Many users managed to draw attention to the fact that in the computer market, most components have a kind of marking, which indicates that the components belong to different classes and price categories. Buyers are very interested in the LGA775 interface (motherboard). In this article, the reader is given the opportunity to get acquainted not only with the socket for installing the processor, but also to find out the technical characteristics of the motherboard for it. Owner reviews and expert recommendations will not be redundant.
No oddities
No need to carry out complex mathematical calculations and relate the date the Intel LGA775 chip appeared on the computer market. Everything is much simpler. The number 775 is the number of contacts between the processor and the motherboard. Any user can verify this independently. For reliable contact between the two elements, the manufacturer provided the motherboard socket with copper contacts in the form of millimeter legs, and on the processor there is an appropriate contact area for them.
It is worth noting that, on the basis of LGA775, Intel has created a server platform for Xeon processors. To limit users from powerful crystals, the manufacturer went to the trick by creating a new platform LGA771. However, many enthusiasts have guessed how the company's technologists modified the socket, and quickly provided the world with a turnkey solution in the form of an adapter.
System Unit Form Factor
Any user should know that before connecting the motherboard and installing all the necessary components, it is necessary to solve the issue of compatibility with the case of a personal computer. The fact is that all base boards, whether it is a home PC or an office solution, have a form factor to which almost all elements of the system unit are attached.
So, office computers have a micro-ATX or mini-ATX form factor. Accordingly, this format has both the case of the system unit and the motherboard of reduced sizes. Along with an affordable price, such systems have several limitations: the number of slots for mounting memory modules is reduced and there is no room for expansion cards.
The ATX, EATX and BTX form factors are considered elite in the computer market, as they are full-size and allow the user to install many additional components and expansion cards inside the system unit. Naturally, motherboards of this format have a high cost, but this does not prevent most customers from building a system using this form factor.
About expansion cards
Many users are interested in what interfaces a decent motherboard should have. Slots for installing RAM play a crucial role not only for the gaming computer, but also for the system, which, according to the owners, should work for many years.
The fact is that to improve the platform performance it is enough to increase the amount of memory by installing additional modules. There are a number of restrictions for motherboards in the LGA775 format: the maximum number of DDR2 slots cannot exceed four, and the modules of the corresponding form factor cannot exceed 2 GB. Accordingly, the user will not be able to install more than eight gigabytes in the system.
A significant role is played by PCI slots, in which you can install expansion cards, such as a network adapter, tuner, sound card, RAID controller, and the like multimedia devices. Naturally, the smaller the form factor of the motherboard, the fewer components will be able to implement in the system.
Additional interfaces
Do not forget that there are restrictions on connecting peripherals to a device based on the LGA775 socket. The motherboard, depending on the form factor, has a fixed number of USB ports, interfaces for connecting office equipment and controllers for the optional installation of additional elements. Before buying, the future owner must decide what specialized equipment will be connected to the personal computer.
Also on the market, the user can find motherboards equipped with an integrated video adapter. The built-in graphics accelerator can hardly be called gaming due to its limited capabilities, but its performance is sufficient to transfer images to a high-resolution monitor screen and to play video in FullHD format. Basically, integrated motherboards come with office motherboards, the 775 socket of which supports only low-power processors with a single core.
Base chip
The main controller of the motherboard, which is called the chip, is responsible for belonging to a certain market segment and pricing. So, on the market there are chips for gaming solutions, office computers, multimedia and home users. All chips have a different form factor and are characterized by additional features that the motherboard can provide: PCIex16 connectors, USB interfaces, built-in cooling system, installed BIOS, the presence of additional power contacts and much more.
The gradation of the chips is in the order of the Latin alphabet and is often tied to encrypted terms that regulate the equipment of the motherboard with additional functionality. So, the office solution is labeled “G”, the home platform is “P”, and for gamers, “X” and “Z” chips have been created. The numbers following the markings are the numbers of successful modifications that have been tested in Intel laboratories.
Workstation potential
Oddly enough, the performance of the entire computer as a whole directly depends on the installed processor, and that, in turn, is dependent on the specification of the motherboard. Such an interesting mutual responsibility led to the fact that on the world market a whole zoo of basic components was created, created for socket 775.
Better to start with the fact that there is no universal motherboard in the world that supports all processors known under the LGA775 interface . This is Intel’s pricing policy, which forces a potential buyer who wants to increase platform performance to go to the store and purchase a new motherboard and chip for it. Accordingly, in the world market there is a segmentation of motherboards according to the specification:
- office single-core systems;
- 1-2 nuclear platforms for home use;
- 2-4 nuclear systems for gaming solutions;
- Extreme platforms for enthusiasts.
The most interesting here is that many manufacturers, trying to attract buyers, managed to combine several specifications (not all) and provide the user with an expensive, but very interesting solution.
Lower segment of the computer market
The cheapest motherboard (socket 775) is presented by the manufacturer Intel itself. The American manufacturer offered customers an office solution that supports only low-power single-core processors Pentium and Celeron. Moreover, in such systems there are restrictions on the operating frequency with heat (up to 3 GHz and 65 watts).
Yes, such a platform has a micro-ATX form factor and is very limited in functionality, but there are a number of advantages that many potential buyers should look at. Firstly, the low-cost solution is equipped with an integrated video adapter with DirectX 9 support, which allows the future owner to play simple games and work with 3D objects and multimedia. The second aspect is the low resource requirements - such a PC is capable of consuming no more than 200 watts at peak loads (100 watts in normal mode).
The first step to productivity
Many users have already heard about the LGA775 Intel Core Dual processors, but not everyone knows that these are not full-fledged dual-core crystals, but pseudo-platforms that the manufacturer created to attract the buyer. On the basis of one physical core there is a chip that, at the hardware level, divides all the characteristics of the crystal into two equal parts.
From the outside, it resembles Hyper-Threading technology, only slightly improved, where virtual cores are interconnected and can be interchangeable. If we talk about the advantages, it is certainly worth noting that all Core Dual processors created for socket 775 have low power consumption. Do not forget about the affordable cost, because it is it that allows you to make a choice for a potential buyer.
The best choice
It's no secret that the processor with two physical cores for the LGA775 socket is considered the best-selling component for a computer. A motherboard that supports this specification is also considered a sales leader. Crystals Core 2 Duo are in demand not only in the segment of personal computers, but also in demand in the market of mobile devices.
Two physical cores that work independently of each other have attracted the attention of millions of users. Along with high performance, such platforms have an affordable cost. True, there are drawbacks that many users pay attention to in their reviews. Two cores operating at high frequencies (more than 2.4 GHz) are very hot, and the standard LGA775 - the cooler that comes with the processor - often does not cope with heat dissipation. Therefore, the buyer should consider a more efficient cooling system.
Game segment
The most productive processors for socket 775 are considered to be 4-core Intel Core 2 Quad crystals. True, this statement applies only to home users who want to run resource-intensive dynamic toys. It is worth noting that, along with high performance, motherboards for the LGA775 socket, processors and memory modules have a high cost, which stops many buyers in the computer market.
However, the potential of this platform is magnificent. Over the years, the player can improve the computer by only replacing the video card. All other components are guaranteed to cope with the task. It makes no sense for users to switch to an updated platform, unless he decided to purchase an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 chip.
Favorite toy enthusiast
There are not many motherboards on the market that are labeled Extreme. Many buyers, judging by their reviews, are confident that such boards are designed to overclock the installed components, but this opinion is erroneous. These systems have in their specification support for crystals operating at high frequencies in the factory version.
Firstly, it concerns the data bus. Instead of the usual frequency of 800 MHz, the processor (775 socket) can communicate with the motherboard at a speed of 1033-133 MHz. Secondly, we are talking about the clock frequency of the cores themselves - over 3 GHz. In addition, such processors are equipped with a large amount of cache memory and support server technologies (encryption, virtualization, environment variables).
The best motherboard for such processors is Asus LGA775 Stiker II Extreme. This is the only device in the world on the basis of which the Taiwanese manufacturer managed to combine all the technologies that existed at the time of release.
Server solution for home users
In their reviews, many users share their experience in installing Xeon server processors on the 775 socket platform. Naturally, the specification for the motherboard does not say anything about support, and enthusiasts take all actions at their own peril and risk. Before connecting the motherboard and installing such a powerful crystal, it is recommended to solve the problem of cooling the socket itself and the batteries located near the processor socket. The fact is that such processors have large power dissipation.
In most cases, an improved cooling system and installation of a copper plate on the back of the motherboard helps for better heat dissipation. It is necessary to think about an adapter (from 771 to 775 socket), which can only be bought at Chinese auctions.
Naturally, to install such a powerful processor, a decent motherboard will not be enough. The user will have to purchase faster memory and a powerful graphics accelerator that can fully unleash the potential of the crystal in resource-intensive dynamic toys.
Finally
As practice shows, for the LGA775 interface, the motherboard plays a major role in the assembly process of any platform, regardless of application. However, the processor is responsible for the performance, which determines the purpose of the computer. Accordingly, before buying, any user has to solve two problems: to determine the chip and find a decent motherboard for it, which supports the main component of the system at the hardware level. All other elements are already selected at the discretion of the user.