AGP will have an AGP slot offering up to 8X
AGP speed.


So, there are a few good points of reference. Make you comparisons easy by
choosing No 1 - your budget for the total build.
Determine that you'll need a new CPU and new RAM plus the Mobo and split the
budget 40% CPU, 40% Mobo and 20% RAM [because you can easily and simply add
more RAM later, but if have to change Mobo or CPU it's a lot more expensive].

If you want more 'bang for buck', go with AMD CPU vs Intel the money you
save on CPU and Mobo Costs can pay for your RAM.

Also if you want to be a big time GAMER the AGP card will cost about the
same as a Mobo!


Now go and look at reviews of Mobos, CPUs etc:

http://www.motherboards.org


"OM" wrote:

> I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
> What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
> OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.
>
> But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
> priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.
>
> OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
> others are for AMD??
>
> BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!
>
> How do I choose?
> What should I look out for?
>
> Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
> (Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)
>
> I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
> options available!!
> Are there other things that are relevant?
>
> Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
> VGA and the more expensive ones don't?
>
> AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
> AND... which should I avoid!?
>
> Any enlightenments would be helpful.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> OM
>
>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

THANK YOU for such a kewl reply!
Thanks for taking the time to give such a good answer.
I'm no longer lost. : )

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

OM wrote:
> I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
> What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
> OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.
>
> But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
> priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.
The big difference is in what all the motherboards has, so to speak.

> OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
> others are for AMD??
Be careful when buying, because different processors use different
sockets - they won't fit if you buy a wrong one. Ask at your locla store
about what socket they support. And then tell him what kind of processor
you have (i.e. AMD Athlon XP 2600+) and ask if it "fits" on that board.

> BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!
There are also a lot of variatons of different chipsets. For example,
NVIDIA makes a chipset called nForce but they don't make the actual
motherboards. Manufacturers (like EPOX for example) use that chipset
when they build their motherboard. There are plenty of chipsets,
escpecially for Intel processors. The one I mentioned is made only for
AMD (although an Intel version is on its way) and (some versions) has
5.1 sound, SATA support, a fast ethernet card,...

> How do I choose?
> What should I look out for?
Depends on what you want. There are tons of options.

> Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
> (Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)
Depends on what you want. I've looked up an ABIT board, ABIT AX8 which
is a more expensive board. For a reason. It is based on a VIA K8T890
chipset and supports AMD Athlon 64/64FX processors on socket 939. Comes
with PCI-Express support, Gigabit Ethernet, Firewire, supports SATA,
dual DDR 400, USB 2.0, 6 channel audio,...
For the most part, you probably won't need half of that stuff.

> I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
> options available!!
> Are there other things that are relevant?
Board makers also (besides the support for nearly everything) feature
some of their own stuff. That ABIT board has something they call
SoftMenu Technology - according to them, this eases overclocking. This
just being one example, but they all have different brand specific
features. Some of them you might need, others not.

> Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
> VGA and the more expensive ones don't?
There are also cheap boards without onboard VGA.

> AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
> AND... which should I avoid!?
>
> Any enlightenments would be helpful.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> OM
>

As with any product, a large part in the price plays the brand and the
overall quality of the product.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Look at reviews. Look at board specifications. Find out which boards work
with the processor and RAM you intend to purchase. There is no magic formula
for learning this information. You either read and learn from available
writings or you purchase a computer from a retailer.

What you ask is for a 30 page synopsis of all the facts. That is just NOT
going to happen.

Good luck!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!


"OM" <om.newsgroup@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1108953336.422368.24580@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.

But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.

OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
others are for AMD??

BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!

How do I choose?
What should I look out for?

Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
(Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)

I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
options available!!
Are there other things that are relevant?

Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
VGA and the more expensive ones don't?

AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
AND... which should I avoid!?

Any enlightenments would be helpful.

Thanks.


OM

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

The 30 page synopsis [even more] is available at the URL that was included in
my first post.

http://www.motherboards.org

This also reviews CPUs, Hard Drives and other items. Worthwhile spending a
bit of time here.


"Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)" wrote:

> Look at reviews. Look at board specifications. Find out which boards work
> with the processor and RAM you intend to purchase. There is no magic formula
> for learning this information. You either read and learn from available
> writings or you purchase a computer from a retailer.
>
> What you ask is for a 30 page synopsis of all the facts. That is just NOT
> going to happen.
>
> Good luck!
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban
>
> aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
>
> If you knew as much as you think you know,
> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>
>
> "OM" <om.newsgroup@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1108953336.422368.24580@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
> What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
> OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.
>
> But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
> priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.
>
> OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
> others are for AMD??
>
> BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!
>
> How do I choose?
> What should I look out for?
>
> Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
> (Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)
>
> I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
> options available!!
> Are there other things that are relevant?
>
> Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
> VGA and the more expensive ones don't?
>
> AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
> AND... which should I avoid!?
>
> Any enlightenments would be helpful.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> OM
>
>
>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Exactly! What he wants is way beyond the scope of what is available here.
And, it has already been compiled.

Google! Google! Google! people.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!


"BAR" <BAR@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3CDA31D8-5794-438D-97CB-188182315465@microsoft.com...
> The 30 page synopsis [even more] is available at the URL that was included
> in
> my first post.
>
> http://www.motherboards.org
>
> This also reviews CPUs, Hard Drives and other items. Worthwhile spending
> a
> bit of time here.
>
>
> "Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)" wrote:
>
>> Look at reviews. Look at board specifications. Find out which boards work
>> with the processor and RAM you intend to purchase. There is no magic
>> formula
>> for learning this information. You either read and learn from available
>> writings or you purchase a computer from a retailer.
>>
>> What you ask is for a 30 page synopsis of all the facts. That is just NOT
>> going to happen.
>>
>> Good luck!
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Richard Urban
>>
>> aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
>>
>> If you knew as much as you think you know,
>> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>>
>>
>> "OM" <om.newsgroup@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1108953336.422368.24580@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
>> What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
>> OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.
>>
>> But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
>> priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.
>>
>> OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
>> others are for AMD??
>>
>> BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!
>>
>> How do I choose?
>> What should I look out for?
>>
>> Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
>> (Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)
>>
>> I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
>> options available!!
>> Are there other things that are relevant?
>>
>> Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
>> VGA and the more expensive ones don't?
>>
>> AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
>> AND... which should I avoid!?
>>
>> Any enlightenments would be helpful.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>> OM
>>
>>
>>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Oh if only everyone installed the Google toolbar and first did their inquiry
at that place: this forum would have but 10% of the postings!

Give a man a confuser and they'll ask a woman how to use it!* Then they
come here and ask again. - Now I'm going to get a barrage of hate mail.

"Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)" wrote:

> Exactly! What he wants is way beyond the scope of what is available here.
> And, it has already been compiled.
>
> Google! Google! Google! people.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban
>
> aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
>
> If you knew as much as you think you know,
> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>
>
> "BAR" <BAR@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:3CDA31D8-5794-438D-97CB-188182315465@microsoft.com...
> > The 30 page synopsis [even more] is available at the URL that was included
> > in
> > my first post.
> >
> > http://www.motherboards.org
> >
> > This also reviews CPUs, Hard Drives and other items. Worthwhile spending
> > a
> > bit of time here.
> >
> >
> > "Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)" wrote:
> >
> >> Look at reviews. Look at board specifications. Find out which boards work
> >> with the processor and RAM you intend to purchase. There is no magic
> >> formula
> >> for learning this information. You either read and learn from available
> >> writings or you purchase a computer from a retailer.
> >>
> >> What you ask is for a 30 page synopsis of all the facts. That is just NOT
> >> going to happen.
> >>
> >> Good luck!
> >>
> >> --
> >> Regards,
> >>
> >> Richard Urban
> >>
> >> aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
> >>
> >> If you knew as much as you think you know,
> >> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
> >>
> >>
> >> "OM" <om.newsgroup@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >> news:1108953336.422368.24580@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> >> I'm confused with the array of motherboards available.
> >> What's the difference between a £20 one and a £100+ one?
> >> OK... I'd expect the more expensive one to have better capabilites.
> >>
> >> But the thing is... there seem to be a million different motherboards
> >> priced from £40 - £60: what's the big difference in these models.
> >>
> >> OK... I do know a bit... like some motherboards are for Intel, while
> >> others are for AMD??
> >>
> >> BUT... even then... there seems to be a plethora of options available!
> >>
> >> How do I choose?
> >> What should I look out for?
> >>
> >> Is a £100+ motherboard ever worth buying?
> >> (Heck... I might as well buy a dual processor one for a bit more!)
> >>
> >> I know about SATA - but even still, I'm confused about the number of
> >> options available!!
> >> Are there other things that are relevant?
> >>
> >> Am I right in saying that the cheaper motherboards come with onboard
> >> VGA and the more expensive ones don't?
> >>
> >> AND... what makes should I go for when buying?
> >> AND... which should I avoid!?
> >>
> >> Any enlightenments would be helpful.
> >>
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >>
> >> OM
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>