Motherboard
Motherboards
It might seem that your choice of motherboard is fairly straightforward; Intel or AMD compatible, depending on the CPU you are going to use. However, if you want to get the best out of your new PC, you really need to choose a motherboard based on your main usage aims. A gaming motherboard will offer very different features to one designed for general use or office work. Over the next few pages we will look at the many different motherboard options available to you.
Table of Contents
- Choosing a Motherboard
- ASUS TUF Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 Review
- MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Review
- ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO Review
- ASUS ROG STRIX Z690 I GAMING WIFI Review
- GIGABYTE Z590 VISION G Review
- Gigabyte z590i vision d review
- Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Xtreme Review
- Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro Wifi Review
- MSI B450M Mortar Review
- ASUS ROG Strix X470-F Gaming Review: A gaming ‘board with stealth mode engaged
- Asus ROG Strix X470-i Gaming Review
- MSI X470 Gaming Plus Review
START BUILDING
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z170-Gaming K3 (Intel, ATX)
Choosing a Motherboard
The motherboard (or mainboard) in your PC is the foundation of everything else you plan to add, so it makes sense to ensure you choose the best one possible.
INTEL OR AMD
Your only real choice of processor is going to be between Intel and AMD and so your choice of motherboard is going to be based initially, on which processor type you have decided to go with. Intel are the market leaders, with the fastest and most powerful processors among their range. However, AMD make some very good processors and they tend to be considerably cheaper; so if you are on a very tight budget, this could be an option. Once you have decided which to use, your search for a motherboard can be narrowed down slightly.SOCKET TYPE
Although all processors might look, on the outside, pretty identical they are almost continually being improved and updated, and will only fit into certain sockets. Once more your motherboard choice is going to be dictated by the processor you plan to use.
We are using an Intel Core i5-6600K processor in our build, so our motherboard had to have an LGA 1151 socket. It wouldn’t have fitted into the slightly newer LGA 2011 socket used by an Intel Core i7-6800K. AMD use a different but similar system.
CHIPSET (INTEL)
Assuming you have chosen to build with an Intel CPU, the next step to narrowing down your motherboard search is to choose a chipset. A chipset is simply a set of electronic components in an integrated circuit, so chipset types are really just a way of denoting different combinations of motherboard features. Choosing between them is usually about what you plan to use the PC for mainly. Gaming chipsets like Z170 and Z97 Express tend to allow overclocking and multiple graphics cards. H chipsets (H97, H110, etc.) are usually more mainstream, losing the overclocking feature for example. Q and B chipsets are aimed more at business or non-media builds.FORM FACTOR
Hopefully you now know the socket and chipset type you want your motherboard to have, so now it is time to decide on the size or form factor of the board. Motherboards are unequally divided into four main sizes (largest to smallest): E-ATX, ATX, mATX and ITX (or Mini ITX). Whilst it is possible to find boards in each size with a full complement of features, this is more about matching the motherboard to the case you are using, or vice versa. E-ATX boards will only fit in E-ATX cases; ATX will fit in ATX and often E-ATX; mATX will fit in ATX and mATX cases; and ITX normally only fits in ITX cases. ATX is the most standard of the sizes, so you will have a better choice and be more likely to get a good deal.MOTHERBOARD FEATURES
Most current motherboards offer a broadly similar range of sockets, ports and features. Most if not all, will include multi-channel on-board audio, multiple SDRAM sockets, PCIe sockets, basic on-board graphics, LAN port, HDMI and DVI support, and much more. However, and as with everything, the more you spend the more you can expect. Gaming motherboards may feature lighting and on-board cooling; media boards may give you 7.1 channel HD audio and extra USB 3 connections. Think about what you want to do with your PC and try to find a board that offers the level of features you want.CPU SOCKET COMPARISON
Intel and AMD processors use completely different types of socket, so an Intel CPU won’t fit into AMD motherboard.
Intel LGA 1151 Socket
Intel processors are built with the contact pads on the bottom of the chip and the pins that connect to those contacts are in the socket on the motherboard.AMD AM3+ Socket
AMD processors are made the other way around, with the pins on the bottom of the processor, which fit into individual contact points in the motherboard socket.Recommended Minimum Specification
The motherboard you choose for your build needs to be up to a variety of tasks, be able to support a number of components and be suitable for your daily use. The exact specification you need may well be different to the specification another builder needs but there is certainly a base level of features you should look out for when you make your choice.GAMING/MEDIA BUILD
With a gaming or media build, you’ll be needing support for HD displays, faster memory, etc. 4 x DDR3 or DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory Dual channel memory architecture Support for DDR3 1600/1333 MHz memory (minimum) Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules Integrated Graphics Processor – Intel HD Graphics support Sli or CrossFire Support 1 x D-Sub port, 1920×1200@60 Hz 1 x DVI-D port, 1920×1200(5)60 Hz 1 x HDMI port, 4096×2160(5)24 Hz High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1 channel High Speed LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16) 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4) 2 x PCI Express x1 slots 2x PCI slots 1 x M.2 Socket 3 connector 3 x SATA Express connectors 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 up to 8 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 portsWHAT IS BIOS?
The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is an often overlooked but absolutely vital part of your computer system. The BIOS is particular to each type of motherboard and is provided by the motherboard manufacturer. You see it every time you switch your computer on and it’s responsible for those lines of text that flash up on the screen before Windows launches, listing things like installed RAM and other hardware details.
It’s the core software of your system and boots up the computer, launches Windows and in some cases allows Windows and other apps to access things like hard drives, the keyboard, USB connections and other hardware components. The BIOS is built in to your system and is stored on a type of flash memory chip on your computer’s motherboard. For this reason it is often referred to as “firmware”, since it is in part both software and hardware.
You can see which version of the firmware your particular motherboard ships with by looking for the label printed on the board itself. You can then check on the manufacturer’s website to see if you will need to update the BIOS after installation.
2 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
GENERAL/BUSINESS BUILD
Although a motherboard designed for gaming will work in a general build, if you don’t plan on doing any gaming, you can save money on those features.
Dual channel memory architecture
Support for DDR3/DDR3L 1600/1333 MHz memory modules
Support for ECC UDIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)
Support for non-ECC UDIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules
On-board Graphics – Integrated Graphics Processor
1 x D-Sub port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920×1200(5)60 Hz
1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920×1200(5)60 Hz
High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1 channel
Support for S/PDIF Out
High Speed LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
1 x PCI Express xl6 slot, running at xl6 (PCIEX16)
1 x PCI Express x1 slot
2 x PCI slots
4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors 4x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 8x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
ASUS TUF Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 Review
It's been a very long time since we've had enthusiast motherboards supporting two types of memory from a single chipset, but that's exactly what's happened with Z690. Read our ASUS TUF Z690 PLUS WIFI D4 Review.
There's a clear divide ...
8.3
£279.99
Buy It Now
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MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Review
The competition for Z690 chipset motherboards with sub-£ price tags and DDR4 support seems to be fierce, and MSI undercuts the Asus TUF board on test this month by £ with the MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4. Read our MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ...
8.5
$90.88
$279.99
Buy It Now
Read full review
ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO Review
Z690 MOTHERBOARD
It's okay, we know what you're thinking. Sadly, that isn't a typo and the latest iteration of the popular Maximum Hero does indeed cost more than £500. The reason for this whopping price compared with previous Hero ...
8
£435.16
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ASUS ROG STRIX Z690 I GAMING WIFI Review
Asus’ mini-ITX motherboards usually get released a few weeks after a major chipset launch, but this time around Asus has seen fit to get its new Z690 dinky offering out the door on day one. The ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi looks absolutely ...
0
$209.03
$259.99
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GIGABYTE Z590 VISION G Review
Where aren’t many options below £ at the moment if you want a Z590 motherboard with the cooling and power circuitry needed to properly push Intel’s K-series CPUs, while keeping your PCI-E 4 SSD cool. Gigabyte’s Z590 Vision G comes close, though, ...
8.5
$306.90
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Gigabyte z590i vision d review
Gigabyte’s Z590I Vision D is the first mini-ITX Z590 motherboard we’ve seen in the flesh, and it packs a wallop as far as features go. You’d hope so too, given that it costs nearly £, but it’s likely a fair chunk of that price tag is taken up ...
8.5
$209.99
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Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Xtreme Review
Z390 ATX MOTHERBOARD
A very now and then a motherboard manufacturer goes all-out and leaves the rational worlds of value and price points far behind to create an ultimate flagship. We've already seen MSI's MEG X399 Creation, with its ...
8.2
$989.00
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Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro Wifi Review
Gigabyte's B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi is aiming high, especially considering it uses AMD's B450 chipset as opposed to X470. Thankfully, on mini-ITX boards at least, there's next to no difference between the two chipsets, as there's no space to make ...
7.7
$72.99
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MSI B450M Mortar Review
As a spin-off for this month's Labs test, we've also included MSI's B450M Mortar micro-ATX motherboard in the roundup. It first appears to be a B450 Tomahawk with a few centimetres lopped off the bottom. Read our MSI B450M Mortar Review. ...
9.1
ASUS ROG Strix X470-F Gaming Review: A gaming ‘board with stealth mode engaged
Why, Asus? Why? We want to be kind to your products, honest we do, but with the current lack of innovation across your mid-range motherboard arsenal, it forces us into an unhappy position.
Read our ASUS ROG Strix X470-F Gaming Review.
...
7
$129.99
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Asus ROG Strix X470-i Gaming Review
Asus ROG Strix X470-i Gaming
MINI-ITX X470 MOTHERBOARD
Since AMD's X470 chipset was launched earlier this year, mini-ITX seems to be far more popular than micro-ATX, with not a single of the latter yet available with AMD's AM4 ...
9
$72.99
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MSI X470 Gaming Plus Review
MSI X470 Gaming Plus Review: How low do you want to go?
It's obvious from the moment you first open the box of the MSI X470 Gaming Plus that keeping costs down was a priority for the company. It's definitely not a looker, with rather sparse ...
7
£268.95
Buy It Now
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