Motherboards and Graphic Cards help

[B00MB00MBenji]

So, I am planning to build my own gaming rig soon, and have been wondering,


How do you go by/judge a motherboard.I am also asking the same question about Graphic cards.


I understand if you want to judge a processor, you judge by Ghz, and how many core's it has.
And you judge a case by how big it is, and how cool it looks for you personally

 

[pillar]

Well first off, you gotta start with the cpu (processor). Do you wanna go with AMD or Intel?

Also what is your budget for this gaming machine?

The way you judge the motherboard is based off a few things; the socket for the cpu, the memory standard for which memory you want to put in it; also check the feedback from the customers who have bought it & read ALL the info (whether it may be relevant to your main purpose of using the motherboard or not).

So this is generally how its lined up (this is the way i go):
cpu
memory
motherboard
hard drive
video card
power supply
case
optical drive (possibly a burner)

The bigger budget you provide for us, the better chance that we'll be able to help you get setup w/ a beast machine within your price range.

Also, bare in mind, the above is based on the assumption that you already have a monitor available, not to mention a keyboard & mouse.

I hope this helps.

 

[B00MB00MBenji]

Thank you!

 

[zetas]

What pillar said. Decide whether to go with AMD or Intel CPU, then get a motherboard with a socket that matches your chosen CPU aswell as having the features you want.
If looking for a crossfire/sli setup, checking if the mobo supports that is also a good idea.
You'll also have to go for a mobo supporting DDR3, though I doubt there to be any DDR2 mobos still left out there,
and DDR2 RAM in general is more expensive than DDR3 aswell as having less performance.
Get your desired amount of RAM (2x2GB, 2x4GB, 4x2GB etc) with a clock both you and your mobo is comfortable with.
Get a videocard you like, I recommend reading alot of reviews before selecting one. Same goes with chosing a CPU.
Get a harddrive of your prefered size or two if you like (a HDD compatible with 6GB/s SATA is recommended if your motherboard supports it).
When selecting a case, make sure you like it. You'll have it for a long time.
I also recommend getting a big tower if you don't mind the size, as they in general have better cooling and more room for expansion, aswell as making future upgrades alot easier to install.
A SSD might be an option if you have the money for it.
And to get enough juice to your rig, get a good PSU.
A PSU can last for years (had mine for 4 years now) and will outlast several upgrades if you get one with enough juice and quality.
I'd recommend getting a powerful PSU if you plan on upgrading in the future.
If not, I'm sure someone with more experience than me can come up with a suitable PSU.
I'd say 700-900W will keep you safe for years. Making sure a PSU is 80+ certified is also a good idea.

As previously mentioned, reading reviews by both users and tech sites is a good idea. It'll give you an idea of how the parts perform.
Don't hesitate to PM should you need more help.

 

[Snipeye]

Two things about pillar's post (which is great):

1) He forgot to add that he's assuming you got an operating system CD already (roughly $100 to buy Windows 7)
2) I would have the motherboard be #2 on the list, and memory as #3. There are different speeds of RAM beyond the DDR2 and DDR3 types. Some motherboards can only recognize up to 1600MHz natively, but you could buy memory that runs at 1866 MHz, which can cause issues when you're building the PC the first time. But that's further down the line.

Besides what both pillar and zetas said, the most important thing to know is: What's your budget.

 

[zetas]

2) I would have the motherboard be #2 on the list, and memory as #3. There are different speeds of RAM beyond the DDR2 and DDR3 types. Some motherboards can only recognize up to 1600MHz natively, but you could buy memory that runs at 1866 MHz, which can cause issues when you're building the PC the first time. But that's further down the line.

Far as I know, the majority of motherboards underclocks RAM to 1333MHz (say you get a 1600MHz chip, the mobo underclocks it to 1333MHz for it to be compatible). Happens to me all the time, have to set the memory clock manually.

Just to add to Snipeye's post.