Question 1

I see Intel motherboards are listed as:
1. 2nd/3rd generations I3,I5 Or I7
2. I3,I5, or I7
3. Pentium,I3,I5, or I7.
What are the differences and how do I tell which Board to use with which CPU?
Want to use I7,quad core, Sandy Bridge,3.4GHZ,LGA1155 95W, 19-115-070

Accepted Answer

Thomas... (Below refers to Intel Processors)

Firstly - each CPU has a Socket "Type" - it is kind of like the footprint of the CPU...  You have to buy a CPU that matches this footprint.

Going back a bit in time we have the Socket 939, 1155 (This motherboard - I own this and like it), 1150 (newest Intel Motherboards).

Then you have the "Family" of processors - the I3, then I5, then high end I7.  I3s have 2 core (but are hyper-threaded so you see 4 processor threads if you look at the Task Manager).  I5's and I7's have 4 core plus.   This is when it gets a bit muddy but typically your I7's (OVERALL) will outperform your I5/I3's.

The best bet is to go to the manufacturer website and look up the motherboard...there is always a CPU compatibility (and memory) list there.  Also note that motherboards that are older can often have a bios upgrade to accommodate the newer chipset (as long as the 'socket' or 'footprint' is the same - per above).

Hope that helps. :)

Question 2

Does this support sli?

Accepted Answer

No; Crossfire (AMD) and SLI (Nvidia) are the two graphic options you are looking for.  Visually you'll see 2x PCI express spaced similar to the PCI express and standard PCI you see on this board.  ASRock has made some terrific motherboards for the money so you can search for SLI as a filter under motherboards if you really need it.

Note: keep in mind the extra power draw needed so choose your power supply well.  Also note that on the power supply... just because it may say 500 watts, you want to look at the efficiency ratio (how much output can it consistently deliver).  I recommend Corsair power supplies as they are reliable and efficient.

Question 3

a) Does this motherboard support memory speeds of 1600 Mhz for Sandy Bridge (Intel second generation) processors (such as the i5-2400) which natively only support 1333Mhz?
b) Does this motherboard support SATA III?
c) Does this motherboard support ACHI for solid state drives (SSDs)?

Accepted Answer

a) Yes; that is what I use in my system (always confirm at Motherboard manufacturer website and in the bios after installing and booting).
b) Yes; I currently have two SSD Type III 's in the system.  (Striping them is ridiculously fast, but does introduce risk - if you lose 1 drive you lose all your data).  I am willing to live with that so my OS boot etc is very fast.
c) Yes - again confirm with Mobo manufacturer website.

Questions & Answers