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If you’re into gaming then you probably already know the benefits of building your own PC. Not only does it allow you to make all the customisations that you want, so that you can have the best graphics and overclocking capabilities available, but it also means that you can keep updating it with new parts.
And if you’re still using an LGA 775 socket CPU, then it will almost certainly be time for you to update the motherboard, probably not for the first time.
The motherboard holds and allows the communication between different components, as well as containing significant sub-systems, and offering various expansion capabilities. This means that a new motherboard will give you a real performance boost and can help to make your computer feel brand new. But how do you know which one to get?
There are a lot of different factors to consider when you are deciding on your new motherboard. You need to consider which chipset it is compatible with, what its form factor is, how much memory it has, and what sort of expansion capabilities it contains.
These are questions that we’ll look into in more detail at the end of the article. But for now, take a look through our ten favourite motherboards for gaming with LGA 775 sockets and see which one best suits your mobo needs.
We’re starting our list with a very strong contender for the best LGA 775 socket motherboard out there. This ASRock mobo supports both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, which means that it is backwards compatible, as well as being able to handle newer technology.
Plus it has up to 8 GB RAM and two memory slots, so it should be able to handle whatever you throw at it. Given that it has four SATA2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, one PCI Express slot and two PCI slots, it really will allow you to make all the customisations that you could want.
So whatever your gaming needs, if you are looking for a motherboard with an LGA 775 socket, you’re going to be hard pushed to find one better than this.
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If you’re looking to build a custom PC for your gaming, then this motherboard is a great option. It supports high resolutions, as well as being great for multiplayer action or first-person shooter games. It’s a really great option if you know that you are going to need to make a lot of connections as it has a whopping 12 USB ports.
So regardless of how many connectors you need, this motherboard should be able to handle it without any problem. This makes it great for any gamers out there who don’t want to have to choose between which extra features they are going to plug in for each game.
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This motherboard is a great choice if you are looking for a motherboard with an LGA 775 socket, that needs to be both technologically advanced enough for today but still with enough backwards capabilities.
It has DDR3 RAM and four SATA slots, as well as both a PCI Express slot and two PCI slots, plus a VGA port for your video output. It’s smaller size makes it the perfect choice for anyone looking for a smaller motherboard that will still do the job.
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This motherboard has a small form factor, which means that if you want to install a GPU, although it will be possible, you’ll probably need to purchase a low profile version with a half height video card.
However, it still has plenty of expansion capabilities with its six USB ports, PCI Express and PCI slots. So while it might not be suitable for any real enthusiasts, it should still more than hold up for most gaming needs.
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This motherboard has great expansion capabilities, with four SATA slots, six USB ports and a PCI Express, so you can build a rig that is very much customised to your needs.
However, it is known for being a little tricky to set up, so it’s best to only go for this one if you have reasonably good computer skills. It also struggles with overclocking, which is worth bearing in mind if you are a keen gamer.
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This is a really affordable motherboard option and has loads of great features. It has a whopping 16 GB max RAM, plus it has five SATA slots, along with three PCI slots. If you’re looking for a motherboard with a lot of expansion capabilities that will run speedily, then this is a good choice for you.
However, given its affordable price, something has to give, and it is a less reliable option than a lot of the other motherboards on this list. If you are gaming then it should still work well for you, but it is not suitable for workstations.
So think about what your main needs are and whether or not this motherboard will be suitable for you, before you jump at the features available.
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If you’re looking to take your motherboard to the next level, look no further. This motherboard is actually a server motherboard. This means that it has multiple processors and is designed to support huge resource demands.
It’s got a larger form factor to take into account all its requirements, plus it has a much larger memory than most of the options on this list, at 32GB max RAM. However, it is worth thinking carefully before you invest in this one, as it is more expensive than regular motherboards, and it is more than likely that you wouldn’t actually need everything that it offers.
You don’t want to fall victim to the classic error that gamers commit when building a PC of spending way too much on heaps of features that they will never use. That being said, if you think that this is what you need, you should absolutely go for it. It’s a great option for people looking for a heavyweight motherboard with an LGA 775 socket.
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Here we have another HP option for your motherboard. This is a reliable motherboard that should be more than capable of dealing with your various gaming needs. It has great graphics and a variety of expansion capabilities, from three PCI Express slots, plus another PCI slot, to four USB ports.
It also has two 12 V fan connectors, which is ideal if you are going to be overclocking regularly. The only drawback really is that it has a pretty small memory. But if that isn’t a problem for you then this makes an excellent choice.
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This is the first motherboard on the list from Dell, but of course they are a well-known brand in the world of computers, and they are a very reliable choice when it comes to motherboards. This mobo for the LGA 775 socket has lots of great connectors and expansion capabilities, along with a VGA port and an audio I/O.
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Finally, we are going to finish with one of our favourite options. This ASUS P5Q motherboard has a huge 16 GB max RAM, as well as six SATA ports, three PCI Express slots, three PCI slots and can fit a full sized GPU.
This means that you can customise it every which way that you need, and you don’t need to worry about the speed or ability being compromised as a result. If you are looking for a motherboard with an LGA 775 socket that will work for some serious gaming, you can’t get much better than this.
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Now that you’ve taken a look at the ten best motherboards for gaming with an LGA 775 socket, it’s worth remembering a few important factors to consider before you purchase.
The chipset is sort of like the motherboard’s communications centre, determining which components are compatible with it. This includes aspects like the CPU, RAM, hard drives and graphics cards.
In general, the motherboards with LGA 775 sockets are compatible with chipsets from the Bearlake and Eaglelake era, such as the G31, G41, P45, and Q42 chipsets, that are compatible with Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors.
The form factor is basically the size and shape of the physical hardware design. From largest to smallest, the motherboard form factors usually range from Standard ATX, to Micro ATX, to Mini ITX, to Nano ITX, and finally the Pico ITX. So make sure you know which is suitable for your PC before you purchase a new mobo.
The size of the memory usually affects the amount that can be stored on the computer, as well as the number of processes that can take place, and how quickly they can happen. This means that if you want a quicker PC, it is probably worth investing in a larger memory if you’re not sure.
That being said, it does tend to cost more, so it’s worth weighing up how much you need first, before you splash out on a huge memory that you just don’t use.
The motherboard that you pick determines the expansion capabilities of your PC. So if you want to be able to overclock and install some extra fans, plus you want to have a few different video outputs, and various input devices connected, you need to make sure that your mobo has enough ports and slots for everything. Given that you are constructing your own PC, you might as well make it a PC that will work well for you.
If you are looking into a motherboard with an LGA 775 socket, then you are not looking for the most up-to-date technology. These sockets were released by Intel back in 2004, and although they lasted a full seven years, technology has moved on at a fair lick since that moment.
That being said, some of these motherboards are better capable of handling the future, and others have better backwards capabilities. Clues as to which lie in aspects such as the type of memory (DDR2 is older, DDR3 is newer, and dual capability can do both), or whether it’s got PCI Express slots, which are newer than PCI slots, or both. Newer isn’t always better, so work out what will work best for you and go for the option that best caters for that.
Now that we’ve run through the most important aspects, you should be clear on what you need to consider before purchasing a new motherboard. The main thing is to think in advance about what you will actually be using your PC for, and what you need your motherboard to be capable of.
Once you’ve sorted that out, you should be able to work out which ones will or won’t work for you from our list of the top ten. So take a look and we’re sure you’ll find the right motherboard for all your gaming needs.
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