Choosing The Right Motherboard Always Seems Difficult And Confusing For A Group Of Users. How Should We Choose The Best Motherboard To Buy Or Upgrade Our PC?

Suppose you have ever wanted to buy PC parts or have tried to buy them. In that case, you must have seen that Intel and AMD are the only manufacturers of PC processors in the world with conventional x86 architecture, and each has its processor sockets.

These sockets are updated and changed from time to time. The chips supporting each new generation’s processors may differ from the previous generation and may not support older models.

The variety of sockets, motherboard chips, and processors of each generation means that ordinary buyers, when choosing a processor for their system, need to know basic information about motherboards and the Chipset suitable for their desired processor.

Mainly technical information includes some manufacturer standards and different technical and side specifications.

Here we will address these differences and points that should be considered when choosing compatible processors and motherboards.

The socket on AMD and Intel processors

The processors of the last few years made by Intel are of the pinless type ( Land Grid Array or abbreviated LGA ), and the processors made by AMD are of the pin type ( Pin Grid Array or abbreviated  PGA). Therefore, each has its sockets. Naturally, these sockets are incompatible, and it is not even possible to mistakenly install an AMD processor in a motherboard socket belonging to an Intel processor.

But sometimes, there is a possibility that, for example, an AMD processor can be installed in a special AMD socket. Still, it does not work on that motherboard just because the BIOS of the motherboard does not support the said processor model.

Therefore, it is not the case that just by being able to install the processor on a board, its operation can be guaranteed. Each processor is only compatible with a specific set of chips, which you should be aware of before buying and consider the differences between them and the target market of each one.

The Chipset on the motherboard

The Chipset or Chipset in the system is a set of electronic components placed in an integrated circuit or IC that controls data flow between the central processor, memory, and peripheral components. Also, chipsets are usually designed to work with a specific series of processors of one or more generations.

Z490 chipset design and capabilities diagram

In traditional x86 computers, the main communication bridge of the processor with the rest of the system components was through the northbridge embedded on the motherboard, thus directly managing the communication between the CPU and RAM and the high-speed busses connected to it, such as the AGP or PCIe slots. And controlled and therefore had a vital and decisive role in the system’s speed. But today, the Chipset’s north bridge, or Chipset, has been moved inside the processor to perform its tasks with much less delay and a faster rate.

AMD introduced this change by releasing the Athlon 64 processor digit and moving the memory controller into the processor. But some operations that could not be done directly by the north bridge were assigned to the south bridge.

Slower components of the system, such as SATA and USB ports, are among the parts of the system that are still controlled by the south bridge, and the connection of the south bridge with the north bridge is through a  PCI bus or DMI  (abbreviation of Direct Media Interface, which is very similar to PCI) Express)  is established.

With the advancement of processors and the introduction of faster standards, the control of the graphics card bus was also removed from the tasks of the north bridge and moved inside the processor.

Therefore, the processor could control the graphics card directly, leaving less work for the north and south bridges. Thus, the manufacturers decided to merge the functions of these two chips and provide a single chip for it.

This single chip is now called PCH (short for Platform Controller Hub) and is produced as a single chip in all modern motherboards with new processors, but it is still quite common to use the chipset name for it. Course, the PCH chip has been recently embedded with the central processor in mobile processors, so its installation and use in integrated boards and limited space are less expensive.

Intel-compatible chipsets

The modern era of popular Intel processors began in 2008 after the launch of the Core series with Nehalem architecture. Since then, Intel has exclusively produced the set of chips needed for its processors, and the processors supported by these chipsets have been one or two generations from them. Here is a list of chipsets manufactured for Core processors.

AMD compatible chipsets

The new era of AMD processors began with the introduction of the Ryzen series with Zen architecture. Before that, Phenom processors were released in different models based on the K10 microarchitecture, but they were not very successful due to low efficiency and high consumption.

The 770/790X series chipsets were produced for the first generation, and the 870/970X series for the second generation Phenom series processors. Here is a list of chipsets compatible with Zen architecture and newer.

CPU and motherboard compatibility rules in PCs

The consumer needs to know which Chipset and motherboard are consistent with the processor he is looking for and, in other words, which Chipset supports this processor. They do. In the past decades, secondary companies such as VIA provided and produced proprietary chipsets for processors made by other companies. Still, for many years Intel and AMD each separately had peripheral chips compatible with each generation of their chips.

Old MSI motherboard for Pentium III processor, socket 370, and famous Via Apollo PLE133 chipset

Sometimes more than one chipset model is made for each generation of processors, which support a series of processors specific to the same age but differ in peripheral features. For example, Intel chipsets always support overclocking the processor and main memory, especially in high-end and expensive models such as the Z series (such as  Z390/Z490 ); they have the most significant number of SATA ports and peripheral ports such as USB 3.0, and more expansion slots with high speed.

They have complete The mid-range models come without overclocking capabilities but with the total number of peripheral ports ( H370/H170 ), and the low-end models ( H310/H110 ) always have the lowest bandwidth for peripherals and everything to be controlled via the south bridge. Are.

But regardless of the classification of chipsets produced for each generation of processors, it is essential to know that some chipsets can be used for two or more generations. Still, they are not subject to a specific rule in this case.

For example, AM, in this case, chipsets usually support two or three generations of processors (especially in the generation of Ryzen processors). Still, there is a history that some Intel chipsets were only suitable for one generation and one series of chips (such as Z390 for the ninth generation of Core i3-9100 processors ) . up to Core i9-9900K, which do not support 10th generation processors such as Core i9-10900K ).

Some chips, such as Z370 and B360, are from the 8th and 9th generations of Core series processors. They have been supported and available for purchase for at least two years for the latest processor models.

The latest generation of Asus motherboards with Z490 chipset for 10th generation Intel processors and LGA 1200 socket

It is not possible to consider a general and long-term rule to determine the compatibility of chipsets with each series of processors, and the best solution when buying is always to check the compatibility of the processor with the Chipset on the website of the processor manufacturer and the website of the motherboard manufacturer.

For example, for a 7th generation processor such as Core i3-7100, by searching on Google and referring to the Intel website, we find that motherboards that use 100 and 200 series chipsets such as H170 and Z270 are capable of lauan launch and valuable; these version of BIOS will be able to support our processor on the 100 series, which was released earlier than our processor on our motherboard; this is precisely the information that can only be understood in the Support section of the exact motherboard model on the manufacturer’s website.

Therefore, updating the motherboard’s BIOS is one of the things that, usually, when buying processors whose release year is newer than the motherboard release year, will be one of the necessary options for our PC to work correctly after complete assembly.

Which motherboards have better efficiency?

It is a common perception among many users that makes them choose expensive motherboards for PC use without considering their needs to get the best possible performance from the processor and other components.

In the distant past, when the memory controller was produced by various manufacturers and was located outside the processor, this was quite noticeable and proven because sometimes motherboards made with secondary chipsets and from other manufacturers had a lower efficiency than the motherboards. They had Intel with their Chipset. But for many years, this formula is no longer valid.

Today, we know the difference between different motherboards is only because of their peripheral features and the parts needed to implement them on the board.

Features include a more powerful power supply circuit for overclocking and higher quality electronic parts to withstand more heat, control chips for more sensors, audio Codec decoding chips for higher quality, and RGB lighting controllers installed in more expensive motherboards.

Efficiency chart of several Z490 motherboards from prominent manufacturers in 3DMark test and Time Spy test for DirectX 12

The difference in performance between a $150 motherboard and a $500 motherboard is not as big as the manufacturers try to make it out to be.

But where are manufacturers trying to advertise the exceptional efficiency of some of their flagship models in these differences? The difference in efficiency between a $150 motherboard and a $500 motherboard is not as big as the manufacturers are trying to make it out to be.

Test both of these motherboards and even other models from other manufacturers with precisely the same settings and only one processor in different benchmarks. You will see that the maximum difference will generally be in the range of 5-10%, and even though the results are not precisely the same, you can Evaluate overall performance at the same level, except in exceptional cases where the performance of storage or a peripheral is also involved in the test. Something remarkable has happened. A manufacturer has not optimized its motherboard for the best performance with a specific SSD or peripheral or has a model compatibility issue.

Some manufacturers also have a long history of secretly manipulating the settings and imperceptible overclocking of the processors installed on their motherboards to get higher ranks in the performance charts and show themselves superior to others.

One of these hidden optimizations can be called a slight increase in the base frequency or BCLK from 100 MHz to 100.4 or 100.5 MHz or even higher, which makes the processor’s operating frequency significantly increase.

For example, if the processor coefficient is 46, its working frequency will be 4600 MHz (46 x 100), but if the BCLK is increased to 100.5, the processor’s working frequency will be 4623 MHz, which may not seem like a big difference in the numbers. , but it can change some benchmarks even with a small and invisible distance.

Also, the values ​​related to the power consumption limit are another characteristic determined separately by the processor manufacturer for each model. Still, its implementation is the responsibility of the motherboard manufacturer.

In this optimization method, which is considered a type of cheat from the point of view of some experts, the time limit and a certain amount of power consumption in high frequencies that Power limits read are converted to higher or even absolute values ​​based on the decision of the motherboard manufacturer. For example, suppose a 125-watt processor wants to work at turbo frequency and with all its active cores.

In that case, its power will reach over 200 watts, which is not designed to withstand this amount of energy in the long term, so the working frequency must be increased to be reduced to the intended fuel.

But motherboard manufacturers can adjust their products so that the amount considered for Power Limit, or PL for short, is unlimited; the processor in this condition never decreases to a lower level over time,e and in this way, the efficiency obtained is much higher. It may seem that it is higher, but it has consequences.

The most significant consequence of this overt or hidden optimization will be an increase in power consumption and heat and, as a result, the possibility of instability in the operation of the processor.

Of course, there are always settings in the BIOS of motherboards to disable these changes and match the reference model of the CPU manufacturer. Still, many users of These differences are uninformed. They only complain about the high temperature of the processor during heavy loads and mistakenly consider Intel or AMD responsible for it.

How many high-speed USB ports do we need? How many expansion slots do we need on the motherboard? Or are we sensitive to the analog output quality of the motherboard sound card? All in all, what is more, importing attention to our priorities and practical needs in working with the system more than ever when choosing the correct motherboard and Chipset to pay attentive overclocking the processor or not, does using RAM with a higher frequency than the manufacturer’s standard help us increase our efficiency in specific software?

Is there an RGB lighting controller we need full color for fans with this feature? How many case fans should be controlled by the fan control connectors on the motherboard? These are all things that should be considered before buying a motherboard and when checking the specifications of the models.

At the same time, preferences such as familiarity and working experience with one manufacturer’s BIOS or the ability to use advanced settings in another manufacturer’s BIOS can also lead users to buy a product from a reputable brand.