ATX motherboards are the most common form factor of motherboards and also the one that gamers prefer the most. But are ATX motherboards good for gaming in the first place? Three main factors are to consider: expandability, value for money, and performance. ATX motherboards are great for gamers who prefer expandability and value for money. …
One of the most dreadful issues you can face with any PC is the infamous Blue Screen of Death. If you have been around computers for a long time, you may have experienced this at one point or another. Blue Screen of Death seems to appear randomly. It often happens when you have recently installed …
If your CMOS battery has died or you are curious, you may wonder what the little coin cell battery in the middle of the motherboard does. This may beg several questions, such as why have it in the first place and can computer run without a CMOS battery. The short answer is that a CMOS …
The SATA interface, one of the primary interfaces for connecting hard drives, has different versions—the most recent version being SATA 3. There is a vast difference between the different SATA interface/port versions regarding performance. So much so that SATA 3 ports on a motherboard are twice as fast as SATA 2 ports. Given this, people …
PCIe x16 slot is generally considered the fastest slot on a given motherboard. However, the actual speed of the x16 slot depends upon the version of the PCIe standard it conforms to. The reason for this is simple. With every new iteration of the PCIe standard, the per-lane speed doubles. Meaning a PCIe x16 slot …
Regarding motherboards, the general idea is to get the cheapest one with all the required features. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to the question, “how much should I spend on a motherboard?” instead, it all depends upon your needs. Motherboards can cost anywhere between $50 to $1500. Now unless you have particular needs, spending …
One of the most annoying problems you can face is your computer turning off randomly. You can be in the middle of some critical office presentation or close to your objective in your favorite game when your PC shuts down without warning. There are a lot of reasons that may cause this to happen. The …
If PCs have a dedicated graphics card with video connectivity, why do motherboards also have HDMI ports? Why have the redundancy? The answer to this question is simple. Motherboards have HDMI ports for connecting your monitor in case your PC does not have a dedicated graphics card. Many budget and non-gaming PCs out there lack …
If you look closer at your motherboard, it has a peculiar little coin cell battery similar to what you see on a watch. This begs the question, why do motherboards have batteries? Well, in the simplest terms, the battery you find on a motherboard is called the CMOS battery. It serves the unique and critical …
You can unlock the full potential of your CPUs through overclocking; however, to do so, you need to have the right tools, including the right motherboard. Hence you may ask, “Does my motherboard support overclocking?” Fortunately, checking whether your motherboard supports overclocking is quite simple. You can either check through the spec sheets of the …