Motherboard Recommendation Request

[sora1607]

Hi I'm planning to upgrade my comp w/ a new mobo and proc. I've decided on Q6600 as my proc and I'm now looking for a good mobo to OC the q6600. I can spend up to about 100 buks on a new mobo but if there is a worthy one for more than that amount I am willing to spend up to 130. P45 is preferable but 750i will do just fine.I'm not planning to SLI or Crossfire but I am planning to use dual monitor so a side question would be whether i should get 2 PCI e 2.0 slots and get a cheap card for another monitor or is my 8800gt sufficient for the task. I'm using it for gaming mainly but the second monitor is necessary for other tasks while gaming. Anyways, here are the 2 that I'm currently interested in:
BIOSTAR TForce TP45H
MSI P7N SLI Platinum
Other recommendations would be appreciated, or just choosing between those 2 is also great.
Btw, RAM=DDR2 and no need for RAID or firewire.

 

[dagger]

Of the two, the Biostar p45 board is better, since you don't want sli or cf. Oc performance is far better than 750i. Besides, it runs cooler and more stable. P45 is also rated to run at 1600mhz fsb natively, in other words, you can push the q6600 to 3.6ghz without overclocking the motherboard at all. It makes things far easier.

 

[aevm]

Your 8800GT can handle two monitors. You only need one PCI-E slot, and it doesn't even have to be PCI-E 2.

Check out the GA-EP45-DS3L too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=GA-EP45-DS3L&x=0&y=0

 

[sora1607]

thank you for the quick replies. The Gigabyte recommended by aevm seems like a good one. The only reason why I wanted the MSI P7N is becoz it was included in both the $1000 and $2000 budget build articles. Let's narrow it down again then.
GA-EP45-DS3L: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=GA-EP45-DS3L&x=0&y=0
Biostar Tforce TP45H: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138123R

 

[aevm]

Don't buy an open box motherboard. If you want the Biostar, pay the extra $21 and get a new one with all the accessories and with a guarantee that it hasn't been damaged and returned by some idiot.

Here's the link to the BioStar, new:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138123

I like that it allows Crossfire, even though it's only $119. However, I don't like the newegg reviews for it at all.

Can you afford $140 for a P5Q Pro? It's got more features than the TP45H or the DS3L (FireWire, eSATA, more SATA ports, RAID) and good reviews.