[Akumajin]

Using the q6600, probably going to OC at least a little (to around or below 3.0), with 4GB RAM on 64 bit Vista for reference.

Here's 3 mobos I saw on Newegg that had great ratings and good prices/features. They all seem to be the same except some port differences, like having some eSata and more audio ports, whatever. I'd rather have a more reliable motherboard than some extra ports, honestly. Also budget? Try to stay around or under $200. Feel free to find other mobos than these, these just seemed like a great choice.

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard Newegg.com - MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

[vernong1992]

Abit IP35-Pro out of those..... if you want Crossfire later on a P35-DS3P... and if you want SLi later get a 680i

[Akumajin]

I know what SLi is, what is Crossfire?

[veedubfreak]

Crossfire is the ATI equivalent. Also, the 780i boards are about to launch, so if you decide to get an SLI board i would hold off until you can pick up a 780i board.

[Akumajin]

bump...

[Rawmaterial]

any other advice on these board selections?

[vernong1992]

none, these boards are built with n00b overclockers in mind, with a lot of overclocking headroom, I think somebody did mention hitting Shift f1 or something to unlock more OC'ing options in the BIOS

[Andyf]

The ABIT is an excellent choice. Other notables in this category are

Asus P5k Deluxe
MSI P35 diamond
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R or -DS3L(budget choice)

All of these boards use the P35 chipset which is tried and proved, overclocks well, and doesn't break the bank. I believe the top two are certainly capable of Crossfire (ATi's Dual GPU system, which works much better than Nvidias equivalent, SLI, particularly at higher resolutions) and maybe the MSI as well.

There is the newer, gaming oriented X38 chipset, notable versions of which include:
Asus P5E
Asus maximus extreme
Gigabyte GA-X38 series

and various other offerings. These are generally more expensive and not as mature technology. There is the consideration that some are compatible with DDR3 memory, or both DDR2 and 3, which is something to think about.

Coming out in the future is the X48 series. I would stay clear for now: expensive and untried


As for SLI, if you want to go down that road, there are the 650i, 680i and 780i chipsets. 650i is quite old.
680i is prolly a good bet, I would go with the EVGA offering, but there is also the Asus Striker extreme, which has some nice features, but not recommended if you are going for 4slots of RAM (very picky on RAM) and is expensive.
The 680i series are certainly not as reliable as the p35. Many problems coming from that chipset

You could wait for 780i, which is more like a 680i+, but again, new tech so prices will be high, and you don't know about any problems that might arise.


I'd say stick with cheaper, tried and tested stuff, when it comes to picking Mobos.

[vernong1992]

Originally Posted by Andyf

The ABIT is an excellent choice. Other notables in this category are

Asus P5k Deluxe
MSI P35 diamond
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R or -DS3L(budget choice)

All of these boards use the P35 chipset which is tried and proved, overclocks well, and doesn't break the bank. I believe the top two are certainly capable of Crossfire (ATi's Dual GPU system, which works much better than Nvidias equivalent, SLI, particularly at higher resolutions) and maybe the MSI as well.

There is the newer, gaming oriented X38 chipset, notable versions of which include:
Asus P5E
Asus maximus extreme
Gigabyte GA-X38 series

and various other offerings. These are generally more expensive and not as mature technology. There is the consideration that some are compatible with DDR3 memory, or both DDR2 and 3, which is something to think about.

Coming out in the future is the X48 series. I would stay clear for now: expensive and untried


As for SLI, if you want to go down that road, there are the 650i, 680i and 780i chipsets. 650i is quite old.
680i is prolly a good bet, I would go with the EVGA offering, but there is also the Asus Striker extreme, which has some nice features, but not recommended if you are going for 4slots of RAM (very picky on RAM) and is expensive.
The 680i series are certainly not as reliable as the p35. Many problems coming from that chipset

You could wait for 780i, which is more like a 680i+, but again, new tech so prices will be high, and you don't know about any problems that might arise.


I'd say stick with cheaper, tried and tested stuff, when it comes to picking Mobos.

the 680i also prevents upgrading to the Yorkfield processors

[Andyf]

Originally Posted by vernong1992

the 680i also prevents upgrading to the Yorkfield processors

Ohyeah, good point, I forgot about that.