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Buyers' Guide to Motherboards
Spending extra for a motherboard with features like USB 2.0 ports and IDE RAID can save you money in the long run.
Whether you're building a new PC or overhauling an old one, a new motherboard is the place to start. And with boards packing extras like FireWire (IEEE 1394) and USB 2.0 ports, six-channel sound chips, and RAID controllers, you might not need to add much else.
The choice of motherboard you make determines the RAM and CPU types you can use, so you must look at those three critical components together. You can spend as little as $180 total on the trio and get by, but for that amount you're practically buying obsolescence. Plan on spending between $400 and $700 for a capable midrange setup. From there you can narrow the available choices according to your preference for AMD or Intel processors (if you have one), or you can just look for the best value in your price range.
And though you may not need a RAID controller or a LAN connection now, getting those extras on a full-featured board like Soyo's KT333 Dragon Ultra will save you money if you need them later.
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