How to choose right intel Motherboard?

Not many people would doubt that Motherboard is one of the most important component of your PC, It's the core which connects and interlinked every other component through delicate circuits, having a good, reliable motherboard for your build should be the prime priority.

Now either you are a first time PC builder or an old timer, You can't shy away from the struggles of choosing a compatible, affordable motherboard with the room for future upgrade. In most cases your choice trickles down to your budget constraints but sometimes spending a bit more can get you much more value for every cent.

Here I will step by step lay-out your road to choosing the right Mobo.

COMPATBATILITY

FIRST THING FIRST! You need to know what socket type of motherboard you need. For that either you can simply look up at the manufacture label on processors packaging for socket type (LGA 1151) in this case.

Or you need to look up at the face of your processor, though socket type won't be written here, You need to look for the CPU number and then correspond it to the generation. The generation of the processor is the first number after the processor name: i7, i5, i3.

Example: In i7-7700 the first number after i7 is 7 hence it's 7th generation processor. Now you need to simply need to know what socket 7th generation also known as Kabylake processor belongs.

CPU GENERATIONS AND THEIR SOCKET TYPE:

Here are the generation of Intel core CPUs and what socket they belong. Now you need to know that one socket type of motherboard comes in different chipsets with different advantages over the other but all of them are compatible with your CPU as long as your CPU generation belongs to that socket type.

LGA 1156: Supports 1st Generation (Nehalem). Usually used for earliest i5, i7 and celerons. Buy motherboard only with chipset: H55, P55, H57, Q57

LGA 1155: Supports both 2nd & 3rd Generation (Sandy & Ivy bridge).

Hint: Their processor number starts with iX-2XXX or iX-3XXX. Buy motherboard only with chipset: H61, B65, Q65, P67, H67, Z68, B75, Q75, Z75, H77, Q77, Z77.

LGA 1150: Supports 4th Generation (Haswell). Hint: Their processor number starts with iX-4XXX. Buy motherboard only with chipset: H81, B85, Q85, Q87, H87, Z87, Z97, H97.

LGA 1151: Supports both 6th & 7th Generation (Skylake & Kabylake). Hint: Their processor number starts with iX-6XXX or iX-7XXX. Buy motherboard only with chipset: H110, B150, Q150, H170, Q170, Z170, B250, Q250, H270, Q270, Z270.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

Now that we have discussed in detail the compatibility, We can now move to highlight some important factors to consider in motherboard.

FORM FACTOR:

The size of motherboard is obviously the very next thing you should consider after determining the compatibility, this would simply depend on the size of your chasis or PC case. ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ATX are the most common types.

RAM SLOTS:

More the slots are better, it's simple as it is. Commonly motherboard comes with two or four slots. I would advice you to always go with the four slots if it's available. Even if you don't have only two RAM modules now, you will have the room to upgrade in future.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Make sure that your motherboard has at least one PCI express x16 slot for your graphic card. Make sure it offers the SATA 6 gigabytes standard or SATA 3.0. All modern motherboards are given to have these.

EXTRAS FEATURES:

Motherboard that comes with built in features like integrated Wi-Fi card, Sound system, Bluetooth and good heatsink. Of course all that can come with a slightly bigger price tag.

there you have it!