The announcement of Surface 3 has confirmed Microsoft’s bid for its own line of tablets, which are more intended to serve as a reference platform (just like Google does with Nexus on Android) rather than competing directly with their partners, though some models (such as the Surface Pro 3) are selling quite well.

With Surface 3, Microsoft left behind the adventure that was the Surface RT (ARM architecture and Windows RT) that hasn’t worked well since its launch. It was the cause of discussions with their partners; it generated doubts in users by not running x86 applications and $900 million in losses due to poor marketing.

The motherboard is the main component of the PC, including the chipset base of all its architecture, the socket we plug the processor into, the slots we use to install memory, the expansion slots where we install additional cards (e.g. graphics cards) and internal and external connectors that meet our storage and peripheral needs.

Knowing the manufacturer of the motherboard, model, socket, architecture, chipset, etc., is important when updating the BIOS, the system controllers, increasing memory, or updating the processor or other component.

The simplest way is to directly open the PC or review the documentation that comes with it. Unless we’ve bought and set up the motherboard ourselves, we won’t always have access to this information and there are better ways to get it than opening up the computer.

The Command Line

The first way is to use Windows’s command line. In Windows 7 we can access the command prompt via Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. You can also access the command prompt through the search bar or Start menu by typing “cmd” or “command prompt”. On Windows 8/8.1, the easiest way to access the prompt is via the user menu, right-clicking on the start menu.

At any rate we’ll find ourselves confronted with a problem that will remind even the oldest users of MS-DOS. To retrieve the relevant informationi about your computer, simply type: “wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer,version,serialnumber” (without quotation marks).

Depending on the motherboard, the order will give us more or less information but at a minimum we’ll always see the manufacturer, model, and chipset, which is enough data for us to look for more information on the Internet or directly peruse and download the manual offered by the manufacturer.

Third-party applications

There’s some pretty good third-party software (both free and premium) that provides a visual interface not only for the motherboard’s information but also for the rest of our installed components. One that we like is Speccy by Piriform (a software developer you may remember for CCleaner). Free and in Spanish, it offers a ton of information about the motherboard and other components, the processor, memory, storage, peripheral devices, etc.

Finally, once we know all the relevant information about our motherboard, we can search for applications the manufacturer has made for them that, in additional to providing general information, monitors temperature or voltage and usually includes BIOS updates, management of ventilator speed, or overclocking of the processor or memory. Manufacturers like Gigabyte, ASUS, or MSI have these sorts of devices available.

For the gamer, a laptop with high performance configuration, especially the graphics card, is very important. A high-end gaming laptop has to rival the performance of a gaming desktop. Demanding smooth-running games is no longer exclusive to desktops. Currently the best graphics cards are the GTX 980M and the GTX 970M that recently launched. Obviously, laptops equipped with the 980M are more expensive (their prices are always above $1800) and I do not think it is necessary to choose a GTX 980M laptop. According to the 3DMark (2013) test, the 970m is a full 20% slower than the GTX 980m, however the GTX 970M is fast enough to run all most demanding games with Full HD resolution and highest details. You can get a GTX 970M at a price under $1500 and save money for other equipment, such as an SSD or a great gaming headset, to get a better gaming experience. For under $1500, there are also some laptops that feature the previous-generation GTX 860m, such as Lenovo Y50. Next, I’ll introduce these gaming laptops to you.

#1, Most recommend: Asus RoG G751JT-CH71

The new Asus RoG G751 carries everything needed for players to take their games everywhere. In addition to incorporating the latest generation of Intel Core i7 processors, the G751 incorporates the new GeForce GTX970M GPU, with the proprietary software GPU Tweak to get the best graphics performance.