What motherboard specs affect performance the most?

[lschmidt]

I don't really have a good grasp of all the motherboard specs, what they mean, and how they will affect gaming performance. Aside from extra features and layout/design, could somebody explain what details are most important specs to look at when determining what motherboard to get?

Obviously the socket type will affect what processors you can get, and your mobo will determine what ram you can use, etc. But for example what about FSB, NB, SB, chipset? How important are those things?

 

[GhislainG]

The socket, the chipset, the type of memory, the design and the quality of components. You should identify what processor you need/want and then select a good motherboard that meets your requirements. The performance difference between the best and the worst motherboard with a given CPU is minimal at stock speed. A better motherboard often allows better overclocking.