Help me decide on a motherboard

[bottomrungho]

I have read until my eyes are about to bug out of my head and I can't make a decision on the motherboard for my new gaming rig. I plan to do basic overclocking (nothing advanced or extreme) so I want something capable, reliable, and user friendly. I plan to start with a E6750 and move to a quad when I need to upgrade. I also plan to start with 1 8800GT graphics card. I would consider an SLi capable board if it meets the overclocking needs and fell under $150. In general, I am looking for the best value (price/performance). I do not need most of the bells and whistles on the high-end boards (like RAID, Firewire, etc.).

The three boards I have been considering are:

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L
$99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP
$139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131196

Abit IP35-E
$115
http://www.directron.com/ip35e.html#caption (the only place I could find it today)

Please help we decide which one I should get.

 

[mihirkula]

I myself am going to buy an E6750, one 8800GT, 2 gigs RAM and Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L next week.... i dnt want any fancy WIFI or SLI either... so the Gigabyte is the best possible option...........and this setup plays Crysis quite well.......moreover the P35-DS3L also supports the 45nm Penryns.... im going to upgrade to a Q9450 ($316 2.66GHz/12MB L2/1333MHz) later......

I'm very glad you didn't choose the q6600...especially since you're going to upgrade soon.

 

[bottomrungho]

mihirkula,

Thanks for the reply. Are you going to get everything from newegg or have you found better deals? If I go with the Gigabyte I will probably buy MB and ram from newegg, CPU from clubit, and video card from ???

I could not justify the extra $90 for the Q6600. Since these MBs support quads, a better, cheaper CPU will be available when more apps and games support 4 processors. Thanks for confirming my decision and good luck with your build.

 

[mihirkula]

You're welcome...I'm getting the CPU from newegg.... a friend of mine has bought the Mobo, the vid card and RAM in Australia...he's coming for the vacations so he's bringing 'em over....

btw better get a good PSU too!

Happy shopping! Cheers!

 

[bottomrungho]

I will be getting the Ultra X-Pro 600w PSU from tigerdirect. Tier 2 for $79.99. Tough to beat for the price.