Comparison ASRock B250M Pro4 vs Asus Maximus VIII Ranger

The general specialization of the motherboard is the type of tasks for which it is optimized. It should be noted that the division according to this indicator is often rather conditional, models similar in characteristics may belong to different categories. However, the data on specialization greatly simplifies the choice.

In addition to the traditional "motherboards" for home and office, nowadays you can find solutions for high-end PCs (High-End Desktop) and for servers, as well as gaming boards and models for overclocking(the last two options are sometimes combined into one category , however, these are still different types of motherboards). There are also specialized models for cryptocurrency mining, but very few of them are produced — especially since many boards that originally had a different purpose are suitable for mining (see "Suitable for mining").

Here is a more detailed description of each variety:

— For home and office. Motherboards that do not belong to any of the more specific types. In general, this kind of "motherboards" is very diverse, it includes options from low-cost motherboards for modest office PCs to advanced models that come close to gaming and HEDT solutions. However, for the most part, solutions from this category...are designed for simple everyday tasks: working with documents, web surfing, 2D design and layout, games in low and medium quality, etc.

— Gamer's. Boards originally designed for use in advanced gaming PCs. In addition to high performance and compatibility with powerful components, primarily video cards (often several at once, in SLI and/or Crossfire format — see below), such models usually also have specific features of a gaming nature. The most noticeable of these features is the characteristic design, sometimes with backlighting and even backlight synchronization (see below), which allows you to organically fit the board into the original design of the gaming station. The functionality of gaming boards may include an advanced audio chip, a high-end network controller to reduce lags in online games, built-in software tools for tuning and optimizing performance, etc. Also, such models may provide advanced overclocking capabilities, sometimes not inferior to the capabilities of specialized boards for overclocking (see below). And sometimes the border between gaming and overclocking solutions is generally erased: for example, individual boards positioned by the manufacturer as gaming ones, in terms of functionality, can more likely be related to overclocking models.

— For overclocking. High-performance boards with an extended set of overclocking tools — improving system performance by fine-tuning individual components (mainly by increasing the clock frequencies used by these components). On most conventional motherboards, this setup involves considerable complexity and risk, it is usually an undocumented feature and is not covered by the warranty. However, in this case, the situation is the opposite: boards "for overclocking" are called so because the possibility of overclocking was originally incorporated in them by the manufacturer. One of the most noticeable features of such models is the presence in the firmware (BIOS) of special software tools for overclocking management, which makes overclocking as safe as possible and affordable even for inexperienced users. Another feature is improved compatibility with built-in overclocking tools provided in advanced processors, RAM modules, etc. Anyway, this particular type of board will be the best choice for those who want to build a fairly powerful PC with the ability to experiment in terms of performance.

— HEDT (High End Desktop). Motherboards designed for high-performance workstations and other PCs of a similar level. In many ways, they are similar to gaming ones and are sometimes even positioned as gaming ones, but they are designed more for general performance (including in professional tasks) than for confident work with games. One of the key features of such "motherboards" is the extensive functionality for working with RAM: they provide at least 4 slots for "RAM", and more often 6 or more, the maximum RAM frequency is at least 2500 MHz (and more often 4000 MHz and higher ), and the maximum volume is at least 128 GB. The rest of the characteristics are usually at a similar level. Also, the firmware may provide tools for overclocking, although in terms of this functionality, such boards are most often still inferior to overclockers. Note that such solutions can initially be positioned as gaming; the basis for categorization in the HEDT category in such cases is the fulfillment of the above criteria.

— For the server. Motherboards specially designed for servers. Such systems are noticeably different from conventional desktop PCs — in particular, they work with large volumes of drives and have increased requirements for the speed and reliability of data transfer; accordingly, to build servers, it is best to use specialized components, including motherboards. Among the main features of such motherboards are an abundance of slots for RAM (often more than 4), the ability to connect numerous drives (necessarily more than 4 SATA 3 slots, often 8 or more), as well as support for special technologies (like ECC — see below) . In addition, such boards can be made in specific form factors such as EEB or CEB (see "Form Factor"), although more traditional options are also found.

— Designed for mining. Motherboards specially designed for cryptocurrency mining (BitCoin, Ethereum, etc.). We emphasize that we are not just talking about the possibility of such an application (see “Suitable for mining”), but that the motherboard is initially positioned as a solution for creating a cryptocurrency “farm”. Recall that mining is the extraction of cryptocurrency by performing special calculations; such calculations are most conveniently carried out using several high-performance video cards at once. Accordingly, one of the distinguishing features of mining boards is the presence of several (usually at least 4) PCI-E 16x slots for connecting such video cards. However, this category of “motherboards” has not received much distribution: similar characteristics are also found among more general-purpose boards, it is quite possible to achieve performance sufficient for efficient mining on them.

The form factor of the motherboard determines, first of all, its physical dimensions, and, accordingly, a number of parameters directly related to them: type of computer case, installation method, type of power connector, number of slots for additional boards (expansion slots), etc. At the moment, there are such main form factors of motherboards:

— ATX. One of the most common form factors for PC motherboards. The standard size of such a board is 30.5x24.4 cm, it has up to 7 expansion slots and a 24-pin or (less often, in older models) 20-pin power connector.

— Micro-ATX. A slightly reduced version of the ATX form factor, with more compact dimensions (usually 24.4x24.4 cm) and, accordingly, fewer places for peripherals — there are usually only two slots for "RAM", expansion slots — from two to four. Nevertheless, despite the limited size, such boards can be intended for quite powerful systems.

— Mini-ITX. Motherboards of compact dimensions (17x17 cm). Designed for use primarily in small form factor computers (small form factor, SFF), in other words, compact PCs. According to the mounting specifications and the location of connectors and slots, they are compatible with ATX standard cases. They usually have one expansion slot.

— mini-STX. Another representative of compact form factors, assuming a boar...d size of 140x147 mm. Thus, the overall size is almost a third smaller than mini-ITX. At the same time, such motherboards often have seats for fairly powerful processors (for example, the LGA 1151 socket for Intel Core chips) and are made based on the corresponding TDP values. But expansion slots, usually, are absent.

— micro DTX. A relatively new compact form factor, which is not common, mainly among rather specific motherboards — in particular, models designed for cases in the PIO form factor. This form factor is characterized by a very small size and weight and allows you to mount the case directly behind the monitor, on a standard VESA mount. One of the features of "motherboards" for such systems is that the graphics card is installed along the board, and not perpendicularly — accordingly, the PCI-E 16x connector (see below) has a non-standard location. At the same time, micro-DTX boards are similar in terms of fasteners to microATX and can be used in cases of the corresponding form factor (except that additional equipment may be required for the correct installation of a graphics card). The standard size of such a board is 170 x 170 mm, similar to mini-ITX.

— mini DTX. An intermediate format between the microDTX described above and the original DTX; sometimes also described as an extended mini-ITX version. It has a standard size of 170 x 203 mm and can be equipped with two expansion slots (mini-ITX and mini-DTX have one such slot); it is completely similar in application — it is intended mainly for compact cases, in particular, HTPC computers.

— XL-ATX. Larger version of the ATX form factor. While not yet a common standard, size options include 32.5x24.4cm with 8 expansion slots and 34.3x26.2cm with up to 9 expansion slots.

— Thin mini-ITX. A “thin” version of the reduced mini-ITX form factor described above: according to the official specification, the total thickness of the thin mini-ITX board should not exceed 25 mm. Also designed for the most miniature computers — in particular, HTPC.

— E-ATX. The letter E in the name of this form factor stands for "Extended" — extended. True to its name, E-ATX is another enlarged version of ATX using 30.5x33cm boards.

— EEB. Full name SSI EEB. The form factor used in server systems (see “By direction”) provides a board size of 30.5x33 cm.

— CEB. The full name is SSI CEB. Another form factor of "server" motherboards. In fact, it is a narrower version of the EEB described above, with a width reduced to 25.9 cm (with the same height of 30.5 cm).

— flex-ATX. One of the compact variations of ATX, which provides board dimensions of less than 229x191 mm, as well as less than 3 expansion slots. At the same time, in terms of the location of the mounting holes, this standard is identical to microATX; in fact, it was developed as a potential replacement for the latter, but for a number of reasons it did not receive much distribution, although it continues to be produced.

— Non-standard (Custom). The name Proprietary is also used. Motherboards that do not conform to standard form factors and are designed for cases of special sizes (usually branded ones).

The number of processor power phases provided on the motherboard.

Very simplistically, phases can be described as electronic blocks of a special design, through which power is supplied to the processor. The task of such blocks is to optimize this power, in particular, to minimize power surges when the load on the processor changes. In general, the more phases, the lower the load on each of them, the more stable the power supply and the more durable the electronics of the board. And the more powerful the CPU and the more cores it has, the more phases it needs; this number increases even more if the processor is planned to be overclocked. For example, for a conventional quad-core chip, only four phases are often enough, and for an overclocked one, at least eight may be needed. It is because of this that powerful processors can have problems when used on inexpensive low-phase motherboards.

Detailed recommendations on choosing the number of phases for specific CPU series and models can be found in special sources (including the documentation for CPU itself). Here we note that with numerous phases on the motherboard (more than 8), some of them can be virtual. To do this, real electronic blocks are supplemented with doublers or even triplers, which, formally, increases the number of phases: for example, 12 claimed phases can represent 6 physical blocks with doublers. However, virtual phases are much inferior to real ones in terms of capabilities — in fact, t...hey are just additions that slightly improve the characteristics of real phases. So, let's say, in our example, it is more correct to speak not about twelve, but only about six (though improved) phases. These nuances must be specified when choosing a motherboard.

Motherboard dimensions in height and width. It is assumed that the traditional placement of motherboards is vertical, so in this case one of the dimensions is called not the length, but the height.

Motherboard sizes are largely determined by their form factors (see above), however, the size of a particular motherboard may differ slightly from the standard adopted for this form factor. In addition, it is usually easier to clarify the dimensions according to the characteristics of a particular motherboard than to look for or remember general information on the form factor. Therefore, size data can be given even for models that fully comply with the standard.

The third dimension — thickness — is considered less important for a number of reasons, so it is often omitted.

The chipset model installed in the motherboard. AMD's current chipset models are B450, A520, B550, X570, A620, B650, B650E, X670, X670E, X870, X870E.. For Intel, in turn, the list of chipsets looks like this: X299, H410, B460, H470, Z490, H510, B560, H570, Z590, H610, B660, H670, Z690, B760, Z790, Z890.

A chipset is a set of chips on the motherboard through which the individual components of the system interact directly: the processor, RAM, drives, audio and video adapters, network controllers, etc. Technically, such a set consists of two parts — the north and sou...th bridges. The key element is the northbridge, it connects the processor, memory, graphics card and the southbridge (together with the devices it controls). Therefore, it is often the name of the north bridge that is indicated as the chipset model, and the south bridge model is specified separately (see below); it is this scheme that is used in traditional layout motherboards, where bridges are made in the form of separate microcircuits. There are also solutions where both bridges are combined in one chip; for them, the name of the entire chipset can be indicated.

Anyway, knowing the chipset model, you can find various additional data on it — from general reviews to special instructions. An ordinary user, usually, does not need such information, but it can be useful for various professional tasks.

The maximum RAM clock speed supported by the motherboard. The actual clock frequency of the installed RAM modules should not exceed this indicator — otherwise, malfunctions are possible, and the capabilities of the “RAM” cannot be used to the fullest.

For modern PCs, a RAM frequency of 1500 – 2000 MHz or less is considered very low, 2000 – 2500 MHz is modest, 2500 – 3000 MHz is average, 3000 – 3500 MHz is above average, and the most advanced boards can support frequencies of 3500 – 4000 MHz and even more than 4000 MHz.

The number of M.2 connectors provided in the design of the motherboard. There are motherboards for 1 M.2 connector, for 2 connectors, for 3 connectors or more.

The M.2 connector is designed to connect advanced internal devices in a miniature form factor — in particular, high-speed SSD drives, as well as expansion cards like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. However, connectors designed to connect only peripherals (Key E) are not included in this number. Nowadays, this is one of the most modern and advanced ways to connect components. But note that different interfaces can be implemented through this connector — SATA or PCI-E, and not necessarily both at once. See "M.2 interface" for details; here we note that SATA has a low speed and is used mainly for low-cost drives, while PCI-E is used for advanced solid-state modules and is also suitable for other types of internal peripherals.

Accordingly, the number of M.2 is the number of components of this format that can be simultaneously connected to the motherboard. At the same time, many modern boards, especially mid-range and top-end ones, are equipped with two or more M.2 connectors, and moreover, with PCI-E support.

Electrical (logical) interfaces implemented through physical M.2 connectors on the motherboard.

See above for more details on such connectors. Here we note that they can work with two types of interfaces:

• SATA is a standard originally created for hard drives. M.2 usually supports the newest version, SATA 3; however, even it is noticeably inferior to PCI-E in terms of speed (600 MB / s) and functionality (only drives);
• PCI-E is the most common modern interface for connecting internal peripherals (otherwise NVMe). Suitable for both expansion cards (such as wireless adapters) and drives, while PCI-E speeds allow you to fully realize the potential of modern SSDs. The maximum communication speed depends on the version of this interface and on the number of lines. In modern M.2 connectors, you can find PCI-E versions 3.0 and 4.0, with speeds of about 1 GB / s and 2 GB / s per lane, respectively; and the number of lanes can be 1, 2 or 4 (PCI-E 1x, 2x and 4x respectively)

Specifically, the M.2 interface in the characteristics of motherboards is indicated by the number of connectors themselves and by the type of interfaces provided for in each of them. For example, the entry "3xSATA / PCI-E 4x" means three connectors that can work both in SATA format and in PCI-E 4x format; and the designation "1xSATA / PCI-E 4x, 1xPCI-E 2x" means two connectors, one of which works as SATA or PCI-E 4x, and the second — only as PCI-E 2x.

The presence of a built-in RAID controller on the motherboard. This function allows you to create RAID arrays from drives connected to the system using only the tools of the motherboard itself, in other words, through the standard BIOS or UEFI (see above), without using additional hardware or software.

RAID is a set (array) of several interconnected drives, perceived by the system as a whole. Depending on the type of RAID, it can provide an increase in read speed or increased reliability of information storage. Here are some of the more popular types:

— RAID 0 — data is written one by one to each of the connected disks (one file may be written to different disks). Provides performance improvements, but not fault tolerance.

— RAID 1 — information written to one of the disks is "mirrored" on all the others. Provides increased reliability by reducing system effective capacity.

— RAID 5 — information is written one by one, as in RAID 0, however, in addition to the main data, the so-called disks are also written to disks. checksums that allow you to restore information in the event of a complete failure of one of the disks. It has good fault tolerance and does not reduce the useful volume of disks as much as RAID 1, however, it is relatively slow and requires a minimum of 3 disks (two are enough for the previous types).

There are other varieties, they are used less often. Different motherb...oards may support different types of RAID, so before buying a model with this feature, it's ok to check the details separately.