Motherboard Recommendation

[Doliath]

I'm in the process of finalizing my first custom rig, and I've done a lot of reading to try and understand as much as possible to make sure that I don't make a mistake as far as compatibility and actually attempting to know what I'm doing. I've got most of the pieces planned out, but when I'm shopping for the motherboard, I feel over my head.

My system will have...

Thermaltake Element G Case
Intel i7 950 3 GHZ Processor
6 GB G.Skill DDR3 RAM (3x2GB)
2x ATI 5870 1GB Video Cards (Starting with one, but upgrading to 2 when finances align)
1 SSD and 1 Standard HD
TV Tuner
Assorted USB Devices
I will not be using a Raid system.

The majority of things I read are positive on ASUS, EVGA and GIGABYTE...but some of the subtle differences on the boards elude me and I'm also wary of some of the other brands because there isn't often much feedback on them (whether they might be good quality or not).

When I try to find the differences on things like...

ASUS P6T
ASUS P6T SE
ASUS P6TD Deluxe
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2

My head starts to hurt.

My price range is for a board under $300, but I want to leave room to expand as I need to upgrade so something that just barely meets requirements isn't what I'm looking for.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

 

[saint19]

My vote goes to the P6T Deluxe V2, OR, this two are really good mobo too

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200280%2050001402&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16813188039%2CN82E16813188046

For EVGA, my vote goes to the A1.

 

[Doliath]

Thanks saint, I think I've narrowed it down to...

EVGA AI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365

Does anyone know if the Thermaltake V1 Cooler will fit on the EVGA board with that odd Heat Sink already on the board? (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1405&ID=1548#Tab0) That might be the decision maker.

 

[saint19]

Yes, the V1 fit in your mobo, but, Can i suggest to you the V8 from coolermaster? http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2869

The problem could be the case, is a mid-tower, i think that you need a full tower for your rig. I have a TT V9 for my rig (see my profile) and is a little adjust in the inside.

 

[Doliath]

That cooler is quite nice, I hadn't seen it before today. You are right though, I'd unfortunately have to get a full size tower to accommodate it, there would only be a 2 mm clearance above the Coolermaster inside my case (which I already purchased). It was the same issue I ran into with the SpinQ VT that I originally wanted to get.