Computers:Motherboard
From ProPHOTO WIKI
Contents |
Introduction
An often overlooked component of a computer, the motherboard is the glue that holds all of the other parts together. There are several important components placed on the motherboard itself, which are covered in the following sections.
Processor Socket
The socket is the physical interface that your microprocessor will use to communicate with the rest of the computer. This socket determines many aspects of the system's operation, however the most critical part is determining which processors may be used with a system.
Current Sockets
- AMD
- [[Socket AM2+]] - Mainstream socket that is both forwards and backwards compatible with Socket AM2, but adds a faster interconnect (Hypertransport 3.0) and improvements to power delivery.
- Socket AM2 - Mainstream socket that adds DDR2 support to the Althon64/Athlon64 X2 processor line. Designed to replace Socket 939.
- Socket S1 - Mobile socket designed for use with DDR2-based Turion processors. Designed to replace Socket 754 in laptop computer systems.
- Socket L1 (aka Socket 1207FX) - New socket designed by AMD as part of the Quad FX platform. Used for high-end desktop processors like the Athlon 64 FX series.
- Socket F (aka Socket 1207) - AMD's socket for workstation and server based processors. Designed for use with high-end registered memory.
- Intel
- LGA 775 (aka Socket T) - Intel's current processor socket designed to function with all modern Core 2 Duo, Pentium D and Pentium 4 microprocessors.
- Socket M - Socket used by the mobile variants of the Core 2 Duo processor line. Designed to replace Socket 479.
- Socket P - A new socket used in Intel's newest line of mobile Core 2 Duo processors (based on the Santa Rosa platform). Will eventually replace Socket M, however it has just entered the market at this juncture.
- LGA 771 (aka Socket J) - The workstation and server variant of the LGA 775 socket used for 5000-series Xeon microprocessors.
Legacy Sockets
- AMD
- Socket 939 - AMD's DDR-based socket for their Athlon64/Athlon64 X2 line of processors. Note that Socket AM2 processors will not function in this socket.
- Socket 940 - AMD's DDR-based socket for Opteron 2xx and 8xx-based multiprocessor systems.
- Socket 754 - AMD's socket for low-cost Athlon 64 processors using single-channel DDR memory configurations. Not commonly used at this stage.
- Intel
- Socket 478 - Intel's previous generation socket used for desktop Pentium 4 systems.
- Socket 479 - Socket used to support Intel's Pentium M and Core Duo/Solo mobile processors.
- Socket 604 - Intel's older socket used in multiprocessor Xeon-based computers.
Chipset
The central electronic component on the motherboard, the chipset handles communication between the major components of the computer, allowing them to exchange data in an efficient manner. As such, it is critical to many aspects of performance and stability so it is not something to be overlooked.
- AMD Desktop Chipsets
- nVidia nForce 680a - nVidia's high-performance Socket L1 chipset for the multi-processor AMD Quad FX platform. Note that motherboards based on this chipset will not be compatible with conventional Socket AM2 processors.
- nVidia nForce 590 SLI - nVidia's top-of-the-line desktop chipset for Socket AM2 processors. Supports advanced functionality including the ability to support two full PCI-E X16 slots.
- nVidia nForce 570 SLI - nVidia's mid-level desktop chipset providing many of the core features that users will need. Supports two graphics cards at PCI-E X8 speeds.
- nVidia nForce 570 Ultra - Similar to the above, however motherboards using this chipset will generally not support a second graphics card.
- nVidia nForce 500 SLI/Ultra - nVidia's mainstream chipset that provides a smaller feature set than the above options, however it will often come at a significantly lower price.
- AMD Workstation Chipsets
- nVidia nForce Professional 3600 - nVidia's workstation-oriented chipset for multi-processor Socket F-based Opteron systems.
- nVidia nForce Professional 3050 - Optional chipset that can accompany the 3600 on a single motherboard to increase functionality. Note that boards using this combination require both processor sockets to be occupied to access all available features.
- nVidia nForce Professional 3400 - Single-socket workstation-oriented chipset for Socket F-based Opteron systems.
- nVidia nForce Professional 3600 - nVidia's workstation-oriented chipset for multi-processor Socket F-based Opteron systems.
- Intel Desktop Chipsets
- Intel X48 - Intel's top-of-the-line desktop chip, providing general performance improvements over the X38 chipset.
- Intel X38 - Intel's replacement for the 975x, bringing support for DDR3, 1600MHz FSB and PCI-E 2.0 to the high-end.
- Intel G35 - Variant of the P35 chipset that adds integrated DirectX 10 graphics support to the chipset.
- Intel Q35 - Business-oriented variant of the G35 chipset with additional management capabilities for use on large networks.
- Intel G33 - Variant of the P35 chipset that adds basic integrated graphics support to the chipset.
- Intel Q33 - Business-oriented variant of the G33 chipset with additional management capabilities for use on large networks.
- Intel P35 - Next generation mainstream chipset for Intel processors, adding support for DDR3 memory and 1333MHz front-side busses.
- nVidia nForce 780i SLI - High-end chipset for desktop Intel Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Quad processors. Provides advanced functionality including support for three full PCI-E X16 slots. Replaces the nForce 680i SLI.
- nVidia nForce 650i SLI/Ultra - Mid-range nVidia chipset for desktop Intel Core 2 Duo processors. SLI variant provides support for two PCI-E X16 graphics cards (at PCI-E X8 speeds).
- nVidia nForce 590 SLI - Mainstream chipset for desktop Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Provides support for two full PCI-E X16 slots.
- nVidia nForce 570 SLI - Mainstream chipset for desktop Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Provides support for two PCI-E X16 graphics cards (at PCI-E X8 speeds).
- Intel Workstation Chipsets
Upcoming Chipsets
Legacy Chipsets
- AMD Desktop Chipsets
- AMD Workstation Chipsets
- nForce Professional - nVidia's workstation-oriented chipset designed to work with AMD Opteron processors.
- AMD 8000-series - AMD's in-house chipsets designed for high-end workstation and server applications.
- Intel Desktop Chipsets
- Intel 975x - Intel's previous high-end desktop chipset for their own microprocessors. Has recently been replaced by the X38 chipset.
- Intel G965 - Variant of the older 965 chipset with integrated graphics.
- Intel 965 - The predecessor to the P35 chipset.
- Intel 955x - The predecessor to the 975x chipset.
- Intel 945x - Intel's mainstream desktop chipset, offering many of the features of it's more expensive bretheren.
- nVidia nForce 680i SLI/LT SLI - The predecessor to the high-end nForce 780i SLI chipset.
- nForce 4 SLI X16 - nVidia's top-of-the-line desktop chipset offering two full PCI-E X16 slots.
- nForce 4 SLI - One of nVidia's high-end chipsets for desktop motherboards, supporting up to two graphics cards (at X8 speeds).
- nForce 4 - nVidia's chipset for mainstream desktop motherboards.
- Intel Workstation Chipsets
- Intel E7xxx-series - Intel's in-house line of workstation chipsets.
Hard Drive Controllers
Often supported through the chipset, these are the links that tie the computer to the hard drives in the system. While all controllers have the same basic functionality, there are a number of additional features that may be useful.
RAID Support
Many modern motherboards come with built in support for using RAID arrays to configure multiple hard drives to act as a single unit. Depending on the mode selected, this can improve performance, protect data or some combination of the two.
Most built-in controllers support RAID 0 striping and RAID 1 mirroring, however a number of newer offerings are adding support for more advanced RAID modes such as RAID 5. Many of Intel's newer chipsets also support their proprietary Matrix RAID technology to allow more flexible configurations. Please read the RAID article for more information on these topics.
