Choosing a motherboard for C2D E6600

[BusyDoingNothing]

Hey all, I've been planning on building my new system based on the Core 2 Duo E6600. This will be my first Intel-based system since my Celeron 300 (overclocked to 450...remember those?). I'm not sure which motherboard to go with. I was planning on the nVidia 590-based boards, but it appears they will be retailing for around $300, and there's no way I want to spend that much on a motherboard (especially when the processor costs a mere $60 more). I keep hearing about a better chipset being just around the corner, and frankly, I am sick of playing the waiting game; I want my new system NOW!

I do a ton of gaming. I highly doubt I will overclock, and I also highly doubt that I will ever get a second video card to run SLI. If I do, it won't be until the card drops heavily in price, and at that point, I will most likely have to upgrade the board anyhow. It appears 800Mhz DDR2 is the way to go, so the board will have to support that; I'll be getting 2GB RAM. I am most likely going to throw a 7900GTX for video. I've been a fan of Asus boards for a long time, but I suppose I am willing to try other options.

What do you guys suggest?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: BusyDoingNothing
Hey all, I've been planning on building my new system based on the Core 2 Duo E6600. This will be my first Intel-based system since my Celeron 300 (overclocked to 450...remember those?). I'm not sure which motherboard to go with. I was planning on the nVidia 590-based boards, but it appears they will be retailing for around $300, and there's no way I want to spend that much on a motherboard (especially when the processor costs a mere $60 more). I keep hearing about a better chipset being just around the corner, and frankly, I am sick of playing the waiting game; I want my new system NOW!

I do a ton of gaming. I highly doubt I will overclock, and I also highly doubt that I will ever get a second video card to run SLI. If I do, it won't be until the card drops heavily in price, and at that point, I will most likely have to upgrade the board anyhow. It appears 800Mhz DDR2 is the way to go, so the board will have to support that; I'll be getting 2GB RAM. I am most likely going to throw a 7900GTX for video. I've been a fan of Asus boards for a long time, but I suppose I am willing to try other options.

What do you guys suggest?

It really depends on your budget. The Asus p5B Deluxe is great. The normal P5B is alot cheaper and offers most of the same features. Or take a look at the Gigabyte DS3. You could also opt for the DQ6 which adds a few extra features over the DS3. Any of these will suite you well and offer great stability and performance at stock speeds. If you're overclocking it becomes harder to pick one because each has it's little quirks.