|
PC CPU and Motherboard
The CPU is the computer brain of the PC,
and the motherboard (also known
as the "system
board") is the circuit board
that, as
the name suggests, is the primary
circuit
board of the computer -- the
place where
everything plugs in. In addition
to support
chips, such as bus controllers,
the motherboard
may contain an integrated modem
and an integrated
video adapter.
CPU's are grouped by the number of bits they
process in parallel (16, 32, and 64 bits)
and clock speed. Basically, the more bits
and the faster the speed, the faster the
computer (provided that the software supports
it). The CPU can be one of the largest ticket
items in your computer if you need the latest
and greatest.
The manufacturer and generation of CPU are
critical to getting the right system board.
Frequently, new CPU's crank up the performance
specifications for the support chips, and
occasionally, the pin arrangement changes.
Pick the CPU you want to buy, then pick the
motherboard that will support it. To decide
between motherboards, consider size of the
final PC unit (ATX vs. AT), the need for
high speed communication buses and memory
(really only for video editing), and the
graphics adapter support. If you are a bleeding
edge gamer, get the best graphics support
(PCI Express), but for most everybody else,
even an integrated video adapter is OK. |
|
|
