Okay, I am well on my way to a Q6600 and an Asus P5K Deluxe with the P35.

From reading what I have already on the tomshardware postings I am unable to tell to whether or not spending the extra $40 will be worth it in the long run. I don't plan on upgrading anything once I get a full build going because I typically "shop" until the system is too old to do anything really amazing with.

So what I am asking is, will the P35 do what I need it to do or would it be better to go with a newer chipset?

Do the new X38/X48 have anything compelling that will make up the cost difference, or is this X38/X48 hoopla all for the wolfdales?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.




(PS) ATI X4870 will probably be going into this thing.

The thing with Crossfire or SLI chipsets is that you'll be locked into a specific gpu. ATI for CF and nVidia for SLI. Surely they're much faster than a single gpu, but not all games support CF/SLI. Another solution is to go with a highest single gpu that you can afford. P35 scores a tad bit better in terms of ICH9R VS ICH10R.

Save up for a faster gpu, hsf, and the next platforum. If you feel the need for more speed, o/c the cpu to 3ghz. By this time next year, Nehalem will be affordable.