Motherboard for a Q6600 - suggestions needed for an infrequent upgrader

[Shag]

I'm in the process of upgrading my pc for the first time in 4 years (ouch), and am trying to do it on the cheap. I have a line on a used Q6600 and 8800GT, and am looking for a motherboard to go with them. I've been reading through various forums today, but the amount of information is rather overwhelming for someone who's been out of the PC world for a while. I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

I'm looking for an affordable board that is a good overclocker. I need the following features:

- Q6600 compatibility out of the box
- GB ethernet
- firewire
- good/easy overclocking
- decent/good audio
- at least one PATA port
- SATA

I'm undecided on SLI for one reason - my generally slow upgrades. I don't upgrade frequently, and tend to ride my rigs for as long as possible. I understand that today, SLI won't really buy me much, but would it be a good way to extend the life of my system down the road, when a 2nd 8800GT would be really cheap? I'm leaning against SLI, but could be convinced to go that route, if you experts deem it the better path for me.

There's also the P35 vs P45 issue, which is just coming into play.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DSF]

SLI is not an effective upgrade path, and P45 doesn't really offer you much of anything over P35. Since you're trying to do this on the cheap, stick to the tried and true P35 chipset which offers very budget-friendly performance.

The P35 covers Q6600 compatibility, a PATA port, SATA, good overclocking, GB ethernet and decent audio automatically. Are you looking for firewire headers you can use with front jacks on the case, a built-in rear firewire port, or both?

 

[Shag]

Originally posted by: DSF
SLI is not an effective upgrade path, and P45 doesn't really offer you much of anything over P35. Since you're trying to do this on the cheap, stick to the tried and true P35 chipset which offers very budget-friendly performance.

The P35 covers Q6600 compatibility, a PATA port, SATA, good overclocking, GB ethernet and decent audio automatically. Are you looking for firewire headers you can use with front jacks on the case, a built-in rear firewire port, or both?

Thanks! That's kind of what I was thinking, as well...

As for firewire, I'd like a built-in rear port. Headers would be nice, but not at all a requirement. If necessary, I can always add a PCI firewire card if a non-firewire board proves to be the best option.