Hey guys...I am building a new machine with an Intel Q9450 CPU. I am deciding between Nvidia and Intel chipsets. I know that the benefit of Nvidia in SLI and Intel is Crossfire, but I am still confused. I have no problem buying the new ATI video cards or Nvidia cards, but I do want a stable, well-build board that will give me the options of overclocking. My last mobo was an EVGA 680i sli, and prior to that I had an ASUS 955X mobo. Both boards were pretty user friendly, but I would say I had a more user-friendly experience with the ASUS board. It has been a few years from my ASUS experience and I know that they might not be the mobo king that they once were.

The other question that I had was all the intel chipsets. I have to choose between the X38, X48, P35, and P45 chipsets. HOLY CRAP!!! It is just confusing trying to decide which one will work best. I know that it is near impossible to make any build future-proof, so I just need to choose a setup that will work for me now. I am a casual gamer, but I like a ton of options. Well this is my dilemma so any opinions are appreciated. Thanks.

Questions:

Do you want to use DDR2 or DDR3?

Do you want to do SLI/Crossfire?

I plan on using ddr2, but am open to sli or crossfire

Consider P35/45 or X38. Just go to a site such as www.newegg.com , find a motherboard with a good rating that fits your needs. Read the reviews, look at the features, and find a few that you like, and post them here!