Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Clearly, you must base the selection of a chipset largely on the processor you choose and the
additional components you intend to install in the computer.
The chipset dictates what types of bus slots can be included on the motherboard. Most recent chipsets
include Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) and PCIe (PCI Express) slots only; if you have
Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) cards, they won't be
usable in any new system you build or buy.
If you really want in-depth technical information about the chipset in a given motherboard, I
recommend downloading its documentation (often called the
databook
). This documentation should
also help describe the Advanced Chipset Setup functions in your system's Setup program. With this
information, you might be able to fine-tune the motherboard configuration by altering the chipset
features and settings.
BIOS/UEFI
Another important feature on the motherboard is the basic input/output system (BIOS). This is also
called the
ROM BIOS
because the code is stored in a read-only memory (ROM) chip. There are
several things to look for here. Most BIOSs for desktop computers are supplied by one of the major
BIOS manufacturers, such as AMI (American Megatrends International), Phoenix, or Award (owned
by Phoenix). The BIOS is normally contained in a special type of reprogrammable chip called a
Flash ROM
or
EEPROM
(electrically erasable programmable read-only memory). This enables you
to download BIOS updates from the manufacturer and, using a program it supplies, easily update the
code in your BIOS. Before purchasing a motherboard, check to see whether the motherboard is well
supported and that the manufacturer offers downloadable BIOS updates. If you can't easily find BIOS
updates, drivers, and documentation for the board on the manufacturer's website, you might want to
choose a board from a different manufacturer that provides better support.
See the
Chapter 5
section, “
Upgrading the BIOS
,”
p.
274
.
You also need to verify that the motherboard and BIOS support both the processor you plan to install
initially and the processor you might upgrade to in the future. If the motherboard and chipset can
handle a new processor but the BIOS cannot, a BIOS upgrade may be available to provide proper
support.
The traditional BIOS is being replaced by the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), which
enables booting from 3TB hard disks and other features not possible with the traditional BIOS.
However, both UEFI and BIOS firmware require you to select the correct settings for your hardware.
See the
Chapter 5
section, “
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
,
”
p.
289
.
Memory
Main memory typically is installed in the form of dual inline memory modules (DIMMs). Two
physical types of main memory modules are commonly used in PC systems today, with several
variations of each. The main types are as follows:
• 240-pin DDR2 DIMMs
• 240-pin DDR3 DIMMs
Double data rate (DDR) SDRAM memory is an updated variation on SDRAM in which data is
transferred twice as quickly. DDR2 is an improved version of DDR that supports higher clock speeds
and lower voltages. DDR3 is the latest type of main memory on the market and is the most popular in
