The motherboard is considered the main component in
computers, whether desktop or laptop, being, as the name suggests, linking the
computer components from the processor to the graphics card to the RAM. Like
any piece of hardware, motherboards differ among themselves in terms of
specifications, size or the Form Factor, and therefore you will ask yourself,
is the interest in choosing the best motherboard really important, or can it be
ignored in favor of buying the most powerful processor or graphics card? Let me
answer this question in detail below.
Over the past years, computer motherboards have
undergone a number of major improvements and changes, but their primary task
remains, as I mentioned, to connect the various hardware parts. In other words,
the motherboard is responsible for providing the processing power to manage
data flow between computer parts such as the processor, graphics card, RAM, and
storage, before the development of processors from Intel and AMD to help the
motherboard manage the rest of the connected components, which means that the
modern CPU is now able to determine the speed and efficiency of data flow
between it and the rest of the pieces. The motherboard still allows for
additional connections to the built-in peripherals and expansion slots, but the
main performance is determined by the CPU.
Relationship of the motherboard to the performance of the computer
الترجمة طويلة جدًا ولا يمكن حفظها.
The
question remains, does the motherboard have anything to do with performance?
The short answer is no, not directly. To clarify, we will assume that you used
a high-performance, modern-generation processor, such as the Intel Core i9
class, as well as a top-class graphics card such as the RTX 3080, large RAM,
and SSD M.2. Of course, these specifications are expected to obtain
extraordinary performance from them, but if we now assume that you used these
components with an expensive motherboard and a cheap one, will the performance
be the same in both cases? Of course not, as both boards offer the same minimum
performance assuming that they each have the same minimum performance
standards.
But
although the answer was no, it is possible to find two motherboards that
support the same processor generation, graphics card and the rest of the parts,
but they differ in terms of performance, and the reason behind this is that one
of the motherboards will occupy those parts with low performance depending on
the limit supported by the motherboard, and the other will run the same parts
but with high performance because each board has different edges.
For
example, devices that connect to the PCIe ports on the motherboard such as M.2
SSDs and graphics cards often support older versions of the PCIe standard, so
if you buy an M.2 SSD that supports PCIe 4.0 but the motherboard supports PCIe
3.0, the storage It will work but at the maximum performance supported by PCIe
3.0 on the motherboard.
Overclocking scenario
Overlocking
is defined as the process of running the basic parts of the computer such as
the processor or graphics card at a faster rate than the limit for which it was
designed. There are parts that support this type of operation so that their
speed can be safely and naturally overclocked, such as Intel processors whose
name ends with the letter "K", but the overclocking process for any
of these parts means a higher power consumption rate as well as more heat
generation, and therefore in the event that the cooling of the motherboard is
not Well, you will run into many problems as a result.
High-end
motherboards contain additional cooling components for the board itself, and
have the ability to manage power more efficiently while connected to the
components, along with plenty of options to fine-tune the overclocking process.
Therefore, your choice of motherboard has a significant impact on whether you
want to overclock the hardware components to take advantage of the maximum
performance you reach. If you buy motherboards of the economy or middle class,
you will not find those features even if the processor or graphics card
supports the overclocking.
In
a context related to the case of overclocking, we find that modern CPUs and
graphics processors can break the basic performance limit automatically,
without user intervention, according to the energy efficiency of the computer
and its thermal capacity, and it seems as if the new processors contain a
sensor that can detect the state of the device As a whole, if it finds that the
rest of the components, including the motherboard, are suitable for overclocking
without negatively affecting the stability of the device, it will do so on its
own. Thus, these processors will not reach a high level of performance if you
use a cheap motherboard.
We conclude from the above that motherboards do not
directly affect performance on their own. The processor, graphics card, random
access memory, and the motherboard are pieces within the puzzle, and each piece
has a role and collectively affects performance.
How do I choose the perfect motherboard
It is now clear that your choice of parts
determines the performance that you will get. When you choose a processor with
high specifications, as well as graphics cards, RAM, and storage units, all of
them provide high performance that suits the tasks you will perform, you must choose
an appropriate motherboard that offers the ability to run these parts with
satisfactory performance or at least as expected Of which.
In addition to choosing the appropriate board, it
is necessary to take into account the future upgrades of the computer
components, meaning that the processor you chose is compatible with the
motherboard you chose, but if you want to upgrade the processor in the future
and replace it with another of a higher generation, the motherboard must
support the standards of this new generation, otherwise You will have to change
the whole motherboard or you can use the new processor but you will not get the
highest performance from it.
So if you intend to buy a motherboard that can last
for years and allow successive upgrades every period, choose a motherboard of
the highest category, even if its cost is higher, and you must pay attention to
the number of ports on the board so as not to fall into the problem of not
having enough ports when you bought other components .
In the end, it depends on your needs. If you only
want the high performance you want, choosing the motherboard is not as
important as choosing the rest of the components such as the processor and the
graphics card, and all you have to do is choose a motherboard that is
compatible with them, but if you want to enter the world of overclocking and
paying components The device is to the maximum and choosing a suitable
motherboard for that will be very important.
In conclusion: Although the motherboard does not
directly affect performance, it is, as I mentioned at the beginning of the
article, the backbone of your computer. Without it, the computer will be just
useless pieces and parts, and therefore choose the appropriate motherboard for
the size of the tasks you want your computer to do as well as be Compatible
with the rest of your components.