EggXpert

XtremeRev: As usual, it's awesome to have an actual technical discussion rather than an flame war/argument!

To clairfy - Someone who jumped on the LGA 775 bandwagon early, say (from 478) would be stuck with a Intel 900 series chipset motherboard which would most likely lack the ability to support DDR2 at high speeds, faster FSB, and Core/Core2 CPU's.

If someone were to, say, jump on the X58 chipset bandwagon early, what happens in a year when Sandy Bridge comes out? Or if intel decides on a multisocket faster turn around (like AMD). How "fresh" and "future proof" is this new platform?

That remains to be seen.

CheapAsianGamerGuy:

XtremeRev: As usual, it's awesome to have an actual technical discussion rather than an flame war/argument!

To clairfy - Someone who jumped on the LGA 775 bandwagon early, say (from 478) would be stuck with a Intel 900 series chipset motherboard which would most likely lack the ability to support DDR2 at high speeds, faster FSB, and Core/Core2 CPU's.

If someone were to, say, jump on the X58 chipset bandwagon early, what happens in a year when Sandy Bridge comes out? Or if intel decides on a multisocket faster turn around (like AMD). How "fresh" and "future proof" is this new platform?

That remains to be seen.

 

Very true. Might I also add that Nahelem will use DDR3, which is still extremely expensive in comparison to DDR2. IMO, if you take that difference in price and upgrade your video card (or hell, even add another), you'll get much better value. Keep in mind I'm referring to 99% of you out there who can't afford to spend as much on a computer every 3 years as you would on a car.

Ok, gonna stick with just the single Hard Drive for now (the 640 GB WD in my initial post).

 As far as motherboards go, I've narrowed down my list to these 3 motherboards.

I think ideally, I'd go with the Rampage Forumula, but i'm thinking of the Gigabyte DS4 if I want to save some money on an X48 board.    I haven't seen an X38 I'm that interested in yet, so I haven't listed any.

If anyone has other suggestions, I'd be more than willing to take a look.  This is probably one of the hardest decisions for me to make since there's so many variables to take into consideration.  Once I figure out a motherboard, I'll post an updated list of my build for further comments.

Drakbak:

Ok, gonna stick with just the single Hard Drive for now (the 640 GB WD in my initial post).

 As far as motherboards go, I've narrowed down my list to these 3 motherboards.

I think ideally, I'd go with the Rampage Forumula, but i'm thinking of the Gigabyte DS4 if I want to save some money on an X48 board.    I haven't seen an X38 I'm that interested in yet, so I haven't listed any.

If anyone has other suggestions, I'd be more than willing to take a look.  This is probably one of the hardest decisions for me to make since there's so many variables to take into consideration.  Once I figure out a motherboard, I'll post an updated list of my build for further comments.

Those all look good. Honestly I'd go with the DS4. 

XtremeRevolution:

Capt. Insane:

If you want to save some money, I'd say ditch the SCSI hdd and get a normal 7200rpm SATA. 10k plus hdds are getting a lot of press lately, but they don't really make much of a difference. They're great for loading programs a few seconds faster, but that's it. Your apps won't run any faster; that's the job of memory. They will, however, load faster. So if that's why you want a SCSI drive, then go for it, but if you think it will make your apps run faster, it won't.

Isn't that what its all about? I spend my entire day opening and closing applications and waiting for applications to load, and I did the same in school, whether it was adobe acrobat, firefox, photoshop, word, excel, constantly opening and closing instant messenger windows, media players, and so forth. When you're not gaming and using your computer for other normal tasks, you truly begin to appreciate the speed that SCSI offers and the truly noticeable difference it makes, because your massively powerful dual or quad core processor will mean jack if its waiting on the hard drives to load your applications, and once they're loaded you generally don't have any more processing to do anyway. Keep in mind I'm referring to average power users, not professional video editors or hardcore (or addicted) gamers.

It is, but I've come across people who aren't aware of that so I wanted to make sure the OP knew that it would only affect load times.

Capt. Insane:

XtremeRevolution:

Capt. Insane:

If you want to save some money, I'd say ditch the SCSI hdd and get a normal 7200rpm SATA. 10k plus hdds are getting a lot of press lately, but they don't really make much of a difference. They're great for loading programs a few seconds faster, but that's it. Your apps won't run any faster; that's the job of memory. They will, however, load faster. So if that's why you want a SCSI drive, then go for it, but if you think it will make your apps run faster, it won't.

Isn't that what its all about? I spend my entire day opening and closing applications and waiting for applications to load, and I did the same in school, whether it was adobe acrobat, firefox, photoshop, word, excel, constantly opening and closing instant messenger windows, media players, and so forth. When you're not gaming and using your computer for other normal tasks, you truly begin to appreciate the speed that SCSI offers and the truly noticeable difference it makes, because your massively powerful dual or quad core processor will mean jack if its waiting on the hard drives to load your applications, and once they're loaded you generally don't have any more processing to do anyway. Keep in mind I'm referring to average power users, not professional video editors or hardcore (or addicted) gamers.

It is, but I've come across people who aren't aware of that so I wanted to make sure the OP knew that it would only affect load times.

Ah ok. 

To the OP,

One thing to keep an eye out for the motherboards, some motherboards are designed such that the 10.5" long GPUs will cover most of your SATA ports.  That can make it difficult with using upward facing SATA ports.

You have picked 3 of the best mobos at a midrange price versus function and upgradeable as to which 1 to purchase the Rampage is an excellant choice, but the DQ6 has a few more back ports. The Asus Rampage has a seperate sound card leaving you room to upgrade later although you could just add a sound card to the DQ6, both have very good cooling though I'd rate the Rampage as just a little bit higher quality but it will restrict you as to which htsk&fan you can mount on the CPU. As to the layout of the mobo I'd have to rank the DQ6 as a little bit better than the Rampage due to CF setup and the extra long VCs blocking access to some onboard connectors. If and when the new drivers come out the DQ6 has DDR2 1200 capabilities where as the Rampage is set to DDR2 1066 with OCing to 1200.

Which 1? That will have to be your choice budget versus performance.

Regarding any of the mobos, if you are not sure if an aftermarket HSF will fit, I would suggest 3 things.  The first one is to read reviews to see if anyone is using that same HSF.  Second, I would do an internet search to see if you can find info for the mobo and HSF.  The third thing would be to contact that company's tech support to ask them if it will fit.

Regarding my comment about the SATA ports, on some motherboards, they place them perpendicular to the motherboard such that long GPUs block them while others place them parallel to the mobo instead of position them where the GPU will not block them.  All I suggest is find the mobo that best fits your needs as the ease of adding SATA cables for new devices can be a part of the decision some people don't think about.

Ok, here's my updated list.  I went with the Gigabyte DS4, decided on an Antec 1200 (for now), and switched out the G.Skill RAM for the OCZ due to the combo deal.  How does this look?

Qty.	Product Description	Savings	Total Price
1	LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS120-04 - OEM Item #: N82E16827106263 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy		$24.99
1	Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811129043 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$35.00 Instant	$214.99 $179.99
1	Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822136218 Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy		$84.99
2	ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814121253 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$10.00 Instant $30.00 Mail-in Rebate	$385.98 $365.98 ($182.99 each)
1	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817139006 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy	-$50.00 Instant $20.00 Mail-in Rebate	$179.99 $129.99
1	Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM Item #: N82E16835100007 Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy		$5.99
1	GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813128336 Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy	-$10.00 Instant	$234.99 $224.99
1	Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM Item #: N82E16832116488 Return Policy: Software Return Policy	-$10.00 Instant	$109.99 $99.99
1	Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115036 Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P10664GK - Retail Item #: N82E16820227298 Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy	-$20.00 Instant -$10.00 Combo $15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$319.98 $289.98
Subtotal:			$1,406.89

EDIT:  Just noticed I need to add in an aftermarket Heatsink/Fan.  Will get to that when I get a chance.

Drakbak:

EDIT:  Just noticed I need to add in an aftermarket Heatsink/Fan.  Will get to that when I get a chance.

No you don't. Intel's stock coolers work great, and they're quiet. I've got a Q6600, and you'd never know my computer was on without looking at it, even under load, and it keeps the computer cool. The only reason you'd need one is if you plan on OCing your processor, but it's powerful enough already.