Seeking guidance with mobo selection

Why go for the i7 960? Save yourself $250 and get the i7 930 instead.

You'll need 6 GB of RAM (or 3 GB) for optimal performance with Core i7 900s.

A good motherboard is the ASUS P6X58D-E.

A better one is the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. It's slightly cheaper, but still packed with featrues.

Definitely agree on saving the cash and getting the 930. No reason to pay such a high price for a factory overclock.

And 6 GB is a must. 3 GB is a little too small and you need triple channel RAM.

If you're in the US, here's a couple of good configurations:

CPU/Mobo: i7-930 and Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R $484
RAM: Corsair XMS3 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $155 after rebate OR G.Skill Trident 3x2 GB 2000 mhz CAS Latency 9 $185

Check to see if you're within driving distance of a Microcenter. You can get the i7-930 for $200 there, which will save a bundle.

Thanks for all the responses, i had no idea that the 960 was just an overclock. nor that i needed ram in 3's. I can't thank you guys enough.