New build - Please take a look!

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Dr.GreenThumb

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Hey fellas, this is my first post on the forum and I just want to say that this place is the best, you guys are great! I hope you dont mind another post asking for advice on a new build, but the last thing I want is to buy all these parts and not be satisfied. Anywho, here is my initial setup, Id love to hear what you guys think:

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6
CPU: Q6600 (anyone know of any retailers who can guarantee G0 stepping? Also, I plan on giving this cpu to my dad and changing to a new penryn once they are released, hence why i chose x38)
RAM: 4x1 GB OCZ HPC Reaper 9200 or Flex XLC 9200 (I have found these modules for the same price, I dont plan on water cooling but have heard the XLCs work with air...anyone know how efficient?)
GPU: XFX 8800GT XXX (plan on ebaying once Nvidia's new high-end (G9E?) is released, so this is "temporary")
PSU: Corsair TX650W
HDDs: 74 GB Western Digital Raptor (Dual boot XP and Vista) and 400 GB Western Digital RE2 - WD4000ABYS (games, programs, etc.)
DVD: Plextor PX-800A
Case: Antec p180b
CPU heatsink: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme plus a Noctua 120mm (NF-P12)
Case Fans: 4 Noctua 120mm (NF-P12)
Sound card: already have an Audigy 2 Platinum Pro in my current system, Im just going to recycle that

I definitely plan on overclocking this system as high as possible on air, dont really feel like water cooling though.

My main concern is with choosing the right memory for the mobo without spending too much money. Im definitely not going to spend the money on DDR3, way too expensive, so Im looking for the best overclockable DDR2 at ~$100 a gig. As crazy as it sounds, this will be my first time using DDR2. I currently have some good old RDRAM in my rig, so Im not familiar with the technicalities of choosing and overclocking DDR2, any help is appreciated.

So what do you guys think? Id love to hear any advice and suggestions you may have.

THANKS A LOT!
 
You do know that the P35 chipset supports the new Penryn CPUs right? And that P35 chipset mobos perform about the same, both in overclocking and stock terms. But since you look like you have money to spend, go for an X38.

Anyway, this place guarantees a G0 stepping Q6600:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping CPU - $277

Also, you do NOT need highly overclockable RAM with the Q6600. C2D systems run the best when the FSB and RAM are a 1:1 ratio. So running the RAM faster than the FSB will not yield any noticeable increased in actual real word performance. I'll show you why the Q6600 does not need highly overclockable RAM:

Q6600:
Multi x FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
9 x 266Mhz, DDR2 533 RAM = 2.4Ghz <== Stock Speeds
9 x 333Mhz, DDR2 667 RAM = 3.0Ghz <== Good OC
9 x 400Mhz, DDR2 800 RAM = 3.6Ghz <== Excellent OC, ABout the Max OC for the Q6600.

So all you really need is DDR2 800 RAM, and any cheap set at that. I recommend this set of G.Skill DDR2 800 RAM0. Not good for overclocking when you need to OC the RAM but you won't need to OC the RAM as shown above:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $110

Also, you are very off in terms of RAM prices these days. As shown above, you can get 4GB of RAM for around $100 these days. Also There are plenty of excellent high overclockable RAM for under $100 for 2GB. If you're planning to reach some shit-crazy OCs with the new Penryn CPUs, I recommend this set instead:
Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $70

The Ballistix RAM has Micron D9G ICs, which means that they are fantastic overclockers, about DDR2 1066 speeds IIRC, maybe higher. Though just about any RAM with Micron D9G ICs can OC pretty damn well. Here's a list of a few known RAM with Micron ICs.
http://ramlist.ath.cx/ddr2/

NOTE: Some motherboards do not OC well when using 4 x 1GB setups. Might want to be aware of that. Hit up the Memory forum to see if you can find any 2 x 2GB sets with Micron ICs
 
I agree with Danny... on everything.

There's a G.Skill 2x2GB kit @ DDR2-1000 for only $150 at the egg, IIRC... those should be fast enough for you. PC2-9200 assumes you'll be hitting a base FSB of 575Mhz... thats pretty high. I don't think any of the Yorkfields would play well with such a high FSB and their max CPU Multiplier.

Q9300: 7.5 × 333 = 2.5Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
Q9300: 7.5 × 400 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-800 << Easy OC
Q9300: 7.5 × 500 = 3.7Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC

Q9450: 8 × 333 = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
Q9450: 8 × 400 = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-800 << Easy OC
Q9450: 8 × 500 = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC

I'm not even sure those CPUs could reach those speeds. Remember, the Q9300 only has a 6MB L2 Cache, while the Q9450 has a 12MB one. I'd still go for DDR2-800, even with a Penryn CPU.
 
As usual, Danny and Enginurd hit it straight on the money. Everything they said is absolutely accurate and great advice.

Only thing to add is that if you plan on getting 4 gigs of RAM, be sure to run a 64-bit version of Windows. 32-bit XP and Vista will only address 4 gigs MINUS the amount of component memory you have installed (i.e. memory on your video card.) I strongly recommend Vista x64 over XP-64 for a home / gaming desktop, as Vista x64 has far greater 3rd party support as well as better app and hardware compatibility than xp-64.

Mark.
 
Thanks a lot for the suggestions, they are very helpful and answered many questions!

I am guessing that the multiplier is locked on the Q6600 (only the extreme CPUs have unlocked multipliers?) so it sounds like my max FSB will most likely be 400 Mhz, equating to DDR2-800. However, since I am planning on upgrading to a new Q9450 once they are available and overclocking as close to 4.0 as possible, I think Im going to go for some DDR2-1000 and run it at DDR2-800 for now. After reading so many memory reviews combined with the vast quantity of memory options, my head is spinning. Can anyone suggest some low latency DDR2-1000? Im currently looking at this set of OCZ Titanium 4-4-4-15 (uses micron D9G):
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr2_pc2_8000_titanium_alpha_vx2_dual_channel

and this set of GSkill: http://www.gskill.com/en/f2-8500phu2-hz.html

Also, from what I have read, the GA-X38-DQ6 overclocks well even with 4 sticks of RAM, so I do not think I will have a problem using a 4x1GB setup.

Currently, Im planning on using xp64 and vista64 in dual boot. However, I may run xp32 and vista64 in dual boot, not sure yet.

Anyone have any experience using Noctua fans? Im going for as quiet of a system as I can get (my current rig sounds like a jet engine...it sucks, no pun intended) and I know those are some of the quietest fans available, Im just worried about their performance.

Thanks again for all the help, you guys rock!
 
If you're going for 4x1GB, don't bother with DDR2-1000+. Just go with the Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 sticks instead (guaranteed Micron D9XXX and can reach DDR2-1066).

If you're going for 2x2GB, go with the G.Skill DDR2-1000 kit instead:
$130 - G.SKILL 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-1000 F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

You won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5 unless you're running benchmarks (and even then its negligible), so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency.

Yah, ony the Expensive Edition CPUs have an unlocked multiplier.

And I still don't think X38 is worth its price.
 
enginurd said:
If you're going for 4x1GB, don't bother with DDR2-1000+. Just go with the Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 sticks instead (guaranteed Micron D9XXX and can reach DDR2-1066).
Click to expand...

I think Im going to take your and Danny's advice and go with a 4x1GB setup utilizing DDR2-800. After reading some more articles and comparing modules (crucial vs. corsair vs. mushkin), I think Im going to go with Mushkin 996523 XP2-6400:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146108

They are more expensive, but it is less than I planned on spending for RAM and my total system is still coming in under budget, which is nice :D. They also appear to be one of the best DDR2-800 kits available with the ability to OC to 1100 and I feel the extra headroom could come in handy when I upgrade to a Q9450.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
I think Im going to take your and Danny's advice and go with a 4x1GB setup utilizing DDR2-800. After reading some more articles and comparing modules (crucial vs. corsair vs. mushkin), I think Im going to go with Mushkin 996523 XP2-6400:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146108

They are more expensive, but it is less than I planned on spending for RAM and my total system is still coming in under budget, which is nice :D. They also appear to be one of the best DDR2-800 kits available with the ability to OC to 1100 and I feel the extra headroom could come in handy when I upgrade to a Q9450.
Click to expand...

$145 for 2GB that can reach DDR2-1100 -- (550Mhz FSB SDR) ($25MIR)

vs.

$130 for 4GB that can reach DDR2-1000 -- (500Mhz FSB SDR)

I'd go for the 4GB instead, lol. Its cheaper BEFORE rebate, and only $10 more AFTER rebate... so $10 for double the capacity and only a 50Mhz FSB SDR loss.
 
I concur with Enginurd. You're get double the RAM for the money at a slight reduction in speed with the 4GB DDR2-1000 set linked above. And for not that much more in price? Sounds like deal to me.
 
enginurd said:
$145 for 2GB that can reach DDR2-1100 -- (550Mhz FSB SDR) ($25MIR)

vs.

$130 for 4GB that can reach DDR2-1000 -- (500Mhz FSB SDR)

I'd go for the 4GB instead, lol. Its cheaper BEFORE rebate, and only $10 more AFTER rebate... so $10 for double the capacity and only a 50Mhz FSB SDR loss.
Click to expand...

Yea your definitely right...I dont know why I thought 50 Mhz would make a significant diffierence, its certainly not worth the extra money, at least certainly not in gaming performance. Thanks for pointing that out! The Ballistix it is...now Im trying to decide how many sticks to run, Ive heard mixed opinions about 4 sticks in the GA-X38-DQ6.

In fact Im also considering changing to an Abit or Asus X38 board, Ive read some pretty good things about them on this forum and elsewhere.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
Yea your definitely right...I dont know why I thought 50 Mhz would make a significant diffierence, its certainly not worth the extra money, at least certainly not in gaming performance. Thanks for pointing that out! The Ballistix it is...now Im trying to decide how many sticks to run, Ive heard mixed opinions about 4 sticks in the GA-X38-DQ6.

In fact Im also considering changing to an Abit or Asus X38 board, Ive read some pretty good things about them on this forum and elsewhere.
Click to expand...

The problems running with 4 sticks of RAM aren't isolated to just Gigabyte boards. If you want to run 4 sticks, use standard 1.8v sticks instead, to lessen your chances of problems (up to maybe 2.0v, IMO; avoid high voltage sticks, like the ballistix, if you want to lessen your chances of problems). It makes me wonder... were these problems with high voltage sticks fixed in X38 boards?
 
enginurd said:
The problems running with 4 sticks of RAM aren't isolated to just Gigabyte boards. If you want to run 4 sticks, use standard 1.8v sticks instead, to lessen your chances of problems (up to maybe 2.0v, IMO; avoid high voltage sticks, like the ballistix, if you want to lessen your chances of problems). It makes me wonder... were these problems with high voltage sticks fixed in X38 boards?
Click to expand...

Yea I have read that 4 sticks vs. 2 sticks is a problem not isolated to any particular board, but Ive heard mixed opinions regarding the GA-X38-DQ6. Im definitely considering going with 2x2GB regardless of which board I buy in order to avoid headaches. The DQ6 is supposed to be one of the best overclocking boards available for X38, so I may combine that with 2x2GB of DDR-1066 or 1000...any performance difference, when compared to 4x1GB of DDR-800 OC'ed to the same speeds, would be negligible I imagine, or do I have no idea what Im talking about again?

The G.Skill you mentioned sound good:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

These look interesting as well, but I dont know if they are any good or how much they cost, Im almost positive they would cost more and most likely not worth the extra $$:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_pc2_8000_reaperx_hpc_4gb_dual_channel

To answer your question, I recently read of one person in particular who was using 4x1GB of DDR-1150 (same RAM I originally considered in fact) and experienced problems. That RAM runs at 2.3v I believe, so maybe it is isolated to higher voltage modules, I just havent heard of enough similar situations to be sure.
 
I think I have finalized my build, the only thing im still questioning is the mobo and HDD (RE vs. SE):
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6
CPU: Q6600 G0 stepping
RAM: 2x2 GB G.Skill DDR2-1000 (4 gigs for $139.00 shipped :) )
GPU: XFX 8800GT XXX
PSU: Corsair TX650W
HDDs: 74 GB Western Digital Raptor and 400 GB Western Digital (RE2 or SE16?)
DVD: Samsung SH-S203N
Case: Antec P180B
CPU heatsink: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme plus a Noctua 120mm (NF-P12)
Case Fans: 5 Noctua 120mm (NF-S12)
Sound card: Audigy 2 Platinum Pro from my current system

Still planning on OCing, would love to hit 7x550 Mhz, 1:1, CAS 5, doubt that will happen tho, but Ill be happy if I can hit at least 3.3 - 3.6 Ghz. Of course I will be running with a FSB as close to 500 as possible in order to really utilize my RAM.

So i think this setup could be a winner, what do you all think?

Thanks!
 
You are going to have LOTS of fun with that build. Good case choice too ; )
 
Haha thanks, i really hope its headache free too. This is my first build in 4.5 years so Im really looking forward to it.
 
Now, retailers like clubit.com will gurantee that your CPU will be G0, I bought mine from them.
My q6600 does 3.6 with no problems on air @ stock voltage on zalman 9700 cooler.
 
Yea my Q6600 G0 arrived in the mail yesterday (from ClubIT), cant wait til I can build this thing. Im just worried about OCing because Ive heard ALOT of contradicting opinions about the GA-X38-DQ6. Most of the negative reviews however, are from early October, so Im thinking new bioses and a maturing x38 have improved OCing potential. I am still looking at the Asus Maximus Formula though. No e-sata is a downside, but not a "nail in the coffin." Ive still got time to read more reviews and make a decision, Im not building this til the end of the month.

Basically, it comes down to which X38 board will provide the best stable performance when OCing and I just dont think there is a straight answer right now.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
Yea my Q6600 G0 arrived in the mail yesterday (from ClubIT), cant wait til I can build this thing. Im just worried about OCing because Ive heard ALOT of contradicting opinions about the GA-X38-DQ6. Most of the negative reviews however, are from early October, so Im thinking new bioses and a maturing x38 have improved OCing potential. I am still looking at the Asus Maximus Formula though. No e-sata is a downside, but not a "nail in the coffin." Ive still got time to read more reviews and make a decision, Im not building this til the end of the month.

Basically, it comes down to which X38 board will provide the best stable performance when OCing and I just dont think there is a straight answer right now.
Click to expand...

Why don't you just go with P35? I really like those chipsets.
 
aFive said:
Why don't you just go with P35? I really like those chipsets.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about that, but since this is a new build from the ground up and I am going to be upgrading my CPU and GPU in 2008, I decided that I want the newest chipset and in the future, after the X38 matures, I hope it will be outperforming P35s. Also, there are so many friggin P35 boards, starting from scratch and trying to find the "best" P35 board seemed like a hassle, especially when reviews can be so subjective. I thought it would have been easier to just look at X38s, Im sure all X38s perform at least as well as the best P35s.
 
The only advantage X38 has over P35 is proper Crossfire and PCI-E 2.0. The disadvantage is its price. You're paying at least $200 for an X38 board, while a sub $100 P35 board could perform the same (minus crossfire), OC'd or not. The current gen cards still don't saturate the PCI-E1.1 bandwidth, and by the time PCI-E 2.0 cards are severely limited by PCI-E 1.1 slots, I think it will be time for a new board anyhow. Thats just my opinion... go with whichever board tickles your fancy.

The reason early Gigabyte boards have problems is because they continued with the X38 chips they had despite the fact that Intel found a bug and recalled them, IIRC.

Its not hard to choose a P35 board. Figure out your needs, and pick the one that fits your needs best. Newegg Power search is a godsend. ;) Or, just ask us and we can help you slim down your choices.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
I was thinking about that, but since this is a new build from the ground up and I am going to be upgrading my CPU and GPU in 2008, I decided that I want the newest chipset and in the future, after the X38 matures, I hope it will be outperforming P35s. Also, there are so many friggin P35 boards, starting from scratch and trying to find the "best" P35 board seemed like a hassle, especially when reviews can be so subjective. I thought it would have been easier to just look at X38s, Im sure all X38s perform at least as well as the best P35s.
Click to expand...

I have 4gb of Gskill DDR800 running at 4-4-4-12 and my q6600 is @ 3.6. There are not that many advantages in x38, there will be a better chipset in 2008 if you ever decide to upgrade. I can tell you that if you go with Asus Pk5 Deluxe/Primium, you will not be sorry. That mortherboard is a beast, no issues ocing, no issues with 4gb of ram, great board period.
 
aFive said:
Asus Pk5 Deluxe/Primium, you will not be sorry. That mortherboard is a beast, no issues ocing, no issues with 4gb of ram, great board period.
Click to expand...

Have they fixed the SATA issues with the Premium boards?
 
My needs are pretty simple...the rig will primarily be used for gaming and entertainment (movies, music), OCing with a Q6600 is important (and the new 45nm once released), e-sata would be a plus, no plans for RAID at this point, dont need SLI or crossfire, must have SATA obviously, at least 4 gigs of RAM (2x2GB setup), at least one regular PCI slot...i think thats it

I feel like there are a lot of P35s that fit this bill and dont really know where to start. I like Asus and Gigabyte, would definitely consider Abit, dont know much about other manufacturers though. If i HAD to choose today Id buy a GA-X38-DQ6, I know it fits my needs and I love the way it looks :D

Im certainly open for suggestions however and am definitely considering P35.

Questions:
Differences between P5K E, premium, and deluxe? (i do not need WiFi btw)
Best gigabyte p35 boards?
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
My needs are pretty simple...the rig will primarily be used for gaming and entertainment (movies, music), OCing with a Q6600 is important (and the new 45nm once released), e-sata would be a plus, no plans for RAID at this point, dont need SLI or crossfire, must have SATA obviously, at least 4 gigs of RAM (2x2GB setup), at least one regular PCI slot...i think thats it

I feel like there are a lot of P35s that fit this bill and dont really know where to start. I like Asus and Gigabyte, would definitely consider Abit, dont know much about other manufacturers though. If i HAD to choose today Id buy a GA-X38-DQ6, I know it fits my needs and I love the way it looks :D

Im certainly open for suggestions however and am definitely considering P35.

Questions:
Differences between P5K E, premium, and deluxe? (i do not need WiFi btw)
Best gigabyte p35 boards?
Click to expand...

Well there is no "Best Gigabyte board" Just the best board for your needs:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $86
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $145
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $175

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports, then the DS3L is a good choice. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you need firewire ports as well as two PCI-E x16 port for Crossfire, than the DS3P is a good choice. If you want a good overclocker with two PCI-E x16 slots, RAID, 8 SATA ports, legacy ports, and firewire, then go for the DS4. Theoretically, the giant heatsinks and heatpipes on the DS4 should help it OC higher than the DS3 since the DS3 can already OC to 475MHz FSB with its normal HS setup.

However if you want to check out Abit, here are some recommendations:
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Abit IP35 Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $168

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the IP35-E is a good choice. If you need firewire and RAID, than the IP35. If you want an high-end overclocking mobo, then go with the IP35 Pro. It's one of the better overclocking mobos out there.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the boards Danny listed. The Asus boards to check out are the P5K (P5KC if its the same price as the P5K), and the P5K-E.

aFive said:
What was the problem with it? I am running 2x Sata drives now, ran it in Raid0 for a little, haven't had any problems.
Click to expand...

They just didn't work well - a lot of I/O errors and corrupt data, aside from installation errors. Just google for "sata problems on p5k premium," or search on these forums. You'll see the issues people were having -- its a very well known problem that Asus was trying to fix via BIOS updates. Last I checked, which was a couple months ago, they were still working on it. I'm too lazy to check right now.
 
Wow thanks a lot for all the suggestions, they definitely help. Tough decisions, I am definitely going to have to take some time and think some more before I order my mobo. Couple of questions, I thought X38 was supposed to bring a significant improvement to memory performance over P35, if it does, does it only benefit DDR3? (DDR3 native to X38, DDR2 not?) Also, as the chipset matures and bioses are perfected, how much of a performance increase can be expected or is it too difficult to predict.

Thanks again for all the help.
 
The X38 does not provide a significant performance increase over the P35 in memory performance or anything else. Also, the X38 does have native support for DDR2 and DDR3. In addition it is too difficult to predict how much a performance increase there will be when the chipset matures and the BIOs perfected.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
Wow thanks a lot for all the suggestions, they definitely help. Tough decisions, I am definitely going to have to take some time and think some more before I order my mobo. Couple of questions, I thought X38 was supposed to bring a significant improvement to memory performance over P35, if it does, does it only benefit DDR3? (DDR3 native to X38, DDR2 not?) Also, as the chipset matures and bioses are perfected, how much of a performance increase can be expected or is it too difficult to predict.

Thanks again for all the help.
Click to expand...

It does not bring any significant imrpovements, nothing besides DDR3.
Asus P5k Deluxe actually supports DDR1066 if that helps any :)
 
aFive said:
Asus P5k Deluxe actually supports DDR1066 if that helps any :)
Click to expand...

The P35 Express and X38 chipsets do not officially support DDR2-1066 (there is no JEDEC spec for it), but most, if not all, will support DDR2-1066 unofficially anyhow. Like I said earlier, you can't go wrong with any of the boards Danny listed.

The X38 and P35 are all from the same bearlake family, so performance will be similar.
 
Thanks again fellas, this has all been very helpful. I think Ive made up my mind and am going to be going with P35, it seems apparent that there are really no performance differences between X38 and P35 unless one utilizes crossfire and/or DDR3. So, I think Ive narrowed my choices down to these mobos:
Abit IP35-Pro
Asus P5K-E
Gigabyte P35-DS4 or P35-DQ6

Im guessing OCing performance and stability will be comparable among these choices, which is my main determining factor in which board I choose. What are the differences between the DS4 and the DQ6 (number of ports?)? Also, the IP35-Pro supports DDR2-800 but it makes no mention of 1066, does this mean I will have problems running RAM at higher frequencies?

So, are there any other manufacturers you recommend I look at (MSI, DFI, Foxconn) or am I pretty set with the boards I listed? Im going to try and read as many reviews of these boards as I can before I make a final decision.

Thanks again!
 
The IP35-Pro shouldn't have any issue running 1066 ram, I think DDR2-1066 is just not an officially rated spec for DDR2 as enginurd mentioned, but basically all P35 based boards will support it anyway. Do you need ram rated to run that fast? With a Q6600 you probably only need DDR2-800 ram unless you are thinking about penryn upgrades down the road, or you really want to drop the multiplier while overclocking and getting higher FSB. Nehalem is going to use a different socket supposedly which makes the whole current gen of motherboards, nvidia or intel based dead for that upgrade path.

These three (Gigabyte Asus Abit) in general have the best reputation for build quality, layout, overclocking capability, etc, but if you have time to do research on other brands feel free to do so. If nothing else it'll help you make your decision based on your own knowledge, which should make you happier with your purchase.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
Thanks again fellas, this has all been very helpful. I think Ive made up my mind and am going to be going with P35, it seems apparent that there are really no performance differences between X38 and P35 unless one utilizes crossfire and/or DDR3. So, I think Ive narrowed my choices down to these mobos:
Abit IP35-Pro
Asus P5K-E
Gigabyte P35-DS4 or P35-DQ6

Im guessing OCing performance and stability will be comparable among these choices, which is my main determining factor in which board I choose. What are the differences between the DS4 and the DQ6 (number of ports?)? Also, the IP35-Pro supports DDR2-800 but it makes no mention of 1066, does this mean I will have problems running RAM at higher frequencies?

So, are there any other manufacturers you recommend I look at (MSI, DFI, Foxconn) or am I pretty set with the boards I listed? Im going to try and read as many reviews of these boards as I can before I make a final decision.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

They will all most likely support DDR1066, but you would not really need that running Q6600. If you maintain that 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio, you can get the ram to DDR800 @ 3.6ghz.
Personally, I would go with that Asus board just because I have it and love it. Bios layout and OC potential is simply awesome, but really can't go wrong with any of these boards.
 
aFive said:
They will all most likely support DDR1066, but you would not really need that running Q6600. If you maintain that 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio, you can get the ram to DDR800 @ 3.6ghz.
Personally, I would go with that Asus board just because I have it and love it. Bios layout and OC potential is simply awesome, but really can't go wrong with any of these boards.
Click to expand...

Right now I think I am leaning towards the Asus, I have only heard great things about it. Also, I already bought my RAM, 2x2GB G.Skill DDR2-1000 for $139 shipped, awesome price, couldnt resist. I am planning on a penryn (Q9450) upgrade next year and handing my Q6600 over to my dad.

I plan on running with settings similar to this:
~3.5 Ghz, 7x ~500Mhz, 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
Right now I think I am leaning towards the Asus, I have only heard great things about it. Also, I already bought my RAM, 2x2GB G.Skill DDR2-1000 for $139 shipped, awesome price, couldnt resist. I am planning on a penryn (Q9450) upgrade next year and handing my Q6600 over to my dad.

I plan on running with settings similar to this:
~3.5 Ghz, 7x ~500Mhz, 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio
Click to expand...

Why not just keep the 9x multiplyer?
Q6600 ocied is a great CPU. if gaming is all you care about, I do not really see a need to upgrade it anytime soon.
 
Dr.GreenThumb said:
I plan on running with settings similar to this:
~3.5 Ghz, 7x ~500Mhz, 1:1 FSB:RAM ratio
Click to expand...

Despite the higher FSB, you'll get the same performance with a higher CPU Multiplier and lower FSB if the resulting clock speed is the same -- thats just the way these intel platforms work. In other words, 7x500 is equal to 9x389, so it would be useless to drop the multiplier. Plus, kentsfield quadcores hate high FSB speeds, so its easier to keep the 9x multiplier.

Yes, all the boards you listed will support DDR2-1066. There's nothing wrong with the other brands, so if you want to shop around more, go ahead. MSI had issues in the beginning, but those have been resolved. Foxconn and DFI were late to the party. So, I never bothered checking out the newer offerings, since the ones from Abit, Gigabyte, and Asus worked well. I heard the DFI can reach 600Mhz. The P35-DQ6 has been discontinued ever since the X38 came out. I believe it reached 580Mhz consistently, IIRC -- too bad its discontinued.
 
i did not know that lower multiplier x higher fsb = higher multiplier x lower fsb when the clock speeds are equal, I thought the higher memory frequnecy would increase performance. Well like i said i already bought that DDR2-1000 ram, but whatever I dont mind, it was worth the price and maybe I will be able to lower my timings some.

I dont necessarily need or want to get rid of my Q6600, but I am going to build a new computer for my dad and he said he would just take my Q6600 and help get me a Q9450, Im not going to argue with that lol.
 
I agree, the DDR2-1000 was a good price at the time you bought it and it will help with OC'ing the Yorkfield. I just wanted to point out that dropping the multiplier won't help much on an Intel platform.
 
Well after weeks of research Ive finally decided on a mobo and finalized my build (gonna order the last of the parts in the next couple of days). Ive decided to go with an Abit IP35-PRO. Ive heard great things about them with the only real complaints being slight vdroop issues and heatsinks having to be re-seated. Ive heard its an excellent OCer and it has all the features i require, sounds like a winner to me.

finalized build:
Q6600 G0 w/Ultra 120 Extreme + Noctua 120mm NF-P12
Abit IP35-PRO
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-1000
XFX 8800GT XXX
Audigy 2 Platinum Pro
Samsung SH-S203N
WD 74GB Raptor
WD SE16 400GB
Corsair TX650W
Antec P180B + 5 Noctua 120mm NF-S12

Thanks a lot to everyone who helped me piece this together, your input was invaluable and much appreciated!
 
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