Motherboard Suggestions

[Unknown Person]

So I posted earlier last week, and have gotten some suggestions about my current build (which can be seen at http://forums.anandtech.com/me...d=27&threadid=2197333), and I'm posting here because I'd like some specific help on motherboards.

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to look for in a motherboard other than the existing PCI-E or the amount of SATA interfaces it'll support. The computer I plan on building around the end of next month will need some specific considerations, so I'm a bit confused about what motherboard I should get.

The motherboard should:
- Run DDR2-800 RAM
- Support the new 45nm Intel processors (I'm getting an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450)
- Have two PCI-Express slots. I know that there are two choices of the Intel chipset or nVIDIA chipset, each with it's ups and downs, but since I am not planning on running SLI or CrossFire, there should be a bit more choice. I intend on running two GPUs because of me wanting to run 3 monitors + an HDTV with HDMI (see my other thread for more information)
- Preferably have more than 4 SATA plugs. I'm going to run two harddrives, plus have two SATA DVD drives. I'd like to have the option of adding a blu-ray drive in the future.
- No Wifi
- Ideally have more than 4 USB ports at the back, but this is not important if the price can be cut

I'd like to keep this motherboard under $200, since I'm already over budget, but I do not want to cheap out on this part, so something around that price is fine. Since I'm Canadian, this motherboard will obviously have to be bought in Canada, so links to Canadian vendors as a reference would be nice. I probably won't buy the parts from those sites, though, unless it is a really good deal.

I'd also like to mention that I'm not intending on overclocking, so I don't need any motherboard with any special features or gizmos.

Here is a list of motherboards I have looked at and considered as reference:

$193.99 Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Socket 775 Intel P35 + ICH9R Dual-Channel DDR2 1200(oc)/1066/800/667Mhz GigaLAN 7.1-Channel Audio Support 1600Mhz FSB (oc)
http://www.canadacomputers.com...&pid=018355&cid=MB.157

$178.99 Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Socket 775 Intel P35 + ICH9R Dual-Channel DDR2 1066/800/667Mhz 8x Serial ATAII IEEE1394 GigaLAN 8-Channel Audio Support 1333Mhz FSB
http://www.canadacomputers.com...&pid=015613&cid=MB.157

$180.99 Asus P5Q-E Socket 775 Intel P45 + ICH10R Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 1200/1066/800/667MHz Dual Gigabit LAN 8-channel High Definition Audio 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slots 8x SATA 3Gb/s
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=018815&cid=MB.157

$214.99 MSI P45 Platinum Socket 775 Intel P45 ICH10R Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 800/1066/1200*(OC)Mhz 2 X PCIe 16 8-Channel HD Audio Support 1600*(OC)Mhz FSB
http://canadacomputers.com/ind...&pid=018888&cid=MB.157

Another question I have is the speeds of the PCI-Express slots. For most of the Intel chipsets, some of the secondary PCI-E slots say that it supports only x4 speeds. Will this have an effect on performance? The secondary PCI-E slot will probably either handle my two alternate monitors (no monitors that will do any gaming/graphic intensive stuff), or one alternate monitor and the HDTV (which is my main concern). This is because I am still deciding and researching video cards that will suit my purpose.

Thanks for any help that anyone can provide for me!

 

[kwantam]

Using newegg's Power Search feature you should be able to get a great idea of what's available meeting your specifications. You should have no problem staying under $200 if you stick with an Intel P35 chipset, the only downside of which is that you'll only get PCI-express 1.1 support.

 

[secretanchitman]

asus p5q deluxe. it uses the newest intel P45 chipset, supports 45nm quad core and dual cores, runs ddr2-1066 memory, support for 16GB of ram, has 8 sata ports (all useable), has pci-e 2.0 support, has 6 usb ports on the back, NO wifi (only the P5Q3 deluxe has wifi)..

and this mobo is $209 shipped at newegg last time i checked. i bought mine for $205 shipped though..

 

[Sylvanas]

I have had good experiences with MSI- so that would be my recommendation, however you may also want to check out This Biostar P45 which is priced at $130 and is causing quite a stir on the overclocking front

 

[Unknown Person]

So in the end, I think the ASUS P5Q Pro would be the best choice, since it has enough SATA plugs, 2 PCI-E slots, and is pretty much a solid board at a good price.

ASUS P5Q Pro Socket 775 Intel P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 Crossfire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLan eSATA Motherboard
http://www.directcanada.com/pr...20Pro&manufacture=ASUS

Is this a good choice? I ended up buying two of these (http://www.canadacomputers.com...18764&cid=RAM.346.307) given the very nice price after the rebates.

 

[DaveSimmons]

PQ5 Pro is perfect for non-crossfire dual card use. x8 is bottlenecked for gaming with 4850 cards, but is far more bandwidth than you need for normal displays (including non-gaming 3D).

 

[Unknown Person]

I've been looking around: What's the difference between Intel's P45 mobo and the X38/X48 series? All I can really see is the increased bandwidth in the PCI-Express x16 slots, and support for DDR3 memory in some models. What justifies its increased cost?

 

[Mustanggt]

Originally posted by: Unknown Person
I've been looking around: What's the difference between Intel's P45 mobo and the X38/X48 series? All I can really see is the increased bandwidth in the PCI-Express x16 slots, and support for DDR3 memory in some models. What justifies its increased cost?

I think thats it. I have been Researching Motherboards for a week, i have gone all the way back at P965 reviews with benchmarks and compared those to every new chipset up to X48, guess what these new chipsets are not any faster than a 3 year old chipset, they added new features the p35 overclock a little better but the performance is within 5% from P965 to X48. This is based on single PCIe use. So if the user decides what features he needs and decides he will only run 1 PCIE card he can get a $100 or less board and get the same performance as a $350 board. Pretty sad its all marketing illusions.