Updating my PC: what are the important motherboard attributes to avoid hiccups

[Monkeh]

Oh yeah, I just remembered this one: https://aloiskraus.wordpress.com/2018/06/16/why-skylakex-cpus-are-sometimes-50-slower-how-intel-has-broken-existing-code/

Intel: Perfection. Obviously.

[madires]

Do you realise AMD processors aren't immune to many of these publicised vulnerabilities either?

I actually work in cyber security and I have not come across a single instance (outside a lab environment) where things like Spectre or Meltdown have been exploited, largely due to the complexity involved and level of access needed.

At least Intel have been responsive to provide patches and mitigations, AMD, not so much.

Since you're working in cyber security I wonder why so many "experts" don't consider the severity and real-life threat possibility of vulnerabilities. It's not simply black or white. In the AMD vs. Intel debate I'd say that the CPU vulnerabilities found in the last few years suggest a much greater threat level for Intel CPUs. And the microcode updates and OS workarounds aren't for free, they come with performance penalties (not so much for typical desktops).

[Halcyon]

Someone didn't bother to do anything before knee-jerking to sound superior. And, well, pot and kettle considering our last discussion..

I have to disagree, but rather than ping-ponging needlessly, I'll let you do your own reading.

Do you realise AMD processors aren't immune to many of these publicised vulnerabilities either?

I actually work in cyber security and I have not come across a single instance (outside a lab environment) where things like Spectre or Meltdown have been exploited, largely due to the complexity involved and level of access needed.

At least Intel have been responsive to provide patches and mitigations, AMD, not so much.

Since you're working in cyber security I wonder why so many "experts" don't consider the severity and real-life threat possibility of vulnerabilities. It's not simply black or white. In the AMD vs. Intel debate I'd say that the CPU vulnerabilities found in the last few years suggest a much greater threat level for Intel CPUs. And the microcode updates and OS workarounds aren't for free, they come with performance penalties (not so much for typical desktops).

Because the threat in real-world cases is negligible. The biggest challenge is getting physical access to the machine and even then, you need certain privileges.

Consider a data centre or some other protected environment. A threat actor, even if they are internal, aren't going to get anywhere near those machines without being noticed. If someone can just waltz in, you have much bigger issues such as physical security.

As I said, it just hasn't been exploited out there "in the wild". I'm not saying it won't ever happen, it just hasn't yet.

[ChunkyPastaSauce]

So, what are the magic features that I should look for

I'd look for a motherboard with pcie bifurcation. Without bifurcation support, you put in 1 pcie x4 drive per pcie slot even if the slot is x16. With bifurcation you can put 4 pcie x4 drives in each pcie 16x slot.

Also the NIC, if you want fast file transfers or you might have gigabit+ internet, get one with a nic better than 1GbE (2.5/5/10GbE). Lot of stuff coming out now faster than 1GbE

[madires]

Because the threat in real-world cases is negligible. The biggest challenge is getting physical access to the machine and even then, you need certain privileges.

The attacker needs just to run software on the target machine. For example, Spectre can be exploited remotely by running JavaScript in your web browser (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_%28security_vulnerability%29#Remote_exploitation).

[wraper]

Because the threat in real-world cases is negligible. The biggest challenge is getting physical access to the machine and even then, you need certain privileges.

Then after years turns out a huge amount of data from a big company was stolen and nobody knows how. Those exploits break virtualization boundary FWIW.

[Halcyon]

Because the threat in real-world cases is negligible. The biggest challenge is getting physical access to the machine and even then, you need certain privileges.

Then after years turns out a huge amount of data from a big company was stolen and nobody knows how. Those exploits break virtualization boundary FWIW.

We often find that when the root cause cannot be determined, it's generally due to insufficient monitoring by the company (or those who run their networks). Even if SEIMs are implemented (and working) who actually monitors it? How long are logs kept? etc...

Cyber Security is quite often an after-thought with many companies (big and small) until such time an attack occurs and information and/or money is lost. It's like those without proper backup solutions, it's too late to implement when disaster happens.

[olkipukki]

There are a few SSDs available in PCIe4, none from Intel or Samsung, though, but some controller IC makers from Taiwan are already experimenting PCIe4 controllers with MSI, Gigabyte and Sabrent. If you want to get the best speed and don't mind being beta tested, go for it. 6GB+/s is delicious.

Samsung PM1733 / PM1735 are coming, hopefully couple months and these available to the public.

[nigelwright7557]

My current system is a coffee lake i8700k
I have a couple of SSD's for speed and fast boot up time.
I just use onboard graphics and found it to be fast enough for my uses.
I run Win7 and Win10 as that is what most of my software customers use.
I have 12GB of memory.