A good gaming/Fast MotherBoard

[Jaxxian]

Hey everyone, I'm pretty new to fully building a new computer from the ground up. But before I buy, I wanted some input on the MB's I was thinking of buying. I just wanted to mention that I wanted to get a DDR3 ram standard, aswell as I wanted to keep it a Core2 (Intel) despite the resent release of the Core i's. With that being said, the last thing I'd really like is a good North Bridge for it, I'd like a desent powered on board video card, however I don't really know what to look for when it comes to it, except to look for the one that has the highest numbers...... Yeah, anyway, heres the list of MB's I'm thinking of getting:

(XFX MBN790IUL9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813141009

(Open Box: ASUS P5N64 WS PRO WiFi LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI ATX Intel Motherboard)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131321R

and

(Open Box: ASUS Rampage Extreme LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131334R

Just wanted to know what you guys think. If you have any suggestions about brand or make be sure to tell me.

PS: I want to get a ATI Readon 5000 series for this computer. However thats miscellaneous.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857

 

[Twoboxer]

I don't know why you want onboard video *and* a 5850. So I can't understand why you want a socket 775 build. If you truly want a 5850, why not buy these instead:

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

Motherboard: Gigabyte P55M-UD2 $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128405

Only $10 more than the least expensive mobo, this major name brand offering has all the connectors you would need. It also overclocks and can handle two video cards well.

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2GB DDR3 1333 Latency 7 $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276

Fast and inexpensive. No need to spend more on memory; could spend maybe $10 less. While you shouldn't need more memory, a second kit could be added for 8GB.

But back to your original question lol. Here's a review that might help your chipset choice:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/avivo-purevideo-clearvideo,2408.html

 

[Jaxxian]

Wow man, thanks. I have actually just had a great change of heart. I am going to go with a core i5 (NOT i7) but I want a bit more expansion slots. Basically now I'm just looking for a good mobo that I could maybe someday get 2 Readon 5000 series on. (Dx 11 will support 2 cards and run them properly as to reach both cards full potential, or at least from what I've heard). I may not be fully informed, but anyway... Anyone got any suggestions?

 

[geofelt]

Wow man, thanks. I have actually just had a great change of heart. I am going to go with a core i5 (NOT i7) but I want a bit more expansion slots. Basically now I'm just looking for a good mobo that I could maybe someday get 2 Readon 5000 series on. (Dx 11 will support 2 cards and run them properly as to reach both cards full potential, or at least from what I've heard). I may not be fully informed, but anyway... Anyone got any suggestions?

All of the motherboards that support the i5-750(the only one out now) will use the P55 chipset. You will get two x8 pci-e slots which is OK if you eventually go dual cards. X16 for just one card. You will miss the full capability of two cards running at X8, but the i5-750 probably would struggle to drive two 5850 cards fully.

The performance of all the motherboards is about the same. If you want some expansion slots, get a full ATX motherboard, not a smaller micro form board. All the vendors are OK, but Asus, Gigabyte, and EVGA seem to be favored. Intel is always solid also.

 

[Twoboxer]

The "bottleneck" on the P55 mobos will reduce the throughput of 2x5870s by 2% to 7%. Source:

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3649&p=7

If that small loss of scaling in a future potential Crossfire setup is an issue for you, you can avoid it by going i920 and the P58 chipset. But you are probably better off putting that extra money into a 5870 rather than a 5850, and avoiding the need to ever Crossfire at all.