Compatibility of video card and motherboard and other parts of PC

You decided to update your computer. Fortunately the choice of "iron" for today is very large and varied. But here you come to the store and you come across a problem: will all the main components of the system unit be compatible with each other if you buy them separately? Now we'll figure it out.

So, let's talk about the compatibility of the video card and the motherboard. The first thing I want to draw your attention to is that, in general, the compatibility of the video card and the motherboard is not affected in any way by the frequencies at which they work. The type of memory (DDR) for the motherboard and video card is different. And do not pay attention if these values are different. Of course, the first thing to note is the interface of the video card and the motherboard socket. The simplest example: you can never use a graphics card with an AGP connector on a motherboard that supports PCI. There are, of course, exceptions, but this is a rarity. In addition, the compatibility of the video card and the motherboard is affected by the fact that they can be of the same manufacturer. If you are fond of 3D graphics or computer games, you probably heard about the technology of combining several video cards on one machine. The matching methods are different. There is an SLI - it is supported by video cards from nVidia and Crossfire - it's analog from Ati. Not all motherboards support both of these types. So when choosing a motherboard and graphics card, pay attention to this detail.

Now consider the compatibility of the processor and video card. Remember, not always a powerful, modern processor and a good graphics card will show decent results, working together. Until now, the exact classification, which processor is better to take for a particular video card, no. However, there are two more or less precise definitions. Firstly: when buying, NEVER select a processor for a graphics card. Practice shows that nothing good comes of it. Quite the contrary. Secondly: if you need a good gaming PC, then buy a video card and a processor such that they seem to complement each other. Otherwise, you risk overpaying for them a tidy sum. With 3d graphics everything is simpler - the more cores the processor and memory have with a video card, the better. As a rule, in this case there are no special priorities in the choice of these components. In any case, do not chase after the coolness in the names. Personally, I can say that a strong intel core i 7 processor does not at all "like" the ATI 5- series video card (I mean not the ones for a couple of tens of thousands of rubles, but more affordable ones).

And finally, we reached the most interesting. About the compatibility of video cards written already a myriad of works, however, the materials often vary. One thing is for certain: if you are going to use any of the technologies of combining SLI or Crossfire, be very careful. Video cards should be completely identical in characteristics. And this means that manufacturers, bus speed, number of cores, etc. should be the same. Otherwise, at least you will not get a noticeable increase in performance, and sometimes even a non-working video card. Regarding Crossfire, I want to say separately. In addition, that this miracle of thought works only on ATI video cards, and supports up to 4 graphics cards, it is necessary to note a significant disadvantage. Almost all video cards in crossfire mode very quickly overheat, unless they are powered by powerful cooling, almost at the expense of the video card itself. So be careful, the clock is not even, you will burn the video card.

Finally I will say that the compatibility of the video card and the motherboard, as well as the processor and in general the compatibility of all these details is affected by one simple factor - what you expect from your PC. You can only choose the desires that the computer can perform. In some ways you will win, but in some ways you will lose - this is an axiom.