How to choose motherboard is the question that users most often ask when assembling a new computer.

Sometimes it is chosen for an already finished PC, intending to improve its performance and increase its capabilities.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to buy a new board if the previous one breaks. In this case, if funds allow, this situation should be used for a small modernization.

You should choose carefully: when assembling a computer, the motherboard is a system-forming factor in the computer ecosystem, on which all other components will depend.

Where to start?

Before buying a board, you should know that it is one of the most important elements of a computer.

And the purchase of other components will depend on its choice - from the case, which must match in size, to the processor, memory modules and video cards.

Therefore, you should select a motherboard only in conjunction with other parts - or at least know their approximate characteristics.

In addition, the buyer must understand for what purpose he will need the board - for office work, for high-performance games or as a home multimedia center.

Board functionality

The capabilities of a motherboard are primarily related to its price - the more expensive the device, the higher its functionality.

New and expensive motherboards provide the ability to simultaneously install several graphics processors - for working with drawings and 3D objects or for connecting 2-3 monitors.

Budget boards provide maximum operation of one video card and are often equipped with built-in graphics, which are not compatible with most games, but are quite suitable for working with documents, Internet surfing, and sometimes even for watching movies in FullHD (if there is enough memory).

Choosing the motherboard size

When you start choosing a motherboard, you immediately pay attention to its dimensions. This nuance is especially important if the part is purchased for an existing system unit.

The large case can accommodate a board of any size and in this case it is worth choosing ATX form factor, allowing you to install more peripheral devices.

For a compact office computer or nettop, micro-ATX and mini-ITX formats are suitable, although it is unlikely that it will be possible to install even one powerful video card on such devices.

Processor compatibility

Each motherboard supports its own type of processor. It is important that both of these components are compatible.

To do this, the board's characteristics indicate the compatibility of its socket (slot for installing a processor) with one or more types of chipsets.

Slots for memory and peripherals

Another nuance that people pay attention to when buying a board is slots for memory modules and support for certain types of RAM.

A high-performance computer must be able to work with GDDR5, providing high speed work.

It is also desirable that the number of connectors for memory sticks be more than 2 - four for a gaming PC (which will allow you to expand the RAM without changing modules, but by purchasing new ones), eight for a server or workstation.

An equally important nuance is the presence and number of connectors for peripheral devices:

• USB slots. For a modern PC, it is recommended to choose a board with USB connectors 3.0, speeding up the reading and writing process for media. Their number is usually 4, but on ATX motherboards it can be increased;
• slots PCI Express, necessary for connecting video cards. And for each type GPU It's better to use your own connector. For example, new video processors improve performance when installed in a PCI Express (PCIe) x16 slot;

• ATA and IDE, connectors for connecting hard drives. The latter option is no longer used, and the number of the former determines how many built-in storage devices can be installed on a given PC;
• PCI, a connector into which sound cards and other peripheral devices are connected.

Gaming motherboard

You can choose the right gaming motherboard by knowing the following features:

• support latest versions RAM;
• compatibility with the processor selected for gaming ( Intel Core i5 and i7, Socket AM 3+);
• the ability to install a powerful video card (it is necessary to have 1–2 PCI-E x16 slots and support for this technology in the motherboard BIOS).

Other board characteristics are not so important when choosing a device for gaming. Although it is worth considering that an increase in its functionality also affects the increase in cost.

The best boards for a computer in 2017

When deciding on purchasing a motherboard, many people wonder whether there is a better universal board that can perform any task.

There are such options, but their cost will not suit every user.

Therefore, you should choose a specific model depending on the intended use of the computer:

• for study;
• for work;
• for running serious graphic applications;
• for modern games;
• for high-performance games running at maximum settings (board for an avid gamer's computer).

For study

Determining which board is suitable for a schoolchild or student’s computer is not easy.

Moreover, the user’s goal may be not only to work with office programs, but also to play in his free time from studying.

In this case, you should choose models such as MSI H110M PRO-VH (for Intel processors) or Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-DS2 (for AMD).

Their capabilities are enough to run, for example, AutoCAD, and for gaming applications, and the cost is quite low - within 4,000 rubles.

For office

The main characteristics of the office board are energy efficiency, small size, affordable price, and reliability.

It is possible that such a device will be installed on a nettop - a computer with minimal characteristics for operation and, most often, with a small hard drive(or without it at all).

Today, choosing a motherboard for an office is not particularly difficult - just buy any budget model.

For example, GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XM-DS2, working with processors from AMD or MSI H81M-E33 for Intel. The price of each option is 3000 rubles.

For graphics programs

Working with graphics requires the use of more powerful hardware. Therefore, the board has serious requirements:

• at least 4 RAM slots;
• 2 slots for video cards;
• support for AM3+ and Socket 1151 (Intel) processors.

A possible option for using AMD chipsets is the MSI 970A-G43 board, which is distinguished by its functionality and relatively affordable price (from 4,500 rubles).

For Intel processors, the same manufacturer MSI can offer the B150M PRO-VDH model, the cost of which starts from 5,000 rubles.

For a budget gaming computer

Buying a gaming computer most often involves more serious expenses than when choosing an office option - such equipment will require more memory, a powerful processor, and a discrete video card.

However, if you want to save money, you can try to reduce the final cost of the computer, starting with the motherboard.

The MSI A78M-E45 model (about 4,000 rubles) is quite enough to run modern gaming applications with minimal or medium settings.

The board has a built-in graphics card, which in the future can be supplemented with a discrete one (even two), supports FM2+ processors and installation of up to 64 GB of DDR3 RAM (more affordable than the latest generations of RAM).

The ASROCK B150M PRO4S/D3 model (for Intel), which can be purchased for 5,300 rubles, has approximately the same capabilities.

For a powerful gaming PC

A motherboard that meets fairly strict requirements will help you achieve maximum performance.

The first of them is high load, reaching almost 1000 W when connecting all gaming devices (manipulators, several video cards and monitors, powerful processor and efficient cooling system).

In addition, such a board requires at least 4 memory slots and an M.2 connector for SSD hard drives.

All these characteristics are found in the ASROCK FATAL1TY 970 PERFORMANCE/3.1 model (supports AMD FX 9590 and 9370 processors), which can be called the best for gaming.

Although it is also suitable for any other tasks, it’s just that not every user will agree to pay almost twice as much for it. The average price of such a board is in the range of 8.5–10 thousand rubles.

Results

When choosing a video card that suits your needs and capabilities, it is worth considering several options with equal characteristics.

For applications that do not require resources, and especially for working exclusively with documents, models released 2-3 years ago are quite suitable - this will most likely be a board with acceptable parameters and price.

To those who collect gaming computer, it is advisable to opt for the most modern board, which will not become outdated for a long time, and the components for which can be painlessly changed for several more years.

Happy shopping!

If you decide to assemble a computer from independent components yourself, read our other materials about choosing a motherboard:

and about choosing a suitable video card:

Assembling a PC yourself is not an easy task. It is important to pay close attention to every detail of the system. But most users do not think about how to choose a motherboard or power supply. They throw all their energy into buying a processor and video card. All this leads to the fact that components may be unbalanced or, even worse, incompatible.

Importance

It is imperative to understand how to choose a motherboard for a computer. All other elements of the system are connected to this platform. It affects the service life and stability of the PC.

In addition to the fact that all devices should be compatible with it, it should provide the opportunity to improve the system in the future. Therefore, it is very important to look into the future when choosing a motherboard, since technologies are developing, and gaming computers are updated every 1-2 years.

Motherboard

Motherboards can be found not only in a computer, but also in other devices. But since we are considering a PC system, we will not delve into third-party topics and will consider the components of the computer board.

The motherboard has basic non-removable parts. These include:

• connector for ;
• slots for RAM;
• northern and south bridges;
• boot ROM;
• various expansion slots;
• interfaces and peripheral device controllers.

To system unit was complete, the power supply and cooling system are connected to the motherboard.

Choice

How to choose a motherboard? There are many parameters that you should consider when purchasing this device. This includes:

• manufacturer;
• price;
• form factor;
• socket;
• chipset;
• memory;
• slots and connectors;
• electronic components;
• power schemes;
• cooling systems;
• equipment and much more.

In order not to make a mistake in choosing a platform, it is important to consider each of these points in more detail and understand which element is responsible for what.

Manufacturer and price

This option is not always the key to the question of how to choose a motherboard. This is due to the fact that not all users follow the release of platforms. They don’t know who the sales leader is, which company is focused on producing budget or gaming motherboards. Therefore, in this case, they often focus on cost.

But you can still get a general picture and point out the leading manufacturers. It’s difficult to name a leader, but most experienced users will agree that Asus is one of the best. It produces mid- and high-end boards. The quality of materials is always good, but the cost is sometimes too high.

Asus practically does not work with platforms entry level, and if they are released, then the overpayment for the brand is definitely not worth it. But if you look closely at mid-segment models, then it may make sense to pay extra to get a truly high-quality and durable device.

Entry-level motherboards are best from Gigabyte and ASRock. The latter manufacturer is a subsidiary of Asus. Both companies have a strong track record of developing low-cost solutions for work PCs.

Many people ask which motherboard to choose for Intel. In addition to the manufacturers described above, it is worth paying attention to Intel itself. The corporation produces stable and high-quality platforms based on its own chipset. The only drawback is that they are less functional and more expensive, therefore they are often popular in corporate sector.

Chipset

The next important factor is the choice of chipset. In general, this is a primary parameter on which the entire system as a whole depends. When a user decides to assemble a system on his own, he must immediately decide whether he will give preference to Intel or AMD.

You need to decide on this right away, since you will have to select a processor and, accordingly, a socket.

Chipset from Intel

If the choice fell on Intel, then you will have to understand the four main chipsets. For example, if you don’t know which one to choose, take a closer look at models with the B250/H270 and Z270 chipset. The latter is also an excellent option for professional systems. If you need a corporate computer, then the Q270 is suitable, and for cool, powerful PCs - the X99/X299.

If you are going to purchase an 8th generation processor, then you need to pay attention to the B350/H370 and Z370, for medium and powerful systems, respectively.

For an average multimedia or gaming PC, the B250/H270 or an 8th generation equivalent is suitable. If you are going to experiment and change the processor multiplier, you will have to take a more expensive model with the Z270 and Z370 chipsets.

Chipset from AMD

AMD also easily separated all its motherboards by index. For an office or multimedia PC, you need to choose the A320 chipset. The gaming system can be assembled based on the B350 chipset. Those who like to experiment are provided with the X370 platform.

The first option is the simplest, since it does not even have the ability to overclock the processor. But the gaming version of the chipset can cope with this task. The X370 is good because, in addition to overclocking, it allows you to install several video cards on the board.

Form factor

The next important aspect is the form factor of the system platform. This is what experts call the dimensions of the device. Besides the rather unusual form factors, there are three main ones: ATX, MicroATX (mATX) and Mini-ITX.

ATX is the most common full-size platform format and is considered the best for PCs. Since it is the largest among all, many devices can fit on it. For example, if you don’t know which motherboard to choose, then you should definitely pay attention to the ATX dimensions.

MicroATX also often becomes a platform for gaming systems. But this is a smaller platform format that also has fewer connectors. Can be installed in both a full-size chassis and a compact case.

Mini-ITX is a very compact motherboard that is used to build mini PCs. Such a computer is limited in size and requires special cooling.

Socket

Many people wonder how to choose a motherboard for a processor. If you have already given preference to one of the companies, Intel or AMD, you will have to opt for one of the processors. Otherwise, you will not be able to select the platform because the processor socket data is needed.

What is a socket? This is a connector format for connecting the chip to the platform. The motherboard must have the same socket as the processor that will be installed on it.

The manufacturer often experiments with processor sockets. They change from year to year and acquire new modifications. Therefore, it is important to purchase a chip and board that has the most modern socket. This way, you can further improve the system without unnecessary expenses.

Now all available sockets Intel processors or AMD can be divided into legacy, obsolete and modern. If we are talking about Intel, then the following are obsolete and obsolete: Socket 478, 775, 2011, 1150. But the following are considered new: version 2, and 2066.

Among the most modern are AM4 and TR4. But AM1, AM2, and others have already become obsolete and obsolete.

Memory

The choice of motherboard is also influenced by memory slots. If we talk about the compact MicroATX form factor, then there are rarely more than 2 slots. But full-size platforms are equipped with 4 slots.

Of course, many may not need more than two memory slots. Although if you want to increase the RAM in the future, the free slots will be very useful.

It is also worth paying attention to the type of memory module. Modern platforms already support DDR4. More budget versions can operate at high speeds, up to 2666 MHz. But the average and high class The motherboard boasts speeds of up to 3.6 GHz.

To choose a gaming motherboard, you don't have to spend money on platforms that support 3 GHz speeds. Their cost is much higher, but there is no noticeable increase in gaming performance. In addition, the RAM modules themselves are not cheap. The higher the memory speed, the more difficult it is for the processor to cope with. The most the best option is DDR4 memory with a frequency of 2.4 GHz.

Video card

The connectors for connecting a graphics adapter are universal on almost every motherboard. All modern platforms are equipped with a PCI-Express interface. It happens that several such slots are placed on a platform, which means that several graphics adapters can be installed on it at once. Some experts believe that in this case it is better to purchase a more powerful video card than several average ones.

Expansion slots can also be occupied by other devices, for example, by installing a solid-state drive or sound card.

Connectors

Slots on the system platform are often ignored because they are quite difficult to understand. But this is an equally important factor. To connect hard drive need a universal 3. The latest motherboards also received an M.2 slot, which is needed for connection solid state drives latest generation. You'll also have to take a closer look at the motherboard's power connector. Modern models are equipped with a 24-pin connector.

The chip can be powered by a 4 or 8-pin slot.

Integrated Devices

Very often the manufacturer places integrated devices on the platform. Some systems can run without a graphics card because the motherboard has an integrated graphics adapter. However, it is important to purchase a processor that has a built-in video core.

The platform also has an integrated sound card. Most often it is enough for any task. But there is also a slot on the platform for an additional sound card. It may be needed, for example, by those who want to record music.

Among other integrated devices, there is also a network card, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The standard parameters are sufficient for everyday use.

Interface panel

Modern boards have all standard external connectors. Therefore, it is not so important to pay attention to this moment. If you need to connect some specific devices, then you will have to study the list of available interface panel connectors.

Cryptocurrency mining

Which motherboard should I choose for mining? If you have asked this question, then you understand what is important in this process. The main thing is that the platform supports multiple video cards.

When choosing a motherboard, it is important to pay attention to:

• Number and location of PCI-E slots. It is important that their location does not interfere with the connection of several devices and their cooling.
• Compatibility of the board with an inexpensive chip. In mining, CPU performance is not important.
• Optimization for cryptocurrency mining. It is necessary that the platform does not have any unnecessary functions that could distract the system from the main task.
• Price.

If the user does not want to buy ASICs, but is ready to assemble a computer for mining on his own, he will have to thoroughly understand all the components. Manufacturers quickly picked up on this whole story with cryptocurrencies and began producing special devices for their mining.

ASRock has proven itself in this matter. It has released platform models that are optimized for the most efficient use of video. Although other companies do not lag behind this manufacturer: Asus, MSI, Gigabyte.

Conclusions

Choosing a motherboard is easy if you understand its tasks and capabilities. The main thing is to decide on the chipset, choose the processor, and therefore the socket. After that, figure out the required amount and type of RAM and, finally, resolve the issue with the number of video cards.

Otherwise, motherboards have a similar number of internal and external connectors; most models support an integrated video core, sound and network cards.

Hi all! Sometimes it becomes necessary to replace the processor in your computer. The reason for this may be a breakdown or an upgrade. And in this article I will tell you how to choose a processor.

Let's first figure out how to choose a processor. The processor is selected based on the following criteria:

1. Manufacturer
2. CPU cache
3. Those. process
4. Availability of built-in video

Now let's look at each parameter separately.

1. Let's start with the manufacturer. There are only two processor manufacturers: Intel and AMD. No one can say which one is better, because both companies are good. Which processor to choose is an individual matter; I can only say that AMD processors are cheaper. Choose depending on your computer configuration. If you want a powerful gaming computer, it’s better to take Intel. For others, AMD will do. I wrote an article in more detail.

2. Next is the number of cores. If you have a computer for gaming, you need at least 4 cores. For computers with an average configuration, a dual-core one is suitable (since programs generally use only 2, and even if you have 4 of them, the program will still use 2). You will not find fewer cores in any processor (new, not counting old used processors).

I’ll explain as clearly as possible: the higher the frequency, the faster the processor will think. That is, the higher the frequency, the more operations it can perform in one second. Try to look for a processor with a minimum frequency of 2.6-2.7 GHz.

In my opinion, this is the most important point. Beginners especially need to know, otherwise 100% will buy the wrong processor. In general, a socket is a . There are many different ones: intel – Socket 1150, Socket 1155; AMD has Socket AM3, AM3+, FM2. This is not all, these are just examples. The name of the processor socket must match the name of the socket on the motherboard. Otherwise, you simply will not be able to insert the processor into the socket.

5. CPU cache. Is one of the main parameters when choosing! There is a cache of 1, 2 and 3 levels. That's it to say RAM processor, the larger it is, the more information will be processed faster. 1st is the fastest and smallest, and 3rd is the slowest and largest.

Sometimes there are only 2 levels on weaker processors. Bottom line: the larger the cache, the better.

The greater the heat dissipation, the more efficient it will be. Accordingly, the less, the better.

Technologies that improve productivity. For example, SSE 2,3,4, 3DNow, NX Bit and many others... I was especially pleased with the Intel vPro technology, thanks to which you can even ask those. Intel support to block your laptop if it is suddenly stolen.

8. Tech. process. I won’t fool you with all sorts of semiconductors, as described everywhere... You can read the scientific description on Wikipedia. In a simple version, the smaller the process, the smaller the parts used in the processor, which means that more power can be achieved with minimal dimensions. The smaller the size the better, in my i7 tech. 22 nm process... Intel threatens to introduce 10 nm by 2018...

9. And the last thing is the presence of a built-in graphics core. I will be brief and explain as simply as possible. When a processor has a built-in graphics core, this means that it has a built-in video card. Many motherboards have built-in video cards, but they will only work if there is a built-in graphics core in the processor. But not all integrated video cards need this core. In principle, this point is not very important, but it will not be superfluous.

That's all! The main thing is to choose the last socket, a large cache, and the rest depends on your needs and you can choose a great processor! Good luck!

Introduction

It's no secret that a computer is a complex device consisting of huge amount details. But what is its main part responsible for - the motherboard? At the dawn of time, its function was utilitarian - a platform for other computer components, with a dozen basic settings - and nothing more. Over time, the motherboard took on more and more functions, and now no one will be surprised by the built-in sound card and a video card, USB and FireWire controllers. It would seem that since there is nothing more to integrate (after all, expansion cards are now rarely seen in a regular computer), then progress should have stopped. No matter how it is! We will prove the reliability of the last statement using the example of the motherboard of one of the patriarchs of the IT industry - Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.

We will talk about the configuration and diagnostic application software of modern boards, about the element base that affects reliability during intensive use, about proprietary technologies that simplify the setup and operation of a computer, and about the fact that plug-ins for the VKontakte social network are by no means only for communicators and smartphones, but also for operating systems built into the BIOS, about processor overclocking and modern means overclocking, about related capabilities that help other computer components work more reliably and efficiently - in a word, about everything that the manufacturer has invested in his brainchild and which buyers are sometimes completely unaware of.

The motherboard is big, but what can it do?

Can a new generation motherboard provide significantly more than solutions from previous generations? Yes!
The motherboard is the largest board in the computer, and various functions of the future computer depend on it - both basic and additional. Yes, with main function- combine all computer devices into a ready-made system capable of performing the tasks assigned to it - all motherboards do an excellent job. Let's start with additional functions, which will facilitate working with the computer, making it as comfortable as possible. Typically, such technologies have a name that does not always reveal their essence. For example, what is “APS” and what is it for? Let's try to consider some of the most interesting features using the example of MSI MS-7760 X79A-GD65-8D. For clarity, let's create the following table:

Description	MSI MS-7760 X79A-GD65-8D
Increased current in USB ports for charging smartphones and tablets	Super Charger
A utility that simplifies BIOS settings	ClickBIOS II
Automatic overclocking	OC Genie II
BIOS Update Utility	M-Flash
Energy saving technology	APS
Component base with increased resource	Military Class III
Mini OS for quick access To global network Internet	Winki 3
Software for updating firmware and drivers from Windows	Live Update 5
Ability to use disks larger than 2.2 TB	3TB+ Infinity
Compliance with surround sound standards	THX, HD Audio

Although the above list, of course, does not pretend to be complete, the listed technologies alone already allow us to conclude that a high-quality motherboard satisfies most of the needs of both ordinary users and specialists.

VKontakte cannot wait!

Can the motherboard make it so that the boot necessary applications did it take less time with an HDD compared to a state-of-the-art SSD?
Typically, the computer startup time is associated with the drive installed in the system. 75% of this is true: Windows starts many times faster from a modern SSD drive compared to a system installed on a hard drive. It is worth noting that before running the installed operating system the computer conducts self-diagnosis, the duration of which, sometimes reaching 10-15 seconds, sometimes accounts for half (or even more) of the total computer startup time. With the introduction of UEFI BIOS into the latest generation motherboards, the time from pressing the power button to transferring control to the operating system has been significantly reduced, so when choosing a new motherboard, you should pay attention to this parameter. In addition to reducing startup time, UEFI BIOS made it possible to implement a graphical interface into the program initial setup BIOS Setup. In addition, it became possible to change the interface language, and some manufacturers, for example, have Russian in their extensive list of languages.

However, that's not all. Quite often, the computer is turned on simply to check mail or communicate in popular social networks such as VKontakte or Facebook, for which you have to wait for the operating system to load and the browser to launch - when using classic hard drives This procedure takes quite a long time. To reduce latency, MSI motherboards support the Winki 3 mini operating system, which has minimal functionality but starts up in just a few seconds. When using it, you will have access to an Internet browser, photo viewer, Internet messenger and office suite. It is worth noting: this possibility is at the moment is unique, and no other motherboard manufacturer offers such a set of applications, which increases its attractiveness in the eyes of potential buyers.

ATX, ITX, or maybe DTX? What are these abbreviations?

Does size matter? Is the functionality of the board related to its format? In "supercomputer" motherboards, "bigger" always means "better"!
. When choosing a motherboard, you should remember that modern cases have different sizes, and not every board will fit into the selected case. In order to simplify the selection of a motherboard, standards have been developed indicating the dimensions of the board, the location of mounting holes and expansion slots. These standards are called motherboard form factors. For desktop computers the most common sizes are XL-ATX, ATX, microATX, mini-ITX. In the list below, the formats are presented in decreasing order of size. It should be remembered that a small board can be installed in a large case: all fasteners and expansion slots will be in the right places, but this should only be done as a last resort. For example, when upgrading, you have an ATX case, and you like a microATX board. When purchasing a new computer, it is better to select components of appropriate sizes. The photographs below show boards with different sizes.

Please note: a computer assembled on a board of the smallest format (mini-ITX) is usually designed to work in office computers or media centers, so such models do not have a PCI-E 16x slot for installing discrete video cards, as a result of which modern games will not be available .

In general, when miniaturizing a motherboard, first of all, additional slots for video cards are removed from it, the cooling system is simplified, and sometimes the number of SATA connectors is reduced. When choosing a board, you should think about whether any components will be added to the system unit - if not, then microATX will be an excellent choice, because computers assembled on such boards take up much less space, but they are not suitable for a serious gaming computer.

Is “chipset” just a buzzword or something more?

What do manufacturers ask for money for when they offer more or less expensive motherboards on the same chipset: for marketing or for really useful things that make the computer more convenient to use?
When choosing a motherboard, you need to pay attention to such a component of the motherboard as the chipset. For a long time this complex semiconductor device was practically the second processor of any home computer. Its functionality included a memory controller, PCI-E controller or, even earlier, AGP, integrated graphics adapter, USB and hard drive controllers, and so on. As a result, computers assembled from the same components, but differing in motherboards and, accordingly, chipsets, had different performance.

Today, the situation has changed: performance-critical functions have moved to the processor, so the impact on computer performance has been significantly reduced. Computers built on different chipsets of the same generation have the same performance, differing in such parameters as support for the video core built into the processor, the ability to overclock, the number of SATA II/SATA 6 Gb/s and USB/USB 3.0 ports. Despite this, manufacturers quite often in their model range have several boards based on the same system logic. This is done to expand the functionality of the product by adding additional controllers or disabling functions that are not critical from the point of view of reducing the final cost of the product. A good example is the line based on the Intel Z68 chipset.

	Z68A-G45 (B3)	Z68A-GD65 (B3)	Z68A-GD80 (B3)
Intel Smart Response	+	+	+
Lucidlogix Virtu Switchable Graphics	+	+	+
Charger USB devices(iPod, iPhone, etc.),	+	+	+
Uses 100% solid polymer capacitors	+	+	+
Automatic overclocking	+	+	+
Heatpipe based cooling system	-	+	+
Increased power of USB ports	-	+	+
Driver MOSFET (DrMOS)	-	+	+
Tantalum capacitors	-	+	+
IEEE-1394 controller	-	-	+
Availability of two network cards 10/100/1000 Mbit/s	-	-	+
3 PCI-E 16x slots	-	-	+

If you look at the price list of the NICS Computer Supermarket, it becomes obvious that the maximum functional board has the maximum price. Three computers assembled on the basis of the same components, but having three motherboards from the above example, will have the same performance, but the functionality and reliability in this case will differ due to the use of high-quality components that have passed military approval in expensive models.

“I want Japanese capacitors.” Is such a desire justified?

Stability in everything is the desire of most of humanity, and if its implementation in life largely depends on the state, then in a computer this role is assigned to the motherboard. But do all “computer governments” care about their “residents” equally?
All motherboard manufacturers strive to increase the life of their products using advanced scientific achievements, and the only limitation in this case is the efficiency of engineers. Quite a long time ago, two or three years ago, many companies began to use expensive solid-state capacitors in the production of their boards. This step made it possible to significantly increase the reliability of the boards, since swollen electrolytic capacitors in the power supply circuit of the central processor were a fairly common cause of failure of the entire computer.

Then ferrite coils and low-resistance transistors began to appear, but progress does not stand still, and over time, components previously used only in the aerospace industry began to appear in desktop boards, which made it possible to take reliability to a new level. MSI is ahead of the curve with its industry-first use of Hi-c polymer capacitors based on the rare earth metal tantalum.

Unlike conventional solid capacitors, which cannot function when damaged, MSI HI-c capacitors can self-heal thanks to Nobel Prize-winning polymers.

In addition, the low height of such capacitors minimizes the likelihood of damage to them when installing a bulky processor cooling system. The only drawback of these devices is the rather high price, so Japanese solid-state capacitors, which have a very long service life, are used in less critical areas of the board. To confirm the reliability of its motherboards, MSI conducts independent testing components comply with the MIL-STD-810G standard, which indicates the highest quality and reliability. It’s not for nothing that all US Army equipment is subject to such certification. To obtain the appropriate certificate, components must pass 7 tests:

• Temperature changes
• Possibility of use in high humidity
• Vibration test
• Low pressure operation
• High temperature operation
• Low temperature operation
• Physical resistance test

All boards containing such components have the Military Class III logo and a certificate of compliance with the standard on the box.

Overclock the processor? Easily!

Everyone knows: Russians love to drive fast. And what in motherboards is compatible with this feeling?
There are situations when the performance of the processor used is not high enough. What to do in this case? There are two options:

• Buy a faster processor
• Overclock an existing one

The first option, of course, is wonderful, but it is not always economically feasible, including in terms of the availability of free cash. The second method is cheaper, but it usually requires quite high qualifications, plus we must not forget about the possibility of an error that could damage the central processor.

We use the word “usually” for a reason. Most modern motherboards provide the possibility of automatic overclocking, which makes this activity quite simple and safe, but not everything is ideal here.

The most common method of automatic overclocking is to run a specialized utility that gradually increases the processor frequency. Subsequently, a reboot occurs and a subsequent increase in frequency - and so on until a certain level is reached that is safe, according to the electronics of the board. Although this method, of course, is effective, the overclocking process takes quite a long time, and not everyone is satisfied with the need to install additional software. MSI took a different path by developing OC Genie technology and its further development - OC Genie II.

To overclock the processor by MSI board, just before turning on the computer, press the button on the motherboard labeled “OC Genie” and turn on the computer. Immediately after switching on, the frequencies will be increased and the computer will be ready to work, and system stability will not be affected due to the use of high-quality components.

What if you need to install more than one video card?

Since we are talking about performance, a logical development of this topic would be to mention graphics subsystem computer. When choosing a high-performance gaming computer, you should first of all pay attention to the video card, because gaming performance mainly depends on it. “What does this have to do with the motherboard?” - you ask. Let's figure it out.

Since modern gaming video cards are installed in the PCI-E 16x slot, Mini-ITX motherboards are the most suboptimal choice for a gaming computer due to the lack of such a slot. Quite often, motherboards have two or more PCI-E 16x slots. This configuration will be of interest to hardcore gamers and enthusiasts, since it will allow them to build a multi-GPU system, increasing the performance of the computer’s graphics subsystem by a factor of the number of video cards.

To implement such a scenario, just having the necessary connectors is not enough - support for Crossfire technologies is required for AMD video cards Radeon or SLI for video cards nVidia GeForce. Information on support for these technologies can be found in the description of the motherboard you like on the website or on the manufacturer’s website. If games as a class of software are not of interest to you, in this case it is quite possible to get by with a video card integrated into the motherboard or processor, the capabilities of which in most cases will be sufficient for office work and watching any movies, and this solution will save energy.

"Hybrid graphics". Haven't you heard? We'll tell you!

Your new computer may become noticeably quieter and more economical than before!
If you want to not only play modern games, but also save electricity, then a motherboard with hybrid graphics is the best option. For the first time, such technologies appeared in laptops - the most energy-critical devices, because battery life directly depends on this parameter. Over time, the turn came to desktop computers. Working in this mode is quite simple to explain. During idle time (for a video card, idle mode is any mode other than gaming), the built-in video adapter works, and when a game or other application that actively uses the resources of the graphics adapter is launched, the discrete video card comes into play.

Energy savings are achieved due to the fact that any discrete video card consumes more energy when idle than integrated graphics, and the difference is quite significant. If you plan to use such a combination, you should choose boards that support Lucidlogix Virtu Switchable Graphics technology, such as. You can find out about the board's support for this technology on our website in the description or by looking at the box, where the corresponding logo should be present.

If saving energy is not a priority, but when working with a computer you have to convert video materials, in this case, purchasing a board that supports Lucidlogix Virtu also has one very significant advantage. The fact is that the graphics core built into Intel Sandy Bridge processors supports Intel Quick Sync technology, thanks to which the time required to convert a video is reduced significantly. Thus, by configuring discrete graphics for continuous operation, and the built-in video core for a video converter, you will get the highest performance in games and the ability to encode video in a minimum time.

What to choose?

So what should you ultimately choose? Quality? It is at the proper level for everyone large manufacturers. Advanced functionality? As we pointed out in the first part, the variety of functions ultimately results in different names for the same features. Price? Perhaps this is indeed the right factor - however, it is not worth taking the most expensive, since for the most part this is a payment for a louder name and the active work of marketers.

The MSI company, founded more than a quarter of a century ago, independently produces motherboards and components, so the prices for MSI products are among the most affordable, and we are talking about full-fledged products highest quality. Another important advantage of MSI solutions is the long warranty period and excellent support. For fans of online battles, unique promotions conducted by MSI together with the developers of popular games will be a pleasant surprise. If you are a fan of the most popular MMO World of Tanks, then by purchasing you will receive some in-game gold and a premium account.

Long gone are the days when you could choose a PC of almost any configuration on the market for any task. There are now few companies that assemble PCs, and there are practically no companies left that specialize specifically in PC assembly. Moreover, the rest, as a rule, are engaged in exclusive and very expensive PCs, which not everyone can afford. But computers from companies that do not specialize in PC assembly often cause criticism. As a rule, these companies are engaged in the sale of components, and for them the assembly of ready-made configurations is not their main business, which is often just a means for cleaning warehouses. That is, computers are assembled according to the principle “what do we have in our warehouse?” As a result, for many users the motto “If you want it to be good, do it yourself” remains very relevant today.

Of course, you can always order a PC assembly of any configuration from commercially available components. But you will be the “foreman” of such an assembly, and it is you who will have to develop the PC configuration and approve the estimate. And this is by no means a simple matter and requires knowledge of the assortment on the component market, as well as the basic principles of creating PC configurations: in which case is it better to install a more powerful video card, and when can you get by with an integrated graphics core, but need a powerful processor. We will not consider all aspects of creating a PC configuration, but we will have to remember several important steps.

So, at the first stage when creating a PC configuration, you need to decide on the platform: will it be a computer based AMD processor or based on an Intel processor. The answer to the question: “Which is better?” - simply does not exist, and we will not campaign in favor of one or another platform. In this article we’ll just talk about computers based on the Intel platform. At the second stage, after choosing a platform, you should decide on a specific processor model and select a motherboard. Moreover, we consider this choice to be one stage, since one is closely related to the other. You can choose a board for a specific processor, or you can choose a processor for a specific board. In this article we will look at the modern range of motherboards for Intel processors.

Where to start

The range of modern motherboards for Intel processors, just like the range of Intel processors themselves, can be divided into two large families:

• boards based on the Intel X299 chipset for Intel Core X processors (Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X)
• boards based on Intel 300 series chipsets for 8th generation Intel Core processors ( Coffee Lake).

These two platforms are completely different and incompatible with each other, and therefore we will consider them in more detail each separately. The remaining boards and processors are no longer relevant, although they can be found on sale.

Intel X299 chipset and Intel Core X family processors

Intel presented the Intel X299 chipset, along with boards based on it and a family of compatible processors at Computex 2017. The platform itself was codenamed Basin Falls.

First of all, motherboards based on the Intel X299 chipset are only compatible with processors from the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X families, which have an LGA 2066 processor socket.

The platform is quite specific and is aimed at the segment of high-performance solutions, which Intel dubbed HEDT (High End DeskTop). Actually, the peculiarity of this platform is determined by the peculiarity of the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors, which are also called the Core X family.

Kaby Lake-X

Kaby Lake-X processors are 4-core. Today there are only two models of such processors: Core i7-7740X and Core i5-7640X. They are not much different from the “regular” processors of the Kaby Lake family with the LGA 1151 socket, but they are compatible with a completely different platform and, accordingly, have a different socket.

The Core i5-7640X and Core i7-7740X processors have an unlocked multiplier and lack a graphics core - like all models of the Core X family. The Core i7-7740X model supports Hyper-Threading technology (it has 4 cores and 8 threads), and the Core i7-7740X model supports Hyper-Threading technology (it has 4 cores and 8 threads), and the Core i5-7640X - no (4 cores and 4 threads). Both processors have a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller and support up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 memory. The number of PCIe 3.0 lanes in both processors is 16 (as in regular Kaby Lake).

All processors of the Core X family with six or more cores are based on the Skylake microarchitecture. The range of models here is quite large. There are 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-core models, they are presented in two subfamilies: Core i7 and Core i9. 6- and 8-core models form the Core i7 family, and models with 10 or more cores form the Core i9 family.

Skylake-X

All processors of the Skylake-X family have a four-channel memory controller and, accordingly, the maximum amount of supported memory for them is 128 GB. The L3 cache size for each core is 1.375 MB: for a 6-core processor it is 8.25 MB, for an 8-core processor it is 11 MB, for a 10-core processor it is 13.75 MB, etc. Models of the Core i7 family ( Core i7-7800X and Core i7-7820X) each have 28 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and Core i9 family models have 44 lanes.

Intel X299 chipset

Now let's focus on the Intel X299 chipset, which is the basis of the motherboard and determines 90% (relatively, of course) of it functionality.

Since Core X processors can have either dual-channel (Kaby Lake X) or quad-channel (Skylake-X) DDR4 memory controllers, the Intel X299 chipset supports both memory modes. And boards based on this chipset usually have eight DIMM slots for installing memory modules. It’s just that if a Kaby Lake X processor is used, then only four of the eight memory slots can be used.

The functionality of the chipset is determined by the set of its high-speed input/output ports (High Speed ​​Input/Output, abbreviated to HSIO): USB 3.1/3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s or PCIe 3.0.

The Intel X299 chipset has 30 HSIO ports. The set is as follows: no more than 24 PCIe 3.0 ports, no more than 8 SATA 6 Gb/s ports and no more than 10 USB 3.0 ports. But we note once again that in total there should be no more than 30. In addition, there can be no more than 14 USB ports in total, of which up to 10 can be USB 3.0 versions, and the rest can be USB 2.0.

Flexible I/O technology is also used: some HSIO ports can be configured as PCIe or USB 3.0 ports, and some others as PCIe or SATA 6 Gb/s ports.

Naturally, the Intel X299 chipset supports Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology), which allows you to configure the SATA controller in RAID controller mode with support for levels 0, 1, 5 and 10. In addition, Intel RST technology is supported not only for SATA ports , but also for drives with PCIe x4/x2 interface (M.2 and SATA Express connectors).

The distribution diagram of high-speed I/O ports for the Intel X299 chipset is shown in the figure.

Speaking about the Basin Falls platform, one cannot fail to mention such technology as Intel VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU). This is a feature not of the chipset, but of the Core X processors, and not all of them, but only the Skylake-X family (Kaby Lake-X has too few PCIe 3.0 lanes).

VROC technology allows you to create a RAID array from SSD drives with a PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 interface, using PCIe 3.0 processor lines.

Implemented this technology differently. The classic option is to use a container card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, which has four M.2 slots for SSD drives with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface.

By default, RAID 0 is available for all SSD drives connected to the container card. If you want more, you have to pay. That is, in order for a RAID level 1 or 5 array to become available, you need to separately purchase an Intel VROC key and connect it to a special Intel VROC Upgrade Key connector on the motherboard (this connector is available on all boards with the Intel X299 chipset).

Intel 300 series chipsets and 8th generation Intel Core processors

The Basin Falls platform discussed above is aimed at a very specific market segment that requires multi-core processors. For most home users, computers on such a platform are both expensive and pointless. That's why The vast majority of PCs with Intel processors are 8th generation Intel Core computers, also known under the code name Coffee Lake.

All Coffee Lake family processors have an LGA1151 socket and are only compatible with motherboards based on the Intel 300 series chipset.

Coffee Lake processors are represented by the Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 series, as well as Pentium Gold and Celeron.

Processors of the Core i7, Core i5 series are 6-core, and CPUs of the Core i3 series are 4-core models without support Turbo technology Boost. The Pentium Gold and Celeron series make up the entry-level 2-core models. Coffee Lake processors of all series have a built-in graphics core.

The Core i7, Core i5 and even Core i3 series each have one processor model with an unlocked multiplier (K-series), that is these processors can (and should) be overclocked. But here you should remember that for overclocking you need not only a K-series processor, but also a board on a chipset that allows overclocking of the processor.

Now about the Intel 300 series chipsets. There's a whole garden of them here. Simultaneously with the Coffee Lake processors, only the Intel Z370 chipset was announced, which represented the entire family for almost a year. But the trick is that this chipset is “not real”. That is, at the time of the announcement of the Coffee Lake processors (October 2017), Intel did not have a new chipset for these processors. Therefore, they took the Intel Z270 chipset, made cosmetic changes and rebranded it as Intel Z370. Essentially, these are the same chipsets, with the only exception that they are aimed at different families of processors.

In April 2018, Intel announced another series of Intel 300 series chipsets - this time truly new ones, with new functionality. In total, the 300 series today includes seven models: Z370, Q370, H370, B360 and H310. Two more chipsets - Z390 and Q360 - will be announced, presumably, in early autumn.

So, All Intel 300 series chipsets are compatible only with Coffee Lake processors with LGA 1151 connector. The Q370 and Q360 models are aimed at the corporate segment of the market and are not of particular interest to users in the sense that motherboard manufacturers do not make consumer solutions for them. But the Z390, Z370, H370, B360 and H310 are just for users.

The Z390, Z370 and Q370 chipsets belong to the top segment, and the rest are obtained by castrating the functionality of the top models. The H370, B360 chipsets are for mass-produced inexpensive motherboards (boards that are called popular), but the H310 is when life begins to crack.

Now let's talk about how the rest get from the top models. It's simple. The top models Z390 and Q370 have exactly 30 numbered HSIO ports (USB 3.1/3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s and PCIe 3.0). Please note that we do not classify the Z370 chipset as a top model, because, as we have already noted, it is “fake” simply because it does not have the features that are inherent in Intel 300 series chipsets, although there are also exactly 30 HSIO ports In particular, the Z370 does not have a USB 3.1 controller and there is no CNVi controller, which we will talk about a little later.

So, the Z390 and Q370 chipsets have 30 HSIO ports, of which there can be up to 24 PCIe 3.0 ports, up to 6 SATA 6 Gb/s ports and up to 10 USB 3.0 ports, of which up to 6 ports can be USB 3.1. Moreover, there can be no more than 14 USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 ports in total.

To get a non-top chipset from a top-end chipset, you just need to block some of the HSIO ports. That's all. True, there is one “but” here. The H310 chipset, which is completely castrated, differs from the others not only in that it has some HSIO ports blocked, but also in the fact that the PCIe ports here are only version 2.0, and not 3.0, as is the case with other chipsets. In addition, the USB 3.1 controller is also blocked here - in other words, there is only USB ports 3.0.

The distribution diagram of high-speed I/O ports for Intel 300 series chipsets is shown in the figure.

If you have already become confused, then the easiest way to understand how the Intel 300 series chipsets for desktop PCs differ from each other is from this table.

	Q370	Z390	Z370	H370	Q360	B360	H310
Total HSIO ports	30	30	30	30	26	24	15
PCIe 3.0 lanes	up to 24	up to 24	up to 24	up to 20	14	12	6 (PCIe 2.0)
SATA 6 Gb/s ports	up to 6	up to 6	up to 6	up to 6	up to 6	up to 6	4
USB 3.1 ports	up to 6	up to 6	No	up to 4	up to 4	up to 4	No
USB 3.0 ports	up to 10	up to 10	up to 10	up to 8	up to 8	6	4
Total number of USB ports	14	14	14	14	14	12	10
Intel RST for PCIe 3.0 (x4/x2 M.2)	3	3	3	2	1	1	No
Overclocking support	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
PCIe 3.0 processor lane configurations	1×16 2x8 1x8 and 2x4			1×16
Memory support	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4
Number of memory channels/ number of modules per channel	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	2/1
Intel Optane Memory support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
PCIe Storage support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
PCIe RAID 0, 1, 5 support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Support SATA RAID 0, 1, 5, 10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
CNVi (Intel Wireless-AC) support	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Built-in gigabit network MAC level controller	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Motherboard Manufacturers

There were times when there were dozens of motherboard manufacturers. But natural selection led to the fact that there were very few of them left - only the strongest survived. And if we talk about the Russian market, there are only four manufacturers of motherboards: ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte and MSI (do not pay attention to the order - everything is in alphabetical order). There is, however, also a company called Biostar, but you can safely forget about it.

Talking about whose products are of better quality is pointless and incorrect. The factories where boards are produced are the same for all companies in the sense that they use the same equipment. In addition, motherboards from the same Asus can be produced at Gigabyte factories and vice versa. It all depends on the workload of the factories, and not a single company disdains OEM production. In addition, there are companies such as Foxconn and ECS that are exclusively engaged in OEM and ODM manufacturing, including for ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. So the question of where exactly the board was made is not so important. It matters who developed it.

Features of boards based on the Intel X299 chipset

First of all, we note that boards based on the Intel X299 chipset are aimed at expensive PCs. The peculiarity of these boards is that they support processors with different numbers of PCIe 3.0 lanes - 16, 28 and 44 lanes. Based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines, primarily PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8/x4 slots are implemented, as well as sometimes M.2/U.2 connectors. The difficulty in this case is that each type of processor must have its own implementation of slots.

In a simple case (not very expensive boards) the implementation is as follows. The processor version with 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes will have two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, one PCI Express 3.0 x8 (in the PCI Express x16 form factor) and one PCI Express 3.0 x4 (again, can be in the PCI Express x16 form factor) ).

In the processor version with 28 PCIe 3.0 lanes, one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot will become unavailable, that is, there will only be one PCI Express 3.0 x16, one PCI Express 3.0 x8 and one PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot.

In the processor version with 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes (Kaby Lake-X), another PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot is simply blocked and only PCI Express 3.0 x8 and PCI Express 3.0 x4 slots remain.

But it may also be that in the processor version with 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes, two slots will be available: PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 and PCI Express 3.0 x8 - which operate in x16/- or x8/x8 modes (an additional PCIe 3.0 line switch is required ).

However, such sophisticated circuits are used only in expensive boards. Manufacturers do not pay much attention to the operating mode of the board with Kaby Lake-X processors. Moreover, there is even a motherboard based on the Intel X299 chipset, which simply does not support Kaby Lake-X processors.

Actually, this is quite logical and correct. There is no point in using Kaby Lake-X processors in combination with boards based on Intel X299 chipsets - this greatly limits the functionality of the board. First, there will be fewer PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 slots available for use. Secondly, out of eight slots for memory modules, which are usually found on boards with the Intel X299 chipset, only four will be available. Accordingly, the maximum amount of supported memory will be two times less. Thirdly, Intel VROC technology will also be unavailable. That is, if you use a board based on the Intel X299 chipset with a Kaby Lake-X processor, then you will get an expensive solution that will be inferior in both performance and functionality to solutions based on the Coffee Lake processor. In a word, expensive and pointless.

In our opinion, boards based on the Intel 299 chipset make sense only in combination with Skylake-X processors , and it’s better if these are Core i9 series processors, that is, models with 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes. Only in this case can you take advantage of all the functionality of the Basin Falls platform.

Now about what the Basin Falls platform is needed for.

Most motherboards with Intel X299 chipsets are positioned as gaming ones. The names of the boards either contain the word “Gaming” or they generally refer to the gaming series (for example, Asus ROG). This, of course, does not mean that these boards are somehow different from those boards that are not positioned as gaming ones. It's just easier to sell. Now the word “Gaming” is thrown around everywhere, simply because there is at least some demand for it. But an extra word on the box, of course, does not oblige the manufacturer to anything.

Moreover, we would say that motherboards based on the Intel X299 chipset are least suitable for gaming. That is, you can, of course, build a gaming computer based on them, but it will be expensive and ineffective. Just The main highlight of the Basin Falls platform is multi-core processors, and games do not need this. And using a 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, or 18-core processor will not provide any advantage in games.

Of course, boards with the Intel X299 chipset have a lot of PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots and, it would seem, you can install several video cards. But this is good just to show off to your neighbors: two video cards can be installed on a system with an Intel Z370 chipset, but three video cards simply do not make sense (however, two either).

But if the Basin Falls platform is not the most suitable option for games, then what is the best way to use it? The answer will disappoint many. The Basin Falls platform is very specific and most home users do not need it at all. It is optimal to use it for working with specific applications that can be well parallelized by more than 20 threads. And if we talk about the applications that home users encounter, there are very few of them. These are video conversion (and editing) programs, 3D rendering programs, as well as specific scientific applications that were originally developed for multi-core processors. In other cases, the Basin Falls platform simply will not provide any advantages over a platform based on Coffee Lake processors, but it will be much more expensive.

But if you still work with applications where 36 threads (18-core Skylake-X processor) would not be superfluous, then the Basin Falls platform is just what you need.

How to choose a board based on the Intel X299 chipset

So, you need a board on the Intel X299 chipset for Skylake-X processors. But the range of such boards is quite large. Only Asus offers 10 models based on this chipset in four series. Gigabyte has an even larger list of models offered - 12 pieces. Further, 10 models are produced by ASRock and 8 models by MSI. The price range is from 14 to 35 thousand rubles. That is, there is a choice, and it is very wide (for every taste and budget). What is the difference between these boards that they can differ so much (more than twice) in cost? It is clear that we will not describe the features of each of the 40 board models that are on the market, but we will try to highlight the main aspects.

The difference is primarily in functionality, which, in turn, is determined by the set of ports, slots and connectors, as well as various additional features.

If we talk about ports, slots and connectors, these are PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8/x4/x1 slots, USB 3.1/3.0 and SATA ports, as well as M.2 connectors (PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 and SATA). Not so long ago, there were also SATA Express and U.2 connectors on boards (there are such connectors on some models of boards sold), but still, these are already “dead” connectors, and they are no longer used on new models.

PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 slots are implemented via PCIe 3.0 processor lines. PCI Express 3.0 x4 slots can be implemented via both processor lines and PCIe 3.0 chipset lines. And PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots, if any, are always implemented via PCIe 3.0 chipset lines

Expensive board models use complex switching schemes that allow maximum use of all PCIe 3.0 processor lines in the version of all processor types (with 44, 28 and 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes). Moreover, switching between processor and chipset PCIe 3.0 lines is even possible. That is, for example, when a processor with 28 or 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes is used, some slots with the PCI Express x16 form factor are switched to PCIe 3.0 chipset lines. An example would be a board or. It is clear that such opportunities do not come cheap.

Asus Prime X299-Deluxe board

As we have already said, the Intel X299 chipset has exactly 30 HSIO ports, which are PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s ports. For inexpensive (by the standards of this segment) boards, this is quite enough, that is, everything that is implemented on the board (controllers, slots, ports) can work without being separated from each other. Typically, boards with the Intel X299 chipset have two M.2 connectors (PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA), a gigabit network controller and a Wi-Fi module (or two gigabit controllers), a pair of USB 3.1 controllers, and a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot. In addition, there are 8 SATA ports and 6-8 3.0 ports.

More expensive models can add more network controllers, USB 3.1 controllers, more USB 3.0 ports, as well as PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots. Moreover, there are also network controllers that meet new standards. For example, the 10-gigabit network controller Aquantia AQC-107, which can connect to the chipset via two or four PCIe 3.0 lanes. There are also Wi-Fi modules of the WiGig standard (802.11ad). For example, the Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme board has both an Aquantia AQC-107 controller and an 802.11ad Wi-Fi module.

But... you can’t bend it above your head. And the fact that there is a lot of stuff on the board does not mean that all of it can be used at the same time. No one has canceled the chipset limitations, so if there is a lot of everything, then, most likely, something must be separated from something else, unless the board uses an additional PCIe line switch, which allows, in fact, to overcome the limitations on the number of PCIe lanes . An example of a board that uses a switch (albeit PCIe 2.0 lines) would be.

ASRock board X299 Taichi

The presence of such a switch certainly increases the cost of the solution, but the feasibility of this is questionable, since the basic capabilities of the Intel X299 chipset are quite sufficient.

There are also boards where switches are used not for chipset lines, but for PCIe 3.0 processor lines, this allows you to increase the number of PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8 slots. For example, the Asus WS X299 Sage board, which is positioned as a workstation, has seven slots with PCI Express 3.0 x16/x8, which can operate in x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8 mode. It is clear that even 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes of Skylake-X processors will not be enough for this. Therefore, the board additionally has a pair of PCIe 3.0 PLX PEX 8747 switches. Each such switch is connected to 16 PCIe 3.0 processor lines and provides 32 PCIe 3.0 lanes at the output. But this, of course, is a specific and expensive solution.

Asus WS X299 Sage board

The range of motherboards based on Intel X299 chipsets also includes quite exotic and expensive solutions. For example, motherboards or Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme. The first of them is designed for extreme overclocking and has a reduced number of memory slots (one module per memory channel). Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme is different in that it does not support Kaby Lake-X processors at all. In addition, both boards have proprietary DIMM.2 connectors, which are visually similar to slots for memory modules, but provide a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and are designed for installing special expansion cards. Each such card allows you to install up to two SSD drives with an M.2 connector.

Asus ROG Rampage VI Apex Board

Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme board

There is practically no demand for such solutions and it is almost impossible to sell them. But such boards are not made for sale - they are a kind of calling card of the company. Of all the motherboard manufacturers, only Asus can afford to make such boards.

As we have already noted, in addition to the diversity in the set of slots, connectors and ports, boards based on the Intel X299 chipset differ in the set additional features, and, of course, the package.

A new trend is the presence of RGB backlighting on the board, as well as separate connectors for connecting LED strips. Moreover, there are even two types of connectors: four-pin and three-pin. A non-addressable RGB strip is connected to the 4-pin connector, in which all the LEDs glow the same color. Naturally, the color can be any and can change, but synchronously for all LEDs.

An addressable strip is connected to the 3-pin connector, in which each LED can have its own color.

The LED lighting on the board is synchronized with the lighting of the connected LED strips.

Why backlighting is needed on boards with the Intel X299 chipset is not very clear. There are all sorts of whistles, tricks and various lights - it's all aimed at pioneers. But when it comes to expensive, high-performance PCs that are designed to run highly specialized applications, it’s unlikely LED backlight generally makes sense. However, it, like the word Gaming, is present on most boards.

So, let's summarize briefly. Boards based on the Intel X299 chipset are aimed at high-performance PCs that are designed to work with well-paralleled applications. It makes sense to use these boards in combination with Skylake-X Core i9 series processors. Only in this case can you take advantage of all the functionality of the boards. Not all home users need computers based on boards with the Intel X299 chipset. First of all, it's expensive. Secondly, it’s not a fact that your super-powerful computer based on, for example, an 18-core Core i9-7980XE processor will be faster than a computer with a 6-core Coffee Lake processor. It's just that in some cases it is better to have fewer fast cores than many slow ones.

Therefore, the Basin Falls platform only makes sense if you know for sure that the applications you are working with can be parallelized by more than 20 threads. But if not, then a computer with a Coffee Lake processor will be optimal for you, which, accordingly, will require a board based on the Intel 300 series chipset.

Features of boards based on Intel 300 series chipsets

Of the seven Intel 300 series chipsets, only five models are aimed at motherboards for home users: Intel Z390, Z370, H370, B360 and H310. The Intel Z390 chipset has not yet been announced, so we won’t talk about it yet, but boards based on the other chipsets are already available. The top of the remaining list is the Intel Z370 chipset. Next in terms of price and features are the H370, B360 and H310. Accordingly, boards based on the Z370 chipset are the most expensive. Then, in order of decreasing cost, there are boards based on the H370, B360 and H310 chipsets.

All Intel 300 series chipsets with the exception of the Z370 have built-in CNVi and USB 3.1 controllers (with the exception of the younger Intel H310 model). So why then is the Intel Z370 the top one, and the boards on it the most expensive?

Firstly, of the four (Z370, H370, B360 and H310) chipsets under consideration, only the Intel Z370 allows you to combine 16 PCIe 3.0 processor lines into x16, x8+x8 or x8+x4+x4 ports. All other chipsets only allow grouping into an x16 port. From a user's point of view, this means that only boards with the Intel Z370 chipset can have two graphics card slots based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines. AND Only Intel Z370 based boards can support Nvidia SLI mode. Accordingly, two slots with the PCI Express x16 form factor on boards with the Intel Z370 chipset operate in x16/— (when using one slot) or x8/x8 (when using two slots) modes.

Note that if a board with an Intel Z370 chipset has more than two slots with the PCI Express x16 form factor, then the third slot is a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot, but in the PCI Express x16 form factor, and it can already be implemented on based on PCIe 3.0 chipset lines. The combination of x8+x4+x4 ports based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines on boards with the Intel Z370 chipset is found only in the most expensive models.

All other variants (H370, B360 and H310 chipsets) can only have one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot based on 16 PCIe 3.0 processor lanes.

Secondly, of the four chipsets under consideration only Intel Z370 allows overclocking of the processor and memory. You can change both the multiplication factor and the base frequency BCLK. Changing the base frequency is possible for all processors, but changing the multiplier factor is only possible for K-series processors that have this factor unlocked.

As you can see, the Intel Z370 chipset has undeniable advantages over its brothers H370, B360 and H310. But, if you are not planning to overclock the system, then the advantages of the Intel Z370 chipset are no longer so obvious, since the need for two video cards is rather an exception to the rule. However, one more circumstance must be taken into account. The Intel Z370 chipset is top-end not only because it allows you to overclock the processor and group PCIe 3.0 processor lines into different ports. This chipset does not have blocked HSIO ports, and, accordingly, its functionality is wider. That is, based on the Intel Z370 chipset, most can be implemented.

True, the Intel Z370 chipset does not have a USB 3.1 controller or CNVi. But can this be considered a serious drawback?

As for USB 3.1 ports, on boards with the Intel Z370 chipset they are implemented, as a rule, using a dual-port ASMedia ASM3142 controller. And from the user’s point of view, there is no difference in how exactly USB 3.1 ports are implemented: through a controller built into the chipset, or through a controller external to the chipset. Another thing is more important: what exactly to connect to these ports. And the vast majority of users do not need USB 3.1 ports at all.

Now about the CNVi (Connectivity Integration) controller. It provides work Wi-Fi connections(802.11ac, up to 1.733 Gbps) and Bluetooth 5.0 ( new version standard). However, the CNVi controller is not a full-fledged network controller, but a MAC controller. For a full-fledged controller, you also need an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 card with an M.2 connector (E-type dongle). Moreover, no other card will do. Only Intel 9560, which supports the CNVi interface.

Again, from the user’s point of view, it makes absolutely no difference how exactly the Wi-Fi network interface is implemented. In this case, the situation is approximately the same as with the Intel i219-V and Intel i211-AT gigabit network controllers. The first of them is a PHY-level controller, which is used in conjunction with a MAC controller built into the chipset, and the second is a full-fledged network controller.

How to choose a board based on the Intel 300 series chipset

So, there is an awareness of the fact that you need a board for a Coffee Lake processor with an LGA1151 socket. The range of such boards is very large. For example, Asus alone has 12 models of boards only on the Intel Z370 chipset, 10 models on the Intel B360 chipset, 6 models on the Intel H370 chipset and 5 models on the Intel H310 chipset. Add here the range of motherboards from Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI, and it becomes clear that possible options so many.

Intel H310

In the line of Intel 300 series chipsets, the H310 is the entry-level model or, in other words, in simple language, this chipset is aimed at the cheapest motherboards with minimal capabilities.

In addition, only 15 of the 30 HSIO ports (6 PCIe, 4 SATA, 4 USB 3.0 and one port dedicated to LAN) are not blocked on the Intel H310 chipset; all ports are PCIe version 2.0. There is no USB 3.1 controller here either. It is also important to note that boards with Intel H310 can only have two slots for memory modules, since one module is supported per memory channel.

With such a limitation of the chipset, you won’t be able to get much faster. That's why all boards based on Intel H310 are very similar to each other, and the price range here is not very large. In a typical version, the board has one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for a video card (based on PCIe 3.0 processor lines). In addition, there is a maximum of one M.2 connector (or none at all), a gigabit network controller, four SATA ports and a pair of PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots. There are also several (no more than 4) USB 3.0 ports. That's all, actually.

An example of a cheap (4800 rubles) version of a board based on the Intel H310 chipset could be the model. A more expensive option (6500 rubles) is a board.

Conclusion

We reviewed two modern platforms for Intel processors: the Basin Falls platform on the Intel X299 chipset, compatible with processors from the Intel Core-X family (Skylake-X, Kaby Lake-X), and the platform on Intel 300 series chipsets, compatible with processors from the Intel Core-X family of processors. Coffee Lake. We hope our story will help you to be more confident in the huge assortment of motherboards and make right choice for your specific tasks.

In the future, we plan to make a similar article dedicated to motherboards for AMD processors.