The motherboard is one of the most critical selections in any build. There are hundreds of possibilities, but choosing a case, processor, and graphics solution first may reduce them down to just a few possible best matches. Fortunately, our Beginner's Guide to Motherboard Selection contains most of the information needed to initiate beginners.

In fact, the plethora of previously published information available allows us to narrow motherboard selection down to a list of criteria:

• What form factor will best match the selected chassis?
• If the chassis uses riser cards, do the correct expansion slots align?
• What socket does the CPU use?
• Has the board been approved to work with the chosen processor model?
• Will the system need onboard graphics?
• If onboard graphics are used, which monitor interface will be required?
• If installing a graphics card, what slot will be needed?
• How many graphics devices will be installed?
• If onboard sound is used, what type of audio system connection is required?
• How many network connections will be used?
• Will IEEE-1394 / FireWire / Sony i.Link be useful?
• What other external connections might be required?
• How many non-graphics expansion cards will be used, and which slot type is required for each?
• How many Serial ATA and Ultra ATA devices will be connected?
• Will RAID be required? If so, what modes are needed?
• How many memory modules will be used?
• Will the board be overclocked?
• If top performance is a priority, what features can be given up?
• If a wide variety of onboard features are required, can a small amount of performance be sacrificed?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you're ready to take a closer look at our Motherboard Reviews!