Board recommendation for LGA775?

[blackwind]

Hey,

I'm thinking about picking up a Q6600 and overclocking it as far as it'll go on air cooling. With that in mind, which of the following boards should I purchase:

* ASUS P5K-Deluxe
* ASUS Commando
* nForce 680i (of indeterminate model)

I'd also be willing to consider the ASUS P5K, but this page has me worried:

http://event.asus.com/mb/p5k/spec.html

The non-deluxe model is missing "Up to 20°C(36°F) Cooler - Stack Cool 2", which, if true, would be a massive boon for overclocking. What's the real-world performance like on that feature? Is it enough to justify spending the extra $100?

 

[Skott]

Whats that new one thats out now...P5K3? That or the P5K-D would be my guess.

 

[blackwind]

Yep, the P5K3. Are either of those worth the extra $100, though? From where I stand, the P5K (standard) is looking mighty tempting.

 

[orion23]

The Deluxe will be better for overclocking thanks for the extra cooling pipes.

The P5K3 would be a good choice but in terms of RAM, you will be paying a premium for DDR3

 

[MraK]

i have a GA-N680SLI-DQ6 that i had for around 2 months now (Gigabyte) with air cooling i got my e6600 (2.4ghz) OC to 2.74ghz but when i finally installed my after market cooler the Zalman 9700 i got my e6600 from 2.4ghz - 3.7ghz but decided to keep it at 3.4ghz and since then i havent had any problems, i got the board over evga's board and the striker extreme board from ASUS and also the Abit 680i board that they had all coz i had seen more dependability with gigabyte's board, seen more positive reviews than most other boards and the fact that the board came with alot of cool features some of which i may or may not use in near future.

All in All its just my opinion, i just wanted a board that could do me good since i'm a gamer and graphic artist using Adobe photoshop CS2, to name a few.

Any how good luck with you choice!

 

[drakore]

I hope you know that you won't be able to get that good of an overclock on the Q6600 with air cooling... it has a 110W heat disappation

 

[blackwind]

Originally posted by: drakore
I hope you know that you won't be able to get that good of an overclock on the Q6600 with air cooling... it has a 110W heat disappation

I hear the Ultra-120 Extreme is enough to push a Q6600 to 3GHz. That would be sufficient for me.

Am I to infer from your response that, with air cooling alone, the board I go with is completely insignificant in terms of overclocking potential? Just go with whichever board has the features I need? If so, I think I'd have to lean in the 680i direction -- possibly towards the Gigabyte board that was mentioned above.