Hey all. I'm making my first build, and I don't know much about hardware. So, I know some basics, but not as much as I would like to know. I'm coming here to figure out how to know what is compatible with my motherboard. Motherboard: {X} From what I know, I'm sure I can use my processor (Phenom I) which uses a AM2+ socket. Now, does the chipset on the motherboard determine what kind of graphics card I need? For example, if it has an NVIDIA Chipset, must I get NVIDIA, can I get ATi? What is the North and South Bridge? What are memory channels? How does CPU determine what type of RAM is supported, and what is the difference between 1106 and 800 RAM? What are the PCI Express slots mainly used for? (CD Drives, etc.) Is the number next to SATA 3Gb/s the amount of hard drives it can support? (SATA SGb/s hard drives). It comes with an Audio Chipset. How do I get better audio? Sound card? Sorry if this is a lot guys. I just don't want to buy what won't work.
As long as the CPU and Motherboard socket match you're good to go. Nope. No matter what the chipset make, you can use any brand graphics card out there. And just to clarify, if your chipset was an NVIDIA, an ATI graphics card would work just as well as an NVIDIA graphics card. Chipsets have to do with your north and southbridge so read the next query for full information. This will explain it much more better than i can. Read it, it'll help you a great deal. I couldn't find myself what a memory channel was but i'm assuming its just a memory slot. More importantly though is that you understand that its not the CPU that determines what kind of RAM you may use but is determined by your Motherboard. Your motherboard determines the type (DDR2, DDR3, etc) and speed (1066, 800 etc and i'll explain later) of RAM it supports. Now for an explanation on speeds, check this sticky out. PCI Express slots (also known as PCI-e) come in a variaety of speeds and sizes (1x, 2x, 4x, 8x and 16x). All have much greater bandwidth than basic PCI slots (slower, now older white slots). Newer motherboards will typically only have a 1x and 16x slot. The fastest and most largest slot is the 16x slot. This slot is mainly used for Video cards as opposed to using the older, now almost obsolete "AGP" slot. The other 1x PCI-e slot can be used for almost anything such as Audio Cards, Network Cards, Controller Cards, Extension Cards, and even some lower end Video Cards. No. That number specifies the type of interface it uses. For example, your motherboard uses the SATA 3Gb/s and is compatible with SATA 3Gb/s interface hard drives. Keep in mind that 3Gb/s interfaces are backwards compatible with 1.5Gb/s (first SATA interface out on the market). Now, what does the 3Gb/s or 1.5Gb/s stand for? It stands for the speed at which data is transfered to and from your hard drive. Gb/s stands for Gigabits per second, not to be confused with Gigabytes per second (GB/s < notice a capital "b" stands for bytes). Wouldn't we all want a 3GB/s hard drive? In simplest terms, 3Gb/s is 300MB/s (Megabytes). This is currently the fastest interface out on the market. It's not necessary as audio chipsets, or, "onboard cards" these days are quite sufficient. In my opinion, you don't really need an audio card unless you plan on editing audio professionaly. Otherwise, it'll be a redundency. Take my word for it. I hope i've answered your questions, write back!
Thanks scorps! You've helped me more than I can imagine. Where it says on my motherboard Specs "CPU TYPE" and lists Phenom I, Athlon X2, etc. does this matter? If it doesn't list Phenom II can I still use it if its the same socket? Also, When I meant channels I was wondering what Memory Dual Channel was. In the motherboard specs, this is listed. Does this mean It has six connectors to SATA 3Gb/s hard drives? I was planning on adding more memory on later and was wondering if thats what it meant. SATA 3Gb/s | 6 Otherwise, you definitely helped me out here, thanks! Also wondering, I've seen people use two graphic cards before. How do they do this, and what are the requirements and limitations of it?
You're most welcome! If it doesn't list Phenom II can I still use it if its the same socket? Most likely, no. I should have stated that before and am sorry for misleading! So, in conclusion, make sure the socket types match AND make sure the CPU type is supported. In somple terms, Dual Channel memory is when RAM works together for faster performance. For example, when you install two sticks of RAM with the same values (speed, size) in Dual-Channel slots (most likely the first and third memory slot), this will ensure Dual-Channel performance. Yes, you have six 3Gb/s SATA slots which can be used for Hard Drives and also CD/DVD drives. This is called "SLI", for NVIDIA cards, and "CrossFire", for ATI cards. The only way you can do this is with a motherboard that has 2 or more PCIe 16x slots. Today, you can add as much as 3 cards (3-way SLI)! Anyways, once the cards are installed you must connect the cards with the provided SLI connector (a small card). Once connected, you'll have the benefit of having twice as much performance as you would with one card. Your motherboard, unfortunately, only has one 16x slot.
not quite, if there are 6 ports (each port can suppport upto 15 devices by using port multipliers Source to identify the mobo & integrated components you could use PCWizard
Scorp, you've been awesome, thanks for helping me with this. I got it all figured out and determined that this will be my new build: Motherboard Processor Hard Drive (Will add more later, for now, 1 ) CD-Drive (2 of these) Power Supply Graphics Card Mouse Speakers Keyboard RAM Case Note: This is a gaming machine. Any Suggestions?
Thanks man, anytime. Nice build. I'd like to suggest one thing if i may. I would get this video card instead as it is new, cheaper, and also seems to have a better and more massive heat sink than the one you selected. Cheers!
Nice! Definitely. Only problem is, will this fit in my case? There are some reviews saying it doesn't fit in some Mid Tower cases.
Maybe so. But judging by the looks of your case, and because i have a mid tower and can fit my GTX 260, i'm sure it'll fit. Tried looking for the cards dimensions but couldn't find anything.
