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If I'm buying a pre-built PC, what kind of mobo should I be looking out for?
- Thread starter NO!R
- Start date
For Intel, you want a Z### mobo.
For AMD, you want a B350 or X370 mobo.
In either case, these are the ones that allow you to overclock, which adds a lot of extra life to your CPU in gaming situations.
After that, you want to look at the VRMs, making sure they have heat sinks over them, and if you can, find out whether they're quality VRMs or not.
For AMD, you want a B350 or X370 mobo.
In either case, these are the ones that allow you to overclock, which adds a lot of extra life to your CPU in gaming situations.
After that, you want to look at the VRMs, making sure they have heat sinks over them, and if you can, find out whether they're quality VRMs or not.
It's hard to recommend specifics really, just really need to google the model included and check reviews. Make sure you're not getting some model meant for tiny budget miniatx cases in your 1080/6700k rig, though you don't need an absolute monster if you're in the pre-built market. A lot of these prebuilts skimp on the MOBO and power supply so if they are unlisted, beware.
OP
OP
You don't, but sometimes they are listed, or you can ask in store and decide with some specs in mind.
I know CPU socket sizes shrink every other year for instance, so there's no way to future proof there.
You can go with AMD's Ryzen stuff, since they've committed to AM4 until 2020.
Pretty much what McQueen said. Just a couple minor additions:
Number of M2 (2) and SATA 6 ports (4-6), so you can add drives down the road. Games are getting bigger.
If you plan to go down the Intel route: z-series mainboard are the only ones that support "faster" DDR4 ram, so make sure to get something with more then just ddr4 2133 if your prebuild comes with a z-board.
If you go down the AMD route: Both B350 and X370 support faster DDR 4 ram. Fast RAM helps with CPU loads and is sometimes as effective as a medium overclock, both on AMD and Intel systems.
If you plan to use analog headphones with your system, look out for a good on board soundchip. Something like the Realtek ALC S1220A (or better), it's able to produce clearer and better sound then the standard ALC892. But if you plan to use an USB headset or HDMI Audio... don't bother.
For the rest: It's up to you, perfromance is mostly similar this days. Overclockability, visuals and features are the main differences today. Do you need on board WiFi? Bluetooth? Two LAN ports? LEDs? How many fan connectors do you need? etc.
Number of M2 (2) and SATA 6 ports (4-6), so you can add drives down the road. Games are getting bigger.
If you plan to go down the Intel route: z-series mainboard are the only ones that support "faster" DDR4 ram, so make sure to get something with more then just ddr4 2133 if your prebuild comes with a z-board.
If you go down the AMD route: Both B350 and X370 support faster DDR 4 ram. Fast RAM helps with CPU loads and is sometimes as effective as a medium overclock, both on AMD and Intel systems.
If you plan to use analog headphones with your system, look out for a good on board soundchip. Something like the Realtek ALC S1220A (or better), it's able to produce clearer and better sound then the standard ALC892. But if you plan to use an USB headset or HDMI Audio... don't bother.
For the rest: It's up to you, perfromance is mostly similar this days. Overclockability, visuals and features are the main differences today. Do you need on board WiFi? Bluetooth? Two LAN ports? LEDs? How many fan connectors do you need? etc.
OP
OP
Yeah, I'm reading up on the anatomy of a mobo and MOSFETs and VRMs are losing me lol.
I feel like I need a degree in electronics to understand overclocking and how "cleaning and phasing" fluctuations in voltage aid or undermine this.
OP
OP
Thanks. I have a pair of Senn HD650 so I'd like to make the most of those.
So, DDR4 is the faster RAM nowadays? Is GDDR5 exclusively for GPUs?
Sounds like AMD is the way to go.
It depends on the setup. The lower price ones probably won't, but the ones in the $800+ range have a decent shot, depending on the company.
Well, this video is pretty good at explaining what is and isn't good in the B350/X370 mobos:
That said, Buildzoid, who's primarily about absurd competition overclocking, kinda glosses over boards in the $150 range that are good enough for the average overclocker, like the Fatality X370 Gaming X.
Yes, DDR4 is the ram that is being used for modern systems and yes Gddr is mostly being used for GPUs. But I meant DDR 4 clocks. They go from 2133 up to 3833 or even 4000. I'm not sure atm. Fast ram clock speeds are helpful in many games, especial CPU bound ones (more or less). It's worth to look at them because pre builds mostly go for ddr4 2133 or 2400. I'd recommend something in between 2800-3200.
OP
OP
