AMD x4 975 3.6 GHZ -- Which Motherboard?

[DroopyPawn]

I currently have an ASUS M3A78 Pro and it will run my new x4 975 CPU at 3.6GHz. The motherboard and the RAM are the only parts left in my new system build. I just don't know which motherboard to get. I like ASUS. What would be a good one to get for this CPU if I want to move up to DDR3 RAM?

My new video card is EVGA GTX460 if that matters. Right now, I'm still on Windows XP Pro but I'll probably be moving on to Windows 7 soon.

On this computer I will record music (vocals, instruments, etc), play games like Age of Empires 3, go all over the Internet, work on school stuff (I'm a teacher), write programs, and pretty much everything else I can do on a computer.

Should I have any other considerations?

 

[DroopyPawn]

I guess I should have mentioned that I want to keep the price of motherboard and RAM under $200.

 

[Noworldorder]

I like Asus too so I stuck with that. I chose an ATX as the M3A78 PRO was. Specifically excluded an IGU as you have your own. Picked the most cost-effective with SATA3 and USB3.0 to future-proof you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647
ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $105

The RAM I chose for the Asus QVL. It is mid-point in speed and cas, but there are dozens and dozens other choices choices if you want to poke around.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276&Tpk=F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH $55

 

[DroopyPawn]

I was planning to go with 8GB of RAM. I know Windows XP won't see it all but is it overkill for when I move to Windows 7? I'd like to have built in FireWire port on the motherboard for my audio recording mixer but I could always add a PCI card for that if I need to.

And what about Crossfire? Do I need to be concerned with that? I have a fairly new video card in the GTX 460, right?

 

[DroopyPawn]

I think I'll go with the motherboard you're suggestion because of the good reviews. As for the memory, I plan to go with 8GB. The same ram you suggested in the 8BG version is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402&Tpk=F3-10666CL7D-8GBRH for $105. I can handle that. Is there any advantage to go with either 2x4GB or 4x2GB?

 

[Noworldorder]

I think I'll go with the motherboard you're suggestion because of the good reviews. As for the memory, I plan to go with 8GB. The same ram you suggested in the 8BG version is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402&Tpk=F3-10666CL7D-8GBRH for $105. I can handle that. Is there any advantage to go with either 2x4GB or 4x2GB?

Please do NOT go with 4x2 RAM; extra sticks simply put greater load on the memory controller.
Yes, 8 Gb RAM is a good investment now if you know Windows 7 (64-bit) is impending. Windows 7 32-bit serves no purpose and we are not sure why it exists.

You are better off with firewire onboard so as to use the native controller.
Although admittedly the difference for IEEE 1394 are pretty negligible if you choose a PCI add-on card.
This is a good choice now that I know you want IEEE 1394
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $110