ADVICE ON BUYING A MOTHERBOARD
KNOW THE MANUFACTURER
Last updated: 12/20/99

BUY A NAME BRAND MOTHERBOARD. I do not recommend that you buy a "no-name" motherboard, unless you know it's a good one, know enough and have the time and resources to determine that it is a good one, have a high degree of confidence in the vendor from which you buy it, or like gambling. There are good "no-name" motherboards out there. Likewise, there are a lot of defective, poorly-designed, and obsolete motherboards out there; i.e., cheap junk!

CHECK THE MANUFACTURER'S WEB SITE. What is the tone of the site? Professional? Is it up-to-date? Readable? Easy to navigate? Are BIOS and BIOS upgrades available. Are the motherboard books available online? Are FAQs well written and extensive (you may actually discover potential problems which reflect on quality)? Is there a picture of the motherboard? Is there means to communicate with the manufacture: feedback, phone numbers, branch offices? Source listings where you can buy the manufacture's products. Company history: how long have they been in business? How big are they? Awards?

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