Probably the two most major components of your motherboard are the socket, and the memory slots (also known as DIMMs, which is short for dual in-line memory modules). Generally speaking, the CPU & memory you want will generally dictate the motherboard you’re going to get, or, if you already have your heart set on a specific motherboard, it’ll dictate what CPU and memory you’ll have to get. Unlike PCI/PCIe/AGP connections, memory slots, and more specifically sockets, are limited in terms of what types of CPUs and RAM (random access memory, also known as simple memory) sticks they support.
Socket:
The socket is what lets you slide in a CPU, depending on which brand and type of CPU (Intel/AMD), the socket will either be a blog of plastic with lots of holes, or it’ll be a metal bracket with hundreds of pins sticking out in the middle. The way a CPU is connected to the motherboard is by pressing up the pins of the motherboard or CPU against the other, thereby creating contact between all the pins. Each CPU has a socket type, and each socket type is individual to the manufacturer of the CPU. Intel use sockets 775, 1366, and 1156 as of this article’s writing (though there’s plenty more from previous CPUs), while AMD have the AM2, AM2+, and AM3 sockets currently on the market. Each of those sockets are non-interchangeable, except for certain motherboards which support multiple AMD sockets.
For the most part, it’s a good rule of thumb to have a general idea as to what CPU to get before choosing a motherboard, or vice versa. Keep in mind that different sockets will also dictate what type of memory will be required.
Memory:
As mentioned above, most sockets only support a certain type of memory, for example, the 1366 socket only works with DDR3 memory, so all socket 1366 motherboards will be DDR3-only. The only real downside to memory type limitations (DDR, DDR2, DDR3) is cost & speed; DDR3 is faster than DDR2 which is faster than DDR, and likewise, DDR3 is the most expensive. However, the type of memory isn’t the only factor in terms of speed, as each type only has memory speeds, measured in Mhz, and in terms also have latencies which dictates the response time of read/write executions (this will be expanded in the memory article). Choosing the right memory type, with a decently fast Mhz rating & low latency isn’t the only worry though, as motherboards generally only support a certain range of memory speeds, designated in PC numbers (such as PC2-6400, PC3-12800) which don’t translate directly to Mhz speeds.
Tags: CPU, FSB, Motherboard, RAM - Memory, Voltage