Im confused by ya post a bit .... ya say 1st that ya need a motherboard, then state a Hard drive model which is followed by a question asking if the Seagate HD is a good motherboard.
First the Hard Drive .... Anecdotal evidence is not something to base buying decisions on..... every company has some good stuff and everyone has had some bombers. If ya go database searching over at storagereview.com, you'll find that Seagate made the best ever and the worst ever HD. And you'd be very surprised at the reliability statistics on oft recommended HD's like the Raptor.
As to the Barracuda , which one.....the Barracuda XT (5 year warranty(, is one I'd choose over just about any HD on the market..... the Barracuda, not so much. If I can't get an XT in the build, next one I look for is the WD Black.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=708&Itemid=60&limit=1&limitstart=10
The hybrid Momentus XT is another drive I use extensively in builds.
As for MoBos, this is the board I use below $150 - ASUS P8Z77-V LK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837