Suggestion on motherboard for Intel Core 2 Q9650 Quad Processor

[G)-(OST]

Hey, I am building a HTPC mostly used for playing high def stuff + some HD encoding, capturing, I am going with the Q9650 mosty because I would prefer over kill (if any) rather than not enough. I have been googling, which has led me to a couple of different motherboards of interest:

ASUS Maximus II Formula

ASUS Rampage extreme

What are your thoughts on these? or do you have a particular MB recommendation

Thankyou in advance
Denis

Tech Spec For Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650
CPU Socket Type --- LGA 775
Multi-Core --- Quad-Core
Name --- Core 2 Quad Q9650
Operating Frequency --- 3.0GHz
FSB --- 1333MHz
L2 Cache --- 12MB
Manufacturing Tech --- 45 nm
64 bit Support --- Yes
Virtualization Technology Support --- Yes
Voltage - 0.85V --– 1.3625V
Thermal Power --- 95W
Cooling Device --- Heatsink and Fan included[/u]

[Soopafresh]

Good idea on the fast proc. Unfortunately, ASUS quality has suffered for the past few years. They used to be the best of the best. We seem to like Gigabyte around here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128363

[G)-(OST]

Thanks for the fast reply, yeh, I have read a few people complaining about ASUS MB's failing, in particular the ASUS Rampage extreme

Regards Denis

[INFRATOM]

When you say HTPC I think of small case that means small motherboard and low power requirement. But if you are choosing medium to large case you could go with full size motherboard. I suggest to choose depending on chipset. The ones you mentioned are gaming motherboards and have overclocking features. I suggest to go with mainstream deluxe type of motherboard because it has the best bios support , more stable and cheaper too. One thing to consider the good video cards like 4850 or 4870 are huge and it is like a mother board crossing your motherboard. they will most likely cover 2 slots down because of their fan so it will cover whatever is below it, so plan and look at the pictures before you purchase if there is a pci or PCIe then if you have audio, capture card make sure they fit. At the end my suggestion is ASUS P5q deluxe.

[budz]

My suggestion is either the GIGABYTE EP45-UD3P or UD3R which has already been suggested. I have the EP45-UD3P with a Q9550. Both of those mobo's have good overclocking options if you're into overclocking! Just my 2 cents!

[G)-(OST]

When you say HTPC I think of small case that means small motherboard and low power requirement.

I can see your point, but I want a case that is big enough to support all the go fast bits, I don't care how it looks or how big it is....

[INFRATOM]

For RAM go with PC6400 they are cheaper, more stable and compatible with most motherboards. RAM speed does not matter much people who are benchmarking games may see the difference but not in actual use. Faster memory is the basic memory that is either hand picked that run faster or factory overclocked which get hot and are more expensive. PC6400 are always on sale and if you get the low latency it gives you the best performance. 4 GIGS should suffice, use a 64bit OS. If you multitask meaning open few programs at a time will benefit from large memory but you won't see any difference between 4gigs or 6 gigs because each program use a certain amount of RAM. In fact if you just add large amount of RAM and don't optimize OS will allocate same amount of paging and will slow down the hard drive action. If you you use a large amount of RAM (16gigs) is the max for most MB you need to reduce paging size.

[G)-(OST]

Hey, what would you suggest for a case to house all of this stuff, i'd prefer an full size tower without any gay lights, & has silent fans & cools excellent, something that would except large graphics cards (8800) & full size ATX motherboards, I know there are many types, but peoples opinions are appreciated in my final decision.

Thankyou

[redwudz]

Take a look at the Lian-Li cases. A bit pricey, but very well built and easy to work on. No strobes or other 'carnival lighting'. I have two, a mid tower and a desktop case for my HTPC. http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product.php

[INFRATOM]

Antec 300 simple midsize lots of air flow and has large quite fans. The only thing power supply is down and make sure your power supply has long wires, 6 pin power on ASUS is across the board and for this type wiring is a bit tricky. HD come close to motherboard too but this is a midsize once it is done the outside matters. you don't want a huge heavy box? do you. Power supply being down lower center of the gravity and the thick power supply cord will not look like a horse tail.

[Soopafresh]

Long power cables indeed, INFRATOM. I have an Antec case with the power supply on the bottom and had a hell of a time getting the power cables to the motherboard.

One of the nice things about Lian Li cases is the removable motherboard tray on some models. It makes building the computer so much easier.

[INFRATOM]

That looks nice, but still need to disconnect HD , drive and all front cables to pull out. What is that hole for PSU or FAN If it is for a fan then after you slide in one has to lay the case down and do the wiring . With new ASUS plugs and SATA that wouldn't be too bad. I bought my Antec 300 for $45 for the price I can't complain and it is a nice mid size. box.