Features
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.Max. memory
The maximum amount of RAM that can be installed on the motherboard.
When choosing according to this parameter, it is important to take into account the planned use of the PC and the real needs of the user. So, volumes
up to 32 GB inclusive are quite enough to solve any basic problems and run games comfortably, but without a significant reserve for an upgrade.
64 GB is the optimal option for many professional use cases, and for the most resource-intensive tasks like 3D rendering,
96 GB or even
128 GB of memory will not be a limit. The most “capacious” motherboards are compatible with volumes of
192 GB or
more - they are mainly top-end solutions for servers and HEDT (see “In the direction”).
You can choose this parameter with a reserve – taking into account a potential RAM upgrade, because installing additional RAM sticks is the simplest way to increase system performance. Taking this factor into account, many relatively simple motherboards support very significant amounts of RAM.
CrossFire (AMD)
Motherboard support for
AMD's Crossfire technology.
This technology allows you to connect several separate AMD graphics cards to a PC at once and combine their computing power, respectively increasing the system's graphics performance in specific tasks. Accordingly, this feature means that the "motherboard" is equipped with at least two slots for video cards — PCI-E 16x; in general, Crossfire allows up to 4 separate adapters to be connected.
Such functionality is especially important for demanding games and "heavy" tasks like 3D rendering. However, note that in order to use several video cards, this possibility must also be provided in the application running on the computer. So in some cases, one powerful video adapter is more preferable than several relatively simple ones with the same total amount of VRAM.
A similar technology from NVIDIA is called SLI (see below). Crossfire differs from it mainly in three points: the ability to combine video adapters with different models of graphics processors (the main thing is that they are built on the same architecture), no need for additional cables or bridges (video cards interact directly via the PCI-E bus) and somewhat lower cost (allowing the use of this technology even in low-cost "motherboards"). Thanks to the latter, almost all motherboards with SLI also support Crossfire, but not vice versa.
Sound (channels)
The most advanced audio format that the motherboard audio chip is capable of outputting to an external audio system. At the moment, almost all motherboards with audio chips support standard 2.0 stereo sound, and the most advanced format can be as follows:
— 4. The specific sound layout for the four channels may be different, but anyway, this option is two classic stereo channels, supplemented by two more — for example, centre and rear, or a pair of rear (left and right). This allows you to expand the sound stage and achieve greater volume than in classic stereo, while maintaining the low cost of the sound cards themselves. However, this option is rare, mainly in mini-STX boards (see "Form factor").
— 5.1. Six-channel sound: two front, centre and two rear channels, plus a subwoofer for bass and extra bass. Allows you to reproduce a fully surround sound, which is perceived by the listener not only in front, but also behind him. One of the most popular multi-channel audio formats today.
— 7.1. The development of the idea of surround sound, laid down by the 5.1 format. In addition to the standard six-channel configuration (centre, front pair, rear pair and subwoofer), it provides two more speakers. The place of their installation may be different, depending on the specific eight-channel sound scheme used: above the front or rear pair, in the form of a centre-rear pair, on the sides of the listener, etc. Anyway, eight-channel circuits allow more...accurate sound direction reproduction.
— 9.1. The most advanced version of acoustics found in motherboards today. Similar to 7.1, this standard includes 6 channels according to the 5.1 scheme plus additional speakers — only in this case there are four of them, which gives even more opportunities to expand the surround sound.
