Computer Case & Motherboard

A motherboard is a large circuit board inside your computer. All of the other individual components that make up your computer are connected to each other through the motherboard.

Essentially, the motherboard is the central component that allows all the other parts of your computer (the disk drives, the RAM memory, the keyboard and mouse, the video card, etc.) to all work together as one piece of electronic equipment.

The Role Of The Motherboard

The specific type of motherboard you have determines several things:

• Which type of computer processor you can use (Intel or AMD)
• How powerful your computer processor chip can be
• What type of RAM memory modules you can use (DDR, SDRAM, etc.)
• The maximum amount of RAM memory you can upgrade to
• How many add-in controller cards you can plug into your computer

As you can see, the decision of what type of motherboard will be inside your computer automatically determines the type or brand of components you can use in your system.

For example, if you choose a board that supports Athlon processors, you cannot upgrade to Pentium without getting a new motherboard. Likewise, if you get a motherboard that supports SIMM memory modules, you can't ever use the newer DIMM memory.

Questions To Ask About Motherboards

When you buy a pre-built computer from one of the major computer manufacturers, like HP, Dell, Gateway, IBM, etc., you should look at the type of motherboard they used to build the machine. You will mainly want to evaluate the following:

• Which brand of processor do they support, Intel or AMD?
• What is the fastest processor you will be able to upgrade to?
• How many memory slots does it have and what type are they?
• Does it have an AGP expansion slot for AGP Video Cards?
• How many expansion slots does it have (for networking, sound cards, etc.)?
• What type of hard drive controller does it have (EIDE, SCSI, etc.)?

By knowing the answers to these questions before you buy, you can ensure you are purchasing a computer that supports the types of components you want to use, and which allows you to expand your computer's capabilities.

Types Of Computer Cases

The style of computer case you use is a completely matter of personal preference. You can either pick a mini-tower or full-tower case, which stands up straight, or a desktop-style case, which lies flat. The choice of which case style you choose will depend on the amount of personal space you have on your computer desk.

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