Magoo's Wise Words
Guide to Buying a Computer

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Motherboard - contd.

Here are some miscellaneous things you might want to keep in mind:

Besides keeping things flowing inside the computer, the chipset also controls the FSB. Since the whole computer works at the slowest common speed of all the other parts, make sure that the FSB on the motherboard is at least as fast as the processor you've picked out.

Any decent motherboard sold today will include several USB 2.0 plugs on the back. Note that you definitly want USB 2.0, since it is about 100x faster than USB 1.1 and fully backward compatible. You will also probably want a network port, which is used to attach your computer to a network or to high-speed internet access. Some motherboards even come with built-in wireless networking.

Expansion slots allow you to add features to your computer through expansion cards you purchase seperatly. These expansion cards can add everything from extra usb ports to a TV tuner to your system. The more slots you have, the more flexibility you will have. I like to have about 4 on my computer so that my options are always open, but I rarely have them all filled at once.

You also want to keep in mind whether or not the motherboard has built-in sound. If not, you will need a separate sound card.

Next =>[Magoo's Guide to Computer Shopping- Page 5, Hard Drives]