Motherboards

Buying a second hand motherboard can be a riskier process. Even when buying new, with every technical specification in front of you, their naming conventions can perplex the experts. What is more, there are numerous things to look out for when searching for a used bargain. Potential buyers should be careful when it comes to refurbished boards, as often these come without accessories, such as the I/O shield. Bent CPU socket pins are another common fault on motherboards, and not easy to see from a blurry picture. If in doubt, ask the seller! At least that way you have some recourse if the board turns up with the pins looking like an old toothbrush. 

That said, anything stated as in fully working order, made by Gigabyte, Asus or MSI can usually be relied upon to be adequate for most users needs. Nowadays, even the most basic of boards offer 5.1 channel sound and moderate overclocking abilities. Used AM3 boards are in plentiful supply and can be had for as little as £30. For those looking to future proof themselves, the P67 platform is a clever buy. Intel initially released the 1155 platform in two flavours, P67 and H67. Z68 later amalgamated the features of the two, but many of the features enthusiasts will be using such as overclocking can be found on the P67 line of boards. If you can find a P67 board at good price, don’t feel like you’ll be missing out by not owning Z68.

Best buy: AM3 or P67 Boards from Gigabyte, Asus or MSI

For a recent build we picked up this Bit Tech certified Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT - UD2H for £35.