Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 3
CPU and Motherboard
Now that we have a case to contain our PC parts and a power supply to
electrify them, we're ready for the computer's heart and soul, the central
processing unit (CPU) and motherboard (MOBO). These are the most important
parts in a PC and they are also the most sensitive to damage. But as long as
you take care in eliminating these variables from the equation, your CPU and
MOBO installation and operation should proceed smoothly. As a reminder,
you'll see the caution indicator next to the sections where you need to take
extra care.
Speaking of steps, there are a lot to follow in this chapter. In addition to
attaching the CPU to the MOBO, we will be mounting the MOBO inside the
PC case. We'll also attach a cooling fan to keep the CPU from overheating.
There are lots of wires to connect, so it's best to read through this chapter
before tackling the assembly of your own PC. That way you will be better
prepared to complete the challenging and delicate tasks discussed in this
chapter. We will begin by choosing the CPU to use for our computer.
A CPU for Today and Tomorrow
For our PC build, I recommend basing the system on the Intel i7-4770K
processor. 1 This very popular CPU represents the best price-for-performance
value proposition. It runs at 3.5 GHz and can easily be overclocked (see
Overclocking , on page 87 , for more details) to run at speeds 3.9 GHz and
faster. It has four cores, allowing today's multiprocessing applications such
as high-end graphics programs, video editors, and complex games to run
blazingly fast. In fact, most top game titles being released this year recommend
using the i7-4770K CPU for ultra-level performance and compatibility.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search