Do I need to buy an expensive motherboard for gaming?

[mon_diesle]

I am building a gaming PC with the intention of using a single graphics card. I have a good handle on what makes a good CPU (clock speed/number of cores), VGA (memory speed, clock speed), and RAM (speed, latency). I see a huge gamut in the pricing of motherboards available. What makes a good motherboard? Is it the chipset, FSB (I don't even know what this is!), or something else?

P.S. I could not find the search button, so sorry if this has already been covered.

 

[r_manic]

There's is no search button, just use the text box on the top of these forums.

In any case, you don't need an expensive motherboard to game properly. In fact, if you check the last System Builder's Marathon (use search), you'll see the TH team didn't use the most expensive motherboard they could find, concentrating on models with a proven track record of reliability and versatility.

 

[englandr753]

I prefer Gigabyte, ASUS and EVGA brands. To me the brand with the most features that support the best upgrade path for me later down the road is what I go for. I usually look to spend 100-150 for a decent board. I have spent 250.00 on a board a couple of times and have gotten as much enjoyment out of a board that cost less than half of that so no you don't have to spend a lot to get a good gaming system. I'd say 80 to 130 dollars is a pretty jam up board if you pay attention to the features it has to offer before you buy...