How to choose the processor for the motherboard and video card

An indispensable condition for a stable and continuous operation of a personal computer is the need to thoroughly select all components during assembly. This will not only minimize the number of possible failures, but will also save components from failure. So, any person collecting a system unit should have a clear idea of how to select a processor for the motherboard.

Installation method

The central processor is an ordinary microcircuit with a high degree of integration of electronic components. To turn it on you use a lot of thin legs-contacts. Previously, all manufacturers adhered to the same standard, according to which the above-mentioned legs were part of the chip (soldered at one of the stages of production). Such a constructive solution is called PGA. The processor was inserted by legs into a special socket-socket on the motherboard and mechanically fixed there. However, later Intel began to apply a different approach, in which the set of pins was located in the connector, and the processor had pads instead of legs at corresponding points. This made it possible to reduce the cost of production. This solution is called LGA. In both cases, the connectors are designed for a certain number of legs of the chip.

So, to find the processor for the motherboard, you need to determine the existing type of socket. There are three ways: by direct inspection of the board and searching for the name of the socket; Using instructions to the motherboard, where the type is indicated; Using the data from the manufacturer's website. Suppose that the board is designed for processors with a LGA 1156 socket. In this case, the models Core i3, i5, i7 from Intel will work for it.

Load

The microprocessor, being an electronic product, consumes a certain amount of power during operation. Within the same model range, with increasing frequency, energy consumption increases. That is, wanting to pick up the processor to the motherboard, it is necessary, again, to open the instruction to it and find an indication as to what permissible frequency the microprocessor can have. It is obvious that if the support of the solution with 2 GHz is declared, then the model of the 3 GHz chip is not recommended for the connector, since the power system can fail, taking with itself other components. This is usually indicated in the "Supported Processors" section.

Cooling system

Perhaps the answer to the question of how to choose a processor for the motherboard is best known to specialists from computer companies. Most often they perform the assembly of the unit and face all the nuances. So, having decided on the processor and got acquainted with its characteristics, it is necessary to examine the motherboard. There have been cases when on a frankly budget model buyers wanted to install a powerful microcircuit. Although the manufacturer of the motherboard indicated support for the chosen processor, an attempt to install an appropriate cooling system on the board (not basic, but effective) did not end well with anything. So, a large heatsink could block the nearest PCI-Express connectors, subsequent maintenance became much more complicated, etc. Thus, a person studying how to select a processor for the motherboard can be recommended to first compare the dimensions of the desired cooling system with the size of the motherboard.

Memory

All modern microprocessors include a memory controller. This allows you to achieve a significant increase in the speed of data exchange, eliminates the compatibility problem, simplifies the layout of the board. However, it is still possible to meet the solutions of previous generations, in which the memory module management chip is a separate chip located on the motherboard. Very often, such cards allow the installation of RAM slots of either of two types (for example, DDR2 and DDR3), these are transient models. When deciding how to choose a processor for the motherboard, and faced with such solutions, it is necessary to take into account that the card allows only one type of memory at a time. If the microprocessor is designed to work with DDR3, then they must be installed.

Feasibility

What's interesting is that choosing a motherboard for a processor is as important as choosing a central chip for a certain motherboard, which we'll show next. Selecting the components, it is important to observe the principle of parity, according to which the price categories of the processor and the boards should be appropriate. That is, by installing a productive microprocessor in a cheap motherboard, the owner will limit the capabilities of the system. For example, a system unit based on the ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX budget card for 2500 rubles. Should not be assembled with the AMD FX-9370 processor for 15 thousand rubles, since in this case only basic functions will be realized, and bonuses in the form of a mechanism for connecting several video cards, a faster version of SATA, memory size and frequency, etc. will be Support.

As an example, consider how to choose the processor for the motherboard Asus CROSSHAIR V FORMULA-Z. This is the top solution, the cost of which is about 14 thousand rubles. This motherboard can work with all processors with sockets AM3 +. In the specification, it states that it supports DDR3 memory -2400 MHz; SATA 6Gb / s; Mode SLI / CrossFire X. To fully unlock the inherent potential, you need a processor capable of working with 2133 MHz memory and designed for installation in Socket AM3 +. Since the board is of the upper price category, the microprocessor is recommended with a cache of the third level and a high frequency of operation. In this case, the principle of compatibility from the top down, that is, the board will be able to work with the entire line of AMD products, which has a corresponding socket (even if the controller supports 1333 MHz memory). To choose a motherboard for the processor can be planned for the future: to acquire a good motherboard and a budget CPU, which is later to be replaced with a more perfect solution.

Video adapter

It is equally important to understand how to choose the processor for the motherboard and video card. Having on hand a discrete video solution, the owner asks himself about the wise investment in the purchase of a microprocessor. Modern graphics applications, especially "heavy" (games), use the power not only of the video chip, but also of the central silicon brain. A mismatch in the performance of one component to another will result in one of them being idle for a part of the time, waiting for the completion of data processing by its "colleague".

The correct solution to this problem is to study the results of testing different processors with an existing video card. There is a lot of this data in the network. Studying the graphics, you can see that with each faster processor the final value of the testers increases. At some stage, growth becomes insignificant. The processor, at which this happened, is just the optimal for this motherboard and video card.

How to choose the processor for the motherboard on the laptop

Sometimes owners of laptops are given the problem of increasing the performance of their computing systems. This task is solved by replacing the processor. You need to determine the type of socket that the board supports, and pick up a replacement. In addition, the reference frequency of the old and new processors should be the same. It is also desirable that TDP also match (or was less). That is, instead of the Pentium M 730 (1.6 GHz), you can put the Pentium M 780 (2.26 GHz).