what are the characters you look for in a good gaming motherboard.?

Question

and what are some motherboards that you would recommend?

Answer 1

Two PCI Express slots both with dedicated x16 lanes (MUST BE explicitly stated), supports dual core CPU (either Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64x2), SATA or SATA II hard drive connectors, the more PCI slots the better, get three if you can, ignore PCIe x1 slots (they are useless as of right now), four DDR2 memory slots, maximum of 8GB of memory or better, manny modern (high-endish) motherboards will support up to 16GB because you never know, copper heatsinks (or a mix of copper and aluminum on the chipsets), optional motherboard cooling fan (often included with the high end ones). Also of note, when you purchase a motherboard yourself, the BIOS is far more configurable than the one you would get from a pre-built computer, you will also get monitoring utilities and you will be able to set voltages and such (I undervolt my processor to reduce heat, without reducing speed or performance).

As far as models, anything by Asus or Gigabyte is tops. I have this motherboard and I love it. But... if you go with AMD, get one with an AM2 slot as it will support DDR2 memory and all the Athlon 64x2 processors come in both AM2 and 939 configurations.

This is the Asus motherboard I got, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568 (highly reccomended)

This Asus is the AM2 variant of the above model, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131013 (follows in the footsteps of its VERY impressive 939 cousin, highly reccomended)

In fact, I'm going to stick with Asus, you're going to pay for it, but remember you get what you pay for and Asus makes a high quality product and tosses in lots of accessories (the aforementioned fan) and excellent support. If you are looking for motherboards this is an excellent article, http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125195-page,1/article.html

Note I stuck with AMD but there are comparable specs on Intel motherboards as well, you'll just have to look for them.

Answer 2

Front Side Bus Speed, USB Ports, Chipset, CPU Socket, number of SATA/EIDE Controlloers, Number of Expansion slots (min of 2 PCI), PCI-X x16 (2 for SLI, 2 For CrossFire, RAM TYPE, (DDR2 240-pin).

and onboard firewire.


those would be the things id look for.


But, it all depends on what CPU you want. For Example, an AMD X2 would use a FSB of 1066/1400/2000, Which would be Faster than a Pentium D 950, which runs at 800FSB. The FSB is the speed the Components communicate with the CPU.

Also, RAM IS #1. THe most important thing in your system. EVERYTHING goes through RAM FIRST. EVERYTHING. Dont cheap out on the ram.

Id also go for 4 SATA connectors if possible.

Also, pay attention to the Power supply. SOmtimes a 500W PSU isnt sufficient.

Answer 3

- Two 16x PCI Express connections supporting SLI.
- SATA-II with hardware RAID (0 and 1) and NCQ support
- As much memory as possible, preferably DDR2-800 or higher.
- Support for the fastest dual-core CPU on the market.
- Easy to use overclocking solutions.
- Lots of fan headers to keep it as cool and quiet as possible.
- 6.1 surround sound
- Dual gigabit-ethernet connections.

Answer 4

Courage , loyalty , etc. All those good characters.

Answer 5

difficult point. try searching at yahoo and bing. that will can assist!