Building the Ultimate Gaming Tower - Part 3

Part 3: Motherboards

See Part 2 by clicking the link below:

https://steemit.com/technology/@technerd/building-the-ultimate-gaming-tower-part-3

This is probably the most difficult part of the equation. When shopping for a motherboard, you'll need one that supports the processor you've chosen. Both Intel and AMD have a host of various sockets available and you have to be sure the motherboard's CPU socket matches the CPU you are going with. On the AMD side, it's a little simpler because only 1 socket supports the Ryzen 7 APU, and that is the the AM4 socket. On the Intel side, it's almost to the point where there's a socket for every processor. If you've decided on the Intel processor that I featured in my previous post, you'll want a motherboard with an 1151 socket. Check the specs for the socket and type of RAM supported before Picking a motherboard. To keep things simple, I'm attempting to match the best of AMD with a comparable Intel CPU.

So here we are shopping for a motherboard for an AMD Ryzen 7 processor with an AM4 socket. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. There are numerous features to consider on any motherboard. How many USB 3.0/3.1 ports does it have. Does it have a connector for additional front USB ports as well as mic/headphones. How many video cards does it support. Since this is to be considered a gaming system we'll want two PCIExpress slots so we can use two video cards simultaneously. More on that later.

On the AMD side, this is one the top contenders: Pictured below is the GIGABYTE GA-AX370-Gaming K5 (rev. 1.0) AM4 AMD X370 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard.

Figure 1

I've personally always been a GigaByte fan when it comes to brand names. That's a personal choice and there are probably equal or better from MSI and Asus.

On the Intel side, this is one of the top contenders: Pictured below is the GIGABYTE AORUS GA-Z270X-Gaming 8 (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Motherboard

Figure 2

You will have to do some research here to see if the motherboard you choose fits your needs. I recommend at least 4 USB 3.0/3.1 USB ports. 3-4 RAM slots. You will want the option to add front USB ports as well as a mic/headphones. You'll want onboard video as an option in case you have a bad day with a blown video card. Though not a gaming solution, onboard video is a great way to get by until that new video cards arrives. Case fan connections will not be a consideration as we'll be using a digital fan controller. More on that later. Lastly a must have, especially if online gaming is your thing is a 1 GB/s ethernet port. CMOS backup is a nice feature and I love the way Gigabyte implements it in their motherboards.

Finally for the Intel processor you'll need a cooler. Your CPU cooling solution has to take into consideration the height of the cooler vs the width of your case. Unless you plan to overclock your CPU, water cooling is overkill. Her is an example of a good cooler for the Processor we have chosen:

Dynatron K17 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler for Intel LGA Socket 1151

Figure 3

On the AMD side, the APU comes with their new wrath cooler. Though I haven't tested this cooler, reports indicate is far superior to previous cooling solutions from AMD and should serve most users just fine. That being said there are other options to consider. Personally I like the vertical cooling solutions like that shown in Figure 3 above. You can install the cooler so the fan is sucking air away from the cooling fins and towards the back fans where the heat will be blown out through the rear case fan. Also with the case we looked at in Part 1, there is a 120 mm fan on the top that will blow cool air into case almost directly onto the CPU cooling fins.

Here is an example of an AMD cooling solution for the Ryzen 7 APU:

In this case, cool air is blown on the cooling fins from the front of the case and hot air is drawn away from the fins into the back case fans. Again, most people will do fine with the stock cooler. If you decide on a custom cooler you will need to watch clearances for RAM, etc.