BIOS The motherboard should use an industry-standard BIOS such as those
from AMI, Phoenix, or Award. Preferably, the BIOS chip should be the flash
ROM (EEPROM) type. If you have the choice, choose a BIOS that supports Plug
and Play (PnP), Enhanced IDE, and Fast ATA. A BIOS that supports the newer
power management standards, such as APM and SMM, is a good choice.
Chipset There are reasons to upgrade the chipset on a PC (see Chapter 5), but
the rule of thumb is that the chipset must be matched to the processor and the
motherboard. The chipset enables and supports such motherboard functions
as ECC memory and parity checking, USB ports, multiple CPUs, and other
performance issues.
Form factor If you aren’t changing your case, then you are stuck with the
motherboard form factor that will fit it. Typically, you are looking at an ATX or
NLX case and motherboard, unless your system is older, in which case (no pun
intended), it is likely a Baby AT. As discussed earlier in this chapter, many of
the different form factors share mounting placements, so you can upgrade to
any form factor that fits your case. Remember that the power supply is also a
component of the form factor and you may want to consider upgrading it as
well. If you go that far, consider replacing the case as well.
Built-in controllers and interfaces There are those who prefer that the mother-
board have as many built-in controllers and plugs as possible, and there are
those who dislike the “all-in-one” nature of these boards. If one of the built-in
controllers fails, which rarely happens, the entire motherboard must be replaced.
This can be much more costly than replacing a single expansion card. On the
other hand, there is no worry about compatibility among the integrated
controllers and interfaces on a motherboard featuring this design.
Documentation This is an excellent consideration when choosing a
motherboard. All things equal, the motherboard with the best documentation
should win. Remember that documentation available over the Internet counts.(^84) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide