Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 8

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ASUS
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Names of ASUS motherboard are of the format:

(Socket)(Chipset)(Additional Features)_(Series)_(Revision)_(Grade)(Option)

For example, ASUS P5W DH Deluxe means Socket 775 (P5), Intel 975X chipset (codenamed Glenwood), Digital Home Series and the grade Deluxe.

Socket Name

1. P4: Socket 478 (Intel platform, Pentium 4 before 915 Express)
2. P5: Socket 775 (Intel platform, Pentium 4 after 915 Express, Pentium D, Core 2 Duo)
3. L1: Socket L1 (AMD platform, Quand FX)
4. N4: Socket M (Intel platform, Core Duo/Solo, Mobile Core 2 Duo)
   
   
5. A7: Socket A (AMD platform, K7 processors)
6. SK8: Socket 940 (AMD platform, K8 server processors)
7. K8: Socket 754 (AMD platform, K8 desktop/mobile processors)
8. A8: Socket 939 (AMD platform, K8 desktop processors)
9. M2: Socket AM2 (AMD platform, K8 processors)
10. M3: Socket AM2+ (AMD platform, K10 processors)

Chipset Name

1. B: Intel 845 (Brookdale)
2. PE: Intel 845PE (845PE)
3. GE: Intel 845GE (845GE)
4. GV: Intel 845GV (845GV)
5. T: Intel 850/850E (Tehama)
6. P: Intel 865 (Springdale)
7. C: Intel 875P (Canterwood)
8. G: Intel 915 (Grantsdale)
9. A: Intel 925X/925XE (Alderwood)
10. L: Intel 945 (Lakeport)
11. PL: Intel 945PL (945PL)
12. GZ: Intel 945GZ (945GZ)
13. GC: Intel 945GC (945GC)
14. W: Intel 955X/975X (Glenwood); G is reserved for Intel 915 (Grantsdale)
15. B: Intel 965 (Broadwater); there is no conflict with Intel 845 (Brookdale) because of different sockets.
16. KPL: Intel G31
17. K: Intel P35/G33 (Bearlake)
18. E: Intel X38/G35 (Bearlake?)
    
    
19. A: AMD
20. R: ATI Radeon/CrossFire Xpress
21. N: NVIDIA
22. S: SiS
23. U: ULi
24. V: VIA

Additional Features

1. 800: FSB 800MTps
2. D1: DDR
3. D2: DDR2
4. DC: DDR & DDR2 Combo
5. 3: DDR3
6. C: DDR2 & DDR3 Combo
7. 8X: AGP 8X
8. 32: Dual PCI Express x16 slots @(16,16)
9. 64: Quad PCI Express x16 slots
10. DG2: DDR2 and PCI-X support
11. PV: PureVideo
12. BP: NVIDIA Business Platform
13. V: Onboard video
14. M: MicroATX form factor
15. E: Extended
16. MVP: ATI MVP (Multi Visual Processing) technology
17. SLI: NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology

Series

1. : Standard Series
2. WS: Workstation Series
3. DH: Digital Home Series
4. DO: Digital Office Series
5. X: X Series

Revision

1. R2.0: Revision 2.0
2. SE: Second Edition

Grade

1. Plus
2. Deluxe
3. Premium
4. Professional/Pro

Options

1. 1394: IEEE 1394
2. WiFi-AP: ASUS WiFi-AP Solo
3. HDMI: HDMI interface
4. TeleSky: ASUS TeleSky
5. CSM: AMD CSIP (Commercial Stable Image Platform)-certified
6. NBP: NVIDIA Business Platform-certified
7. Vista Edition: Optimized for Windows Vista
8. 1333: Support for FSB 1333 processors

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DFI
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Names of recent DFI motherboard are of the format:

(Series Name) (Chipset Name)-(Socket Name)(Features)

For example, LANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR/G means LANPARTY UT Series, ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 chipset, Socket 939 (D), additional RAID controller (R), RoHS-compliant (/G).

Series Name

1. LANPARTY: The cutting-edge DFI high-end series, intended for LAN party fans as well as PC DIYers
2. LANPARTY UT: The second generation of LANPARTY; UT means UV on Tweak fun (UV sensitive slots and sockets for case modders)
3. INFINITY: A complementary series to LANPARTY, created with the most discerning overclockers and hardware enthusiasts in mind who demand best price/performance
4. GENERAL: A series of motherboards with excellent performance yet reasonable price for different users - DIYers, overclockers, gamers, system integrators as well as the major common users. The name "GENERAL" is omitted.

Socket Name

1. T: Socket 775 (aka Socket T)
2. D: Socket 939 (the letter D is used in part numbers of Athlon 64 processors.)
3. M2: Socket AM2 (AM2 was originally called M2)

The socket name is often omitted.

Features

1. M: microATX
2. R: Additional RAID controller
3. G: Gb LAN
4. L: 10/100Mbps LAN
5. F: IEEE 1394
6. E: Lite version of southbridge
7. 2: DDR2
8. 12: DDR & DDR2 combo
9. A: AGP
10. V: onboard VGA
11. I: onboard DVI
12. /G: "Green", namely RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive)

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Foxconn
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Foxconn motherboard names are of the format:

(Chipset Name)(Socket Name)(Form Factor)(Revision)-(Features)

For example, the board P9657AA-8EKRS2H is Intel P965 Express chipset (P965), Socket 775 (7), ATX form factor (A), the first version (A), with 8 channel audio (8), IEEE 1394 (E), Gb LAN (K), RAID (R), SATA (S), DDR2 (2), and RoHS-compliant (H).

Chipset Name

Chipset Name is almost trivial. For example, 975X = Intel 975X Express, NF4SLI = nForce4 SLI.

Socket Name

1. 7: Socket 775
2. M2: Socket AM2
3. K8: Socket 754/939

Form Factor

1. A: ATX
2. M: microATX
3. U: microBTX

Revision

1. A, B, C, D, ...

Features

1. 8: 8 channel audio
2. 6: 6 channel audio (default is omitted)
3. E: IEEE 1394
4. K: Gb LAN
5. L: 10/100Mbps LAN (default is omitted)
6. R: RAID
7. S: SATA
8. 2: DDR2
9. H: RoHS compliant

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GIGABYTE
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The naming scheme of the recent 6-Quad and S-series motherboards for Intel is relatively simple.

GA-(Chipset Name)(Features)-(Suffix)(Option)

For example, GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 means Intel P965 Express chipset (965P) and Safe + Smart + Speed (S3).

Chipset Name

Chipset Name is almost trivial.

Features

1. C: DDR2/DDR3 combo
2. T: DDR3
3. M: microATX form factor
4. X: CrossFire support

Suffix

1. S2: Safe + Smart
2. DS2: Safe + Smart + Durability Enhanced
3. S3: Safe + Smart + Speed
4. DS3: Safe + Smart + Speed + Durability Enhanced
5. DS4: Safe + Smart + Speed + Silent-Pipe + Durability Enhanced
6. DQ6: DS4 + 6-Quand Features

That means:

• Overclocking:
  • S2, DS2: No overclocking options in BIOS
  • S3, DS3: Good overclocking options in BIOS
  • DS4, DQ6: Slightly finer overclocking options in BIOS than S3 and DS3
• Heatsinks:
  • S2, DS2, S3, DS3: Conventional passive heatsinks on both northbridge and southbridge.
  • DS4, DQ6: Passive heatsinks on northbridge and southbridge connected with MOSFET modules by heat-pipes
• Capacitors:
  • S2, S3: All electrolytic capacitors
  • DS2, DS3, DS4, DQ6: All solid capacitors
• 6-Quad Features include 12 Phase Power, 4 x external SATA and quad-core ready.

Option

1. L: Budget board
2. R: RAID support
3. P: RAID and IEEE 1394 support

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Intel
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Intel desktop motherboard name is of the format:

D(Chipset Name)(Board's Codename)

For example, DP965LT means that it is a desktop motherboard (D; vs. server motherboard S), chipset is Intel P965 Express (P965) and its codename is Lemont (LT). IMO adding codename is not so meaningful for general customers as it does not provide any information on features or form factor.

Intel desktop motherboards come in five series:

• Extreme Series for power-users and high-end gamers; 975X, 955X
• Media Series for entertainment, education, and gaming applications; G965, 945G, 945P
• Executive Series for business users; Q965, 945G
• Classic Series for home and office mainstream users; G965, P965, Q963, 945G, 945P
• Essential Series for budget conscious users; 946GZ, 945G, 945PL

Intel does not provide Mobile on Desktop motherboards.

Intel Desktop Board Roadmap

• DailyTech – 2006 Intel Desktop Motherboard Roadmap (June 27, 2006)
  • Intel Desktop Board Roadmap 2005-2006
  • Intel Desktop Board Roadmap 2006
• DailyTech – Intel "Bearlake" Motherboard Lineup (July 18, 2006)
  • Intel Desktop Board Roadmap 2006-2007

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MSI
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The naming scheme of MSI boards is explained in its own website:

• MSI Motherboard Product Naming Rule

CPU Bus

• FSB (Intel up to Core; 667, 800, 1066, 1333 MT/s, 64-bit)
  
  
  • 667MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 5.33 GB/s
  • 800MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 6.4 GB/s
  • 1066MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 8.53 GB/s
  • 1333MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 10.66 GB/s
  
  
• Intel QuickPath interconnect (formerly Common System Interface (CSI); Intel Nehalem; 4.8–6.4GT/s, 32 bit per link)
  
  
  • 4.8–6.4GT/s x 32bit/8bit = 19.2–25.6GB/s per link
  
  
• EV6 (AMD K7 Processor; 200, 266, 333, 400MT/s, 64-bit)
  
  
  • 200MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 1.6 GB/s
  • 266MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 2.128 GB/s
  • 333MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 2.66 GB/s
  • 400MT/s x 64bit/8bit = 3.2 GB/s
  
  
• HyperTransport 1.0 (AMD K8 Processor; 800MHz Max; DDR; 2–32-bit link width = # of lanes, unidirectional link)
  
  
  • 1600MT/s x 16bit/8bit = 3.2 GB/s in each direction
  
  
• HyperTransport 2.0 (AMD K8 Processor; 1.0GHz, 1.2GHz and 1.4GHz; DDR; 2–32 bit wide unidirectional link)
  
  
  • 2.0GT/s x 16bit/8bit = 4.0 GB/s in each direction
  
  
• HyperTransport 3.0 (AMD K10 Processor; 1.8GHz, 2.0GHz, 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz; DDR; 2–32 bit wide unidirectional link)
  
  
  • 5.2GT/s x 16bit/8bit = 10.4 GB/s in each direction

Memory

• DDR SDRAM
  
  
  • DDR-200: 200MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 3.2 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR-266: 266MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 4.266 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR-333: 333MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 5.33 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR-400: 400MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 6.4 GB/s in dual channel mode
  
  
• DDR2 SDRAM
  
  
  • DDR2-400: 400MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 6.4 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR2-533: 533MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 8.533 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR2-667: 667MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 10.66 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR2-800: 800MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 12.8 GB/s in dual channel mode
  
  
• DDR3 SDRAM
  
  
  • DDR3-800: 800MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 12.8 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR3-1066: 1066MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 17.066 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR3-1333: 1333MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 21.33 GB/s in dual channel mode
  • DDR3-1600: 1600MT/s x 64bit/8bit x 2 = 38.40 GB/s in triple channel mode

Northbridge to Southbridge

• HI (Hub Interface) 1.5 (Intel; 66MHz, QDR, 8-bit wide)
  
  
  • 266MT/s x 8bit/8bit = 266 MB/s
  
  
• DMI (Direct Media Interface) = HI 2.0 (Intel Express Chipsets; = PCI Express x4)
  
  
  • 2.0 GB/s
  
  
• A-Link (ATI's proprietary point-to-point bus)
  
  
  • 266 MB/s (twice the bandwidth of PCI)
  
  
• A-Link Xpress (ATI; = PCI Express x2)
  
  
  • 1.0 GB/s
  
  
• A-Link Xpress II (AMD-ATI; = PCI Express x4)
  
  
  • 2.0 GB/s
  
  
• MuTIOL 1G (SiS; bi-directional 16 bit, 533MHz)
  
  
  • 533 x 16bit/8bit = 1.066 GB/s
  
  
• V-Link (VIA; bi-directional 8 bit, 533MHz))
  
  
  • 533 x 8bit/8bit = 533 MB/s
  
  
• Ultra V-Link (VIA)
  
  
  • 1.066 GB/s

Peripheral Devices

• PCI 2.2 (32-bit, 33MHz, shared bus topology)
  
  
  • 32bit/8bit x 33MHz = 133 MB/s
  
  
• PCI-X (64-bit, 66MHz or 133MHz)
  
  
  • 133MB/s x 4 or 8 = 500 MB/s or 1.0 GB/s
  
  
• AGP 8X (32-bit, 66 MHz, ODR)
  
  
  • 32bit/8bit x 533MT/s = 2.13 GB/s
  
  
• PCI Express 1.0
  
  
  • x1 lane: 2.5Gbps in each direction = 2.5Gbps/(10bit/byte) = 250 MB/s in each direction, where 10bit/byte = encoding overhead
  • x4 lane: 1.0 GB/s in each direction
  • x16 lane: 4.0 GB/s in each direction
  
  
• PCI Express 2.0
  
  
  • x1 lane: 5.0Gbps in each direction = 5.0Gbps/(10bit/byte) = 500 MB/s in each direction, where 10bit/byte = encoding overhead
  • x4 lane: 2.0 GB/s in each direction
  • x16 lane: 8.0 GB/s in each direction

Storage

• PATA Ultra ATA/133
  
  
  • 133 MB/s
  
  
• SATA 1.5Gb/s
  
  
  • 150 MB/s
  
  
• SATA 3Gb/s
  
  
  • 300 MB/s

External Devices

• USB1.1
  
  
  • 12 Mb/s = 1.5 MB/s
  
  
• USB2.0
  
  
  • 480 Mb/s = 60 MB/s
  
  
• IEEE 1394a
  
  
  • 400 Mbps = 50 MB/s
  
  
• IEEE 1394b
  
  
  • 800 Mbps = 100 MB/s

LAN

• 10/100 Mbps LAN
  
  
  • 100 Mb/s = 12.5 MB/s
  
  
• Gb LAN
  
  
  • 1 Gb/s = 125 MB/s
  
  
• 802.11g Wireless LAN
  
  
  • 54 Mb/s = 6.75 MB/s

Multimedia

• DVI, single-link
  
  
  • 3.7 Gb/s
  • 165 MHz (megapixel/s)
  
  
• DVI, dual-link
  
  
  • 7.4 Gb/s or more (limited only by cable quality)
  
  
• HDMI 1.0/1.1/1.2
  
  
  • Total: 4.9 Gb/s
  • Video: 165 MHz (megapixel/s)
  • Audio: 8 channel/192 kHz/24 bits = 36.9 Mb/s
  
  
• HDMI 1.3
  
  
  • Total: 10.2 Gb/s
  • Video: 340 MHz (megapixel/s)
  • Audio: 8 channel/192 kHz/24 bits = 36.9 Mb/s
  
  
• HDTV (1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz)
  
  
  • 1920 x 1080 pixels x 60 Hz / 0.95 (5% overhead) = 131 MHz, 131 MHz x 24 bits = 3.14 Gb/s
  
  
• Blu-ray Disc
  
  
  • 54 Mb/s
  
  
• HD DVD
  
  
  • 36.55 Mb/s
  
  
• S/PDIF
  
  
  • (24 + 8 for preamble) bits x 192 kHz x 2 channel = 12.3 Mb/s
  
  
• Dolby Digital
  
  
  • 640 kb/s
  
  
• Dolby Digital Plus
  
  
  • 6.144 Mb/s
  
  
• Dolby TrueHD (24 bits, 96 kHz, 8 channel)
  
  
  • 18 Mb/s

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