Motherboard

I have been using Nvidia [graphics] Cards for years to connect my Monitor to the MB so I am not sure when the separation of the Monitor socket from the MBs started but I have not been using MBs with integrated Monitor sockets.

motherboards used to all require a graphics card, and they have 8 slots for them.

Then things changed, the number of connections from mobo to graphics processor went up a lot and people wanted cheap mobos, so they made integrated mobos. Those that want good graphics now must buy a PCI-Express moherboard and card. The prior standard was AGP = advanced graphics processor

Once upon a time, long long ago, the video was integrated on the motherboard, but then to upgrade your video, means buying the next mobo up, then came the plugable video cards, this allowed for a cheaper solution for interchangeable video, or more customizable.

The originals ran the video at CPU speeds, but not until I think it was PCIe did the video get back close to the speed of the processor in the data transfer rates (The VESA local bus was slower, and wasn't quite local)

Then the slightly more expensive mobo's came out that had onboard graphics, best for text based workstations.

But the crunch comes when you have to upgrade.

The graphics bus changed, so new Video card, the CPU is now running a new grig, so new CPU, the memory is now a new format, so new memory.... ARGGgghhhhhh The PSU now needs 24 pin connector not the 20 pin you have ;o(

the first IBM PC had 5 expansion slots to plug in cards, ca 1982-3, Video, serial, parallel, etc. all functions were card based. The board was mainly TTL and a few multifunction chips. The IBM XT followed, it had 8 slots and was also a TTL board with some multifunction chips. The legal IBM clones came at this time. Then the first all-in-one (AIO) mobos. The AIO meant a lot of the TTL logic was embedded in an LSI chipset. (large scale integration). AIO co-existed with plug in cards for years. The edge connectors were costly, so to save money then made the AIO.

This has progressed to the modern mobo, which is AIO with very few edge connectors for extra functions, often a PCI slot and a PCI-express slot and a couple of stub connectors for modems or somesuch that do not need wide access to the bus.

Nah, it's 20+4 pin, it has enough pins, and it has the separate 4 pin 12v lead (not molex(which it also has))

It is the other way around Bondy111 normally a mother board is just that a board with just the main processor unit. the rest has to be added.

It is a "recent" development that the boards have more functions integrated.

Yes the motherboard you bought is special but not because it doesn't support integrated video

This is true about 50% of time now a days.

Anyway you into gaming so integrated graphics wouldn't suit you well. Check the recommendations for the programing you're using and select a video card about 30% greater in performance factor.

Its really the purchaser's choice, you pick onboard graphics if you don't need high speed gaming. The price difference is basically non existent.

It sounds as though your mind was elsewhere when picking a new Mother board.....was she nice?

i bet he was looking at that new curvious Celeron 3.8 Gigahertz processor

What I do when buying anything from PCs to cars is I make an Excel sheet and plot in all the good and bad points for each product that fits my bill. Its a simple mater to print it out (or on the screen) and decide which one fits my criteria best.......

This usually takes a few odd moments over a week to a month (depending on how expensive the item is as well.......) to finalize....

Long live Excel!!

Naughty Boy!!!

This is misuse of Excel.

What you are doing is word processing, and the correct program is Word or equivalent. Use a simple table and benefit from all the features a good word processor provides that a spreadsheet does not.

I still prefer Excel as I give everything points and see what the best score is.....some WPs can do that too, but I am quite happy with Excel. Each to his own!!

Nah, I'm looking at the 2.3GHz phenom x3!

My mind was completely on track! It is for games.

ok, there are a few good posts here, but ultimately for several years one has had the ability to buy a mobo with or without video, with or without audio, multi-processor or single processor, so on and so forth. Your mobo is special only to the degree that you just didnt know to look for one with on-board video, if that is what your going for. I remember my first computer, which was an IBM 286, 8mhz, 640kb conventional memory, no extended memory and a 20mb hard drive and it did not have a built-in video port. Back then too, it was monochrome video anyways. I had to install an add-on video card, which by the way was only like a 256kb memory video card. So motherboards have been built with the option of no video for a long time. Just things to remember when your "trying" to build a custom computer look at all the specs on the mobo to make sure it has what you need. make sure it will support the processor you want to use. and make sure you get the proper "ram" for the mobo.

I didn't realise it had no onboard video, but it's not that important because it is designed for soft gaming. It was really just because if it had onboard graphics, I would be able to buy the last few things on it quicker and buy the g card at a later date

Put on your thinking cap and consider the SLI/ crossfire advantage and get a G card you can swing now then later add another in tandem...

You probably would not like the screen update rate much, or the fine detail.....you would have still bought the graphics card very soon!!

True...

Many users who are building performance machines do not want the video "onboard" since it uses shared memory which takes away from other uses for the memory. There are still many MBs manufactured with onboard memory, just need to check the specs.

Especially when using ASUS and or an All In Wonder bundle of crud that can't be disabled.

Further to all, good MoBos (I learnt a new acronym here!)always have BOTH....eg. A socket and onboard graphics. You just need to configure correctly!!

The only reason my last MoBo did not have onboard Graphics was that I was looking for computing power and at least 3 PCI slots (the old ones), SATA RAID, with an AMD X2.....the choice was limited at the time.....