Image Source: pcwatch.com

A circuit that connects a part of your motherboard to another part is what you call a, BUS. If the bus is capable handling more data at any given time, it would sum up to faster travel of information to and fro. Bus speed is measured in MHZ or Megahertz. The unit refers to the volume of data that can travel across the bus at the same time. It can sometimes also refer to the FSB or front side bus speed. FSB simply connects the central processing unit to its northbridge. FSBs range in speed. Usually from 66MHz to 800MHz. The FSB speed is important in a computer’s overall performance in its SPEED aspect. You have to know that having a fast BUS speed does not do anything drastic to a slower processor.

Image Source: cache-www.intel.com

I recently bought this at a local distributor. I decide to get this so i can use it for my Home Theater PC or HTPC which is low powered. I prefered this cheap and CPU which requires a minimal power consumption. It was important for the video to perform the hardware decoding of Hi Def contents as with Blu Ray and HD DVD. I did not even choose an onboard video card because it will definitely consume too much power. And so far, this ingenius piece of miracle has met all the requirements. I am using an Intel Core2Duo E7200 CPU, with 2GB of RAM and Windows Vista Ultimate operating system. I can play Blu Ray movies without glitches. While using Total Media Theatre or TMT. Amazingly, the CPU is consuming just about 20% of resources. The only problem i encountered with the product is, it is unstable when in sleep and standby mode. The unit sometimes does not engage into sleep mode even if it’s idle for quite some time. But sometime it does work. I have reported this proble with the company Intel but unfortunately, they havent responded with regards to the problem. Maybe they could come up with a fix more likely a BIOS update.

Motherboard represents as the heart of the computer system. It connects all the other parts together and make sure they run altogether smoothly. Choosing the best gaming motherboard is the most important task you need in assembling a gaming computer. First, is you need to decide which type of CPU to use. Determine if the motherboard supports the type of CPU you chose. If you are overclocking your CPU, you have to get a motherboard that allows you to change the FSB speed. Your motherboard must be able to support DDR2 RAM, DDR2 is at present the fastest RAM in the market. Next is SLI / Crossfire. Crossfire ready motherboard means that you can make use of two identical high performing graphics card to render the graphics, thus achieving a faster and more realistic video effects. When getting the best gaming motherboard, it is worthwhile to do extensive research online or through magazines. It is the most important part of the whole computer system, so don’t try to shave off budget for the motherboard.

Nvidia nForce 650i SLI is a good option.Why?

Obviously, the Nvidia nForce 650i SLI is easily the smartest option for those that are seeking SLI (Scalable Link Interface )support on the Core 2 Duo platform without all the extravagant options out of all the new nForce 6-series chipsets

In terms of performance, the 650i SLI is just as good as the 680i SLI, so one may wonder why does the P5N-E SLI cost just $140 while the competing ASUS 680i SLI board costs a neck-breaking$270?

For your information:

Scalable Link Interface (SLI) is a brand name for a multi-GPU (Graphic Processung Unit) technology developed by NVIDIA for linking multiple video cards together to produce a single output, therefore increasing the processing power available for graphics.

Most motherboards include, at a minimum:

1. sockets (or slots) in which one or more microprocessors (CPUs) are installed
2. slots into which the system’s main memory is installed (typically in the form of DIMM modules containing DRAM chips)
3. a chipset which forms an interface between the CPU’s front-side bus, main memory, and peripheral buses
4. non-volatile memory chips (usually Flash ROM in modern motherboards) containing the system’s firmware or BIOS
5. a clock generator which produces the system clock signal to synchronize the various components
6. slots for expansion cards (these interface to the system via the buses supported by the chipset)
7. power connectors and circuits, which receive electrical power from the computer power supply and distribute it to the CPU, chipset, main memory, and expansion cards.

The design of the motherboard is something that you should consider much. Aside from the specs and speed of it, the form and design of it are also important since this will determine the placement of your hardware in your computer. If you wish to have USB ports in front of your PC, you must buy motherboards that have USB slots in front. With this, comes the issue of the CPU’s casing. If there are no holes in front, you obviously have to replace it. All the hardware slots (slots for the LAN, phone port, USB ports, plug, monitor etc.) are also important since you will be connecting some of your external devices on it. The least thing that you want to happen is for your slots to be covered.

Photo taken from http://www.billigdrucker.de

9. Making sure. Before installing an operating system, you have to make sure that all the hardware needed to install the said operating system is connected. If your installation will need a floppy disk (for boot disk concerns) and you “forgot” to install the floppy drive, things might get a little more complicated. Turning off your computer again just to install the drive can be much of a hassle (if you do this, pray that some of your hardware won’t be damaged).
10. Repair install. If you are using Windows as your operating system, running a repair install is recommended rather than replacing the files through new installation. If for example, your computer does not detect any prior installed OS and asks you if you wish to reformat your hard drive, you must stop the installation. You might have made a mistake in the mounting or connecting the wires and reformatting it will only worsen the scenario (you might lose all the files inside your hard drive). Turn off the computer immediately and troubleshoot.

Photo taken from http://www.pro-it-service.com

7. Install the fan. You may forget to put back or install new hardwares but you should never forget installing the fan power. Yes, you will be able to turn on your computer, but after few minutes, you will notice that your computer is producing quite an odd sound. A minute or so will pass and it shuts down. Congratulations, your computer just overheated. So, to prevent this, never forget to install the fan power.
8. Minimal installation at first. If you are trying to install an operating system, you might want to install the basics first such as memory cards, fan power, power supply and CD-ROM. With these, you may be able to setup your computer. You may add on the additional frills of your computer once setup is done.

Photo taken from http://z.about.com

5. Disconnect all the wires. Of course, before doing anything else and before you start unscrewing all the parts, make sure that everything is disconnected. The least you would want is for the other parts to be damaged. The power supply is very easy to spot since the connecters are big, however, the small connectors such as the power switch or the USB connectors on the front of the CPU are barely seen.
6. Remove all the hardware. Aside from the connectors, you must also remove the hardware installed on your old motherboard. There are cases wherein hardware devices obstruct the motherboard when you try to take it out. Do not force it. Removing everything inside your CPU prior to installation is a much better idea.

Photo taken from http://lh5.ggpht.com