New Motherboards from $115
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Prices last updated: 13 December 2008
Motherboard / Mainboard / M/B / Mobo / System Board
Intel LGA775
Gigabyte
Asus
Intel LGA1366
Gigabyte
Intel Socket 478 / AMD Socket A - Used
What do the abbreviations mean?
What is a motherboard and chipset?
Intel LGA775
for Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Quad / Pentium Dual Core
Gigabyte
1333 FSB,
2x DDR2-1066 |
115 |
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Nvidia 7100 / 630i - Integrated graphics |
|
154 |
|
Intel P45 / ICH10 |
|
206 |
|
Intel P45 / ICH10 |
|
221 |
|
Intel P45 / ICH10R |
|
264 |
GA-EP45-DS5 Intel P45 / ICH10R |
|
348 |
GA-EP45-DQ6 Intel P45 / ICH10R |
1600 FSB, 4x DDR2-1333 |
379 |
| GA-EP45-UD3R
Intel P45 / ICH10R |
1600 FSB, 4x DDR2-1333 |
264 |
Intel LGA 775
Asus
| P5V2-VM SE |
|
ask |
| P5Q SE/R Deluxe |
|
ask |
| P5E Deluxe |
|
ask |
- Not all Motherboards kept in stock, lead time approx 4-7 days
- Contact for pricing on other models/brands e.g. Intel, Foxconn
- Contact for pricing on new AMD AM2/AM2+ model motherboards
Refurbished Motherboards
Used / Second Hand for Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon
| Socket 478 for Intel P4 / Pentium 4 and Celeron CPUs up to 533 MHz |
79 |
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| Socket 478 for Intel P4 / Pentium 4 and Celeron CPUs up to 800 MHz |
contact |
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| Socket A / 462 for AMD Athlon XP, Thunderbird, Duron, Sempron CPUs |
89 |
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- 30 day warranty on refurbished or used Motherboards
What is a motherboard / socket / chipset?
The motherboard is the main printed circuit board in a computer. It contains sockets/slots that all other internal PC components are plugged into, either directly such as the CPU, graphics card and RAM, or with a cable such as the hard drive, power supply and power button on the front of your computer.
Sockets
The CPU/processor plugs into the socket of a motherboard. Current Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad and Pentium Dual Core CPU based motherboards use socket LGA775, officially known as Socket T, but the new Core i7/Nehalem CPUs use a different socket called LGA1366 or Socket B. Older Pentium 4 and Celeron PCs use Socket 478.
AMD, another CPU manufacturer and competitor to Intel, use Socket AM2 for their Phenom CPUs and newer Athlon 64 CPUs. Older Athlon 64s used sockets 939, 940 and 754. Socket AM2+ adds more features to AM2 but is compatible either way (you just lose any extra features). Socket AM3 has been delayed but should replace AM2 in 2009. Socket AM3 CPUs will work on AM2 motherboards but not the other way round, while DDR3 will also be supported along with DDR2 (not at the same time).
Chipsets
The computer chips on a motherboard which determine most of its capabilities and features is called the chipset. A motherboard will have 1-2 chipsets whose designs are given by the CPU manufacturer (e.g. Intel/AMD) to the motherboard manufacturer (e.g. Gigabyte/Asus) to make.
The motherboard manufacturer will then create different models based on these chipset reference designs. e.g. Gigabyte has the EP45 series of boards including GA-EP45-DS3, GA-EP45-DS4P, GA-EP45-UD3R, and many more, which are all similar in design but offer different features. These motherboards all based on the P45 (northbridge) and ICH10/R (southbridge) chipsets.
The motherboard's chipset mostly determines what other PC components/parts are compatible with a computer. The northbridge will accept only one type of CPU (in the socket), and determines the type of graphics/GPU and RAM that is usable. The southbridge connects the rest of the motherboard (to the northbridge) including ports for PCI expansion cards, hard drives, DVD/optical drives and USB, controlling most of the slower data I/O (in/out) functions on the motherboard.
Older PCs will have motherboards using chipsets which need DDR1 RAM, AGP graphics, IDE hard drives (no SATA), along with maybe an Intel Pentium 4 (Socker 478) or AMD Athlon XP (Socket A) CPU. Some PCs also have a mix of technology such as e.g. newer PCI-E graphics but use only older DDR1 RAM.
New PCs usually have motherboards using chipsets requiring DD2 RAM, PCI-E graphics and SATA hard drives (also most have at least one IDE port), along with a Dual Core CPU such as an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon64.
Recently released is the X58 chipset which uses all new DDR3 RAM and the new Intel Core i7/Nehalem CPU using socket LGA1366. The X58 still uses PCI-E graphics and SATA.
Future chipsets from Intel, due near the end of 2009, will use Nehalem based CPUs but with socket type LGA1156. This will be when Core i7 drops in price and goes mainstream, with dual-channel DDR3 and Dual Core CPUs in addition to the Quad Core.
Current Intel chipsets
Current chipsets for Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad CPUs include P45, G45, P43, G43, G31, X48. While the new X58 chipset is for new Core i7/Nehalem CPUs. The G indicates integrated graphics (e.g. on the GA-G31M-S2L ) while X are performance motherboards for high-end use.
The most popular chipset today (end of 2009) are called P45, which replaced the P35 chipset motherboards. The EP45 series of motherboards is a newer version of the P45 from Gigabyte indicating better Energy savings. The P43 cuts a off just a few features from P45 but other lower number chipsets such as G31 are much more basic motherboards.
Older Intel LGA775 chipsets were based on 965 and 945, but there were also some 945 chipsets which used the Pentium 4 Socket 478. The oldPentium 4 CPUs had chipsets such as 955, 945, 865, 840, 810 and many others.
Current chipsets from Nvidia include nForce/GeForce 610i/7050, 630i/7100 and nForce 650i and 680i. Nvidia are most popular for their graphics/video card designs but have also designed motherboards for many years. Their graphics chipset is called GeForce and their motherboard chipsets are called nForce.
Abbreviation Key
CPU
FSB = Front Side Bus, motherboard supports up to this speed CPU in MHz. Some boards say e.g. 1600 FSB (O.C.) which means overclock and the CPU will not actually run at this higher speed, but is compatible.
QPI = New LGA1366 mobos use 'Quick Path Interconnect' instead of a FSB. At 25.6GB/sec, it's up to twice as fast vs. 1600 FSB.
RAM
DDR2-1366 = Supports e.g. DDR2 RAM up to the speed of 1366 MHz. All DDR2 mainboards listed support at least 800 Mhz which is the most common type of RAM into 2009. Most users do not need to be concerned with this unless they want to run faster RAM at a high expense - as long as the board supports a minimum of DDR2-800.
Integrated Graphics / Onboard Graphics
DVI-D = Output connector from the onboard graphics to LCDs with DVI connector
VGA/D-SUB = As above but for older monitors (most CRT and some LCD)
HDMI = New LCD monitor or TV connector becoming popular
Display Port = Even newer LCD monitor or TV connector that is not yet used widely
- Having onboard graphics means you do not need a separate graphics card. This is fine in most cases for video, graphics and many games, but to play the latest 3D type games then a graphics card will give better performance. Mobos with onboard graphics also include a graphics card slot so you can upgrade it now or in the future if needed.
Graphics Cards / Video Cards
AGP = Older type of Graphics Card Slot
PCI-E = Graphics Card Slot that is most common
Hard Disk Drive \ Optical Drive ports
IDE = Older type of drive port, for hard disk drives and optical drives such as DVD. Two drives per IDE port.
SATA2 = Most common type of disk port. Nearly all SATA mobos have at least one IDE port too. One drive per SATA port.
SATA RAID = SATA2 but also has extra RAID function for hard disk redundancy or increased disk speed
eSATA = an external SATA hard drive port used in some new external hard drives. Faster than USB but not widely used yet.
Other Ports
LAN = RJ-45 Network connection. All new mothboards above have one or two gigabit (10/100/1000mbit) LAN ports
USB2.0 = Very common external port for USB devices/peripherals such as printers and external drives.
1394 = Firewire is a less used external port for firewire devices such as video camcorders
- Motherboards usually also include headers for addtional 1394 or USB ports - ask us if you need any more of these ports!
Legacy Ports
Serial = Older port mostly used for dial-up modems and other serial devices. Mostly replaced by USB
Parallel = Older port mostly used with older printers. Mostly replaced by USB
PS/2 = Older mouse and keyboard connector (round and green/purple!) but can still be more reliable and convenient than USB (especially when troubleshooting PCs and the BIOS!).
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All motherboards listed above have 1x PS/2 mouse and 1x PS/2 keyboard connector unless otherwise stated
- most new motherboards do not include legacy serial or parallel connectors as standard, but offer a header to attach an external port at the back of the PC at extra cost. Ask if you would like these ports, or additional headers for extra USB ports.
Form Factor
ATX = Standard sized motherboard of size 30.5cm x 21.0cm to fit standard midi-tower case. Will usually have more PCI-E and/or PCI slots than a Mini-ATX motherboard.
Mini-ATX = Smaller sized motherboard of size 24.4cm x 19.3cm which only fits in smaller mini-tower cases. Usually cheaper and with less features than full ATX but commonly include integrated graphics for non-gaming computers.
- Computer Cases
- Computer Systems
- DVD / Blu-ray Writers
- Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
- Keyboards & Mice
- KVMs
- LCD Screens / Monitors
- Memory (RAM)
- Motherboards
- Networking
- PDAs
- Power Supply Units (PSU)
- Processors (CPU)
- Software
- Video / Graphics Cards (GPU)
> Orders under $100 attract $10 surcharge (except antivirus or during service). Orders over $200 receive FREE delivery in Belconnen region only otherwise delivery cost is $20. For rest of Canberra delivery is usually $20-40 depending on your required delivery date and our availability in your area. <
Prices correct at time of publishing but subject to change without notice. Errors and ommissions excepted. Based on cash price including any taxes and pickup from Belconnen, Canberra, ACT, Australia - call for workshop address. Not all items kept in stock. Pictures for illustration purposes only.
Please call 0410 628 935, email support@aussiepcfix.com or contact us via online form to place an order and confirm prices.
If you happen to find a cheaper price in Canberra then please contact us or email support@aussiepcfix.com with details and we will do our best to beat your quoted price!
Recommended best value computer parts for most users, as well as discounted PC hardware in red
If you're not sure on which product best suits your needs, if it is compatible with your computer, or if you need any other help or computer parts then contact us for free advice.