Computer Mainboards

Things to Consider When Upgrading Your Mainboard

2010-03-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

If you are upgrading your computer system, your hardware choices will be very much limited by the components that your mainboard can house. Computer users with old mainboards may find it virtually impossible to equip their system with the latest computer components. Hence, it is necessary for these users to replace their mainboards.

A computer mainboard, or motherboard, is a printed circuit board where all of your system's internal computer components are connected. Upgrading your mainboard affects all of your most vital computer hardware. Thus, you should always take great care when choosing a new mainboard. A low-quality mainboard will result in hardware problems and poor system performance even when used with high-quality PC components.

Before deciding on a replacement mainboard, double check whether your current computer components may be hooked to the mainboard. You must also make sure that your mainboard supports all the features that you want and need. Modern mainboards come with on board graphics and sound cards, but not all them come with a FireWire port or an eSATA port. If you want the ability to connect to a wired network, you will need a mainboard with a Gigabit Ethernet network port.

Your chosen mainboard should also contain the number of USB 2.0 ports that you need. If you do not have enough USB ports, you will not be able to use all of your USB computer peripherals at the same time. Common USB computer devices include your printer, keyboard and mouse.

Most importantly, buy a mainboard that will work with your computer processor. Mainboards can only run either Intel or AMD processors, never both of them. The latest CPU's will only work on mainboards that support multi-core CPU technology.

If you are uncertain about the nature and types of computer components that are supported by a mainboard, just ask help from the PC store attendants. Alternatively, you can download the mainboard's user manual at the manufacturer's website.

Laptop Mainboard Repair

2010-02-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

A laptop is a simple and compact computer. Yet, its compactness is the reason for its intricacies and complications. For instance, while most normal PCs have a mother board that has different ports for different other components of the computer to be attached, a laptop on the other hand, has a mother board that has a lot of things that are built into it, instead of sections where other parts can be attached. An example here can be given of a sound card, which often comes as a separate part for older PCs and has to be attached to the mainboard of a computer. However, the sound and video display card is integrated with the mother board in case of the laptop.

It is for these reasons that the mainboard is perhaps the most important part of a laptop after the processor. It is also not easy to repair a laptop mainboard because of its immense intricacies. While repairing a mainboard one has to be extremely careful and cautious.

Whenever a problem is arises with a mainboard, one should not take the risk of repairing it themselves since if it is not done properly it can lead to irreparable damage to the entire laptop. It is usually safe to approach a dealer of a laptop for the repair of its mainboard. They have technicians who have an expertise in dealing with laptop mainboard problems and can make the right diagnosis and carry out repairs.

There are many self employed people who repair laptops and are often a much cheaper option. One can approach them to repair their mainboard, but a few things should be kept in mind. The most important is to know their experience in repairing laptop mainboards. Let them not convince and fool you by saying that they have repaired many PC mainboards since laptops and PCs are a different thing all together.

Secondly one needs to ask them whether they have previously repaired laptops of the make that you have. If they have done so, they would be aware of the intricacies of the work and can be a safe bet for laptop mainboard repairs.

Laptop mainboard repair needs expertise and experience and it is best left to the experts.

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What is a Computer Mainboard?

2010-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

All vital internal components of a computer system are connected to a flat, rectangular circuit board known as the computer mainboard. If the CPU is known as the "brains" of a computer, the mainboard can be thought of as the "heart." In computer terminology, the mainboard is also called the logic board, mainboard, or system board. It is commonly abbreviated as "mobo" or MB.

While a mainboard does not boost the speed of a computer, it is one of the most essential parts of a computer because it links all components that allow a computer system to function. If you are purchasing a barebone system, it will always come with a mainboard which serves as the spine or backbone upon which other computer components can be attached.

Most of a computer's internal components are plugged directly onto the mainboard via sockets or slots. A mainboard may contain an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) that can be used to attach an AGP video card, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots for PCI video cards and network cards, and Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interfaces for hard drives and optical drives. The computer mainboard also contains several ports for external peripherals like the monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse, speakers and removable devices.

A computer component may be built into the mainboard. Some examples are integrated sound cards, graphics cards or Network Interface Cards (NIC). A built-in computer component may be disabled in favor of a more powerful version.

In particular, the computer mainboard contains a socket that can accommodate a particular type of CPU. Some mainboards can only support AMD CPUs while others are only compatible with Intel processors. There is yet no mainboard that can support all types of CPUs.

The computer mainboard also contains a north bridge chipset and a south bridge chipset. The north bridge links the hard disk drive and RAM to the mainboard while the south bridge connects other computer components like the video cards and sound cards to the mainboard.

Additionally, the mainboard has a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) chip that checks computer hardware like the power supply unit and the hard disk drives for malfunctions. After performing its hardware check, the BIOS chip powers up the computer CPU. When you boot up your PC, the BIOS is the first program run by the computer before bringing you to Windows or your favored operating system.

The computer mainboard also includes a real-time battery-operated clock chip that determines time. This is the reason why they can still tell time correctly even if they have not seen any use in weeks or months.
Simply put, the mainboard serves as a hub where the CPU, RAM, hard disk drive, optical drive, graphics card, sound card and other computer hardware can meet and mingle!

Troubleshooting Mainboard Problems - System Unstable

2010-01-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

Frequent crashes, restart and blue screen attack your system every now and then; you exhaust your minds and spend a whole day repairing the software problems, however, system gets slight improvement. You are bogged down and at a loss what to do?

Sometimes this irritating impediment is merely caused by a poor heat dissipation of your hardware.
Above all, you'll need to check if it is too hot in the southbridge and the northbridge chips, if the problem is located, you need to replace the cooling fins.

The next, examine if the fan's fixed clamps are cracking, which would result in bad CPU heat dissipation and induce computer crashes. Generally, I do not recommend replacing the CPU socket, because manual welding will leave hidden troubles. The radiator of P4 CPU fan joint with the mainboard directly, but that of SOCKET370 CPU is fixed to the mainboard through a CPU socket, be careful if its spring strip too tight when uninstalling it, otherwise the plastic clamps would be apart so that you can not fix your CPU fan.

The bottleneck would also turn up when some obscure capacitance or the power system of mainboard is mingled or poor contacted. Besides, the damage in power switch or RESET key also can give rise to the problem. Today's guises of boxes are becoming more and more beautiful and user-friendly, but the quality of some of their switches, indicator lamps, headphone jacks and USB ports and so on should be improved. If the system shut down a few seconds after startup, you should open the chassis and check whether the power switch can not reset after pressing down. If the RESET key can not spring back itself, the computer will have no response when powering on, because it still stays in power off, and then the power light and the hard disk light will not shine and the CPU fan will not move.

Useful Tips To Choose The Best Gaming Mainboard

2010-01-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Mainboard is the heart of the whole computer system. It is the part that connects all the other parts together and make sure they run smoothly. As such, choosing the best gaming mainboard is the most important task that you need to do when building a gaming computer. This article will teach you how to choose the best gaming mainboard.

Decide which type of CPU to use

This may seem irrelevant to choosing a mainboard. In actual fact, this is the most important thing you need to do before selecting a mainboard. The reason being that the type of CPU will determine the type of mainboard you need. For example, if you choose an Intel CPU, then you have to get the socket 775 mainboard or else the CPU won't fit into the mainboard. Deciding on the type of CPU will help you to make a better choice when choosing the best gaming mainboard.

Determine if the mainboard supports the type of CPU you have chosen

As mentioned before, if you are using an Intel CPU, you have to get a socket 775 mainboard whereas an AMD CPU requires a socket AM2 mainboard. In addition, some of the older socket 775 mainboards do not support dual core processors (even though they use the same socket) or even quad-core processors. Check out the manufacturer's website to get confirmation before you buy the mainboard.

Overclocking feature

If you are overclocking your CPU, you have to get a mainboard that allows you to change the FSB speed and CPU voltage in small increments.

RAM support and no of memory slot

Your mainboard must be able to support DDR2 RAM, for a simple reason that DDR2 is currently the fastest RAM in the market. Extra thing to take note is the maximum speed of RAM that the mainboard supports. Some mainboards can support only up to DDR2 667MHz RAM while the latest ones can support up to DDR2 1066MHz.

In addition, you may want to upgrade your RAM in the future, therefore your current mainboard must have at least 4 memory slots and can support up to 8GB RAM so that you have the option to upgrade in the future.

SLI/ Crossfire ready

SLI / Crossfire ready mainboard means that you can make use of two identical high performing graphics card to render the graphics, thus achieving a faster and more realistic video effects. Not every mainboard supports this feature. As video effects getting more and more advanced, it will be soon that SLI or Crossfire technology becomes the standard for video display. Therefore, even if you are not using this technology now, it is still advisable to get a gaming mainboard with SLI or Crossfire feature.

SATA 2 controller

SATA2 can transfer data at twice the speed of SATA 1. When it comes to gaming, every single speed counts and that increase in speed might be the deciding factor in your game. A SATA 2 port is backward compatible with SATA 1 devices, but not the other way round. It is better for you to get a mainboard that supports SATA 2 devices. In addition, if you are using RAID, then you have to get a mainboard that has four SATA 2 ports.

Extra Features

You might want to consider extra features such as extra USB2.0 ports, firewire, integrated LAN and front-panel LED when choosing a gaming mainboard. Some of the mainboards contain more features than the other and you have to compare around to see the differences.

Features such as integrated sound and video are not as important in the best gaming mainboard since they could not contribute well to a good gaming session. For a gaming computer, you have to get a separate graphics card and sound card so as to play the latest game in the market.

Conclusion

When getting the best gaming mainboard, it is worthwhile to do some market research and compare with various boards. Since it is the most important part in the whole computer system, don't ever scrimp money on it.

How to Choose a Mainboard

2009-12-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

What's Your Processor?

First and most important thing to consider when buying your mainboard - what CPU or processor are you using? Mainboards are made differently, not all mainboards will support all CPUs. What CPU you select will determine the type of mainboard you get.

For example, if you want to use an Intel Pentium 4 CPU, the mainboard you select must be able to support that brand and model of CPU. The mainboards are also designed to support specific speeds for a CPU, so make sure it can support the speed of the processor as well.

Choose Your Chipset

What is a chipset? Well, chipsets are the main controllers on the mainboard - they allow the CPU to interface with the various components and expansion cards installed.

When choosing your chipset, always bear in mind the type of memory supported by the mainboard. Make sure that the board supports the type and amount of RAM you need. Generally, choosing a chipset that supports high speed memory will allow your system to perform better.

Expansions Slots and Connectors

If you intend to various peripherals to the computer, then the number and type of expansion slots and connectors is important. By default, most mainboards these days have USB 2.0 ports incorporated into their design. If you do a lot of video capturing and editing, you'll also want to have a Firewire (IEEE 1394) port. If you intend to buy expansion cards, make sure the board comes with an ample number of PCI slots.

Do You Need to Overclock?

If you want to overclock your CPU (though I don't particularly encourage it) - you should ensure you get a mainboard that supports overclocking. You'll want a mainboard that has a wide range of adjustments to CPU settings, including CPU voltage and bus speeds.

Other Features

These days, most mainboards have a whole host of extra features loaded into them. These can include things such as on-board Ethernet, audio, a RAID controller or even graphics. I find such features very handy as they help you save money - you need not buy additional expansion cards.

Conclusion

In short, make sure you do your homework when purchasing a mainboard. Go to the mainboard manufacturer's website and read about its products. Download the mainboard manual and see if its well documented.

At the risk of sounding biased, I've always preferred ASUS mainboards. However, its all up to you. Consider what features are important to you and go get your mainboard. As I said earlier, don't scrimp on the mainboard. Its one of the most important PC components, so get the best you can afford.