Which e6600 chipset for gaming performance/ reliability?

[Wabbit]

I am building a gaming system around the Core2 Duo e6600 and I am trying to figure out the best chipset to go with. I do not plan to overclock (though I might at some point dabble in it a little) so reliability, performance and features are my biggest concern, in that order.

I plan to use a Gforce 8800GTX graphics card (single card, no plan to use 2 cards) and 2 GB DDR2 RAM to start, though I want to be able to add 2 more GB later. I lean towards Intel chipsets with Intel processors, but I am willing to consider others.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Apple_Fritters]

I'd say that Intel's P965 chipset is the best choice right now. The performance is as good as any other at stock speed. They've been out for some time and nobody has had stability issues. The prices are low too. An Asus P5B or Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 go for around $130. Here's a review of the P965, 975X, and nForce 680i (the 680i is only really good if you overclock):

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/12/19/intel_or_nvidia/index.html

 

[boduke]

The initial reviews of the 650i shipset are looking REALLY good...[H] has a review up and Newegg has the Asus board in stock for $145. Doesn't seem to be impacted by the SATA issues the 680i had and costs a hell of a lot less than 680i based boards. I'm actually looking at that board now. Hard.

 

[Apple_Fritters]

Almost forgot about ATI's RD600 chipset. It's in the running as well. Low power consumption and a good Southbridge are the only things that stand out. Should be some more motherboards out "sometime".

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2891&p=1

@Boduke: going there now, thanks.

 

[Guest]

I would say to go with a 975, best performance at stock. The Abit board is really sweet looking.

For the best price/perf/reliability the 965 would be my pick

 

[Apple_Fritters]

The 650i SLI is looking very nice. I'd accually pefer a 650i Ultra, since SLI is not for me. But, speaking of SLI, didn't nVidia stop using the "SLI EZ Selector slot and card" after the nForce 4 series? Why bring it back?