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Tuesday December 1, 2009 8:16 AM AEST
Skip Navigation LinksPC Authority > Features > The Ultimate PC Upgrade Guide - Part 1: Motherboards
The Ultimate PC Upgrade Guide - Part 1: Motherboards
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FEATURE

The Ultimate PC Upgrade Guide - Part 1: Motherboards

by Staff writers  on Jan 9, 2009
Tags: PC | Upgrade | Guide | motherboard
"I agree, Cyb, An upgrade of Mother Board can open up a path to progressive upgrades that can be done as the money becomes available. THAT gradual process gives one ownership of the computer ..."
 
Motherboards: What to look for

No matter what kind of motherboard you want, there are some universals that everyone should look for. The first is good design and layout. Switches, slots and connectors should be easily accessible and well labelled.

The BIOS should give you detailed control over the way the board works. Issues like this can be hard to judge by yourself, but the reviews in PC Authority can advise you. For a selection of our current recommendations, see the A List in the magazine and the website.

Another important issue is support. Some manufacturers’ support sites are difficult to navigate or lacking in resources. Others don’t have a dedicated site for the UK. Even if you’re only a casual computer user, at some point your motherboard may need a BIOS update. It’s crucial to have confidence that your board will be supported for its whole lifespan.

If you’re a subscriber to PC Authority, you already have the Reliability and Service Awards 2008 in your armoury to see exactly how all the major motherboard makers rate for customer support. As a guide, Gigabyte won our Motherboard Award in part for its customer service, with Asus in close contention.

Motherboard Clinic


Your motherboard questions are answered here:

Q)I’ve installed my new motherboard and hooked everything up, but my PC says there’s no boot disk. What do I do now?

A)Boot into the motherboard’s BIOS (the manual will tell you how). Look under IDE or SATA in the BIOS for your hard disk. If it’s missing, turn off and try it on a different connector. Once the drive is detected, make sure that it’s enabled and selected as the first boot device.

Q) I’ve changed my motherboard but now my PC won’t start up at all. Help!

A) Listen carefully for a number of beeps after you turn the computer on; then turn it off again. The motherboard’s manual will explain the meaning of the beeps (some use lights instead). Overheating is one possibility, perhaps from having used too little thermal paste; or it could be a case of dodgy RAM. If there are no beeps, the problem could be a loose connection: try unplugging and reconnecting internal components, especially the CPU, RAM and any IDE drives.

Q) I’ve upgraded but why is my system now so slow?

A) In the BIOS, check that the CPU is set to run at full speed. There will probably be an option to ‘Load optimised settings’ that should do this for you. If your board has dual memory controllers, make sure you have two identical sticks of RAM, one on each.


- Continued next page -
This article appeared in the February, 2009 issue of PC Authority.
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Comments: 7
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
djaef
Jan 11, 2009 7:48 PM
Not to knock what is a very extensive article, but really, how often do we "upgrade"? In the course of 15 years and 5 pcs, the only upgrades I can remember are an extra stick of RAM once or twice and an extra hard-disk. Not to say it isn't widely done, but I think it's much more likely these days that we just put up with the beast for six months and then buy a whole new pc. I bought my current pc nearly three years ago, but already it's not a platform I'd consider upgrading. So many advances with m/boards and processors and the fact that after three years, many of the parts like hard disks and power supplies are nearing the end of thier lives means that upgrades don't make any sense. And of course, with the ever falling costs of pcs, it means that most people will just buy new.


Comment made about the PC Authority article:
The Ultimate PC Upgrade Guide - Part 1: Motherboards ?
Want to perform an extreme makeover of your system's motherboard, processor, memory or hard disk? We'll show you how.

What do you think? Join the discussion.
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Jan 11, 2009 9:22 PM
It depends djaef. Many people want the best of everything, others can't afford a whole new PC. A motherboard upgrade, really, means a new PC in most cases.
Nat.W¿LL¿
Jan 12, 2009 4:23 PM
i just inhaled a pringle. it really hurts!!
ahem..well the gamers always want the best of everything before everyone else. makes their penis grow another inch apparently because they are too young to drive 'big' cars. :-" so superficial this world we live in. its sad.
malai5
Jan 12, 2009 4:52 PM
Yeah Nat I agree.
What good is an extra inch when there is no where to make use of it.:lol:

Cheers

Malai5
Nat.W¿LL¿
Jan 12, 2009 5:21 PM
:O mal!! :shock:
haha excellent
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Jan 12, 2009 6:39 PM
That's an unfair statement, most gamers are in their 20s. Upgrading isn't just for gamers or enthusiasts either.
malai5
Jan 12, 2009 7:27 PM
I agree, Cyb,

An upgrade of Mother Board can open up a path to progressive upgrades that can be done as the money becomes available.
THAT gradual process gives one ownership of the computer instead of paying through the nose in interest payments if you just went out and put a new computer on plastic.
Plus, you get the satisfaction of learning how it all works by being a hands on builder.

Generally, as long as the socket is the same as your existing CPU, you can push that socket to the limit of CPUs that it will handle as most modern Mother Boards have flexible FSBs that cater for better CPUs and better RAM.

So, if one has to have the most up to date computer, NOW, there is a huge price to pay. However, if you are prepared to get there in stages it WILL be more fulfilling and cost far less.

Just remember, as in life, it's the journey that is important, not the destination.;)

Cheers

Malai5
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