Computer Overhaul

Im going to be doing a major upgrade to my computer here in the next month or two, but before i go out and buy anything i thought i should come here first.

My current system is as follows:
Pentium D 3.4 GHz CPU with a Zalman fan
Asus p5nd2 Sli MoBo
2 gigs of 666.6 MHz ram
Nvidia 8800 GTX
250 GB HDD
850w PSU

Im going to upgrade my motherboard and CPU first. My CPU is going to be an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.6 GHz. But the issue is that i have no clue what motherboard to get.

I want to be able to run 1066 MHz ram eventually and would prefer one with passive cooling.

Abit IP35/ Gigabyte P35 DS3




What PSU is it.

DS3 seems like a good fit, or an ASUS P5B. What kind of other features are you looking for in the board? Depending on your budget I know a lot of people like the ASUS Commando.

It's a BFG tech PSU.

And budget wont be a issue, Anything under $400 would be possible for this project.

the Asus commando is like a toy compared to the Abit IP35-Pro, IMO. now the next mobo to get is going to be abit X38's with your choice of ddr2 or ddr3 slots.

if your looking for a mobo under $100 then look at these 2.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128057
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

otherwise if you can spend more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127030


Now if you have more money to spend for a mobo i really suggest waiting for X38's.

What makes the X38 chipset that much better than whats currently out there?

Loomy said:

What makes the X38 chipset that much better than whats currently out there?

Click to expand...

pci-e 2.0 real 16x/16x electical slots, X38 is suppose to preform alot better in some areas then P35.