How To Choose The Right Processor And Motherboard?

[Josh]

Hey all,
I built my own computer about 2 years ago and it did what I wanted it to do just great, but now I think it's time for an upgrade in speed. Before, I bought a barebone which basically did all the hard work for me, but this time I really want to get down to the nitty gritty and choose everything to my own liking.

I understand that you need to choose a processor and motherboard that are compatible with each other. I'm looking at an AMD processor that I think would do great. If anyone is wondering, I'm looking at the AMD Phenom X3 8450 Processor (2.10GHz, 3.5MB Cache, 1800MHz (3600 MT/s) FSB, Toliman, Triple-Core, Socket AM2+, Processor with Fan). Now that's all fine and dandy, but how do I know what motherboard I can use with this processor? There's all these socket types and stuff that have me totally confused. Once I get past this part, I can easily pick and choose the rest of my components I want for the computer. Ram, graphics card, hdd, etc...

So how do I pick the right motherboard that will work with the processor I choose? I just want to know how I can do this on my own in the future instead of having someone just point out a motherboard that will work so please feel free to become Mr. or Ms. teacher and teach me a thing or two about this.

Thanks in advanced!
-Josh

[Jim]

I would go to the AMD website and see what motherboards are compatible; personally i like the ASUS boards, MSI being a close second.

[url=\"http://products.amd.com/en-us/RecommendedMBFilter.aspx\"]http://products.amd.com/en-us/RecommendedMBFilter.aspx[/url]