A few ideas that may be of assistance in choosing a CPU and a motherboard.
Oct 07 '00
Can you imagine installing a Maserati engine into a 1964 VW Beetle? For one thing, the original VW transmission would be just a bit overwhelmed. Besides, there's the issue of where you would put all of that hardware!
When it comes to building a computer system, the first question should be: "What am I going to use this computer to do?" Once that question is answered, you can move on to the more mundane issues of motherboards, CPUs, video cards, etc.
Depending upon the designated purpose of the computer being built, you should consider these areas of functionality:
1.) Will the computer being doing a lot of number crunching? Are calculating trajectories for lunar missions?
2.) Will the storage and quick retrieval of large files be of primary concern?
3.) Am I concerned about making sure data files will be relatively bulletproof in the event of a hard drive crash?
4.) Is this machine going to be used to do a lot of graphics, such as heavy-duty desktop publishing or gaming?
5.) Will multi-tasking be heavy or light?
If you are doing some heavy-duty number crunching, such as running a CAD program, you will benefit from the fastest CPU and motherboard possible.
If you are using this computer primarily for data storage and retrieval, buy a less expensive motherboard and CPU, and put the savings into a really fast SCSI hard drive.
For bullet-proof file storage consider an array of SCSI hard drives along with a really good backup system, and again, don't blow your bucks on the latest and greatest motherboard and CPU.
Graphics? This poses an interesting dilemma. Generally speaking, graphics require a super fast video card with lots of memory, plus a fast CPU/motherboard combination, and a robust hard drive.
If you were doing a lot of multi-tasking (keeping a number of programs running simultaneously but only using one at a time) you would benefit from a lot of extra RAM. You might consider 384 Meg of RAM and a slower motherboard/CPU combination rather than spending your money on a really fast CPU and 64 or 128 Meg of RAM.
There are a number of other considerations. Suppose your primary goal is to connect to the Internet. You might be best advised to buy a moderate, middle-of-the-road motherboard/CPU combination, and spend your savings on a cable, DSL, frame-relay, or T-1 connection (as opposed to using a dial-up modem over your phone line.)
Some years ago I designed a system for a client containing a CPU that was about one-third the speed of the fastest than available. I took the some of the "savings", opting for the fastest available SCSI drive. One of my client's associates, who had a much "faster" system (in terms of CPU speed) couldn't believe that when running the same program (which was extremely storage intensive) his super fast machine was so much slower! Worse, the fast machine cost quite a bit more.
Now that I have provided some background information, let's go on to the topic of motherboard specs.
Slots:
Slots are the places into which you can plug in various cards. There are three basic types of slots: ISA, PCI, and AGP. The oldest variety is the ISA slot--compatible with ancient versions of MS-DOS, as well as various flavors of Linux. Even Windows can accommodate ISA slots, although you will generally suffer considerable degradation in performance by using an ISA card when a PCI or AGP card is available.
Video cards provide output to your monitor, and are typically AGP or PCI, although older video cards may be of the ISA variety. Linux does not generally support AGP cards. PnP (Plug and Play) PCI cards usually won’t work with Linux, either.
Some of the newest motherboards only have PCI slots with an AGP slot for the video card. If you want to run some flavor of Linux, this would not be a good choice in motherboards.
The speed of your motherboard is another important consideration. In fact, when considering motherboards, there are a number of various speed considerations. The CPU chip will be the fastest thing attached to your motherboard. It typically operates at some multiple of the basic speed of the motherboard. Depending upon the CPU chip you select, this could vary from as little as 2X and up.
When you purchase memory chips (RAM) for your motherboard, you can select from a variety of options. Typically, the base speed of the motherboard is set to operate at the speed of your RAM. If you elect to use PC100 SD-RAM modules, you would set the bus speed to 100 MHz (megahertz.) If you selected a 500 MHz CPU, you would set the CPU multiple to 5 times the bus speed.
As with any rule, there are exceptions. Careful research is required to make sure that the CPU, motherboard and RAM are compatible.
Another critical issue relates to your choice of hard disk drives. Numerous options exist. You could opt for some variety of SCSI drive, in which case you might want to consider a motherboard that has a built-in SCSI controller. If it doesn’t have one, you will need to plug a SCSI controller into one of the slots. SCSI drives and controllers are available in a variety of speeds. Expect to see terms like wide, extra wide, etc.
If you opt for an IDE drive, you once again need to deal with a speed issue. Ultra DMA runs at 66 MHz, while the basic standard is 33 MHz. Some motherboards will directly support the faster option, others require that you plug in a card to accommodate the faster drive.
Other components, such as modems, network cards, CD-ROM (read only) drives, CD-R (write once) drives, CD-RW (write more than once) drives, DVD drives, etc. don’t have a need for speed, and will work in virtually any motherboard.
In addition to the items mentioned, there are numerous other devices (usually sold in the form of cards) that you can incorporate into your computer. If you are building a highly specialized machine, you need to take into consideration the requirements of these cards. For instance, if you are designing a computer that will provide multiple inputs and outputs for some type of process, such as monitoring water temperature and controlling the flow of cold water and the control of various heating elements to raise the temperature, you will need to carefully consider all of the specifications of that card in terms of your overall system design.
If you run out of some type of slot because you need four ISA slots and there are only three available, you will need to redesign your entire system. The good news is that if you are building a fairly standard type of system, none of these issues will ever cross your path.
Above all, consider this certainty: whatever you find available and possible today, will undoubtedly change tomorrow. For instance, while Linux based systems do not typically support plug and play devices at the moment, that may all change in the near future, especially if Linux is to continue to exist, and motherboard manufacturers eliminate ISA slots entirely. Conversely, card manufacturers may begin to offer jumpered PCI cards.
As I look into my crystal ball, the only thing that I can predict with absolute certainty is change, change, and lots more of it!
In the end, the only important consideration is that your system works, and performs reasonably well. I can only suggest that you look at the weakest points in the chain you are welding together, and attempt to balance all of the links in a cost-effective manner.
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Member: Glenn Ordell
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I wear numerous hats: computer guru, wood worker, musician, teacher, business owner.
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