Motherboard technology moves
extremely fast - it is tough to keep up with it if you don't constantly monitor
the market.
If you're building a state-of-the-art
PC for gaming, video editing or other some other function that requires
high-performance, then you should review this article to understand the latest
the Intel motherboard market has to offer.
So
let's get started! I've
consolidated a summary list of the top 5 Pentium motherboards which I recommend
for those building a PC.
And don't worry, these boards are all great performers - you won't go far wrong if you build your
Pentium system using them.
ASUS Rampage Formula 775 ATX
Intel Motherboard
This extremely popular
motherboard is really the talk of the town. First of all, it is cheap
compared to some of the other boards in this list. Couple it with the Intel
Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz LGA 775, and throw in 4 GB RAM to your machine -
and man, you'll be talking about performance with a capital P!
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel
Motherboard
The Abit IP35 Pro LGA 775 motherboard supports
the Intel Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium CPUs, and allows
up to 8 GB of RAM. All the standard features of a good motherboard are also there
- in-built video and audio, LAN support, USB 2.0 and serial ATA.
Another popular motherboard is the
Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775.
Yes, it has a long name but this is a no-nonsense super performer that any
computer builder should consider. Supports
Intel Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo
/ Pentium CPUs, 8 GB RAM and
delivers excellent performance and rock-solid stability.
Once a video card manufacturer, XFX has now
gone into motherboard manufacturing. And don't be fooled - they produce some
of the best nVidia SLI ready motherboards around. You can run two nVidia
graphics cards on this baby and it also supports all the latest Intel
Pentium motherboards, along with 8 GB RAM and a strong feature set.
I've always considered Gigabyte
to be one of the best Taiwanese motherboard manufacturers. They've done it
again with the GA-G31M-S2L LGA 775 Intel G31 motherboard. It supports Intel
Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium CPUs and has all the
features you need in a modern motherboard. The downside is
that it has only got support for up to 4 GB RAM - which may not be a problem
for some folks who don't intend to run on that much RAM.
Conclusion
OK - which of these
motherboards would I buy? The ASUS Rampage clearly stands out. If you're
interested in trying out a new motherboard brand, the XFX motherboard above
should also be one of your considerations. Ultimately, its your own decision - so consider what features you need
and your budget, then make an informed choice. Happy shopping!
Do
you want to build a low-cost but high performance gaming
computer? Then you might want to check out How To Build A
Gaming Computer For Under $1000. This eBook package will show you how to
build a gaming
computer for under $1000 - without compromising the quality of hardware and
gaming performance. Get step-by-step instructions and full picture
illustrations on how to install and configure every component in your new gaming
rig.
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Build
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