Motherboard Suggestion Plz

[Heffty]

These are the parts I have

E6600 w/ Zalman 9500
8800GTS 640mb
Sonata II w/ 450W PSU
2G OCZ Plat. Rev2 PC6400
74G 16mb Cache Raptor

I'd like some recommendations on a mid line mobo that will allow me to do some overclocking. If I have to I'll get the 680i EVGA that anandtech always uses in their tests but if something else mid range would get me close to that without all the extras I would be happy to go with it. I have personally been thinking about the Asus P5N-E after seeing a nice review on it over at techreport.com where they put it up against an Asus Striker.

Thanks.

 

[Gusty987]

Gigabyte 965P-DS3 or -S3 is worth considering

 

[brencat]

And I'll add that your shortlist depends on your OC target and your interest/patience in tweaking. Just my opinion based on all the research I've done and manuals I've looked at thus far (I'm also in the market...)

Gigabyte DS3 (best price/performance if you don't need SLI)
Asus P5B Deluxe (one of best for high FSB OCs)
Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus
MSI P6N Platinum - Asus P5N32 & this MSI use the 650i chipset. No JMicron issues like on P965 boards plus you can OC RAM separately from FSB just like 680i chipset.

And if you like to tweak:

Abit Quad GT
DFI P965-S "Dark" - Just came out. DFI mobos are typically not for novices FYI

 

[Cardio]

I have both Evga 680i and a GA-P965 DS3 V 3.3 and I have to say I would go for the 680 had I to do it again. The setup is easier and the DS3 has some things I just don't like~ automatic reboots kill OC settings and you have to redo. Raid/Sata/IDE is a hassle. Bios setting unclear and somewhat quirky. Also some other strange behaviours not experienced with the 680. You will also have to add some NB cooling to the DS3 unless you intend to do some Bar-B-Que cooking on it. The 680 came with tons of accessories including an optional NB fan and every cable you could use. I also had to spent about $30 for a Thermalright HR-05 NB cooler for the DS3 so the price premium for the 680 is really not as high as it seems - if you have to buy some extras for the DS3. Both work well when finally setup, though.

Evga also has a lifetime warrantee and very responsive service, in my experience.

 

[Heffty]

Well I think I will pass on the gigabyte then. I really thought I'd be ok with the P5N-E after reading this article:
http://www.techreport.com/reviews/2007q1/asus-6x0i-mobos/index.x?pg=1

I don't have any real goals for overclocking other than to see what my current hardware will be capable of doing. I will not be purchasing additional hardware on top of what I have listed in my original post.

Obviously I would consider the P5N32-E Plus as recommended. Would the P5N32-E Premium give me similar results to the plus? I only ask because I have found a used one for $200 Canadian. I would like to have the option of SLI if I am going to spend over $200.

Thank you for all your posts so far. I hope to hear some more recommendation as the week progresses. I will buy my motherboard this weekend one way or another.