Suggest a motherboard?

[ToastedElf]

I'm about to attempt my first serious PC build ( built a POS 5 years ago ) for the upcoming release of final fantasy 14... :D System budget is 1500 and will include the core i7 950 after the august 29 price drop, ATI 5850 ( Crossfire in the near future ) and minimum 6gb ddr3 1600 ram, other components have yet to be settled on because I just don't quite understand motherboards enough to settle on the right one for me. So LGA1366 motherboard crossfire ready, 200-300$. Any suggestions welcome, feel free to recommend a case to go with it.
Thanks,
Will

[timbruun]

I've got an asus P6X58D-E and so far so good. I've read alot of good reviews on it. It's actually better than the P6X58D-Premium from what I've read.

[Zero82z]

I recommend the ASUS P6X58D-E: NCIX.com - Buy ASUS P6X58D-E X58 ATX LGA1366 3PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFire SLI USB3.0 SATA 6GB/S Motherboard - P6X58D-E In Canada.

[homer98]

I agree with the mobo, just ordered it for my new build. solid choice from what I was told. hassle-free, no problems, good quality board for OC'ing as well.

[xlilmissmjx]

Hey Will,

Here are my suggestions for you...

Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $230
Newegg.ca - ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $250
Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $280
Newegg.ca - ASUS P6TD Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $280
Newegg.ca - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $300
Newegg.ca - ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $305

Now for your cases, well thats a subjective thing as it's based on preference of looks, but here's quite a few suggestions to consider...

Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $90
Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $140
Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER COSMOS S RC-1100-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case $170
Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case $206
Newegg.ca - Corsair Obsidian Series 700D CC700D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $229
Newegg.ca - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $281
Newegg.ca - Thermaltake V9 Black Edition ATX Computer Gaming Chassis with Dual Oversized 230mm Ultra-Silent Cooling Fans VJ400G1N2Z Mid Tower $94
Newegg.ca - ZALMAN PROFESSIONAL GS-1000-BK Black Computer Case Aluminum / 1.0mm SECC Steel Full Tower With Hot Swap Bays & PSU Roller Rails $177
Newegg.ca - ZALMAN GS1000 Plus B Black Aluminum / ABS / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $229

I know this is going out of the way for what you asked for, but it's something you might as well get suggestions for considering what you are going to be doing. Here are my suggestions for RAM, PSU, HDD, GPU and CPU Coolers..

For RAM..

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ $151
Newegg.ca - Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 998659B $151

for PSU...

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-650HX 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $130
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $154.50
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $160 Better headroom for more power hungry video cards etc.

For HDD

Newegg.ca - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $75
Newegg.ca - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $80
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $95

For GPU's (Video cards)

Newegg.ca - EVGA 01G-P3-1370-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $230 Performs better than the 5850 and has cuda, physX and is better at folding@home if your interested in that. Plus putting 2 of these in SLI beats out the GTX480! sweet

And Finally for CPU Coolers...

Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler $60
Newegg.ca - Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Intel Core i7 (six-core ready) & i5 Compatible Five 8mm Heatpipes Dual 120mm Fans Intel & AMD Universal CPU Cooler CLP0564 $60
Newegg.ca - Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler $60 +fans
Newegg.ca - Thermalright Venomous X - RT 120mm CPU Cooler $78

I hope this helps you out and best of luck with your new rig

[fishingfanatic]

Yes, another P6X58D-E fan and owner. Great motherboard! Again, as per a previous member, case selection is subjective. The CM HAF series cases are good, with the new X having usb3 and sata3 with 2 hot swap bays in the front of the unit. These cases are also very roomy for ease of use. The NZXT cases are good, Lian Li are a bit pricey but well made, and the Corsair cases are great for watercooling setups.

For gpus another fan of the 460 1gb models with EVGA having the lifetime warranty as was mentioned, 2 460s in sli outperform a single 480. They also run cooler and use less power individually, not sure about collectively.
I'm a Mushkin fan when it comes to memory, but any lifetime warranty ram is pretty good including Patriot,Corsair and G Skills.
I would recommend Corsair psus, the modular ones, HX or AX series. Silverstone are good and while there are a few others, none comes to mind atm.
Overall, it sounds like you should have a petty decent system when done. Enjoy the build and new system!!!

[ToastedElf]

Thanks for all the input, gives me alot to consider.