which would be the better choice,
cheapest x38 probably Asus P5E & 800 ram or
descent P35 & 1066 ram
also will my 8800GT perform better on a pci-X 2.0 slot?  
(1 reason for leaning towards x38)
my new CPU will prob be Q6600 (if that helps)
TIA for any advice

Get a P35 and DDR2 800 why?
 
reasons for RAM:
1_DDR2 800 doesnt have alot of difference with 1066 in performance and also DDR2 800 OCs very well too, so get a DDR2 800 RAM with 4-4-4-x or lower timings
 
Reasons for P35:
1_Alot cheaper than X38
 
2_The main difference between X38 and P35 is that X38 supports CrossFire @ dual 16x mode but P35 supports CrossFire @ 16x4x mode (with the exception of ASUS BLITZ FORMULA and BLITZ EXTREME which support CrossFire @ dual 8x mode, and dual 8x doesnt have alot of difference with dual 16x)
 
3_X38 supports PCI-E 2.0 @ full bandwidth
P35 supports PCI-E 2.0 too but not @ full bandwidth (which wont make alot of difference for 8800GT)

Get the X38 more expensive for pci-e 2.0 is the future

I'm also leaning towards the X38 right now. Not only for the PCI-E 2.0 but also the two 16x PCI-E slots (both 2.0 also) because both nVidia and ATI have been saying that multi-gpu systems are what they're focussing on right now. Some say thats a marketing gimick, but with the GT and 3870, CrossFireX and Tri-SLI are looking like good options! And on the ATI end, you can mix and match various cards, so you could have a CrossFireX setup with 1 3870, 1 3850, and 1 2900XT if you wanted. So thats why I'm leaning towards the X38s despite their price.

 
as u know, 8800GT in P35 performs like a 8800GT in X38 and who knows about future cards?

 
I've read that if you're looking at a performance difference between the two it was negligable if not worse in the X85 when compared to a P35.  
 
Though, futureproofing yourself with DDR2 would be nice...

which would be the best for overclocking?
the Asus P5E or a good P35?
what about the high ram frequency support on x38 1066 native, 1200 overclock?
if you guys still recommend P35 which mobo would be the best for overclocking?

any more suggestions?

ASUS P5K-E WIFI-AP (the difference with normal P5K-E is that P5K-E has WIFI + better cooling)
 
GIGAYBTE P35 DS3R
ABIT IP35 PRO

I'm in the same quandry having decided to shift from my AMD solution to Intel and now perplexed by the X38/P35 issue. I'm also concerned that from several other forums their appears to be a problem with Intel Raid set-up and as I use twin Raptor 150s in a Raid 0 I would like to have now post problems with that set-up;
I ordered a Blitz Extreme but failed to note it was a DDR3 board only; if I go to the Formula I lose the two external eSata ports which I prefer as I have a large (TB) Sata external drive.
My gut days P35/DDR2 and/0r wait till the x38 sorts itself out and DDR3 memory prices drop.

I'll probably go for P5E DDR2
i havent read anything about raid problems but then i dont use raid.
I just want a fast, overclockable board, which is reasonably future proof

X38 with Corsair Dominator 2GB 800mhz (Expensive but latency is ownage; 3-4-3-9)
 
I'll try to get you a link but its on www.newegg.com

i was thinking X38 & this stuff
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145177
cash limitations!

pretty good RAM with good timings

I keep seeing this, and I'm stuck on the chipset and SLI/Crossfire issue. I thought I might just get an X38 and a 8800GT for now, and just upgrade my card later when I need it. But I see people who have 2 8800GT's in SLI on a 680i, and the performance is sometimes 20 frames more, and I think I should go 680i just for the SLI option, and get a second cheap card (when the prices have dropped in a few years), as opposed to another expensive one.

if you can afford DDR3 then go for X38 but i would wait for the X48

You do know that the p5e is a crossfire only board? Doesn't support crossfireX or sli.
 
only advantage of the p5e to a P35 is the dual pcie2.0 x16 support.
 
or go look for a sli certified board (for your 8800gt if you want sli.)

whats crossfireX?

http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] i=3151&p=4
 
AMD is taking advantage of this via CrossFireX which currently enables up to 4 GPUs to be connected in the same system with three CrossFire bridges. It's not a pretty solution: you'll need a non NVIDIA chipset motherboard with 4 physical x16 PCIe slots.

i just bought the Abit IX38 QuadGT due to the fact it is true 16/16 PCI-E 2.0 for more future compatibility..
 
Only problem is i got mine on ClubIT..and its still "Pending Approval" for the past 3 days..im about to call them if it dosn't change..or maybe there just lazy and already shipped it (I hope..kinda want to have my new rig up my Friday for weekended Crysis :3)