Need motherboard reccommendation for Q6600

[The Mailman]

Hey

looking to scrap the config in my sig and going with a solo 9800gx2 and something that will do a better job on my CPU than the current MSI board I have.

Id say my budget maxes out at 300 but would prefer to spend less (of course). want minimum 2 e-sata ports and hopefully good integrated audio. might upgrade to a Q9550 as well so hopefully one that jives well with both chips.

a board that will do me good until i convert to ddr3 and nahalem.

thanks in advance guys

 

[OCChronic]

I'd get a mainboard with an X38 chipset and a mature BIOS that includes ample voltage settings for CPU/FSB/CHIPSET/etc. , memory timing settings, a setting for FSB strap & 'Trd' also called performance enhance. Most of the ASUS X38 boards include these settings in BIOS. Aviod Abit and DFI as they don't offer the Trd setting and it can have a huge imact on latency and memory bandwidth.

 

[The Mailman]

thanks for the info, should help in my search. i tend to fall completely out of the loop after i decide on something and have to start all over when i upgrade.

 

[minmaster]

also looking forward to the replies here. i've decided to build a Q6600 based system and i haven't chosen the MB yet.

 

[clarkey01]

Originally posted by: minmaster
also looking forward to the replies here. i've decided to build a Q6600 based system and i haven't chosen the MB yet.

Just ordered a Asus P5Q Intel P45

 

[The Mailman]

looks like the asus "maximus formula" is my #1 choice right now, mostly because of its ebay price and the fact that it has a RESET/POWER button directly on the board. I don't use a case and do a lot of tweaking so that feature alone is priceless to me. (vs. using a screwdriver to reset the pins)