Your motherboard is the most important piece of equipment in your computer system, and it is the most complicated. The motherboard acts as the skeleton upon which your computer is built. It connects to your processor, your memory, your AGP card, your PCI cards, your mouse, your keyboard, your USB, and every single other component in your computer system. For this reason, it is extremely important to know both who made your motherboard, and some other specific information about it.

Not all motherboards are equal, some are better designed and built than others, and many problems in a computer system (even graphics problems) can be traced back to a problem that has its roots on the motherboard. The main information that you will want to know about your motherboard is: the name of the manufacturer, the model number of the motherboard (as used by the manufacturer), the BIOS version that is on your motherboard, and the location of the motherboard manufacturer's website - in case you need to get support or updated files from them.

In many cases this is a very simple thing to determine. Simply look at your motherboard box or manual and the manufacturer's name should be clearly visible. If you have a computer system that is made by a company like Gateway or Dell, you can get this information from their websites by looking up your system model number with them.

In some cases though, the motherboard manufacturer chooses not to include their name in any of the materials. There can be a variety of reasons for this and it does not automatically mean that they have a bad motherboard. But it does mean that you will have a little work ahead of you. Here are some handy ways that you can help to determine your motherboard manufacturer if it is not immediately evident:

• Contact your vendor. Call the person or store that sold you the computer. If anyone should know who made the motherboard it's them. If they don't know or tell you that it doesn't matter - push them. You paid good money for that motherboard and you deserve to at least know where it came from.

• Use the internet. The internet has been growing by leaps and bounds and it tends to create communities of like minded people. The problem of finding out information about a motherboard is nothing new - and as a matter of fact it is a big enough problem that some good folks have set up a website to specifically help you do just that. The website is Motherboard Homeworld (http://www.motherboards.org) and it is the best of its kind that we have seen.

• Look Again. If you didn't find anything in the manual or in the packaging about who made the motherboard - take a look one more time. Sometimes we get in a rush and miss small things. Also, take a look at any readme files on any disks that came with the motherboard. It may not tell you who made it, but it might give you some clues or other important information.

Your motherboard model is important to know because it will help define for both you and any Tech Support personnel that you contact exactly what the capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses of your motherboard might be. Very often technical information is listed by the motherboard model number that is impacted by it so this will help speed up how quickly you can get your answers. And lastly, your manufacturer will list updates and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) but the motherboard model, so it is vital to have it in order to get accurate information.

Getting your motherboard model is very easy - as a matter of fact, you will be able to get your motherboard model information at the same time and in the same manner that you get the motherboard manufacturer's name. Everything that applies to finding the motherboard manufacturer (from above) applies to getting the model number.

BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System - and in many ways acts like a very basic tiny operating system that is stored on a memory chip on your motherboard. When your computer first powers up, the BIOS is what allows it to begin operating long enough to load a more powerful operating system (like Microsoft Windows 98, or even Linux) that then takes over control of your computer. Because changes get made to this program as time goes by (new features are added, older features are made more efficient, etc.) it is important to know what version of your motherboard BIOS is being used on your computer's motherboard.

One very important thing to remember is that motherboard BIOS is not interchangeable. Every single motherboard model from every single motherboard manufacturer has its own BIOS that was written for it - and these BIOS programs will not work on any other type of motherboard, even different models from the same manufacturer. So, if you need to upgrade your motherboard BIOS, you need to make sure that you get the BIOS program that is for your motherboard specifically, otherwise you can render your motherboard inoperable.

You can determine your motherboard BIOS version by watching when your computer boots up. Usually it will display the BIOS version and date just above the area where the memory is counted at boot up.

If you are having trouble finding the BIOS version this way, there are several helpful programs and tips that can help you located on the website we mentioned above, Motherboard Homeworld. You can also contact your vendor or manufacturer for assistance in locating your BIOS version.

After you have found all the information above, you've probably already found out about the manufacturer's website. But if you haven't, you should. Motherboard Homeworld maintains an extensive directory of motherboard manufacturer's websites, with handy and easy ways to search for them.

You should look at your motherboard manufacturer's website at least once in a while as it may contain important information about upgrades, drivers, new BIOS, and important problem solving FAQs.

Knowing your system is one of the most important things that you can do to make sure that your computer stays free of trouble and runs at its optimal performance level. Just like keeping an eye on the level of oil in your car or how much air is in your tires, knowing your computer system will let you prevent smaller problems from turning into larger ones.

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Your motherboard chipset is every bit as important as the motherboard manufacturer and model number. The motherboard chipset is the piece of technology that controls your entire computer system. While it is true that the CPU is the brains of your computer system and does all of the computations, calculations, and number crunching, the motherboard chipset is like the computer's nervous system. Nothing goes anywhere without the chipset's help and say-so. So, you can see that it is extremely vital that you are aware of who made it, what model number it is, and what the latest drivers or control software is for your particular operating system - without these, it is very likely that your computer will not work correctly.

There are several manufacturers of motherboard chipsets and each of them have their advantages and disadvantages, and it is important for you to know exactly how this will effect you and your system.

The easiest and simplest way to determine the manufacturer of chipset you have on your motherboard is to look in your motherboard manual. Almost always this information is listed in the front of the motherboard manual in the specifications section.

Intel is one of the longest standing and most experienced makers of motherboard chipsets. Intel is the creator of the AGP video card interface and because of this has the highest level of performance and compatibility with AGP graphics cards. Additionally, Intel chipsets do not require any special drivers be installed in order to use an AGP graphics card - this is a big advantage in terms of compatibility and ease of use.

Some Intel AGP Chipsets Are:

i440LX
i440BX
i820
i840
i815

To find out more about Intel AGP Chipsets, see their website at http://www.intel.com

AMD is a relative newcomer to the AGP chipset market. Driven by a need to create high quality AGP chipsets to support their newer CPUs, AMD has developed several very successful new AGP chipsets. However, like all non-Intel AGP chipsets, you need to download and install their AGP drivers in order to get AGP to work correctly.

Some AMD AGP Chipsets Are:

750
760

To find out more about AMD AGP chipsets or download their drivers, see their website at http://www.amd.com

VIA Technologies is a very well known maker of AGP motherboard chipsets, and they were among the first of the non-Intel AGP chipsets to come to market. While their quality tends to be some of the best among the non-Intel AGP chipset makers, there are occasionally some problems with compatibility, as they were required to reverse engineer the AGP process. Also, VIA chipsets, like all non-Intel AGP chipsets, require that you install special AGP drivers in order to get AGP to function correctly on your system. It is important to install these drivers before you install any display drivers.

Some VIA AGP Chipsets Are:

KT133
KX133
Pro133A
Pro133
MVP3

To find out more about VIA AGP Chipsets or download their drivers, see their website at http://www.viatech.com

ALI, or Acer Labs Inc. is the maker of the line of Aladdin AGP motherboard chipsets. While very popular, they have not made as much of an impact as the various VIA motherboard chipsets. They are however, still on the cutting edge and have recently announced a new chipsets with support for DDR SDRAM memory. Like all non-Intel AGP chipsets, you will need to install and AGP driver from them in order to get correct AGP support.

Some ALI AGP Chipsets Are:

MAGiK1
Pro-5
Pro-4
Aladdin 7
Aladdin 5

To find out more about ALI AGP Chipsets or download their drivers, see their website at http://www.ali.com.tw

SIS, or Silicon Integrated Systems, has been a big player in all forms of chipsets for quite some time. Not surprisingly, they have developed several very solid AGP chipset designs that are available on motherboards from a variety of manufacturers. However, like all the other non-Intel AGP chipset makers, their chipsets require that you install a special AGP driver in order to get AGP to function correctly with your system.

Some SIS AGP Chipsets Are:

730S
630S
620/5595
600/5595

To find out more about SIS AGP Chipsets or download their drivers, see their website at http://www.sis.com.tw

If you have an Intel AGP chipset, this step is not required, as all of the correct drivers are already provided with your video drivers. However, if you have a chipset made by AMD, VIA, ALI, or SIS you will need to download and install the latest AGP drivers for your motherboard.

There is no easy way to tell what the driver version of your AGP drivers (these are the drivers for the motherboard chipset, not the video card) after they are installed. So, it is in your best interest to pay close attention to the driver version when you install them for the first time. If you are unsure, simply go to the manufacturer's website (the website for the chipset maker) and download and install the latest drivers available there - and make sure to write down the driver version.

This is important because newer AGP drivers often include support for newer video cards and features that older AGP drivers do not handle correctly.

This should be fairly simple at this point, but it is very important that you write it down nonetheless. When you want to later refer to their site for newer drivers or if you are looking for some troubleshooting information about their chipset it can mean the difference between success and frustration.

The website addresses of all of the different AGP chipset makers are listed next to their names in the sections above.