Please recommend a mobo for my E8500

[roamdog]

Given the parts listed below that are already locked in, which mobo is the best bet for me? And why do you think that? One data point that may (or may not) be important to hgihlight is that I do want to use my two WD raptors in a RAID configuration so boards that have a superior RAID controller would be an advantage. Also, I am NOT planning to use 2x video cards and don't really need to plan for it as I am not a mega-super-gamer.

Also, need your recommendation on what heatsink/fan to use with the CPU. The most important detail here is that I want whisper quiet (but NO water cooling--too expensive, too complicated, and too high-maintenance for me). More details are that I may do a tiny bit of overclocking but nowhere near squeezing out every last ounce of speed.

Finally, feel free to comment on what brand of 4850 video card is better than the others.

The following motherboards have been suggested (open to others but feel free to comment on these):
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $140 shipped
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX $94 shipped
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $108 shipped
DFI LANPARTY DK X48-T2RS LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX $230 shipped

I'd like to stay under $200, but if somebody can explain why the DFI board listed here (or some other suggestion) is worth the extra cost, I am ok going up to $250.


Hardware re-cap:

So far I have purchased:
1. Motherboard: ???
2a. CPU: INTEL Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 GHz 1333 MHz 775 6MB Desktop Processor
2b. Heatsink/fan for the CPU: ???
3. Memory: OCZ OCZ2RPR800C44GK 4GB PC2-6400 (DDR2-800) DDR2 Memory
4a. Video card: going to go with 4850 but not sure which brand???
4b. Video card heatsink/fan: ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2
5. Primary hard drive: 2X Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10000 RPM SATA 1.5Gb (planning to use a RAID configuration)
6. Additional hard drive(s): Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641A-RK PATA 500-GB + Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641AS-RK SATA 500GB
7. Primary optical drive: Lite-On LH-20A1H186C 20x DVD±RW DL IDE Drive w/LightScribe
8. Additional optical drive(s): NEC ND-3520A
9. Power supply: Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
10. Case: Antec P180
11. Monitor(s): Soyo 24" 24DYLM24D6 Widescreen LCD Monitor + Dell UltraSharp 2001FP LCD Monitor
12. Operating System: XP today (Vista tomorrow)
13. Mouse/keyboard: generic


Optional stuff
1. Memory-card reader: Ultra Media Dashboard ULT30145
2. Video-capture card and/or TV-tuner card: TV Wonder Pro Remote Control Edition
3. Audio card: N/A (just using whatever is on the M/B)
4. Speakers: cheap generic speakers (Jensen JPM-31)
5. External hard drive: N/A
6. USB flash drive: N/A
7. Headphones: None
8. Printer: N/A
9. Scanner: N/A
10. Graphics tablet: None
11. Uninterruptible Power Supply and/or surge supressor: APC BX1500

 

[50bmg]

I like gigabyte and if you are not crossfiring then this one will do.

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $108 shipped

 

[georgy]

The x48 board is more expansive cause you can crossfire 2 cards at 16x/16x. On p45 boards, you can do it but only at 8x/8x so a little performance loss.

 

[roamdog]

The Crossfire x2 capability is wasted on me. I am NOT planning to use 2x video cards and don't really need to plan for it as I am not a mega-super-gamer.

 

[aevm]

GA-EP45-DS3L won't do because it doesn't support RAID. Sorry 50bmg...
Remove the GA-P35-DS3L too, same reason.

I'm voting for the P5Q Pro. It has RAID, PCI-E 2.0 (good for the HD 4850), 8 SATA ports (more than average, and you already have a truckload of drives, and with a TV tuner in there I'm sure you'll keep adding more drives).

Incidentally, it also has a second PCI-E 2.0 slot. You may not care about Crossfire, but it's good to have anyway for the resale value or if your plans change. A few years from now if you give this PC to some kid or try to sell it, that second slot could make a big difference. What if in 2012 a single HD 4850 is too little but two of them are still acceptable, and adding a second one costs only $40...

You should start thinking about replacing those hard drives. Newer ones with perpendicular recording like Seagate's 7200.11 and WD's 640 GB are a a lot faster.

With a P5Q Pro (and most modern motherboards) you can only use two IDE devices (a HDD and an optical for example). You have 3 IDE devices listed there. Dump the NEC

 

[aevm]

2a. CPU: INTEL Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 GHz 1333 MHz 775 6MB Desktop Processor
2b. Heatsink/fan for the CPU: ???
4a. Video card: going to go with 4850 but not sure which brand???
12. Operating System: XP today (Vista tomorrow)

Don't bother with a heatsink, use the one you got with your E8500.

HD 4850: Sapphire or Visiontek get great reviews, for example.

Vista - get Home Premium 64-bit.

 

[roamdog]

This is a ton of good info. Thanks.

I do have a Promise controller that I can throw in for the extra IDE HD (but would not have known that I needed to).

GA-EP45-DS3L won't do because it doesn't support RAID. Sorry 50bmg...
Remove the GA-P35-DS3L too, same reason.

I'm voting for the P5Q Pro. It has RAID, PCI-E 2.0 (good for the HD 4850), 8 SATA ports (more than average, and you already have a truckload of drives, and with a TV tuner in there I'm sure you'll keep adding more drives).

Incidentally, it also has a second PCI-E 2.0 slot. You may not care about Crossfire, but it's good to have anyway for the resale value or if your plans change. A few years from now if you give this PC to some kid or try to sell it, that second slot could make a big difference. What if in 2012 a single HD 4850 is too little but two of them are still acceptable, and adding a second one costs only $40...

You should start thinking about replacing those hard drives. Newer ones with perpendicular recording like Seagate's 7200.11 and WD's 640 GB are a a lot faster.

With a P5Q Pro (and most modern motherboards) you can only use two IDE devices (a HDD and an optical for example). You have 3 IDE devices listed there. Dump the NEC

 

[roamdog]

I am most interested in an upgraded heatsink/fan as a noise reduction addition and less because I am a mad over-clocker. I think that I remember reading that the stock fan is LOUD. One of the goals of this build is to get a system that is as quiet as possible (without going to water cooled).
Am I incorrect about the noise of the stock fan?

Don't bother with a heatsink, use the one you got with your E8500.

HD 4850: Sapphire or Visiontek get great reviews, for example.

Vista - get Home Premium 64-bit.

 

[aevm]

Look here:
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3268&p=6
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3268&p=7

They used an X6800, overclocked as far as possible, with various coolers.

The stock cooler ($0), the Freezer 7 ($25), and the Noctua NH-U12P ($98) got exactly the same noise level of 36.5 dB. The difference was only in the max stable clocks (2.933 GHz with stock, 3.85 GHz with the Freezer, 3.94 GHz with the Noctua). (OK, that was about the X6800. With the E8500 it may be different, but I doubt it's much different.) The point it, without overclocking, the stock cooler is not louder than the expensive aftermarket coolers. Intel did a good job there for the majority of customers who don't overclock.

OK, enough theory This Xigmatek cooler does a great job as far as temperature and noise and doesn't cost that much:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019