A motherboard is the most important component of a computer or laptop. It regulates voltage, allows you to overclock both the CPU and the graphics card and it connects all the components together. With a low-quality motherboard, there may be several problems that may affect the functionality of your device. Accordingly, Jumia, the online store you can trust, shares some pointers on choosing the right motherboard that fits your needs.

Chipsets

Chipsets are the main chips that get fitted into motherboards and they allow a certain number of features to work. The number of the latest features usually refreshes in the latest chipsets as new technology gets introduced and both Intel and AMD motherboards have their range of chipsets to choose from. Some chipsets allow the use of integrated graphics while Other chipsets allow more Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) express lanes to drive more graphics cards.

Number of ports and slots

A motherboard is essentially a large hub where all of your computer’s components plug into so that they can work together to deliver your on-screen experience. The more ports your motherboard has, the more components you can plug into it. And, while plugging more components into your motherboard doesn’t necessarily result in improvement in performance, more ports does give you some more options.

Size

When buying a motherboard, know that the size of a motherboard has a direct impact on the number of features that can be packed into the board. For example, some smaller motherboards only have two slots for memory.

CPU Socket

Sometimes, when Intel or AMD release a new generation of CPUs, they also have to release a new generation of motherboards to accommodate the new CPUs. And, the CPU socket (the socket that the processor gets installed into on the motherboard) can be different from one processor/motherboard generation to the next.

Brand

Various manufacturers have great aftermarket services and their history in producing motherboards. Certain boards are known to be extra-compatible while others aren’t; so doing the right research can come a long way. Some top manufacturers of the motherboard are ASRock, Asus, Biostar. EVGA Corporation, Gigabyte Technology and MSI (Micro-Star International).