Most stable, problem free Motherboard

[slipstreamv2]

Most stable, problem free Motherboard for mild OC

I've been doing some research on a new C2D system (probably E4400) with stock cooling. The most important feature I'm looking for is a rock solid, stable motherboard. I've heard of boards having problems with not wanting to play nice with certain brands of memory, having all sorts of quality control issues, etc. A couple years ago, I learned the hard way with an ECS mobo.

Beyond my 1st requirement of quality above all else, I'm interested in looking get into the world of OCing. Although I may get hooked on OCing later , for now I'm just looking to OC without doing anything to increase instability. I guess really mild OCs without raising core or memory voltages (1.8V), at least in the beginning.

To me, getting 2.8 to 3.0GHz from stock 2.0GHz would be good enough, I'm not looking to squeeze the last 0.1GHz out.

I'm open to all opinions. It seems that the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 seems like a popular, well-liked board, especially rev. 3.3. This thread - Gigabyte DS3 vs. Asus P5B has me a bit worried, though, with complaints about being "touchy" and "Lot's of warm/cold boot problems and failure to post at settings that were already tested stable."

For someone who is only concerned about getting mild OCs, does that affect me?

"Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets."

I've already ordered DDR2 2GB (2x1GB) PC5300 667MHz CL5 Non-ECC Unb. 240-Pin , Patriot Signature , model#PSD22G667K . Will this be an issue?

I'm also considering the GA-965G-DS3, with the only difference being onboard video and price difference being negligible. Although I'll probably never use it, for some reason having it provides peace of mind in case my video card is DOA or dies later on unexpectedly. What are your thoughts - is it not really worth it?

Also, any other reasons not to go with the 965G-DS3? I'm particularly interested in areas of reliability, etc., since it is probably a lot less popular than the 965P. Also, according to Newegg, I won't be able to upgrade to quadcores.

TIA.

 

[slipstreamv2]

Hmmm, another plus for the DS3 (rev3.3):

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2456

World's First Natively supported 1333MHz FSB

GIGABYTE Rev 3.3 P965 Series motherboards were designed to take full advantage of the blistering performance inherent in the new generation Intel Core™ 2 Duo processors featuring 1333MHz FSB.

As 1333MHz FSB is natively supported, no overclocking is need to unlock the performance benefits of these powerful processors. The GIGABYTE Rev 3.3 P965 Series motherboards also feature flexible memory support options in the BIOS, greatly extending the overclocking potential of the boards, especially when using a 1333MHz FSB processor. With memory multiplier settings including x2.0, x2.5, x3.33 and x4.0, users who overclock will be able to see a marked improvement in memory performance, with even slight overclocking reaching a more than 5% increase in performance.