![]() ![]() So the need for three or four PCI Express x16 slots has fallen off most users’ wish lists. Multiple-GPU desktops were once a big deal in elite gaming PCs, but with the last few generations of GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, support for multi-card CrossFireX and SLI/NVLink configurations has fallen by the wayside. ATX motherboards can have up to seven PCI Express expansion slots, which means you can install several cards alongside your graphics card. (Opens in a new window) See all (5 items)Īt the other end of the size spectrum, ATX motherboards (and a few larger, less common variants) take up the most space, but they also gain you the most expansion options. Read on for our favorite top tested picks, followed by a deep-dive guide to buying the right board for you. And this guide will help you pick the right one for your needs. If you’re looking to build a PC, or upgrade an aging model, you start with the motherboard. It connects most everything in the PC together, and it helps the components you choose live up to their operating potential. Indeed, likening a PC motherboard to any single system in an organism way undersells it. But without the correct motherboard, they are just loose parts. Sure, the other components play a larger role in determining your PC’s overall performance and capabilities. The soul? No pressure picking the right motherboard for your next PC build or upgrade then, right? And, if you stretch things into metaphysics? Maybe it's even the soul. Oh yeah, it's the circulatory system, too. If the RAM, graphics card, and CPU are the vibrant limbs of your PC, the parts that toil to get work done and fire up your favorite games, the motherboard is the skeleton-and the connective tissue. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window). ![]() Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions.
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