The motherboard is not a commonly discussed component when it comes to gaming computers, but it’s very important. Technically speaking, it’s fairly simple, but there are a few key things you’ll need to consider. Let’s get right into it.
What is the motherboard?
Simply put, the motherboard is where all the different parts of your computer connect and talk to each other. It’s a big sheet of PCB (printed circuit board) with various ports and plugs. In my article about the CPU, we spoke about the CPU socket, which is where the CPU interfaces with the rest of your computer. The port is usually square-shaped and central on the motherboard. Remember to find the correct socket type for the CPU that you’re looking at buying.
Just below the CPU socket will sometimes be a slot for NVME (non-volatile memory express) storage. This is a drive that you can plug directly into your motherboard for increased speed and a smaller form factor. NVME uses the same storage technology as RAM, but the data sticks around. If you’ve got more questions about storage, check out this article. This storage tends to be expensive and the upgrade over normal SSD’s is not worth it for most people.
Just below that NVME slot is the PCI-e (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) used to plug in your graphics card or other components. The graphics card usually goes in the top slot because it usually supports the most bandwidth, which will get you the most computing power out of your GPU. You can use the additional slots to connect things like WiFi cards, which you’ll need if your motherboard doesn’t have wireless connection. I use mine to give myself an extra ethernet port since a power surge fried the one built into my motherboard.
To the right of the CPU socket are vertical slots for installing RAM. To learn more about RAM, you can check out this article. RAM can operate in dual channel mode, which gives your computer access to more RAM at once, and effectively more processing power. If your motherboard has two RAM slots, that’s easy, just install RAM in both slots and you should have dual channel RAM right away, assuming it’s supported by your motherboard. If you have four slots, you’ll want to check your motherboard’s manual to find out what arrangement to put your RAM in for dual channel mode. Usually it’s slots one and three, but just check to be sure.
There are ports on the left side of the board cased in aluminum. These ports are called the I/O or input/output of your motherboard. I/O changes from motherboard to motherboard so you can choose which ports will best fit your needs. These ports will align with your I/O shield in your case to let you plug things like your keyboard, mouse and audio devices so that they can interface with your computer.
There are several connective ports on the motherboard are used for providing small amounts of power. They appear as sets of small pins that connect to cables on your fans, case and other peripherals. I’ll go over these in detail in my article about how to build a PC.
To connect storage drives or other data delivery devices to your motherboard, you’ll use Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) ports. There are usually several of these L-shaped connectors found towards the outer edge of your motherboard that you can use to connect storage drives. You’ll need a specific SATA cable to make the connection.
There are several different sizes of motherboard, which will affect which kind of case you can buy. From smallest to largest, the sizes of motherboard are Pico-ITX, Nano-ITX, Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, Standard-ATX and e or extended ATX. Larger boards usually offer more options for expansion like more RAM slots or PCI-E slots. Unless you’re purposefully building a small form factor PC, anything including Micro, Standard and e-ATX should have enough options for an entry level build. If you know that you’re going to make upgrades in the future, having Standard or e-ATX will give you more flexibility. I think micro-ATX PC’s look really cool and can probably be enough for an entry level build if you’re targeting 1080p and some 1440p gaming.
Motherboard brand is not terribly important, just make sure to check for CPU compatibility and all the ports that you need. There are several large names that make lots of PC components like EVGA, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, ASRock and others. Take a quick look around sites like Newegg that primarily sell PC components. Look for brand names that are appear frequently and you’ll be all set.
The name of the game with motherboards is compatibility. Check and double check to make sure that your parts are all going to work with your motherboard and vice versa. My philosophy is to get a motherboard that fits your main components like your CPU and GPU. If you’re on a really tight budget, go for less features and smaller size. If you’re looking for a longer upgrade path in the future, get ready to spend a few more bucks. As always, I recommend using pcpartpicker.com to make sure that all your parts will be compatible. I’m not affiliated with them but I’ve used them for all my builds and they are super helpful.