Motherboards
Consider the facts below to help you determine the motherboard that’s right
for your project
Where to start
Selecting the proper motherboard for your chassis should be based
around several key needs.
- You need enough processing power for your computer system to perform
the application’s tasks with dependable speed.
- You need the right selection of board slots to meet your board’s uses
and also be able to grow with your requirements.
- You need proper chipset, memory, COM ports, and considerations for
heat dissipation met.
- You should consider the desired longevity of the configuration.
All of this is not meant to be overwhelming. In fact, there is a process below that
makes it easy to select your motherboard in steps.
The Processor
The first question you want to answer when it comes to your motherboard’s
processor (CPU) is “what operating system will I be using?” If your system were
to required Windows XPTM, then a Intel® Pentium® M processor or above would be the
best recommendation. If your application required Windows XP and also involve tasks
such as gigabyte Ethernet and heavy graphics processing, then the best recommendation
may be the PentiumTM 4 processor or Core 2TM Duo to provide the multitasking and
the speed required to perform these functions optimally.
Expansion Slots
The type of peripheral cards, or expansion slots you require for
your motherboard, are a frequent factor in determining your choice of form factor.
Expansion choices such as ISA, PCI, PCIe X-16, etc., and the number of slots of
either that you may require, are possible only on certain board selections. However,
Advantech makes this easy through the
Motherboard selection matrix.
Your Motherboard’s Size
When it comes to your motherboard size, you must consider whether
you will want to take advantage of the expandability of the full-size ATX board
standard, or whether it benefits you to choose a smaller board for the sake of space-savings.
ATX - The full-sized ATX board
remains the 12 x 9.6 inch (304.8 mm x 243.8 mm) industry standard. It provides the
breadth of configurations common with the benefit of size, frequently supporting
as many as seven ISA/PCI expansion slots and an assortment of memory configurations.
Emb/microATX - The
maximum size of a microATX motherboard is 9.6 inches x 9.6 inches (170 x 170 mm).
The benefit of the Emb/microATX is undoubtedly it’s small, manageable size, yet
the mounting points and I/O panel is backward-compatible with standard ATX. The
MicroATX form factor can accommodate a maximum of only four PCI or PCIe slots. Yet
the smaller footprint of the Emb/microATX fills the gap between mini-ITX and full-size
ATX, balancing performance and expandability.
Mini-ITX - is a 6.7
x 6.7-inch (17 x 17 cm) low-power motherboard form factor sporting one expansion
slot. Mini-ITX has grown in favor for compact embedded applications due to its small
size and low power consumption of less than 100 Watts. This makes them ideal for
fanless designs in small chassis.
Memory and Chipsets
Be sure to consult your choice operating system’s memory requirements
and allow for some flexibility. Choosing the minimum memory requirement may present
a lag on any program or hardware upgrades that might occur later.
When you consider the multiple functions your motherboard will take on, don’t only
consider the CPU and memory. Be aware that a higher grade of chipset may be in order.
Generally, one chip of a chipset connects CPU to very high-speed devices, such as
to RAM and graphics busses. A second chip connects the CPU to lower-speed peripheral
buses. This simultaneous throughput enables better multitasking on a board that
serves multiple functions (graphics processing and communications, for
example). If you have a board that has these requirements and more, consider beefing
up your chipset – as long as your selection is compatible with your chosen CPU.
Heat Dissipation
Let’s face it, things are going to start getting a little warm as
you add computing power into your motherboard solution, and heat is the enemy of
electronics. Some considerations to take into account:
- A motherboard featuring a Pentium processor will require sufficient
heat dissipation in order to operate over its specified longevity. Smaller casings
may pose a problem due to the close proximity of the casing walls that can keep
heat trapped inside. If size remains a constraint, a chassis cooling fan may be
required.
- If possible, choose a chassis with additional airflow to avoid heat
problems. This feature is common among many Advantech rackmount and wallmount chassis,
and should remain on your requirements list if you intend on environments where
heat is a factor.
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