Folks,

I'm looking to replace my now fried PC with a new gaming rig. I typically play FPS and Flight Simulator FSX. I'd like to build something (my first time) that will last the next 12 - 18 months... I plan to reuse my Raptor, Creative X-Fi and the 2 Nvidia 7900 GTX cards I already own...

I've looked at the E6700 @ 2.66GHz as well as the Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz and curious which would be the better processor for a screaming gaming rig? Also, any advice on what motherboard to purchase as well? Which processor would overclock the best, and give me the best gaming experience?

Advice is greatly appreciated!

The E6700 would probably oc slightly higher, on account of it's higher multi. The E6700 would offer slightly better gaming performance, since the clock speed is higher, but the Q6600 would give you better all around performance and longevity, since it has double the cores. I would go for the Q6600 myself.

For the mobo I suggest waiting a couple weeks until the new P35 mobos are released offically, you can get a couple varients now, but for a higher price. P35 supports the new 1333 FSB chips, is an awesome choice for oc'ing, and has DDR3 memory support. The last one doesnt matter much for you, since AFAIK, there arent any P35 based mobos that have both DDR2 and DDR3 memory slots.

Thanks! Will the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R run the Quad Core Q6600? I'm leaning toward that mobo as a way to somewhat future proof myself... Any thoughts on if thats a good idea?

Yep, it will. The reviewer of the DS3R over at VR-Zone got a Q6700 up to 3.6ghz, and the board is still in it's infancy. After a couple BIOS revisions it should oc even higher.