How to choose a motherboard

[BlueWind]

I'm going to build a new rig soon and I'm quite confused with all the motherboards out there after making some comparison because they all seemed to be the same to me. Most likely I will get a LGA 1156 socket and as for budget, I still haven't decide it yet as I would like to know the differences of those different ranges of motherboard. I will be using this computer mostly for assignments and gaming (FSX being the most extreme). I don't do OC also but from what I see in Asus website, the motherboards with LGA 1156 all come with OC features and capabilities. I just want to make sure that I'm not paying some extra money for the features I don't really use.

What I really want to know is what do we look out for when choosing a motherboard?

Any advice given will be truly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[o1die]

I recommend you take a few minutes to download the motherboard manual and read parts of it before ordering. None of the board makers want you to return a board for any reason, so I wouldn't order one expecting to use the warranty. If you go budget, ecs is actually as good as any for support; they make about 3 million boards a year. Asus used to be the top dog, but some folks won't pay a premium for their brand anymore. I've had mixed results with all the brands for durability. Use a good power supply and take your time assemblying. If everything works, I wouldn't flash the bios.

 

[BlueWind]

Yeah, I do have a TX650W ready for my new build though.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[lopri]

Originally posted by: BlueWind
I'm going to build a new rig soon and I'm quite confused with all the motherboards out there after making some comparison because they all seemed to be the same to me.

This is quite true. On the flip side is you get to see a lot of blings as a means to differentiate prices.

You just to have to read reviews and forum opinions, and add your personal preference and experience to the mix. You really can't expect noticeable performance difference from boards based on same chipset.

 

[BlueWind]

I guess I have an idea now after hearing what you said. Thank you.

 

[MacAttack]

I jsut purchased an i7 960 with an ASRock P55 Deluxe. In hind sight, I should have just gotten the less expensive version. I was surprised at how nice it was. The thing that lead me to them is they are a US based company and good reviews from various sites. It is relatively inexpensive and solid quality (from the looks of it).

 

[BlueWind]

But what if I got a relatively cheap motherboard like P7P55D LE and have a GTX 295, will it have any impact on the performance? Or it will just be the same?