Do I need specific parts to fit a Moththerboard, and do I need a specific Motherboard to fit a specific case?

Motherboards come in specific form-factors. The most common are ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX. The main difference between these three form-factors are physical size and the number of expansion slots. Computer cases are designed to accept the industry standard motherboard form-factors. Case specifications will list one or more motherboard form-factors they will accept. An ATX motherboard will be compatible with ANY case that accepts an ATX form-factor motherboard.

The motherboard you select should be based on your specific needs, intended use for the computer and your overall budget. The motherboard you select will determine which type of processor (CPU), system memory (RAM), and what expansion cards you can install.

Each motherboard has a specific CPU socket. Only CPUs of the socket type will be compatible. However, some CPU sockets span several generations of CPUs. For this reason, motherboard manufacturers place, on their web sites, CPU Support Lists for each motherboard they make. These CPU Support Lists show all the same socket processors that are compatible with that specific motherboard; either natively or through a BIOS update.

Each motherboard accepts a specific type of RAM and a number of different speeds the RAM can run at. The specifications for RAM as listed on the motherboards specifications sheet will outline exactly the type, speed, and quantity of RAM your motherboard will accept.

As mentioned before, the form-factor of the motherboard determines how many expansion slots your board will have. In general an ATX motherboard will have either six or seven expansion slots. A Micro-ATX motherboard will have either three or four expansion slots. A Mini-ITX motherboard will have between zero and two expansion slots.

Expansion slots come in different protocols and sizes. The two primary protocols are PCI (for old, legacy expansion cards) and PCI Express (for newer class expansion cards). While there are four different sizes of PCI Express (annotated PCI-E), the two most commonly found on consumer level motherboards are PCI-Ex16 (for installing discrete graphics cards) and PCI-Ex1 (for installing other expansion cards such as TV Tuners, Sound Cards, Wireless adapters, etc...).

There are a number of different versions of PCI Express cards and expansion slots. The versions are, for the most part, completely backwards and forwards compatible. As an example, a PCI-E version 3.0 graphics card will work just fine in a PCI-E version 1.0 expansion slot.

So in terms of what to get, first determine what your budget is and what you want to do with the computer once it's done. The computer's intended use will determine whether you spend more money on the CPU and RAM or on the Graphics card. Then you can start looking at all the components you need for a complete computer build, and determine what you can afford.

The components you will need for a complete build are:

Case
Power Supply
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
Hard Drive
Optical Drive (optional)
Graphics Card (optional if using integrated graphics)
Sound Card (optional if using on-board audio)
Operating System
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers

If you currently own a computer, some of these components (keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc...) may be reused with your new computer.

There is a sticky at the top of the Systems Forum: *How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice* that you can fill out in a new post. Provide us with the information as directed in the sticky and someone will be able to generate a complete build for you.

-Wolf sends